Santa Clarita’s JC Penney department store in the Valencia Town Center will soon generate some of its own electricity thanks to a new rooftop-solar power project, according to a company press release.

The store is one of 10 nationwide that are part of the pilot project, which JC Penney says is “the next step for JCPenney in its efforts to leverage new technologies and engage…in innovative energy programs.”

According to the press release, the company will contract with a solar power company to install  the solar panels on the roof of the JC Penney building, which has been part of the Valencia Town Center mall since it opened in 1992.

 JCPenney has engaged SunPower Corporation to install solar power systems on 10 JCPenney stores in California and New Jersey. Producing more than 4 megawatts of clean electric power, the systems will help avoid emissions of approximately 146,000 tons of carbon dioxide over their 30-year expected lifetime, which is equal to the annual greenhouse gas emissions generated by more than 800 cars.

I presume that 4 megawatts is the cumulative amount of electricity generated by the solar panels at all 10 stores, so it sounds like no single store will be completely powered by solar panels.

But it does say that JC Penney can expect some pretty hefty savings on their monthly electricity bills: the solar panels, once installed, “will provide immediate savings through lower-than-utility solar energy costs and a long term energy hedge for nearly 25% of the energy used at the stores.”

So it sounds like up to 25% of our JC Penney’s electricity will come from an abundant, renewable source: the sun!

JC Penney also plans to replace inefficient lighting and HVAC systems at the ten stores.

I imagine they selected Santa Clarita because of our abundant sunshine; no stores in Portland Oregon or Seattle are on the list after all. So it will be interesting to see if this experiment works out.  Will other retailers follow suit?

Secretly, transit officials all across the country have to be celebrating each time a station attendant increases the price on a gas station sign. Click read more to find out why. Read the rest of this entry »

With gas prices just a quarter or so south of the once-unimaginable $5/gallon mark, I was wondering if our elected officials were feeling the same pinch at the gas pump that we are, so I checked out their official -and in some cases taxpayer-paid- rides to see what kind of mileage they get and how they roll.

First up is big bad Senator George Runner, the conservative Republican Senator from Lancaster who represents a slice of the SCV. When he’s not out encouraging voters to put children gang members behind bar for the rest of their lives or writing Op/Eds for the Signal denying global warming, Runner rolls around in a 2005 Chrysler 300M, an odd-looking American sedan that gets an estimated 16 miles per gallon city and 25 miles per gallon highway. 

You can see the 300M to the right, and you’re likely surprised as I was by how it looks. You see, the 300M is the predecessor to the much-celebrated 300C, the boxy, angular Chrysler that stormed on the market in 2005 and has been the star of many rap videos.

When new, the 300M cost $38,014, which was likely leased by the state for Senator Runner’s use.

FuelEconomy.gov  says it costs about $3,188 per year to fuel Runner’s ride, which equates to an annual energy impact score of some 18 barrels of light sweet crude oil (a barrel = 42 gallons). Runner’s carbon footprint, if he were ever to care about such a thing, is 9.6 tons, based on 15,000 miles of driving, though that doesn’t measure the hot air coming out of his mouth. His car also scores a “2″ on a sliding 1-10 scale for air pollution.

Runner told the Daily News in January that he just prefers a big car. “I live in a big district,” he said.

In contrast to Runner’s clumsy American land-yacht, Buck McKeon, our Congressman, drives something at least as sensible, but in my opinion, much more stylish.

The eight term congressman just finished a tour of the SCV and our district in which he outlined his energy plan, but what does the one time owner of a western wear store drive in an era of $4.50/gallon gas? If you guessed a beat-up rusty 1978 Dodge Ram with a gun rack and bull-horns on the front (as I did), you’d be wrong.

According to May’s LA Times, Buck cruises K Street and the Capitol building parking lot in a sophisticated and sexy 2006 Acura RL, a stylish Japanese-made four door sedan that gets 16 city/24 highway.The RL costs around $40,000 when new.

Like Runner’s car, the RL is no saint when it comes  gas mileage. McKeon probably gets about 330 miles per fill-up, which costs taxpayers about $74.55 at the pump to fill up (and that’s based on $4.27 gas). His carbon footprint is equal to Runner’s at 9.6, but the effecient Japanese sedan pollutes much less than its road-hogging American cousin: the RL gets a score of 6 out of 10 from the EPA and costs about $3,369 in gas every year. 

Buck’s been busy advocating increased drilling in America in places like ANWAR, and with good reason: his car uses 18  barrels of oil (7 domestic, 11 imported) every year.

Next up is the SCV’s own golden boy and the hope of moderate Santa Claritans everywhere: Cameron Smyth. Our 20 something City Councilman turned 30-something state Assemblyman tools around Sacto in a very utilitarian, eco-friendly and entirely sensible Honda Accord Hybrid.

The Accord Hybrid doesn’t score as well as its competitor the Prius, but Smyth gets about 28/city and 35/highway in the innovative Japanese car, which he leases from the state.

Smyth’s family-friendly sedan contributes about 6.8 tons of CO2 and uses about 12.7 barrels of oil (5 domestic, 7 foreign) every year while it burns through some $2,242 of taxpayer funds for fuel. Best of all, the Accord Hybrid scores an 8 out of 10 on the EPA’s pollution scale.

That covers our state and federal elected officials, but what about the City Council?

It’s not really fair to include them in this brief survey since they don’t get a real salary, but for what it’s worth, during the election Laurie Ender blogged about putting a huge “Vote for Laurie” sign on the back of her giant Infiniti sport-ute.

As for the other Council Members, I confess to being utterly clueless as to what they drive. I imagine Laurene Weste has a truck capable of towing horses. Marsha McClean I picture driving a big Buick. Frank Ferry is without a doubt a Chevy or Ford man, while Bob Kellar probably cruises around in a Crown Vic, just to remind him of his LAPD days.

Or do they all drive-share Valencia Acura cars?