Rainforest Waterfall wallpaper
USDA Small Wind Turbine Grants Cover 25% of All Costs – Applications due July 31, 2009
Farmers, ranchers and rural business owners have until July 31, 2009 to apply for the USDA Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) grants. The grants provide funds to purchase and install small wind turbines (or other renewable energy systems). Farmers, ranchers and rural business owners are eligible for grants to cover 25% of the total installed cost of the small wind turbine system. These USDA grants, when used in conjunction with the Federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC), can help a farmer install a small wind turbine system for roughly 50% of the normal cost.
Some rural areas have power co-operatives that might also add some funds to the mix of incentives, so those that were considering investing in a wind energy system might want to check with their co-op. Some web sites that might provide further info: * USDA Rural Development Offices (http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/scrty/sdirs.html)
* Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy (DSIRE) (www.dsireusa.org)
* American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) (www.awea.org)
New Report Cites Renewable Energy Development as Key for Growing Missouri’s Rural Economy
Among the key findings in the report:
* Wind power -the operation of 25 moderate-scale wind farms would provide thousands of construction jobs, 550 permanent construction jobs, $15 million in property tax revenues, and $75 million in ongoing positive local economic impact in Missouri.
* Biofuels – Cellulosic ethanol, which is made from crop waste and nonfood plants, is the future of smart biofuels, and Missouri is perfectly situated to become a center of its production. Biofuel produced from existing waste biomass alone could create thousands of jobs, hundreds of millions of dollars of economic activity, and $13,000 in annual gross income for the average Missouri corn farmer.
* Solid Biomass (Biopower) – Electric power that combines solid biomass (from dedicated non-food energy crops and crop residues) with coal at existing plants would be a relatively low-cost way to ramp up renewable resource usage across the state, as it avoids a massive investment in new facilities. Replacing 20 percent of Missouri’s coal usage with locally grown biomass would create an estimated 11,000 jobs.
* Biogas – Methane from decomposing manure is a powerful greenhouse gas and also a relatively clean and efficient fuel when burned for energy. Biogas production from cattle waste would be profitable at more than 200 large-scale livestock operations in 60 Missouri counties.
I’m not a proponent of biofuels, but turning bio-waste that might otherwise be simply waste for fuel is another matter. Even those who are not readers in Missouri, the same approach might apply. Currently Missouri, like many states, not only gets most of its power from coal, it has to have the coal shipped in from out of state.
First Drug Shown to Extend Life Span in Mammals
In the new study, researchers found that rapamycin given to mice as a food supplement starting at 20 months of age–the equivalent of 60 years in humans–extended average life span by 9 percent in males and 13 percent in females. “It’s particularly exciting because it works so late in life to extend life span,” says Sinclair. “The fact that you can give a drug after 20 months of age in a mouse and still see a life-span extension is striking.”
A drug that might do the same for humans is probably not just around the corner research wise. One of the problems with taking rapamycin, currently given to organ transplant patients so their body with not reject the new organs, it hobbles your immune system. Making it easier to get a potentially lethal infection.
