Nanosolar Powersheets and Thin Film Solar
Meet the Solar Impulse. Eventually, the plane will circumnavigate the globe using nothing but solar power. Before that historic trip, however, the solar-powered airplane must pass a few tests. And earlier this month, the Impulse passed its first.
The Solar Impulse has a 60-meter wingspan with over 12,000 solar cells cloaking those wings and powering the [...]
Well, we could only hold out so long before we caved to the allure of Twitter. All the jokes have become cliche, so we’ll just put the link out there and ask you to follow us and pass it on.
http://twitter.com/solaronenyc
We will use this for quick links, announcements, event updates, stray thoughts and anything we feel is worth passing along. We also will have Chris Neidl posting updates from the UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen beginning December 14th. He will also have more detailed video updates posted daily in this space.
The feed-in tariffs that propelled Germany into global leadership in solar power continue to show their effectiveness. Despite a global economic recession that stunted solar installations around the world in the first half of the year, Germany will post record growth once again in 2009. According to BSW, Germany’s solar industry association, installed solar capacity [...]
With the sun setting before 5 p.m., solar power may be the last thing on your mind these days.
But declining panel prices, a federal tax credit and a state rebate all make now a good time to at least investigate whether solar power might make sense for your home — and your budget.
“If you’re thinking that you’d like to go solar within the next few years, right now is the time to do it,” said Lynn Jurich, president and co-founder of SunRun, a San Francisco-based startup that provides solar financing for consumers who can’t afford the upfront costs of buying their own solar systems. “Panels are on sale right now. There’s a sweet spot where the state rebates are still relatively high, but the costs have come down.”
And winter is a good season to research solar options, experts say. It’s generally a slower time for the industry, which means companies may be willing to give you a better deal.
If you’re thinking about going solar, here’s a checklist of things to think about:
1. Take a good, hard look at your electricity usage over the past year or several months. You probably know how much you pay for electricity every month and have records of the checks or bills paid to PG&E or your municipal utility. But do you know how much electricity you actually use? Electricity is charged by the kilowatt-hour (kWh). Some people use as little as 300 kWh per month; others easily use more than 1,200 kWh a month.
In general, solar is a much better investment for people who use a lot of electricity. And PG&E has a tiered rate structure, so customers who use more electricity are charged more.
Understand how you use electricity,” said Sue Kateley, executive director of CALSEIA, the California Solar Energy Industries Association. “Get out your bill and look at the tiered rates. If you don’t use a lot of electricity — if you are a Tier One or Tier Two customer — then you really need to do a cost analysis to see if solar is cost-effective.”
2. Take a look at the roof of your house. How old is your roof, and what kind of shape is it in? If your roof is due to be replaced, you’ll want to do that before, or along with, adding solar.
And is your roof ideally situated for solar? Does it face south? “Shading” is also an issue: your roof should have clear, unobstructed access to the sun for most of the day and be free from shade from trees or other buildings.
3. Shop around. Ask friends and neighbors who have already installed solar power if they’ve been happy with their systems. Learn about financing options: Do you have to have the money for the entire system upfront, or does your installer offer a leasing option?
Interview at least three potential installers and obtain bids in writing before making a decision. Whatever the salesperson tells you should be in writing in the contract…. Read the rest
Copyright 2009 Mercury News
ST. CHARLES, Md., Nov. 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — American Community Properties Trust (ACPT) (NYSE Amex: APO) launched an initiative today that will make St. Charles, Maryland, its flagship 9,100 acre planned community in Charles County, the most comprehensive smart green community development project in the United States today. The project includes 4,000 undeveloped acres in the planned community, as well as retrofitting more than 12,000 existing homes and four million square feet of existing commercial space in St. Charles.
“Our vision is to make St. Charles the international model for 21st century smart green and growing communities,” said Steve Griessel, CEO of the Maryland-based land development and property management company. “The transformational effect that will occur from our efforts will double St. Charles in size but actually lower today’s carbon footprint and water usage for the community. This transformation will enable 40 percent of Charles County’s population to live on approximately 2 percent of its land mass, making St. Charles truly a smart, green, and growing community,” said Griessel.
Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley attended the launch event. “In Maryland, we are focused on New Ideas for New Jobs - connecting the challenges and opportunities of a workforce that leads in science, security and skills. Our goal is for St. Charles to serve as a model of a 21st century city - a green, healthy city that also has a viable, thriving economy, and a city that truly embodies the deep connection between healing our planet and creating a strong economy and good-paying jobs for generations of Marylanders to come,” said Governor O’Malley. “It is an honor to be here today in the great city of St. Charles, with ACPT, to announce the creation of a Green City. As part of the innovative Green City initiative, St. Charles will represent a model for cities around the world, making vital connections between the creation of new jobs and a thriving economy, and the health of our planet.”
Griessel outlined a plan that will include:
To make the project a reality, Mr. Griessel announced memorandums of understanding that ACPT has with the Charles County Government, SMECO, the College of Southern Maryland, and local and national businesses. Mr. Griessel announced several initiatives that will be taking place as the “green city” project gets underway, including:
“This is a great start, but there is so much more we will be doing,” said Griessel. “With SMECO, we are testing LED lighting technology in our new community, Gleneagles. With the College of Southern Maryland, we will be working jointly to promote the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) program. Charles County Public Schools is going to build a LEED certified high school on 98 acres we have donated. The Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission is helping us bring farmers markets, community gardens, and agricultural education programs to the green city. And we will be leading this effort in our future headquarters, which is going to be a LEED gold interior certified building,” said Griessel.
For additional information, please visit www.stcharlesgreen.com
What is neither red nor white but still at home in a wine glass? The answer to that strange riddle lies in the hands and unfathomable patience of one Szymon Klimek, craftsman of tiny model engines. Better yet, one of these micro-engines can actually run on solar power.
Klimek starts with paper-thin sheets of brass. He [...]
SILVER SPRING, Md., Nov. 30 /PRNewswire/ — CPV Renewable Energy Company (CPV REC) today announced plans for a 10 megawatt (MW) solar farm in southern Maryland to be co-located with the proposed natural gas combined-cycle CPV St. Charles Energy Center. The announcement was made today as part of American Community Properties Trust (ACPT) 9,100 acre planned “Model Green City” in Charles County.
Named the CPV Piney Reach Solar Farm, the planned facility will begin permitting immediately and is expected to be in service by 2012. The solar farm will employ arrays of photovoltaic panels to turn sunlight directly into clean electricity. The project is the largest of its kind announced in the state.
Co-locating the solar farm with a natural gas generator represents a new “hybrid” approach to electricity generation being developed by CPV. This approach marries the environmental attributes of renewable electricity production with the controlability and low emissions rates of natural gas generation to yield clean, low-emission electricity that is available whenever the public demands.
“We are extremely excited to be bringing this solar project to the people of Maryland in conjunction with our CPV St. Charles Energy Center,” said Competitive Power Ventures Chairman and CEO Doug Egan. “We believe this combination of renewable generation with natural gas generation will be the wave of the future and Maryland is on the cutting edge.”
The project will also start Maryland on its way toward achieving its aggressive renewable portfolio standard goal of installing 1,500 megawatts of solar by 2022.
CPV REC is currently developing several major solar projects nationwide and has more than 5,000 MW of wind projects under development. 1,000 MWs of these projects are currently in negotiations for their output and are expected to be online by 2012.
For more information about the project and CPV please go to www.cpv.com.
