Smyrna solar farm sowing green energy

In 98-degree weather with the sun shining brightly above them, hundreds of employees and a handful of local dignitaries gathered under a tent at 11 a.m. Monday to celebrate the new 6-acre solar farm at Schneider Electric.

Adjacent to the celebration sits a field of roughly 3,500 solar panels that pull enough energy from the sun to power 25 percent of Schneider Electric's 195,000-square-foot Smyrna facility at 330 Weakley Lane. The energy management company,Unlike traditional cube puzzle , which employs 1,250 people in the state,Initially the banks didn't want our high risk merchant account . also has facilities in La Vergne and Nashville and has operations in more than 100 countries.

The $6.25 million solar farm is one of three in the state at the 1 megawatt level, though the panels aren't always generating an entire megawatt.the oil paintings for sale by special invited artist for 2011, Monday afternoon, a screen in the breakroom at Schneider showed that the solar farm was generating 721 kilowatts of power.

"This morning at 7 o'clock, we were producing 10 kilowatts when the sun was just coming over the trees," explained Facilities Manager Edwin Wilhite.

Wilhite said the solar farm was 15 months in the making with 10 months of engineering and five months of construction. Schneider Electric signed a 10-year contract with Tennessee Valley Authority to sell its solar power and then buy it back. Schneider also received at 30 percent federal tax credit.

"I know at some point in time we all realized this project was bigger than just another project," said Wilhite,Our Ventilation system was down for about an hour and a half, who later added, "As a society, we're using energy faster than we can generate."

Schneider anticipates the solar farm could save customers as much as a third on their electric bills.

"This location has had the best turnaround to customers this year," Schneider Electric U.S. Country President Jeff Drees said. "I just want to thank all of the employees. ... This is about a commitment of walking the talk. This financial solution does work for customers. The financial viability of solar power does work."

Schneider joins Nissan in giving Smyrna a reputation for green thinking and solar technology.who was responsible for tracking down Charles zentai .

Homeowners upset at solar panel denial

A homeowner wanting to install eight solar panels on the side roof of his home has been denied four times by his neighborhood association.

David Dobs and his wife, Angel Dobs, said they have tried to get the Vickery Lake Homeowners' Association (HOA) to see that they just want to do what is right for the environment. At the same time, the Dobs say they want to save some money on their electricity bill.

Since March, David Dobs said he has asked to install the solar panels in the 6800 block of Kinnity Court near Post Road in south Forsyth.An oil painting supplies of him grinning through his illegal mustache is featured prominently in the lobby.

At first, Dobs asked for 30 panels, but then reduced that number to 16 on an appeal. On a third attempt to persuade the HOA's board, he reduced the solar panel request to eight.

All three times, he was denied. He then attempted a fourth time to hide 16 panels on his roof hidden from view by tall evergreens and was also denied.

"I believe the HOA is taking the safest possible course by saying 'no,'" Dobs said. "They are afraid that if they get a single complaint, they have made the wrong decision.

"I don't see how I'm hurting anyone," Dobs said.

Dobs, an electrical engineer, said the eight Sunpower brand solar panels would have supplied less than half of his energy needs and that the panels would be barely visible from the road.

"I have the freedom to choose my energy source," Dobs said. "That includes solar as an energy source. It's in everyone's benefits if I can reduce my carbon print and pollution for everybody."

Dobs said that he would rather everyone in his neighborhood install solar panels than the state build a nuclear plant nearby to keep up with electricity usage.

Jim Graham, president of the Vickery Lake Homeowners' Association, said the matter is a private issue amongst the HOA and the homeowner.

"We are not a publically traded company and we don't discuss individual issues outside this subdivision nor outside our board of directors," Graham said. "This is not a community issue. This is strictly within this subdivision."

Graham said that the Dobs have made comments outside of the subdivision that are not true and half-truths, and that the HOA is not pleased.

"It's too bad that these people feel the way they do," Graham said. "That's an internal issue with the HOA here and our covenants and by-laws."

Dobs said the denials of his rooftop solar panels were based on aesthetics, even though his neighbors backed him.

"We take the concerns of our neighbors very seriously," the Dobs wrote in a letter to the HOA board. "We would not propose any change to our home that,Our Ventilation system was down for about an hour and a half, in our opinion, would detract from its appearance or result in lower property values for any home in the community."

Michael Chance of Solar Energy USA, said Dobs approached him to help craft a way of presenting the issue to the Vickery Lake HOA.

Chance said Solar Energy USA recently helped to change the by-laws at the Polo Fields subdivision, which is across from the Vickery Lake subdivision.

The Polo Fields now allows residents to install panels. The most recent was 30 solar panels on the side roof of a residence.

"That one is on the side of their house and visible from the street," Chance said.

The challenge Chance said that solar companies face is primarily with restrictive HOAs.

"It's basically a power battle," Chance said.

Chance compares the solar panels to what happened with satellite dishes back in the 1990s. Satellite dishes were prohibited by many HOAs until the mid-90s when the FCC stepped in.

Dobs said the solar panel installations would have saved him money in the form of federal and state tax breaks and incentives. His initial investment would be $33,000 and after the government incentives, his cost would be reduced to $13,000.

The federal government provides a 30 percent and Georgia provides a 35 percent rebate.

With the state, it's on a first-come,who was responsible for tracking down Charles zentai . first-served basis, meaning that if the money allocated for the current year is used up,Initially the banks didn't want our high risk merchant account . a customer gets bumped to the following year and is then placed first in line for subsidies allocation.

Dobs believes that if installed, the solar panels would pay for themselves in six years.

"After that point, it's income," Dobs said.Unlike traditional cube puzzle ,

Dobs has started a Facebook page where he's voicing his discontent with his homeowners' association.

Dobs also collected 102 signatures and is working to reach out to legislators to change Georgia law.

"It is indeed frustrating and upsetting to see such narrow-mindedness in an upscale and beautiful neighborhood of presumably successful, educated people," Dobs said.

Smell and noise fuel fight against Jackson landscaper

Heaping mounds of mulch drew more than 50 people to Wednesday's planning and zoning board meeting, as employees and supporters of a township landscaper squared off against neighboring residents in the latest round of legal battles between the two groups.

Some residents living on and around Evergreen Court said JR Custom Landscaping's Bennetts Mills Road site stores piles of mulch nearly two stories high that pose health hazards to the nearby community.there's a lovely winter landscape oil paintings by William Zorach. They formed a coalition called "Fed Up Jackson Residents" and hired a lawyer to try to stop some of the landscaper's activities.

Attorney Michael DiCicco, who represents the group,Traditional Air purifier claim to clean all the air in a room. said the operations at the landscaper's site violate local zoning ordinances and state Department of Environmental Protection rules.

"It has smelled so bad that we could not go outside," said Elenor Hannum, 47, of Evergreen Court.

Hannum said the smell and noise from the facility is disruptive, and that the mulch mounds pose a risk to the neighborhood's well water by potentially leaching contaminants into the soil.

"It's a health hazard," Denise Garner, 52, of Evergreen Court said, adding the methane emitting from the mulch piles could be explosive or cause a fire.

The landscaper collects leaves and tree parts in piles that are used to make topsoil to sell.

Lawyers representing JR Custom Landscaping said the company complies with township zoning laws.

"I was there today (Wednesday, July 20). All I smelled was cedar chips, and it has a beautiful smell," said attorney Ray Shea, who represents the landscaper.

If the company does violate smell or noise rules, that's an issue of enforcement,There is good integration with PayPal and most third party merchant account providers, Shea said. The appearance before the zoning board is only to justify the company's activity at its Bennetts Mills site, he said.

"I haven't been fined by the DEP Solid (and Hazardous) Waste Management (Program) for any smells," said James Picon, who co-owns JR Custom Landscaping with his wife.

"The board is not an enforcement agency," said Barry Calogero, chairman of the zoning board. "The board interpretation is not binding in court.who was responsible for tracking down Charles zentai ."

The landscaper first drew attention last winter when an agreement to store leaf litter and tree debris between the township and company came under scrutiny. Township officials were uncertain at the time whether proper procurement procedures had been followed in making the arrangement.

The Township Council voted to launch an internal investigation into the agreement process. The council voted in May to send the investigation to the state Department of Community Affairs, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office, and the State Commission of Investigation. The results of the council's request were not immediately available.

Attorneys representing Fed Up Jackson Residents and JR Custom Landscaping presented nearly three hours of arguments before the zoning board halted the review. The board will reconvene the review of the Bennetts Mills site at 7 p.Unlike traditional cube puzzle ,m. Aug. 17.

A review of the landscaper's East Veterans Highway site has been deferred to the state Department of Agriculture.

French raise a glass to Kiwi wines

A hotel and restaurant in France has found a serious problem with New Zealand wine ¨C they can't get enough of it.

Rouge is a boutique hotel and bistro on the town square of Tocane St Apre, a village between Bordeaux and Limoges in the south-west of the country.

It is operated by expatriate Kiwis Paul and Janice Studer, who opened Rouge two years ago after moving to France from Hamilton.

Paul Studer says the hotel is popular with both French and English holiday makers, although most of their customers are villagers.

The Kiwi connection means they are often asked if they stock New Zealand wine.

Paul Studer said this surprised him at first because the French have a reputation for disdaining anything foreign, particularly wine and food. But he found that was not the case.

They are curious about new things, he said.

And although many of his customers had heard about New Zealand wine, few knew much about it and they were keen to try it.

But when he contacted his suppliers, Studer found he was out of luck.

They had wines from Australia, America, Chile and even China, but nothing from New Zealand, he said.

He even emailed several New Zealand wineries asking if they could supply him directly but they either said they couldn't, or did not respond.

Finally he found a supplier which stocked one brand of New Zealand wine ¨C Villa Maria, which is now on Rouge's wine list.you will need to get an offshore merchant account.

At 28 ($48) a bottle, it is the most expensive wine on the list, but Studer says it sells well.The Leading zentai suits Distributor to Independent Pet Retailers.

Entertaining is important to the French and they would rather spend money on food and wine than on their homes, he says.

He would like to stock a wider variety of New Zealand wines, especially from some of the boutique wineries, but says he is unable to get stock.

"There are so many great New Zealand wines which I would love to stock and I can't get them. I find it frustrating that we want to represent New Zealand, even though it's on a small scale, and we can't do it," he said.the Injection mold fast!

Villa Maria managing director Sir George Fistonich, who said he had been exporting to France for about 15 years, was pleased to hear that his wines are proving popular in Tocane St Apre.

He believes that the relative lack of New Zealand wines in that country is probably due to an unwillingness by local distributors to stock them, rather than an unwillingness by New Zealand wineries to supply them.

"A lot of distributors aren't interested unless it moves in volume,buy landscape oil paintings online." he said.

However, he believes there are also expansion opportunities.

"The French are parochial and are very passionate about their own wines.Shop a wide selection of billabong outlet products in the evo shop. The new generation are more curious about wine from the New World whereas the older generation are more stick-in-the-mud, so that is changing."

I didn’t even really start that well and it really slowed up in the Final

The renowned Brazilian surfer, Adriano de Souza, has clinched the 2011 Billabong Rio Pro title at Barrada Tijuca in Brazil on May 20.

De Souza beat the Australian surfer, Taj Burrow, with a total score of 15.63 to 12.17 in the final heat of the 2011 Billabong Rio Pro in Brazil.

“I didn’t even really start that well and it really slowed up in the Final,” Burrow said. “Adriano had a good tactic in that heat and connected with two pretty good waves. I just couldn’t find a wave out there.”
Further, Burrow claimed that he has immensely been overwhelmed with his overall performance in the final heat at Rio de Janeiro today. Any how he will be able to feel really good about it. Two seconds is fine and acceptable, but he did not want to lose the heat with such a big margin. He was not planning on losing that heat at all. 

“There are no words to express how I feel right now. Thanks to my manger for pushing me every day, I couldn’t have done this without him. Thanks so much to my fans, who have been on the beach supporting me from the beginning to the end and to my sponsors. I’m happy to keep the title in Brazil one more time,” said de Souza.

Owing to this most stunning and versatile performance in the 2011 Billabong Rio Pro, the Brazilian surfer, Adriano de Souza, jumped into the number one spot in the ASP World Title Rankings right now.

He further stated that it’s still very early days for him and next competition will be at J. Bay.

De Souza claimed that Kelly Slater and other surfers are really competitive and stunning surfers as they have been on Billabong Rio Pro for such a long time, but he is going to try his best.

Meanwhile, the French surfer, Jeremy Flores, admitted that 2011 Billabong Rio Pro has been a fascinating event for him and he is feeling good. Flores lost the semi-final heat against Taj Burrow with a margin of 5.77 points early today.

On the other hand, the Australia surfer, Bede Durbidge, gave a tough time to de Souza in the second semi-final heat but lost the heat with a fringe margin of .60.

Last, but not the least, de Souza took a huge round of applause from the Brazilian crowd on account of his most thrilling and versatile performance in the final heat at Rio de Janeiro with the prize-money and title.