Feb. 22 Energy Cafe on Efficient Windows

Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012, 6-7:30 p.m., Farmers Gastropub, 431 S. Jefferson, Springfield

Our next Energy Cafe brings Art Boyt of SolSource GreenBuild, Neosho, to talk about the latest in window design and technology. Learn how good window design can lower energy bills by providing both heating and cooling for homes. Art will discuss overhang sizing, ventilation, window orientation and window types that are tuned for energy efficiency. He'll also talk about other house design features that can be combined to turn windows into an energy asset for your home. 

Art is a former professor and director of the Missouri Alternative and Renewable Energy Technology Center at Crowder College, Neosho.  During his tenure, the Crowder team earned national recognition for its entries in the solar decathlon competitions in Washington, D.C. He and his wife, Vickie, design and project manage the construction of energy-efficient houses through SolSource GreenBuild; www.solsourcegreenbuild.com. They provide energy consulting services and sell Serious windows.

Register to attend this free event at 417-581-4018 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Our March 28 Energy Cafe will feature Cheryl Marcum and Mitch Ross discussing their national award-winning "solar-drenched home" near Stockton.  For more details go to our Energy Cafe page.

Save the Date for ONE Fundraiser

More details to follow soon, but save April 28, 1-4 p.m. on your calendars for an old-fashioned barn warming celebration for the new high-tech, super energy-efficient barn and home of Dan and Margy Chiles on Rockspan Farm in rural Greene County. The event will put some green in ONE's bank account for future education projects and provide attendees with food, drink, music and information. Here's what you can expect:

• Tour of the home and barn, incorporating the latest energy-saving design, materials and renewable technologies
• Sample local foods, brews and wines
• Enjoy live music
• Learn about the state of energy from Zeke Fairbank
• Learn from exhibitors how to live and work more sustainably

The cost is $35 per person or $50 per family.  Click here to register for the event and pay through PayPal.

Give to ONE

Consider a gift to ONE to help us fund the redesign of our website and the development of our ONE Spotlight profiles, featuring real-life examples of Missourians who have made energy improvements in their homes and businesses and the results to prove that you can reduce your energy consumption and still live comfortably.

To give online through PayPal, click Donate in the right column. To give by check and mail, go to http://www.ozarksnewenergy.org/site/give-to-one-mail-page.

We appreciate your support!

Our new phone number is 417-581-4018.

Good News on Solar But Bad News on Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Solyndra's bankruptcy has dulled solar's shine, no doubt about it. But Keith Drum reports in "Solar Power's Good News" that a new technology in solar panels has been announced by the National Renewable energy Laboratory. It could be a game changer. Called the Optical Cavity Furnace, it uses optics instead of radiant or infrared heat for solar cells. The optics lower the cost and speed up the process of manufacturing solar panels. The panels also are more efficient.

The cost of solar already is 50% less than it was two years ago and is on track to meet the Obama Administration's goal of $1 a watt by 2013. By 2030, solar electricity could cost half that of coal. Read the article at here.

On another front, Associated Press reporter Seth Borenstein in "Biggest jump ever seen in global warming gases," reported that heat-trapping carbon dioxide jumped by the biggest amount on record, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. In 2010, the world pumped about 564 million more tons than in 2009, an increase of 6%. The latest figures put global emissions higher than the worst-case projections from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change made in 2007. Scientists have generally found the panel's predictions too conservative.

One piece of good news: the developed countries that ratified the 1997 Kyoto Protocol greenhouse gas limiting treaty have reduced emissions by about 8% below 1990 levels.

Read the article here.