Alternative Energy Alliance – Cheap & Practical Wind Turbine Video

Catapult Design San Fransisco


Our planet is a fragile ecosystem. To keep it in balance, well have to figure out how to harness nature to generate clean, affordable energy. Catapult Design in San Francisco has one answer. Their turbines are cheap and practical, and can power a light or charge a cell phone in villages that are off the grid.

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Project Description:

In Guatemala, like many places around the globe, thousands of rural families do not have regular access to electricity in their homes. Instead of relying on electricity delivered by reliable local infrastructure to meet their needs, they are forced to provide their own power, piecemeal, or go without.

  • To light their homes they depend on dirty, dangerous kerosene lamps.
  • To connect to the world around them they purchase disposable batteries for their radios.
  • To power their mobile phones, often their only way of communicating with loved ones and business partners, they travel long distances and pay exorbitant rates for a merchant the charge their batteries.

In locations with prodigious wind, a small wind generator capable of charging a car battery would be an ideal way for them to meet their modest needs while avoiding the health and environmental pitfalls associated with their current solutions. The Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group (AIDG) has recognized this opportunity and is working to develop wind generators to include in their infrastructure development efforts. Catapult Design is working with the Appropriate Technology Development Team (ATDT) of Engineers Without Borders-USA to develop a low cost, vertical-axis pico wind turbine for AIDG given the following objectives and constraints:

  • Generate 10-20 Watts at target wind speed (~15mph)
  • Charge car batteries for use with LED lights, radios, and cellular phones
  • Occupy a small footprint (~ 2×3 ft)
  • Manufactured with local materials & skills in Quetzalenango, Guatemala
  • $100 US manufacturing cost

Download the full project brief here: AIDG Wind Turbine Project Brief

Client: Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group (AIDG), Quetzaltenango, Guatemala

AIDG helps individuals and communities get affordable and environmentally sound access to electricity, sanitation and clean water. Through a combination of business incubation, education, and outreach, they help people get technology that will better their health and improve their lives.

XelaTeco, founded with assistance from AIDG in Guatemala in 2005, is a micro-manufacturing facility based around the development of appropriate energy solutions for rural Guatemala.

Partner: Engineers Without Borders – San Francisco Professional Chapter (EWB-SFP) Appropriate Technology Design Team (ATDT), San Francisco, California, USA

The ATDT is a project of the San Francisco Professionals Chapter of Engineers Without Borders. They are a volunteer-based team that performs work very similar to that of Catapult. In fact, the Catapult founders initially started their technical humanitarian work with the ATDT.

Press:

aidg_logoTyler Valiquette chats with Cat Laine from the Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group about the ins and outs of the wind turbine.


wiredThe article that helped launch an organization, WIRED.com’s Alexis Madrigal is the first to cover the wind turbine project with Engineers Without Borders.


yourgreenlifeTyler, Heather and Matt McLean featured on TV12’s Your Green Life. The featurette includes coverage of a wind turbine build session and the impact a few watts of electricity can make on people without light.


abc_news_logo02The Wind Turbine team meets and interviews with Tomas Roman from the local ABC News station.

Project Manager:

Tyler Valiquette

Project BLOG:

Follow the latest Wind Turbine developments on our blog.

Additional Information:

For additional information regarding this project, or to inquire as to volunteer opportunities, contact Tyler.

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Allternative Energy – Concentrated Solar – Sahara Desert Project

Article Courtesy of:  Reuters

Europe’s Saharan power plan: miracle or mirage?

By Tom Pfeiffer

RABAT (Reuters) – A 400 billion euro ($774 billion) plan to power Europe with Sahara sunlight is gaining momentum, even as critics see high risks in a large corporate project using young technology in north African countries with weak rule of law.

Desertec, as the initiative is called, would be the world’s most ambitious solar power project. Fields of mirrors in the desert would gather solar rays to boil water, turning turbines to electrify a new carbon-free network linking Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.

Its supporters, a dozen finance and industrial firms mostly from Germany, say it will keep Europe at the forefront of the fight against climate change and help North African and European economies to grow within greenhouse gas emission limits.

Concentrated Solar Energy - Alternative Energy AllianceOthers warn of numerous pitfalls, including Maghreb politics, Saharan sandstorms and the risk to desert populations if their water is diverted to clean dust off solar mirrors.

They say the concentrated solar power (CSP) technology behind Desertec involves greater costs and risks than the fast-growing patchwork of smaller-scale photovoltaic cell installations that generate most of Europe’s solar energy today.

Desertec’s founders are lured by the fact that more energy falls on the world’s deserts in six hours than the world consumes in a year.

“The Sahara offers every advantage you want — proximity to Europe, virtually no population and more intense sunlight,” said George Joffe, a research fellow and Maghreb expert at Cambridge University, who is not affiliated to the plan.

“It would be mad to pass up this opportunity.”

Proposed by the Club of Rome, an international group of experts that suggests solutions to global problems, Desertec became an industrial project last month when reinsurer Munich Re hosted its launch at its headquarters in the Bavarian capital.

“We have a special relationship with climate change: it affects our core business, the insurance of weather-related natural catastrophes, which count among the most expensive losses we have to bear,” said Peter Hoeppe, Head of Munich Re’s Geo Risk Research department.

EMISSIONS GOALS

Many European governments aim to cut their greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.

Desertec’s backers say it would also be a positive gesture from the developed world to countries of the Middle East and North Africa, which stand to suffer most from the more frequent droughts and desertification blamed on global warming.

They have yet to draw up a business plan or specify how it will be funded but hope to recruit shareholders and partner companies from a variety of countries.

Desertec officials say the Sahara could one day deliver 15 percent of Europe’s electricity, but expect the plan to advance in small stages with completion not before 2050.

Supporters of more established solar energy technology, such as photovoltaic cells, argue decentralized generation will prove more popular as falling prices make the heavy infrastructure needed for CSP unviable.

They also think European governments, which already accept the risk of importing energy from north African countries such as Algeria, would given the choice opt for the security of producing renewable energy within their own borders.

“Sahara power for northern Europe is a mirage,” said Hermann Scheer, a member of Germany’s parliament and head of the European Association for Renewable Energy.

“Those behind the project know themselves that nothing will ever come out of this,” said Scheer, an architect of renewable energy policy in Germany, which included a strong emphasis on photovoltaic technology.

Scheer said the costs of Desertec were being downplayed artificially and its technical capabilities over-estimated.

“EVERYONE LOVES IT”

Desertec would need 20 or more efficient, direct-current cables each costing up to $1 billion to transmit electricity north beneath the Mediterranean.

CSP installations placed in the Sahara generate around 30 percent more power per area than in southern Spain, according to Morocco’s renewable energy agency CDER.

“Desertec can help reduce emissions in Europe and foster economic and social development in northern Africa, so everyone loves this project,” said Santiago Siage, head of Desertec consortium member Abengoa Solar.

Abengoa is developing installations combining CSP with combined-cycle gas power generation in Morocco and Algeria.

Southern countries that import most of their energy like Morocco, Tunisia and Jordan would also benefit from Desertec.

Morocco buys in 96 percent of its energy and subsidizes fuel to make it more affordable for the poor, a massive drain on state resources that could be used to fight poverty and bring services to isolated rural areas.

The Moroccan government says Desertec could solve Morocco’s energy dependency and leave plenty of power for Europe.

“Morocco doesn’t have even 1 percent of Europe’s energy consumption, so let’s be realistic,” said Said Mouline, the head of Morocco’s renewable energy agency. “We would be generating enough power for us, and for export, for the next 100 years.”

EXPLOITATION?

Among hazards facing the scheme are the fact that Desertec would need tight coordination between governments to succeed, yet Maghreb states have tried and failed for two decades to integrate their economies and deepen political ties.

The border between Morocco and Algeria is shut and relations are poisoned by a disagreement over the Western Sahara.

Morocco says it has already identified sites to place the curved solar mirrors, not deep in the Sahara but in populated areas just north of the desert to ensure a supply of water to clean mirrors and cool turbines.

Algeria has the biggest chunk of desert and private Algerian firm Cevital has signed up for Desertec, but Africa’s second-largest country is isolated and struggling to reform a Soviet-style economy after a brutal civil conflict in the 1990s.

The government has tightened terms on inward investment and says it will only work with Desertec if it allows partnerships between Algerian and foreign firms and a transfer of technology.

“If these conditions are not met, we are not interested,” said Algerian Energy and Mines Minister Chakib Khelil. “We don’t want foreign companies exploiting solar energy from our land.”

Analysts play down the risk to Desertec’s infrastructure posed by Al Qaeda-aligned rebels based in Algeria, saying investment risks pose a far bigger problem.

“There is the risk of expropriation of assets, reneging on license agreements, corruption and bureaucratic red tape which could stop things getting off the ground,” said Henry Wilkinson of Janusian Security Risk Management.

Wolfram Lacher of Control Risks consultancy agreed: security risks can be managed, but the project could become entangled in broader talks between the EU and north Africa on energy, investment and trade.

(Additional reporting by Erik Kirschbaum, Christoph Steitz, Jonathan Gould and Hamid Ould Ahmed; Editing by Gerard Wynn and Sara Ledwith)

Posted in Concentrated Solar, Featured, Solar Energy | Comments

Solaya Renewable Energy Woburn MA

Renewable Energy

Solaya is the development arm of Lumus Construction. Solaya is a renewable energy development company with a focus on wind, solar and fuel cell power projects throughout the world. Our team has over 100 years of experience in wind power and real estate development & finance. Our team has managed over $10 billion in construction over the past 10 years. We have over 630 MW of active projects at various stages of development in the United States, India, Pakistan, Israel and Brazil. We have formed strategic partnerships with various wind, solar and fuel cell manufacturers as well as various technical consultants

Renewable energy is a safe and clean way to improve efficiency and reduce energy costs. Solaya is dedicated to providing solutions for your company and wants to help you through the transition. As one of the leaders in renewable energy, Solaya has years of expertise to offer, including carpentry, mechanical and electrical work. Solaya specializes in solar, wind, and fuel cells systems. Going green with Solaya will be at no risk to you. You will not have to put up capital for the energy system. Solaya will invest and finance the project for you. A change in the energy starts with these first steps toward green. Call Solaya today to be on your way.

IBEW Local 103 and Lumus Construction

Leaders of Solar and Wind Installation bring you to the forefront of going green with green energy. View site.

Click here to view movie.

Reasons to go Green:

  • Produce your own clean power
  • Add immediate value to your business
  • Reduce energy costs
  • Hedge against future electric price increases
  • Gain a competitive advantage over other companies
  • Be an example for others to follow
  • Preserve the world’s limited natural resources

Wind Power:

  • Do you think your area is windy?
  • How far away is your property from any surrounding buildings or roads? (At least 500 feet?)
  • Is your property large enough to construct a turbine on? (At least 1.5-3 acres of land is needed).
  • Are there any airports nearby? If so, how close is your property to the airport?

Solar

  • Do you have a large roof top area? (Approximately 100 square feet is needed per kilowatt).
  • Does your area receive a lot of sunlight?
  • Do you have a clear, unobstructed access to the sun?

Fuel Cell:

  • When are your load operating hours? (day or night requirements, weekend load requirements)
  • Will you need relatively long run times? (?8 hours?)
  • What will be the purpose of the fuel cell? (Is it only for back up purposes, combine heat and power, primary power, etc.?)
  • Do you have site and space availability? (Is it a secure site? Is fuel cell compactness important?)
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SolarWorld offers $1.3B for Adam Opel’s assets

SolarWorld offers $1.3B for Adam Opel’s assets

BERLIN – German solar energy company SolarWorld AG said Wednesday it plans to offer euro1 billion ($1.3 billion) in cash and credit for some assets of carmaker Adam Opel GmbH, the German subsidiary of financially strapped General Motors Corp. GM said it wasn’t selling.

Bonn-based SolarWorld said in a statement it was planning to offer GM euro250 million ($350 million) in cash and another euro750 million ($945 million) in credit lines in a bid for four German production facilities and Opel’s Ruesselsheim development center and headquarters, to make it Europe‘s first true “green” auto company.

SolarWorld said any deal would be dependent on GM completely exiting the company, and that it would seek a swap compensation payment from GM for euro40,000 ($50,400) per German employee in the transaction, or about euro1 billion.

GM Europe spokeswoman Karin Kirchner said that “Opel is not for sale” and declined further comment, saying GM “wouldn’t comment on speculation.”

SolarWorld, which makes electricity generating solar panels, is much smaller than GM by revenue. In the third quarter, SolarWorld earned euro36.1 million ($45.6 million) on sales of euro238.3 million ($301 million). GM lost $2.5 billion on revenue of $37.9 billion.

Parent company GM is seeking government loans and says it is running out of cash.

GM officials met with German government officials Monday to discuss a euro1 billion ($1.3 billion) loan guarantee for Opel. Chancellor Angela Merkel said her government would decide on the matter by the end of the year, depending on how the situation unfolds.

SolarWorld said it would develop a new generation of energy efficient and reduced-emissions automobiles alongside successful models that Opel currently produces.

“With the restructuring of the product pallet, the traditional German auto builder would offer in future especially electric and hybrid automobiles and the newest technology combining extended-range electric and combustion motors highly efficiently,” SolarWorld said.

Tim Urquhart, an auto analyst with IHS Global Insight in London said he thought it was “highly ambitious and remarkable,” and probably “difficult to pull off in the current environment.”

“With a company with no track record in their history, it’s unlikely,” he said.

Urquhart said it would take “multiple billions” of euros for SolarWorld to enter the automotive sector. Other companies that have tried to do so in the past have “fallen badly on their backsides,” he said.

The news sent shares of SolarWorld 14.3 percent lower to euro13.98 ($17.61) in afternoon trading.

___

On the Net:

http://www.opel.com

http://www.gm.com

http://www.solarworld.de

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Bloomsberry & Co – Climate Change Chocolate

TerraPass, Bloomsberry & Co and Whole Foods Markets present

Climate Change Chocolate

Carbon Neutral Chocolate Bar.Chocolate bars. They’re supposed to taste good, but can they also be good? We think so! Our Climate Change Chocolate bar is meant to educate while tasting great. It comes in a wrapper with 15 tips for lightening your environmental impact. These helpful hints teach you how to save energy by making small changes to your daily habits. And of course, thanks to Bloomsberry & Co., you can be sure the finest chocolate is attached to these green lifestyle lessons.

Climate Change Chocolate comes with a verified TerraPass offset of 133 pounds of carbon dioxide reductions, the average American’s daily carbon impact. We hope this small offset will be the first taste of a lower-carbon lifestyle for Whole Foods shoppers who decide to take responsibility for their climate change impact. In addition, the carbon emissions associated with the production and distribution of the chocolate bar has been balanced out.

Whole Foods Market

Use cold water to wash your clothes.Whole Foods sells a variety of cause-related chocolates that raise awareness and funds for everything from saving endangered species to protecting the rainforest. Now, Climate Change Chocolate has joined the mix, offering a fun and delicious way to educate consumers on ways to reduce energy consumption. Whole Foods is an environmental leader among American retailers. The company has reduced its carbon footprint through efficiency and alternative fuel programs, and purchased enough renewable energy credits from wind farms to offset 100 percent of the electricity used in all of its stores, facilities, bake houses, distribution centers, regional offices and national headquarters in the United States and Canada. This October, The EPA named Whole Foods the Green Power Partner of the Year for the second year running. For more information on Whole Foods’ Eco-efforts visit Whole Foods Market.

Bloomsberry & Co.

Bloomsberry & Co. was founded in New Zealand in 2001. Although best known for its premium all natural chocolate and highly creative designed packaging, Bloomsberry’s core competencies extend to critical areas of logistics and retail distribution. Bloomsberry has offset the emissions from its on-site energy use and employee travel with TerraPass. For more information visit Bloomsberry & Co.

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Governor Patrick: clean energy a ‘better idea’

Governor Deval Patrick: clean energy a ‘better idea’

May 1, 2008

By Stephanie Ebbert and Matt Viser, Globe Staff

Governor Deval Patrick this morning called on business leaders to embrace his vision for the state’s emerging clean energy industry, both to reduce their own costs and to boost the state’s economy by capitalizing on a growing field.

“The Stone Age didn’t end, as somebody said, because we ran out of stone, but because humankind had a better idea,” Patrick said in a speech before the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce this morning at Westin Copley Place. “Clean energy is a better idea — better for our pocketbooks, better for the planet, and better for our economy.”

Patrick also highlighted his support for the controversial Cape Wind project, which would install 130 wind turbines in Nantucket Sound.

“I believe, on balance, Cape Wind is good for Massachusetts, both pratically and symbolically,” Patrick said. “…Before too long, I believe, the first offshore wind farm in America will be located just off the coast of Massachusetts, a powerful statement of our commitment to a clean energy future.”

Convinced that the age of fossil fuels is coming to a close, the governor hopes to seize on the imagination of business leaders to make Massachusetts the center of the clean energy industry through incentives that would eliminate the gas tax on certain biofuels and recruit innovative renewable energy firms to develop their technologies in the Bay State.

Cape Wind Power Clean Energy

“The age of fossil fuels is passing,” Patrick said. “If we act now, the age of clean energy is ours.”

The governor also outlined his vision for a regional pact to limit the carbon content of fuels, similar to the pact aimed at reducing power plant emissions that contribute to global warming.

“I believe New England governors can develop a common agenda to reduce emissions from vehicle fuels, and in the process make New England the most energy-efficient region in the country,” he said.

The speech underscores how seriously Patrick is looking at clean energy to advance his economic hopes for the Commonwealth, the Globe reported this morning.

Last summer, the administration concluded that the clean energy sector was poised to overtake textiles as the 10th largest industry in the Commonwealth.

The sector – including consultants, energy efficiency specialists, and university researchers working on clean energy – now employs some 556 firms and 14,400 people in the Bay State, according to a survey prepared for the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative’s Renewable Energy Trust.

The governor this morning made his case by pointing to historically high gasoline prices, the threat of global climate change, as well as the quarter of a billion dollars in private capital already invested in clean energy technologies in Massachusetts.

Patrick, whose legislative proposals have often run into roadblocks in the House, also highlighted his legislative successes in the energy arena. A conference committee is negotiating House and Senate versions of Patrick-backed bills on energy efficiency and ocean management. Legislative leaders also agree in principle on Patrick’s first-in-the-nation plan to require a blend of biofuels to be used in home heating oil.

Biofuels are substitutes for gas, diesel, or heating oil derived from renewable organic matter such as corn, soy, switchgrass, wood, waste oil, or agricultural waste. Ethanol has been criticized in recent months due to renewed scrutiny of the energy it takes to grow the corn that produces it and because farmers’ reliance on ethanol-producing corn crops has displaced wheat fields and sent the cost of grains skyrocketing.

Instead, Patrick wants to advance cellulosic ethanol, an alternative that Massachusetts-based companies are rushing to bring to market as an alternative. It uses nonfood plant material and is processed differently.

A bill embraced by Patrick and the leaders of both the House and Senate would create a gas tax exemption for ethanol that is derived from switchgrass or agricultural waste.

“Energy is one of the areas we’ve been in lockstep on throughout,” said David Guarino, spokesman for House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi, with whom Patrick has repeatedly clashed.

A task force report on advanced biofuels released last month found the biofuels industry could create thousands of jobs and generate $280 million to $1 billion a year for the Massachusetts economy by 2025.

The governor has already touted successes in attracting and fostering alternative energy firms, including a solar panel factory that Evergreen Solar is building in Devens, a wind turbine testing facility in the shadow of the Tobin Bridge, and a pilot facility that GreatPoint Energy is building in Somerset to convert coal and biomass to natural gas.

Many traditional businesses have embraced energy efficiency to cut their costs, and they support the added efficiencies built into the energy bill making its way through the Legislature.

“We’re looking to reduce the price of electricity in Massachusetts,” said Robert A. Rio, senior vice president of government affairs for Associated Industries of Massachusetts. However, he said that he doubts the influx of new alternative energy would displace high energy costs anytime soon and that he does not want to see the Patrick administration overemphasize clean energy incentives at the expense of other industries.

“It’s nice to encourage companies to move here,” Rio said. “But at the same time we shouldn’t turn our backs on companies that have been here for 50 to 75 years that are struggling because of high energy costs.”

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Cape Wind is proposing America’s first offshore wind farm on Horseshoe Shoal in Nantucket Sound.

Cape Wind Project

Cape Wind is proposing America’s first offshore wind farm on Horseshoe Shoal in Nantucket Sound. Miles from the nearest shore, 130 wind turbines will gracefully harness the wind to produce up to 420 megawatts of clean, renewable energy.  

In average winds, Cape Wind will provide three quarters of the Cape and Islands electricity needs.

Cleaner Air

  

Our health and environment are negatively impacted by fossil fuel burning. The American Lung Association reports that Cape Cod has the worst air quality in Massachusetts. Cape Wind will contribute to improved air quality by reducing air pollution emissions in New England. Cape Wind will also

reduce global warming greenhouse gas emissions by 734,000 tons per year. Global warming contributes to rising sea levels and more frequent storms that erode our beaches and cause coastal property damage. Global warming and climate change presents the greatest threat to birds and sea life and their habitat.

Energy Independence

Since 1973, America has transferred over seven trillion dollars of its wealth to OPEC countries. Our dependence on foreign energy leaves our economy and national security at risk. By harnessing our local wind resources, we can contribute to reducing our dependence on imported energy. Cape Wind will provide clean, renewable energy capable of replacing 113 million gallons of oil per year.

 
Energy Costs

Cape and Island’s electric prices have more than doubled over the last five years. The Massachusetts Energy Facility Siting Board reports that Cape Wind will help reduce energy costs. Cape Wind can provide Cape and Island residents a way to stabilize their electricity prices through fixed priced electricity contracts. Natural gas prices have more than doubled over the last five years. The United States Department of Energy stated that Cape Wind and renewable energy will also conserve natural gas and help lower rising natural gas costs.

     

Jobs and the Economy

Cape Wind will establish Cape Cod and Massachusetts as a world-wide leader in offshore renewable energy technology. Cape Wind will create up to a thousand jobs in manufacturing, assembly, and ocean construction, boosting our local economy and creating 150 permanent jobs thereafter, including 50 highly paid maintenance and operations jobs based on Cape Cod.  Click here to read more about Cape Wind and the future of offshore wind energy.

Navigation

The wind turbines will be spaced six to nine football fields apart, allowing plenty of navigational room for shallow draft boats that pass through or fish Horseshoe Shoal. Cape Wind has been endorsed by the Maritime Trades Council and the Seafarers International Union, the largest fleet of commercial fishermen in New England.

Environmental Review
(Permitting)

Cape Wind is undergoing a comprehensive environmental permitting process by seventeen federal and state agencies, under the National Environmental Policy Act and the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act. In November 2004, these agencies released a very positive Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) reporting numerous project benefits at minimal impact (more on the DEIS).  In February, 2007 Cape Wind filed a Final Environmental Impact Report with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  The project has gained the support of national and regional environmental, health, labor and citizens advocacy groups.Click here to see a complete list of project supporters.

Company History
Energy Management Inc. (EMI) is the developer of Cape Wind. EMI is a Massachusetts based energy company with a 30-year history of engineering, developing and constructing energy conservation projects and environmentally friendly electric generation facilities. The company has a proven track record in lowering energy costs, reducing pollution emissions, increasing energy independence, and creating jobs.

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The Politics of Change Begins…

>A History Lesson via JFK<

Our Alternative Energy Future?

Alternative Energy Alliance

Alternative Energy Alliance

Question: Do YOU ever hear much about Oil Independence, Alternative Energy Programs, Carbon Neutrality, Green Technolgy and the return of the United States Nuclear Energy Program discussed as KEY issues in the 2008 Presidential campaigns???

Let’s ask ourselves WHY? and DO SOMETHING about it!

The survival of the US as a competitive economic power and a technology leader DEPENDS on a quick solution.

So you may ask, what does the language of a candidate SOUND LIKE regarding a fast tracked energy independence program and its execution?

Please research President Kennedy’s speech regarding landing on the moon.

It energized a nation, inspired a generation and focused the world on the numerous benefits of space travel and the positive fallout from pure scientific research.

Total time: EIGHT YEARS… think about it.

What follows is some background information regarding President Kennedy’s Moon Landing Program.

President Kennedy The Decision to Go to the Moon - President John F. Kennedy's May 25, 1961 Speech

On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy announced before a special joint session of Congress the dramatic and ambitious goal of sending an American safely to the Moon before the end of the decade.

A number of political factors affected Kennedy’s decision and the timing of it.

In general, Kennedy felt great pressure to have the United States “catch up to and overtake” the Soviet Union in the “space race.” Four years after the Sputnik shock of 1957, the cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin had become the first human in space on April 12, 1961, greatly embarrassing the U.S. While Alan Shepard became the first American in space on May 5, he only flew on a short suborbital flight instead of orbiting the Earth, as Gagarin had done. In addition, the Bay of Pigs fiasco in mid-April put unquantifiable pressure on Kennedy.

Sputnik Trumps US

He wanted to announce a program that the U.S. had a strong chance at achieving before the Soviet Union. After consulting with Vice President Johnson, NASA Administrator James Webb, and other officials, he concluded that landing an American on the Moon would be a very challenging technological feat, but an area of space exploration in which the U.S. actually had a potential lead. Thus the cold war is the primary contextual lens through which many historians now view Kennedy’s speech.

The decision involved much consideration before making it public, as well as enormous human efforts and expenditures to make what became Project Apollo a reality by 1969. Only the construction of the Panama Canal in modern peacetime and the Manhattan Project in war were comparable in scope. NASA’s overall human spaceflight efforts were guided by Kennedy’s speech; Projects Mercury (at least in its latter stages), Gemini, and Apollo were designed to execute Kennedy’s goal. His goal was achieved on July 20, 1969, when Apollo 11 commander Neil Armstrong stepped off the Lunar Module’s ladder and onto the Moon’s surface.

Neil Armstrong on the Surface of the Moon - American Flag

In honor of Kennedy’s historic speech, below are some documents and other information relating to the decision to go to the Moon and Project Apollo that we hope you find useful.

Links to full text and audio versions of Kennedy’s May 25, 1961 speech, as well as other key speeches and documents

PDF versions of key original documents

Lots of information about Project Apollo

A cool site devoted to the 30th anniversary of Apollo 11 in 1999
“Washington Goes to the Moon”:

A two-part radio program produced by WAMU-FM in Washington, D.C. that deals with the political story behind Project Apollo.

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