Green vs. Green

Why are environmentalists opposing renewable energy projects? They say clean energy is good for the envirornment; however, they oppose every major renewable energy project proposed for our region. Yes, we're a bit confused by that, too. Our goal is to make sure that a handful of people, many of whom don't even live in San Diego or the Imperial Valley, do not hold the entire region hostage.

Check out this story about so-called environmentalists opposing wind farms in San Diego's back country. Then click here to see a list of hundreds of proposed green energy projects being fought by the same category of people, on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's "Project-No Project" Web site.

Bet you didn't know...

You are the Sunshine of My Life

1. Da Vinci predicted a solar industrialization as far back as 1447.
2. In one hour, more sunlight falls on the earth than what is used by the entire population in one year.
3. The Imperial Valley has the potential to generate 6,870 megawatts of solar energy, enough for more than 4 million homes.
4. Percentage of the potential solar energy available in the Imperial Valley currently being delivered to San Diego: 0.

They Call Me the Breeze

1. Since 2003, wind power has been the fastest growing form of all types of electricity generation on a percentage basis in the U.S.
2. Wind energy is actually a form of solar energy.
3. On a particularly windy day in Spain in November 2009, the country generated 49 percent of all its energy from wind power.
4. Eastern San Diego County and Northern Baja California together could produce enough wind energy to power more than 2 million homes.
5. Only one wind farm currently exists in San Diego County today (on the Campo Indian Reservation). It produces 50 megawatts, enough to power about 32,000 homes.

Full Steam Ahead

1. Geothermal Energy has been around for as long as the Earth has existed. "Geo" means earth, and "thermal" means heat. So, geothermal means earth-heat.
2. The entire world resource base of geothermal energy has been calculated in government surveys to be larger than the resource bases of coal, oil, gas and uranium combined.
3. About 10,000 years ago, Paleo-Indians used hot springs in North America for cooking. Areas around hot springs were neutral zones.
4. The Salton Sea area of the Imperial Valley has the potential to generate more than 2,000 megawatts of geothermal energy, or enough for 1.3 million homes.
5. California currently receives about 6 percent of all its energy from geothermal sources. San Diego receives none.