Saturday, March 22, 2014

Can I believe my eyes? 3 MW from only one shopping center in Wake County? I'm double-checking, but yes folks, Beaver Creek Commons in Apex has the capacity to generate 3 MW of electricity when you cover those puppies with pv. Ok, so here's my guess-timate for all Wake County: 100 MW (they've got a LOT of those large shopping centers!)... *grin*

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Kickstarter project launched!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2033887281/solar-parking-lots-putting-the-lid-on-2329-lg-lots

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbngYZ3B4BU&list=UUMXFYzI8dgZLiu0JMmVf7Xw

Friday, March 7, 2014

Tips for Being Green

Hi all!  I was working in Dreamweaver CC for class and came across these tips as part of the exercises we're doing. The text is Dreamweaver CC Digital Classroom so I thought to include mention.
Oh... note: the website is still up on the school's server, but I'll be working on it off and on for the next two months. If you happen to preview it, note that all the functionality might not be working as I experiment with different ideas and javascripts (Learning another language! A teacher once told me that for every word in a foreign language you learn each day you'll add a day onto your life. I just know that includes programming languages!)

Green Tips

At Home

  • Wash clothes in cold water
  • Hang clothes to dry
  • Turn off lights in empty rooms
  • Use motion sensors to turn lights on
  • Plan driving errands to combine trips
  • Walk more, drive less
  • Install Compact Fluorescent lighting (CFL)
  • Turn the thermostat down
  • Unplug AC/DC adapters when batteries are charged
  • Don’t use the dry cycle in the dishwasher
  • Install proper installation
  • Use reusable containers
  • Pick up canned and dry goods once a week or a month
  • Use glass and aluminium
  • Take your shoes off to save the carpet
  • Unplug unused appliances
  • Make cold dinners
  • Use Natural pesticides/fertilizers
  • Buy rechargeable batteries
  • Dispose of batteries properly
  • Buy fruits and vegetables locally

At Work

  • Use recycled paper.
  • Print on both sides of the paper
  • Turn your computer screen off when you leave your desk
  • Use single-serving coffee makers
  • Send electronic instead of paper documents
  • Buy rechargeable batteries
  • Provide ceramic coffee cups to employees
  • Buy equipment and supplies made locally whenever possible
  • Use motion sensors to turn lights on
  • Join a carpool or take public transportation
  • Turn the thermostat down
  • Buy only Energy Star equipment and appliances
  • Use email instead of fax or regular mail when possible
  • Install water filters on water taps, eliminate bottled water
  • Separate recyclable trash from garbage
  • If you don’t turn your computer off, put it in stand-by when you leave
  • Buy natural cleaning products

In the Community

  • Carpool with neighbors to school or the shopping mall
  • Put the leaf blowers away and get out the rakes
  • Water early in the morning or after the sun sets
  • Bring your own bags when shopping
  • Don’t idle at the train station or in parking lots
  • Create a community garden for herbs, fruits and vegetables
  • Recycle dead branches and lawn waste as mulch
  • Ask your local government to institute green policies
  • Form walking/biking clubs
  • Form a subscription club to swap newspapers and magazines
  • Plant more trees
  • BBQ with neighbors to use less propane/charcoal
  • Cut grass less frequently or use a push mower
  • Schedule garage sales on the same day
  • Use reusable dishware for parties
  • Plant indigenous trees and shrubs that need little water
  • Use natural fertilizers and pesticides
  • Collect rainwater in covered containers for plants and trees

Monday, February 24, 2014

Solar Parking Lots NC Website Preview

The Solar Parking Lots NC website is being developed!  I hope to finish the initial setup by the end of this week and then begin massaging all those excel lists into csv files in the proper format to import into Google Maps.  And ArcGIS Online.  I plan to do both.  The Google Maps will be shown on the website and the Online Community of ESRI will have my group with the same data shown in maps there.  (Plus there's that nice Storytelling app that just might come in handy for something or another down the line!)

So, hopefully, those csv files will start showing up in the maps on the website by the middle of March.  Keep in mind that the website is divided into the five main regions of North Carolina:  Western, Piedmont, Central, South Central and Eastern.  These are the regions that most of the state government entities use.  Within each region are listed the counties:  30 in the Western region, 24 in the Piedmont region, 12 in the Central region, 11 in the South Central region and 23 in the Eastern region.  Each csv file represents one particular store.  So you won't see how many large chain store parking lots there are per county until all csv lists are imported.

Stay tuned and I'll provide updates.

Here's the link to what is done thus far on the website.  I'm using the school's server right now, so it may disappear.  Keep checking here as I plan to get in up on some commercial setup soon.  (Ah, is it improper to ask for donations here?)

I am loving doing this and I know deep down it will make a difference.  I plan to keep going with the other southeastern states.  I just hope and pray that monetary details will be taken care of in order for me to keep on providing input into this viable and feasible alternative to fossil fuels.

Solar Parking Lots NC
(Oh, there's no back link right now and I'm changing the logo (far left box on header) this week.)

Thursday, February 13, 2014



Sea level rise is starting to show up all over.......

By the time current children have children, there will be AT LEAST a 4-6 foot rise in sea level. 150 million people will be displaced at a 3 ft rise. Electricity supplies are affected at a 4 ft rise. Help me promote Solar Parking Lots. It'll keep us moving (electric vehicles if you please) while we accept and adjust.

Saturday, February 8, 2014

I've checked my large chain store parking lot figures for North Carolina against the Dun & Bradstreet database that ESRI's ArcGIS Business Analyst Online uses and the total has grown... to 2326.

I'm working up a website (have to enter one in the NC State Fair for an assignment due Feb 23rd) so I'll be busy with that these next two weeks.  Then it's mapping them all out by county.  Then on to doing the actual calculations for the solar arrays (yes, per parking lot!).  

Hang with me this year, ya'll....  this is going to be a game changer!

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Climate Change Science That Has Me Passionate About Solar Parking Lots







Here are the references and video links:


References Links
Why I Must Speak Out About Climate Change with Dr. James Hansen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWInyaMWBY8


James Hansen Explains Climate Change and the Solution https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nM5-recP7-E


James Hansen:  We Are Only Beginning To Feel Climate Change's Impact https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lh2Ih712fbk


James Hansen:  To Save Our Planet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQ15zfEUULU


Climate Change:  James Hansen on Tipping Points, Carbon Tax and Organized Denial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCxDOs5Taew


James Hansen:  Humanity Cannot "Adapt" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6KhGoPlahA


This is not Cool with Peter Sinclair http://youtu.be/u7EHvfaY8Zs  


Understanding the Jet Stream with Dr. Jennifer Francis http://youtu.be/_nzwJg4Ebzo  


 Climate 101 with Bill Nye http://youtu.be/3v-w8Cyfoq8 


Rutger's Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rapid Arctic Warming & Wacky Weather: Are They Related?  by Dr. Jennifer Francis http://marine.rutgers.edu/main/Exciting-Science/  


James Balog http://extremeicesurvey.org/


James Balog www.chasingice.com


Polar Ice Loss:  Picking Up the Pace by John D. Cox http://news.discovery.com/earth/global-warming/polar-ice-loss-picking-up-the-pace-110309.htm


South Florida's Rising Seas http://video.wpbt2.org/video/2365148517/


Sea Level Rise Panel Discussion http://video.wpbt2.org/video/2365156580/  



http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1112724709/sea-level-rising-bill-hay-110212/



http://www.jsonline.com/entertainment/featured/chasing-ice-pursues-chilling-evidence-of-climate-change-5j7v692-184339691.html#ixzz2rZWLhRsf


Global change: The ocean is warming, isn't it?   doi:10.1038/465304a

    Kevin E. Trenberth
http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=h0ugg5a8XCvsXM&tbnid=QC6u8mXQWK_SoM:&ved=0CAMQjhw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Fnature%2Fjournal%2Fv465%2Fn7296%2Ffull%2F465304a.html&ei=9B3pUry2H8bLsQSLsIGYCQ&bvm=bv.60157871,d.eW0&psig=AFQjCNH841F7lWfjEAqKFDTPrTDPJIVkvw&ust=1391095220114851


Saturday, January 25, 2014

I've totaled up most of the chain stores in NC (wish I was using ESRI's Business Analyst to be sure this is all!)  and I'll post a chart with the totals.  Without including drug stores I've got 2089.  That's a lot of parking lots to cover!  (I'll get busy analyzing soon.)  The heavy pavers are Food Lion with 853 stores (just NC!) Walmart with 168 stores in NC, Harris Teeter with 144 stores in NC and Lowes Home Improvement with 114 stores in NC.   

donations accepted:  http://www.solarparkinglot.blogspot.com