Dear Treehugger staff,

I went to check out the site and discovered that it is created and supported by PG&E, the local utility. This is not necessarily a bad thing but as I do not live in the S.F. area, I am curious about their environmental reputation and record. Thank you!

Not to throw the baby out with the bathwater here but this site, powered by PG&E is just another effort in their greenwashing campaign to make consumers believe they care.

The true story can be found in their Power Content Label:
http://www.pge.com/customer_service/bill_inserts/2006/jan.html
(scroll down) They are not green.

Want to make a difference? Ask PG&E when it plans to offer a renewable energy option to its customers.

I just want to know how to become part of the Green Police.

PG&E shines brightly at Emerging Technology Summit
VP Bev Alexander: “We have an urgent mandate”

PG&E recently showcased its position as a leader, innovator and collaborator in California’s alternative and energy efficiency industries—estimated to be $7 billion strong over the next 10 years—at the Emerging Technologies in Energy Efficiency Summit in Long Beach.

Jonathan Livingston (right) talks with a customer

The Summit, founded by PG&E’s Emerging Technologies (ET) Team Lead Jonathan Livingston and now supported by all four California IOUs and the California Energy Commission, provides a forum to discuss and discover the latest breakthroughs in energy efficiency. This year’s conference was attended by 250 utility representatives, manufacturers, regulators, policy makers, researchers and venture capitalists, all eager to share ideas and discuss technologies that will ultimately satisfy consumers and meet stringent efficiency standards.

PG&E’s Vice President of Customer Satisfaction Bev Alexander gave a keynote speech, observing that the world is now focused on energy efficiency as never before, with global climate change being the key driver. “It was semiconductors and PCs in the ‘80s and information and wireless technologies in the ‘90s,” she said. “Today, all eyes are on energy efficiency and sustainable energy technologies.”

PG&E is poised to help its customers reach and even surpass the energy efficiency goals identified in California's Energy Action Plan II. With approximately 60 projects in the Emerging Technologies pipeline, PG&E continues to invest in what Alexander referred to as the four Ps: innovative people, a balanced portfolio of projects, and a well-defined process that starts with ideas and ends with energy-saving products.

Some of the new products championed by PG&E’s ET program that were highlighted at the Summit include:

Dimmable stairwell lighting: Motion sensors provide lighting in unoccupied stairwells, with full lighting activated only when someone enters the stairwell. Energy usage is reduced by 66 percent.
80 Plus Desktop Computers and Servers Program: Manufacturers are encouraged to make personal desktop computers and servers with power supplies that operate at more than 80 percent efficiency (saving 20-30 percent the energy used by traditional models).
Automatic Demand Response: A virtual energy manager for massive industrial and commercial sites. Through automatic electric demand reductions, energy usage is reduced by 10 to 33 percent during peak demand events.
Data Center Air Flow Management: Air-flow management solutions can reduce overall energy consumption by about 10 percent in a sector with high energy demands and a desire to invest in energy efficiency.
Integrated classroom lighting: Maximizing the use of natural daylight in combination with indoor lighting solutions, children’s learning environments are enhanced while electricity use is slashed by 50 to 75 percent.
Livingston noted that PG&E works with many partners to identify, assess and deploy these and other energy saving technologies. “The goal,” he explained, “is to get as many of these projects as possible into PG&E’s rebate programs so our customers can make wise investments that improve their comfort and productivity while saving money and helping to put the brakes on global climate change.”

—Article by Nance Donati, Customer Energy Efficiency
—Photo by Vic Bareng

Doesn't purifying the silicon in solar panels use tons of energy in the first place. I heard this from someone who knew a guy who used to work at a solar plant, i.e. from a random source.

Michael, someone else can give you exact references, but IIRC, it takes 1-2 years for a solar panel to "repay" the energy it took to create it. The rest is "free" energy.

Few things that we produce can claim the same.

Don't fall for PG&E's Green Hype

PG&E is positioning for a massive expansion of nuclear energy, gas and 'clean' coal --- as 'clean energy'. PG&E also has a long history of lobbying against solar enery incentives for residents (called 'net mettering'), owns 0% solar energy itself, and launched a phony 'climate smart' program.

Just as San Francisco Supervisors plans to vote on a Community Choice Energy policy that will move our city to 50% renewable energy, PG&E takes out this massive PR campaign, called Let's Green This City. It's a rather shamelss attempt to co-opt what everyone else is doing green, without taking any responsibility for its own dirty energy.

That's why I and some friends, decided to launch a counter-campaign: LetsGreenWASHThisCity.org.

Please don't fall for their phony elaborate greenwashing. We have better choices.