Wind farm campaigners present petition

Rhona Weir, the widow of climber, writer and broadcaster Tom Weir, presented the document on behalf of Stop Highland Windfarms.

The petition has the backing of the Scottish Conservatives. Meanwhile conservationists have been telling a Holyrood committee more must be done to protect wild land across Scotland.

The Stop Highland Windfarms petition states: "We the people from all over the world who love Scotland, petition First Minister Alex Salmond and Energy Minister Fergus Ewing to stop the reckless siting of wind turbines in Scotland."

The group said it had previously tried to present it to Mr Salmond at the SNP conference in Inverness last month but was unable to to so.

Scottish Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser, convener of the Scottish Parliament's energy committee, said: "This petition outlines well the fears communities have all over Scotland.

"People do not want to see their treasured countryside plastered with wind turbines, which aren't even an efficient producer of energy."

He added: "While around a fifth of Scotland already enjoys strong protection from development, including National Parks and National Scenic Areas, there is a legitimate debate about where the most appropriate sites for renewable energy in the country are. "

"We believe that wind energy - suitably located, and subject to a planning process which gives the right level of protection to Scotland's important landscapes - can make a huge contribution to meeting Scotland's future energy needs."

In a separate event, Holyrood's public petitions committee has been hearing from the John Muir Trust and Scottish Natural Heritage about how best to protect Scotland's wild land.

The John Muir Trust has collected thousands of signatures from people who back its concerns about the rate of development across otherwise unspoilt areas.

The trust has been working on maps to build a picture of the best wild land which it believes should be given statutory protection, separate to existing designations such as National Scenic Areas.

In a submission to the committee, the trust stated: "Wild land in Scotland provides important ecosystem services, sustaining numerous forms of life including key biodiversity species and providing for essential climate change mitigation and adaptation, for instance, retention of carbon in peat, providing high-quality water supplies and contributing to natural flood defences.

"Wild land does not receive clear and explicit recognition or protection within the Scottish planning system, or when decisions are made on sustainable land use.

"As a consequence, as more accessible and less sensitive sites are developed, some of the best wild land faces the threat of being lost forever." MSPs also discussed the impact of wind farms on the countryside.

Another petition calls for a change in planning regulations to enable an increase in the current "neighbour notification" distance of 20 metres.

Kelsey Glen community offers 'the best of both worlds'

When JoAnne and Bill Patterson moved to Wilson County from Charlotte, N.C., they wanted a house in the country. But they wanted a house in the city, too.

They found what they were looking for in Kelsey Glen, a growing master planned community in north Mt. Juliet off Old Lebanon Dirt Road.

“We couldn’t get Kelsey Glen out of our minds. We have the best of both worlds,” said JoAnne. “There’s a real country atmosphere. Looking out back, there’s lots of open land, deer, wild turkeys. But we’re close to Providence and all the conveniences. Nashville is just 15 minutes away.”

They will soon be meeting new neighbors. The Jones Co., Kelsey Glen’s founder, is actively building new homes in the master planned community to meet growing demand. The community is adding additional amenities this year, including a pool and cabana and a new portion of a walking trail, said Perry Pratt, Jones Co. vice president.

“Kelsey Glen’s appeal is that it is a master planned community in more of a rural setting that is not immediately surrounded by commercial activity and the traffic,” he said.

The company also builds homes in Providence, a master planned community adjacent to popular shopping, entertainment and dining destinations in south Mt. Juliet.

Master planned communities are increasingly in demand, said Pratt. They often provide amenities like pools that residents otherwise might have to join a private club to enjoy. Then there’s the convenience factor.

“Kids can ride their bikes to the pool. You don’t have a long drive,” he said.

Homes in master planned communities are a good investment, said Pratt, since houses meet the community’s standards and architectural styles are coordinated. In communities like Kelsey Glen, a variety of floor plans allow residents to move to a larger home or downsize without leaving the community.

“As families grow, we have a lot of move-up buyers,” said Pratt. “They like the community. They like the schools. They can move up without moving away.”

Many home buyers like the certainty of buying a home in a planned community, he said.“It’s planned. You know what you’re going to get,” Pratt said.

In Kelsey Glen, that means a house in the $180,000s to the $300,000s. Homes share features such as open floor plans, hardwoods and drop zones, a designated spot where busy families can recharge their cellphones and electronic devices and set down the car keys.“It’s all in one organized area,” Pratt said.

The Pattersons’ 2,500-square-foot house has plenty of room for their extended family and features four bedrooms and three baths. A game room and three bedrooms are upstairs. The master is down. The kitchen has granite countertops and stainless appliances, “everything people want,” said JoAnne.

A major appeal of Kelsey Glen’s homes is their energy efficiency. Lights in pantries and utility areas automatically turn on and off when someone walks in and out. Compact fluorescent lights replace many ordinary light bulbs. Thermostats are programmable, allowing precise control of indoor temperatures.

Other energy-saving features are out of sight. Upgraded insulation keeps homes comfortable. The heating and cooling air ducts in each home are pressure tested by an independent third party for energy-wasting ― and money wasting ― leaks. The result is lower monthly energy bills.

Maintain Any Solar Facility in North America

Swinerton Renewable Energy, a leading builder and service provider in the solar utility industry, has expanded their services to include comprehensive operations and maintenance (O&M) services for any North American solar facility.

Swinerton Renewable Energy has a strong track record of photovoltaic (PV) facilities management, with O&M services comprising performance monitoring and alerting, parts management, service ticketing, reporting, preventive and corrective maintenance, warranty administration, and site maintenance, including vegetation mitigation and module washing. Historically, Swinerton has only offered service contracts on PV sites they constructed. Repeated client requests for such value-add services on sites that Swinerton did not construct led to the company's decision to expand into the broader solar market.

Within days of expanding their service offerings, Swinerton Renewable Energy validated market demands by signing a service contract for a large solar plant in Texas being built by another company. Swinerton has also already expanded services to clients on the East Coast. While many other service providers occupy the solar market, Swinerton Field Operations Supervisor Angelo Purpura says, "We offer more of a utility-scale approach and the mindset of contractors, because we have tremendous experience building and operating these types of facilities. Our in-depth technical and electrical knowledge allows us to provide our customers with significant advantages with highly trained, experienced service personnel."

Swinerton already commands a significant solar O&M portfolio, with service contracts on more than 600MWdc. Most contracts include availability and performance guarantees, which offer customers significant financial security. Such guarantees were a significant advantage cited by K Road Power in their recent decision to award Swinerton a 10-year O&M contract for the future 340MWdc Moapa Solar Plant in Nevada, which Swinerton will also construct.

An added incentive to using Swinerton's O&M service is access to their SOLV monitoring system. SOLV is a proprietary, utility-scale SCADA system providing monitoring, utility control, alert and dispatch management, site performance comparison, and data analysis. The system identifies any performance detriments and empowers Swinerton to operate facilities at optimal levels. "It's one-stop shopping," says Manager of Technical Services Joe Brotherton. "With SOLV, we're able to offer unique performance guarantees, because we have a deeper understanding of what it takes to optimize performance of PV sites based on data collected and managed through our system. Once a baseline is established, we can work to optimize performance and offer different levels of performance guarantees."

Throughout its 125-year history, Swinerton has established strong partnerships with clients across a wide range of industries, including a robust presence in the renewable energy market. Clients are welcoming this expansion of service offerings as an added benefit to manage their diverse solar facility portfolios.

Swinerton Renewable Energy has traditionally offered turn-key solar power solutions for utility scale and has distributed projects totaling over 3GW of power generation and solar expertise. In addition to standard engineering, procurement, and construction services, Swinerton provides unique value by offering warranty wraps, performance monitoring, and production generation guarantees to benefit their customers' financial security.

Bright lights, little city

A classic 1989 Christmas movie, "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation," crosses Steve Boling's mind while talking about decorating his house for the holidays.

"I think everybody wants to be the 'Clark Griswold' of their neighborhood, without all of the medical bills associated with it," Boling said, referring to the movie's bumbling main character, played by Chevy Chase.

Boling's real-life experience -- 15 years of draping his home with decorations every holiday season -- is devoid of Griswold's antics -- or need for bandages -- but the yearly chore is just as enjoyable.

His efforts paid dividends this year. The manager of Western Extralite of Salina, 1320 Armory, a wholesale electrical distributor, Boling won the $100 first prize in the Deck the House Holiday Lights Contest, sponsored by the Salina Journal. Winners were selected by a vote of the public.

Boling's home, at 2263 Shalimar, is nestled in a southeast Salina neighborhood where others take part in a friendly competition to improve their yearly outdoor decor.

"It's all in good fun," he said. "If I'm putting more lights out, they're heading to the store to get another strand."

Boling can't take all of the credit for his victory. He was helped by sons Ross, 13, and Tyler, 18, and his wife, Dana.

Dr. Jim Shafer is proud that he's placed second for two straight years with the display at 1208 Martin. The prize for runner-up is $50.

"I'm consistent," said Shafer, who practices at Comcare, 617 E. Elm. Third place and a $25 prize went to Shannon Yerke, of 2228 Huntington.

Shafer has decorated his home every holiday season since 1981, but the display has steadily become more elaborate in the past 15 years.

"I've got a lot of stuff, and I get a little bit more every year," Shafer said.Decorations bring motorists to his digs. "They slow down, stop and wave, and I wave back," he said. Shafer, in turn, takes a traditional drive every year to gawk and compare.

"I'm noticing more overall lights around town, but other than Red Fox Lane, where it's fantastic, I don't see as many big displays like I saw growing up," Shafer said. "There are more people who just have some (decorations)."

His lights normally add about $100 a month to his electric bill, but with a gradual switch to more energy efficient LED lights, the cost could go down this year.

"(LEDs) are the ones that outline my roof," Shafer said. "I don't like them quite as well. They're not as bright, but they grow on you."

Boling said he's noticed that more people are switching from incandescent bulbs to the LEDs.

"You use much fewer watts, and LEDs last upward of 50,000 hours," Boling said. "Those should last virtually a lifetime." He uses 600 feet of extension cords and surge protectors.

"Luckily, the LEDs are not as much of a power hog," Boling said. "You're not popping breakers anywhere near what it used to be."

Sheetz Upgrades Lighting

More than 130 Sheetz locations now feature state-of-the-art LED lighting by Cree Inc.

The installation of energy-efficient Cree interior and exterior lighting at Sheetz retail gasoline locations is delivering a 45% reduction in energy costs for interior lighting and 50-55% reduction in exterior lighting compared to the antiquated lighting it replaced.

“LED technology has improved dramatically over the last several years and we saw that Cree was on the leading edge of LED lighting innovation,” said Doug Knisely, director of building and petroleum construction, Sheetz Inc. “We collectively determined that the conventional, antiquated lighting that we were using at Sheetz needed to be upgraded. High-quality lighting is an imperative to our business and is extremely vital to our customers that choose Sheetz to refuel their cars and refresh their bodies.”

According to Sheetz, ranked 58th on Forbes Magazine’s 2011 List of Top Private Companies, Cree LED lighting will provide a significant return on investment. From Cree’s near maintenance-free operation to the more than 50,000 hours of longevity, Sheetz expects a reduction in maintenance costs and to considerably lower the amount of kilowatt-hours of electricity used annually.

Knisely continued, “We are a customer service-focused brand and Cree’s high-quality LED lighting makes our stores appear brighter, more visually appealing and helps us deliver a safer feeling atmosphere for our customers. We continue to reinvent ourselves and bring innovation to our industry and as we open new locations in our six-state footprint, we look forward to utilizing Cree LED lighting to help us maintain our commitment of quality to our customers.”

“As an adopter of LED lighting in its new and remodeled locations, Sheetz is revolutionizing the customer experience in the retail gasoline and convenience store marketplace,” said Christopher Ruud, Cree vice president, global sales, lighting. “Cree LED products, with high efficiency and low maintenance, are the ideal solution for the round-the-clock operations of convenience stores and gas stations.”

Cree Edge area and flood luminaires and 227 Series canopy luminaires replaced the exterior metal halide lighting fixtures, providing enhanced color quality, uniformity and optimized illumination performance. Additionally, 46 of the 131 upgraded Sheetz stores are illuminated with CR14 linear luminaires and CR6 downlights, updating the original fluorescent and compact fluorescent lights.