Cool Summer

Once again it's a relatively cool summer.  It's around 80F these days after getting close to 90F a couple days.  Last summer was also cool.  Is this the future global weirding effect?  I like that part of it - the long winters I can do without.

Progress is slowing down on projects at WinSol3.  I poured the last of the cement and tile walkways for the greenhouse - and now I can clean-up and do a bit more landscaping in there.  The living roof deck is really progressing big time.  It should be done in a couple weeks and then the odius job of hauling up dirt for a 8-10" base will begin.  It'll take about 6 months for that to be done along with the test of deep snow.

The vegetable raised beds are doing great.  I put in my 4th potato tire/cage today.  Radishes are turning to seed along with the poppies and winter beets + spinach.  One of the raised beds is growing things so quickly I'm amazed... dill that's 3' tall along with beets and beans that are really growing tall. 

Electric and solar wise, I have more energy than I know what to do with.  If I was anywhere close to 'the grid'  I still wouldn't tie into it and sell it back.  I'm all about disconnecting from the main grid on many dimensions and living a bit disconnected from the craziness.  

I started reading a book by Albert Brooks '2030 - the real story of what happens in America'  and it just reaffirms that we gotta do something!  We can't continue this apathy.  I also heard a talk given by the USA German ambassador about how they are at 18% renewable energy, and will be 80% by 2050.  They've created 350,000 jobs in renewables, and are constantly innovating.  He said one of the big differences between Germany and the USA was that Germans can't move to a new place that much - there is no more open land... whereas in the USA we have plenty of undeveloped land and so we constantly develop and expand.  Fair comparison.  But Germany's investment in education and research vs the USA give me pause for concern. 

So, with the big Solar conference in SF going on, I am taking a quick break and heading in to see what's new on the global horizon.  I'm sure this year the conference will be twice as big as it has been the past two years.  Mainstream renewables.