South Africa, recently dogged by electricity shortages at the state-run generator (Eskom), is innovating strongly in the energy sector. I will be discussing examples of this innovation in future posts, but now for the first of several reports on newsworthy energy related events in South Africa.

South African Solar Challenge 2008

South Africa’s Department of Science and Technology (DST) was one of the supporters of the South African Solar Challenge 2008 solar car race, which ended at the Innovation Hub in Pretoria this week. Solar car races are by no means new, but this is the first time one has been run in South Africa. The race, which was noted in a recent post on solar cars, was organized by the Advanced Energy Foundation.

Read more of this story »

We’ve written about Livermore, CA-based startup Cool Earth Solar before. Now the company, which develops inflatable balloon-like solar concentrators, has announced that it is constructing a prototype plant in Livermore. Last week, I spoke to Cool Earth Solar CEO Rob Lamkin to get some more information on the upcoming project.

Read more of this story »

Sharp’s new solar-powered streetlight can do it all. Not only does the light operate for ten years without needing maintenance, but it also automatically turns on when it detects an earthquake.

The light use a high-intensity LED spotlight that has a service life of about 40,000 hours. It charges using built-in solar panels during the day, and shines automatically at night. Best of all, Sharp’s streetlight doesn’t create any light pollution—it’s illuminated with a directed light that doesn’t shine into the sky.

Read more of this story »

One man’s quest to travel around the world in a car without using a drop of gas is coming to a close over a year after it began. Swiss adventurer Louis Palmer has been driving his three-wheeled Solartaxi since last July. So far, he’s logged 27,000 miles and 28 countries.

The $5,000 Solartaxi was built for Palmer by Q-Cells, a German solar company. Zebra Battery provided the adventurer with two 250-pound rechargeable batteries— each valued at $15,000. The batteries store energy from the solar panels, as well as energy from the electric outlets that Palmer plugs the vehicle into every evening.

Read more of this story »

Smaller start-up car companies, such as Th!nk, have plans for solar power augmented cars on the books too, but the incorporation of solar panels on the Prius would mark the first time a major car manufacturer has done such a thing with one of its models.

Read more of this story »

Apparently Peter Richardson knew when he submitted a winning solar design to the International Design Awards. His idea is to turn disused water ways into functional space by populating them with solar panels shaped like water lilies. Aiming to increase quality of life, while generating energy, the lilies so impressed the Glasgow City Council that they expressed interest in developing a pilot project.

The technology itself is easily within reach:

“They can be moved and dismantled and are simply tethered to the river bed, integrated motors can rotate the discs so their orientation to the sun is maximised throughout the day.” (Project Description)

In other words, no new technology required, just some clever design. My concern would be recreational or commercial river traffic (how “disused”must the waterway be?). Would waves from wake disrupt the solar lilies? What about an impact on wildlife or wildlife’s impact on the panels? What if the river ices over in the winter? One hopes a pilot project would figure out the kinks.

What do readers think - would a product like this in your local water way make an impact on your community? (More images here)

Read more of this story »

This weekend, a few months after my trip to Chicago, I was returning some books to my local library. They have a “free magazine” rack near the door so I stopped and grabbed a gardening magazine and a few National Geographics from 2007. When I got home I began flipping through the October 2007 National Geographic which highlights the pros and cons of ethanol (for more read this post from Gas 2.0), and there on the page right after the table of contents was an Ameriprise Financial article about the place I walked past in Bucktown a few months earlier. It is the home of Frank and Lisa Mauceri and their record company Smog Veil Records.

Read more of this story »

According to the article, James and Kathleen Seligman decided to build a green second home in Three Rivers, California. The 969 sf, two-bedroom house has double-paned windows, energy-efficient appliances, clay-based wall coverings and no paint, and non-toxic cotton insulation. Additionally, the house was designed to accomodate solar panels (not sure if they were actually installed), sustainably harvested wood was used, and construction debris was recycled, as opposed to going to the landfill. Note however, they decided to go with the granite counters for stylistic purposes, rather than opt for some of the other sustainable counters on the market. But for the most part, this is a fairly impressive green home.

James and Kathleen also have their first home in Three Rivers, so this home will be lived in occassionally and rented out to tourists the rest of the time. Which brings us back to our initial inquiry. How green can a second home be? I think, imho, to determine whether a second home can be green, one must look to the first home. In this situation, the second home is an investment and many of the green features serve to lower operating costs, but as it relates to James and Kathleen, have they lessened their incremental impact on the environment at all? Not that I know of. Sure, it's better to build a green second home than a non-green second home, but in reality, the question of greenness cannot be separated from the occupants or the people. What changes do we see in the people? That's what going green is all about. Incremental change on a going forward basis.

So to answer the queston posed by the title to this post, one must look a little deeper. What is happening to the people? Any home can be a green home, but the question of whether something is or is not green also depends on the circumstances. Look at the circumstances and you decide. You tell me, how green can a second home be?

Image via Nancy Doniger.

SolarCity is planning a community meeting with Mountain View residents and businesses this Saturday (February 10), and the company’s president Lyndon Rive will discuss the details of the Collective Power Program. With group purchasing power, Mountain View customers will save 30% over typical solar installation and service costs.

Where does the cost advantage come from? (1) SolarCity can purchase supplies in bulk and get a lower price; and (2) by having customers in a concentrated geographic region, it can minimize costs of service and maintenance. SolarCity makes the investment easy for consumers, too. Services include permit processing, system design and installation, rebate administration, financing, energy efficiency consulting, and system monitoring. From what I understand, SolarCity takes a pro-active approach to the whole process by making sure the system is working optimally at all times.

I think this is going to be what it takes to get solar moving forward, on a larger scale. If a company can establish good will in a specific region, there will be huge opportunities to capitalize on economies of scale without getting over-extended into different geographic regions. Solar is such a complicated product, including the piece meal regime of rebates, the best companies will be those that can provide expertise and service. Local companies will have a vested interest in the success of solar power generation and can help people rely less on coal- and gas-power plants.

Sidenote: Regarding homes that are not energy efficient, solar power may not be the first investment to make. After all, what good is solar power if your home is leaking heat/ac through the walls and cracks? That said, after speaking with a green professional about the specifics of your home, solar could be the right, next step.

Here's an example. Assume you have a house that was built in the 1950s and you really want to lower the electricity bills (i.e., use less energy and lighten your environmental footprint). Grandma gave you $5,000 for a birthday and you're going to blow the wad to renovate your home. Some people would say to use that money on a down payment for solar panels. I'd say you might get more bang for your buck spending that money by sealing the leaks in your house, insulating the poorly insulated areas, planting some trees in the southeast corner of your backyard, and switching your fluorescent lightbulbs to CFLS. You might consider the solar panels with Grandma's next $5,000 installment.

With this in mind, Global Green USA has created a list of the Top 20 No- or Low-Cost Green Building Strategies [PDF]. Feel free to click on over for more information on each strategy.

1. Orient Building To Maximize Natural Daylighting
2. Place Windows to Provide Good Natural Ventilation
3. Select a Light-Colored "Cool Roof"
4. Provide Overhangs on South-Facing Windows
5. Install Whole-House Fans or Ceiling Fans
6. Eliminate Air Conditioning
7. Provide Combined-Hydronic Heating
8. Install Fluorexcent Lights with Electronic Ballasts
9. Install High R-Value Insulation
10. Select Energy Star Appliances
11. Design Water-Efficient Landscapes
12. Install Water-Efficient Toilets and Fixtures
13. Use Permeable Paving Materials
14. Use 30-50% Flyash in Concrete
15. Use Engineered Wood for Headers, Joists, and Sheathing
16. Use Recycled-Content Insulation, Drywall, and Carpet
17. Use Low- or No-VOC Paint
18. Use Formaldehyde-Free or Fully Sealed Materials for Cabinets and Counters
19. Vent Rangehood to the Outside
20. Install Carbon Monoxide Detector

The first section relates to energy consumption, the second to water conservation, the third to materials consumption, and the fourth to indoor air quality.