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There have been tons of ways cooked up on how to teach children about solar power and the advantages that comes with using it. We surely would not be getting into that because you already know what those include.One of the latest gimmicks that I have come across is solar popcorn. Yes. You read that right. Solar popcorn. A company, Florida Power and Light, had made popcorn by using the sun’s energy. Jake O’Keefe, one of the ten-year-old students who was able to munch on that popcorn, said, “It was fun. And we didn’t waste any fossil fuels.” See? He knows fossil fuels now.

This program of Florida Power and Light is actually part of educating people about solar power. They call it Professor Whys’ Powerful Adventures. And indeed, it really is good to see just what solar power can do to our daily lives - like it can cook popcorn.

Source: Miramar
Image source: FreeFoto.com

Tags: Florida Power and Light Company, popcorn, Professor Whys’ Powerful Adventures, Solar, solar popcorn, solar-power

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Happy Halloween from the folks at SunRun! (and a preview of our new, soon-to-be-revealed logo)

Here are a few goofy folks dressed up in our San Francisco office:

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The Rise & Shine is your daily source for all solar-industry news. Brought to you by Sweet Solar Home and the Experts at SunRun.

CALIFORNIA NEWS

Hermosa Beach Modifies Limits on Solar Energy Installations
The Hermosa Beach City Council has modified its city code to allow solar energy systems to exceed building height limits.

SolFocus Turns on First U.S. Commercial Installation
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi flips the switch on a 7.2kW system for a radio station in California, which expects to be the first concentrating-photovoltaic customer to be eligible for state solar rebates.

Wm. Bolthouse Farms Completes 1.9MW PV System
Wm. Bolthouse Farms and MMA completed a 1.9MW system installed at the company?s farms in Palmdale, CA.

NATIONAL NEWS

Evolution Solar Completes Build Out of Second Chinese Office
Evolution Solar Corp, a young aggressive solar start up, located in Tempe AZ, has finished construction of its second Chinese office.

Connecticut Towns Set Lofty Energy Goals
Putnam and Pomfret pledged to make renewable energy 20% of their electricity needs within the next two years. The CT Clean Energy Fund is sponsoring the project and requires that 100 homes in each town be powered by renewable energy. By meeting this requirement, Putnam and Pomfret are eligible for free solar systems.

UTILITY INDUSTRY & REGULATORY NEWS

UK Law to Drive Smart Meter Market
The UK plans to require all households to have smart meters by 2020.

FINANCIAL NEWS & MARKETS

Carbon Market Could Supply Cheap Debt
European energy companies struggling to raise cash from banks to fund projects could turn to the European carbon market, say bankers.

First Solar Shares Jump 24.5%
Analysts upgraded their ratings on the thin-film company after the Tempe, Ariz.-based company announced new sales agreements and posted earnings that beat expectations this week.

Progress Energy Announces 2008 Q3 Results; Update Full Year 2008 Earnings Guides
Progress Energy announced third-quarter reported GAAP earnings of $309 million, or $1.19 per share, compared with reported GAAP earnings of $319 million, or $1.24 per share, for the same period last year.

Record Venture Capital Flow to Cleantech
The flow of venture capital into U.S. clean-technology companies surged to another record - $1.6 billion - during this year’s third quarter, Ernst & Young reported Thursday.

GOVERNMENT & POLITICS

Former Sen. Allen Speaks About Energy Policy and Election at U. Massachusetts
Former Virginia Governor and United States Senator George Allen spoke Wednesday night at a talk titled ‘McCain, Obama, and America’s Security’ at Bowker auditorium at the University of Massachusetts.

Presidential Election Brings Green Jobs in Focus
The two leading candidates are suggesting that the financial crisis can be resolved by addressing the country’s worsening energy crisis.

TECHNOLOGY

Cleantech Dominates Time?s 50 Best Inventions
Time Magazine just published its list of the 50 best inventions of the year 2008 and named Nanosolar?s thin-film technology one of them.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Germany?s Largest Pitched Roof Thin Film solar PV System Installed
The roof is now fitted with more than 11,000 cadmium telluride modules from that were manufactured by First Solar. The system has a peak output of 837 kilowatts (kW).

Enfinity Completes 6.5MW of Installations in Spain
Enfinity completed and opened four ground-mounted solar systems in Spain. The projects are the first ground-mounted systems the company has installed and have a total capacity of 6.5 MW.

New REC PV complex to be Built in Singapore
M+W Zander has signed a contract to be the contractor for the new solar photovoltaics manufacturing complex in Singapore being developed by Norway’s Renewable Energy Corporation.

Sunways AG Orders 115MW of Silicon Wafers from Swiss Wafers
Swiss Wafers AG has entered into a wafer supply deal with Sunways AG that will see the Swiss company ship a total of 115MW from January 2009 to 2016.

T-Solar Cuts Ribbon on $104M Spanish PV Module Factory
T-Solar, the Spanish PV manufacturer and project developer owned by eight local banks and three business groups, has opened a 40MW per year module plant in Orense, Galicia.

Are you in California and interested in solar for your home? Call us at 877.SUN.MOJO or visit our website to learn more.

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All he had to do was make through the roads of Canada in the fastest time possible. It may sound simple but it is not. After all, you would never know what is coming up those roads. But Marcelo da Luz had been able to set a new world record. This Canadian was able to complete 15,000 kilometers in a solar car and he made that in 140 days.This record was actually held previously by an Australian team and that happened back in 2002. However, that is now broken and da Luz is the current title holder. He used a solar car known as the Power of One or the Xofl. Many have said that it looks like those flying saucer objects in the sky but it sure can travel fast and travel well.

This solar car could go up to 200 kilometers for one charging. And with that, it can achieve 120 kilometers per hour as its maximum speed.

Source: cbcnews.ca
Image source: FreeFoto.com

Tags: Marcelo da Luz, Power of One, Solar, solar-car, solar-power, Xofl

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A guest post by Elizabeth from activitymama.wordpress.com

Uneaten, brown bananas are a source of guilt for me.  I always plan to make banana bread, but rarely do and the spotty bananas eventually go into my organic recycling bin.  The same could be said for many of the green peppers that I received in my Community Shared Agriculture produce box this year.  I finally figured out a use for old produce that (slightly) reduced my guilt about throwing it away.
A few weeks ago, I pulled some toothpicks, raisins, mini-marshmallows, cloves and bay leaves out of my cupboard.  My three kids (ages 2, 6, and created creepy creatures using my old bananas and apples as bodies.  You could use any fruits or vegetables you have around the house or garden.  I loved the results and they loved the project!  I am always surprised and amazed at their imaginations.

Your creatures will not last long before you have to throw them in the compost, but this is a project that is all about the creative process.  If your children want to, let them draw or take pictures of their creatures before they have to be tossed!  There are lots of interesting, spiky, funky fruits available at the grocery store these days.  You will love discovering what your children create with them!

If you want to be really green, try to do this project using only local produce.  This would be a fantastic project to do for Halloween!  Friends of mine have even done it on a larger scale, decorating pumpkins with greens and other vegetables, using toothpicks or wooden skewers to anchor everything down.  It is a great excuse to visit your local farmer’s market!

For more green craft projects and easy science projects, visit my blog at activitymama.wordpress.com!

Elizabeth is a stay-at-home mom of three who lives in Minnesota.  She has an undergraduate degree in Art and a Master’s Degree in Bacteriology.  Her goal is to get children interested in science at a young age and to encourage them to do art projects that are green and creative rather than plastic and pre-fab.

Are you in California and interested in solar for your home? Call us at 877.SUN.MOJO or visit our website to learn more.

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Governor Ted Kulongoski is already preparing for the new legislative session in January. As part of his climate change proposals, the Oregon governor plans to introduce legislation that would allow customer generators to make money on power they send back to the grid. Essentially a feed-in tariff, the plan is similar to that which has [...]

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At the Solar Power International conference, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash) argued for a change in focus for solar power and utility regulation. She boasted the recent passage of federal solar tax credits and pushed for a federally regulated energy policy. She also promised to work for new transmission lines to accommodate the upcoming increase [...]

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It’s almost as if the folks at the American Solar Energy Society (ASES) knew that we recently posted on Do-it-Yourself Solar. In this month’s SOLAR TODAY magazine, on page 66, the headline is: “Is PV a Do-It-Yourself Option? You may understand the physics of your new photovoltaic system. That doesn’t mean you should bolt it together.”

Authors John Wiles and C. Byron Winn provide a list of 10 questions which will help you decide if DIY solar is the right option. Here’s what they say:

“If you can answer the following questions easily, you might have the skills to install a PV system on your own home, providing, of course that it is legal for you to do so.

1. Are you familiar with volts, amps, and watts?

2. Can you find the tangent of 22.6 degrees?

3. Can you determine the maximum open-circuit voltage of a PV module at your home?

4. What size lag screw will resist 350 pounds of up force in fir lumber?

5. What do the symbols THWN, USE, and RHW mean?

6. Are you a skilled do-it-yourselfer with a wide assortment of hand and power tools?

7. Have you bent and installed EMT?

8. Do you have a torque screwdriver?

9. How do you seal l roof penetrations that will last for 40 years?

10. Can commonly available DC-rated circuit breakers be used at 600 volts?

If you found any of these questions challenging, then it might be best to look for a PV professional to do the design and installation. It is never a bad idea to educate yourself in as many details of the design and installation as you can assimilate, since that will help to ensure that you are getting what you want.”

THWN? And finding tangents? I haven’t done that since 12^th grade. Looks like I should stick to blogging.

Are you in California and interested in solar for your home? Call us at 877.SUN.MOJO or visit our website to learn more.

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Promoted from Blue Square Energy Chief Operating Officer.

All has been quiet, too quiet, at Blue Square Energy (BSE) since I posted Blue Square Energy: Solar plans stalled at funding round back on July 8, 2008. Today, “Blue Square Energy Names New President and CEO” resolved the management dispute with the appointment of Joseph Babin as the new President and CEO of Blue Square Energy replacing former CEO Jeff Barnett.

Mr. Babin said:

I am very much looking forward to leading this talented group of engineers and researchers that BSE has managed to attract. Over the next few months, industry watchers in the solar energy space can expect to see a number of exciting new developments from BSE.

Prior to BSE, Mr. Babin was CEO of Kinetix where he transformed a small contracting firm into a large regional MEP (Mechanical Electrical and Plumbing), facilities maintenance, and energy services company focused on serving the federal government. His prior business technology experience was as the executive vice president of Electronic Payment Exchange (EPX), an online payment processing platform, directing the sale of EPX to Intercept Payment Solutions.

Mr. Babin shall remain on the BSE Board of Directors; he has been a member since 2005. Mr. Babin also serves on the Board of Directors for Electronic Payment Exchange (EPX), The Elwyn Institute, Grace Institutional Pharmacy, and Exceptional Care for Children (ECC).

I expect Mr. Babin will bring Bright Point silicon solar cell technology development back on track and reinvigorate venture capital funding efforts.

BSE Chairman of the Board of Raymond Moyer seems to concur and said:

Joe is the best of the best when it comes to running a business that works for its shareholders. As a member of the Board, he has had a role in creating a strategic direction for the company, but now he’s going to be responsible for implementing it as well. I have all the faith in the world that Joe and his management team will meet our goal of creating the world’s most affordable high efficiency solar cell.

Visit this Blue Square Energy label for prior posts about the company.

No word yet on the exact fates of Jeff Barnett or Dr. Allen Barnett.

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