Green Options » Solar http://greenoptions.com/tag/solar Posts tagged 'Solar' Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:16:43 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 en How Do Brits Like to Be Green? http://ecoworldly.com/2009/11/24/how-do-brits-like-to-be-green/ http://ecoworldly.com/2009/11/24/how-do-brits-like-to-be-green/#comments Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:16:43 +0000 Zachary Shahan http://ecoworldly.com/2009/11/24/how-do-brits-like-to-be-green/

How do Brits like to be green, and what green behaviors do they still avoid?

That’s what a new survey by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER), and the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) is showing us by examining the environmental actions and preferences of 100,000 British people from 40,000 households.

The findings presented below are the first from a new annual household survey in Britain named Understanding Society. The environmental topics are one subset of the whole survey, which also examines the “working lives, relationships, health, finances, neighbourhoods, education, transport and more” of Brits.

What are the main findings thus far?

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]]> http://ecoworldly.com/2009/11/24/how-do-brits-like-to-be-green/feed/ Paul Hawken on Being a ‘Doomer’ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/20/paul-hawken-on-being-a-doomer/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/20/paul-hawken-on-being-a-doomer/#comments Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:09:11 +0000 Scott Cooney http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/20/paul-hawken-on-being-a-doomer/ During yesterday’s Sustainable Industries Economic Forum, keynote speaker Paul Hawken suggested that it will take a somewhat monumental effort to get back to 350 ppm in our atmosphere (we’re at 387 right now). His list was daunting.  We’d need one new olympic sized pool of bioalgae fuel production every second for 25 years, for example.  He said that while being a ‘doomer’ has a negative connotation, the facts are the facts, and that there is a role for this kind of startling statistic.  An audience member asked the question that was on all our minds:  “It seems untenable.  Do you have hope that this can actually happen?”

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/20/paul-hawken-on-being-a-doomer/feed/ Asia Light Years Ahead of the US in Clean Tech Investment — Financial and Economic Consequences http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/20/asia-light-years-ahead-of-the-us-in-clean-tech-investment-financial-and-economic-consequences/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/20/asia-light-years-ahead-of-the-us-in-clean-tech-investment-financial-and-economic-consequences/#comments Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:50:06 +0000 Zachary Shahan http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/20/asia-light-years-ahead-of-the-us-in-clean-tech-investment-financial-and-economic-consequences/
Asia is investing hundreds of billions of dollars more than the US in clean technology, according to a new report by two research institutions. In the future, the US may be importing trillions of dollars of needed clean technology (and losing countless jobs to Asia) as a result.

In total, the report showed that China, Japan, and South Korea will invest about $509 billion in clean tech over the next 5 years, whereas the US (with our greenest President in decades, maybe ever) is only expected to invest $172 billion (about 3 times less) — this is assuming the climate and energy legislation in Congress passes.

If the US were to invest the same percentage of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as South Korea, it would invest almost $140 billion per year ($700 billion over this five year period)! Compared to China, the anticipated per-GDP investment ratio is 1:4 (US to China).

In 2008, Japan almost matched US R&D spending on energy and achieved almost the same number of international clean energy patents despite having dramatically lower GDP.

The financial investment is not the only thing giving these countries a major advantage in this field, though.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/20/asia-light-years-ahead-of-the-us-in-clean-tech-investment-financial-and-economic-consequences/feed/ New Report Forecasts Solar Boom in NC — “Growing Solar in North Carolina” http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/19/new-report-forecasts-solar-boom-in-nc-growing-solar-in-north-carolina/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/19/new-report-forecasts-solar-boom-in-nc-growing-solar-in-north-carolina/#comments Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:26:23 +0000 Zachary Shahan http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/19/new-report-forecasts-solar-boom-in-nc-growing-solar-in-north-carolina/
A new report by Environment North Carolina’s Research and Policy Center, “Growing Solar in North Carolina,” found that North Carolina (home of my UNC Tar Heels) could be a solar power giant soon.

The new report found that North Carolina has a lot of solar energy potential due to its “vast” solar energy intensity (which is nearly as much as Florida’s) combined with other economic, policy and technological factors.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/19/new-report-forecasts-solar-boom-in-nc-growing-solar-in-north-carolina/feed/ Bayview Celebrates the Latona Community Garden http://ecolocalizer.com/2009/11/18/bayview-celebrates-the-latona-community-garden/ http://ecolocalizer.com/2009/11/18/bayview-celebrates-the-latona-community-garden/#comments Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:08:02 +0000 Rhonda Winter http://ecolocalizer.com/2009/11/18/bayview-celebrates-the-latona-community-garden/ Many of our Bayview neighbors joined us last weekend to celebrate the second anniversary of the Latona Community Garden. What used to be a smelly skanky debris-filled eyesore, is now a thriving organic community garden. The formerly blighted corner has been transformed into a warm and welcoming public space where neighbors gather, local kids play, and organic food is grown.
Latona kidsSeveral of the neighborhood kids climbing the walnut tree in the Latona Community Garden.

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]]> http://ecolocalizer.com/2009/11/18/bayview-celebrates-the-latona-community-garden/feed/ Thin-Film Solar Panels to Double their Share of the Market by 2013? http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/12/thin-film-solar-panels-to-double-their-share-of-the-market-by-2013/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/12/thin-film-solar-panels-to-double-their-share-of-the-market-by-2013/#comments Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:12:39 +0000 Zachary Shahan http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/12/thin-film-solar-panels-to-double-their-share-of-the-market-by-2013/
A new report by iSuppli Corp. predicts that by 2013, 31% of the solar panel market will be accounted for by thin-film solar panels. These thin-film panels are rapidly replacing traditional crystalline photovoltaic panels.

Thin-film solar is being used in a variety of new applications, from solar roof shingles to solar tiles (like clay tiles) to solar panels glued right onto the roof. Its flexibility in use is one major benefit of this technology.

Lower cost is the number one factor responsible for its anticipated growth, but there are trade-offs as well.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/12/thin-film-solar-panels-to-double-their-share-of-the-market-by-2013/feed/ M&M’S® and MARS Going Green? New Solar Garden at Headquarters in New Jersey http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/10/mms%c2%ae-and-mars-going-green-new-solar-garden-at-headquarters-in-new-jersey/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/10/mms%c2%ae-and-mars-going-green-new-solar-garden-at-headquarters-in-new-jersey/#comments Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:13:04 +0000 Zachary Shahan http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/10/mms%c2%ae-and-mars-going-green-new-solar-garden-at-headquarters-in-new-jersey/
Candy giant MARS, parent company of M&M’S®, DOVE®, MILKY WAY®, SNICKERS®, 3 MUSKETEERS®, and TWIX®, turned on a huge new solar array (a “solar garden”) at its headquarters in New Jersey today. No matter what you think of candy food like this, it is good to see such a company going solar. Popular with millions, billions perhaps, and about as mainstream as you can imagine, this is a good step for solar’s more widespread use across the country.

This facility is PSEG Solar Source’s first large-scale solar project. It is one of the largest solar projects in the state of New Jersey, which is already 2nd only to California in its amount of installed solar capacity. The MARS headquarters adjacent to the solar garden is the workplace of about 1,200 employees and is where M&M’S® Brand Chocolate Candies are manufactured.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/10/mms%c2%ae-and-mars-going-green-new-solar-garden-at-headquarters-in-new-jersey/feed/ Land of the Rising Sun Power! Japan May Build a Solar Station in Space by 2030 http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/10/land-of-the-rising-sun-power-japan-may-build-a-solar-station-in-space-by-2030/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/10/land-of-the-rising-sun-power-japan-may-build-a-solar-station-in-space-by-2030/#comments Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:37:01 +0000 Andrew Williams http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/10/land-of-the-rising-sun-power-japan-may-build-a-solar-station-in-space-by-2030/

The Japanese space agency has unveiled an incredible new plan to start collecting solar power in space, and zap it down to Earth via microwaves or laser beams.

Under the plan, known as the Space Solar Power System (SSPS), floating photovoltaic dishes several square miles across would hover in geostationary orbit outside the Earth’s atmosphere as soon as 2030.

According to a researcher at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, one of the project participants, “Since solar power is a clean and inexhaustible energy source, we believe that this system will be able to help solve the problems of energy shortage and global warming. The sun’s rays abound in space.” (Another picture after the jump).

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/10/land-of-the-rising-sun-power-japan-may-build-a-solar-station-in-space-by-2030/feed/ H2Go Fuel Cell Car Makes Great Eco Christmas Gift for Kids (and Dad) http://gas2.org/2009/11/09/h2go-fuel-cell-car-makes-great-eco-christmas-gift-for-kids-and-dad/ http://gas2.org/2009/11/09/h2go-fuel-cell-car-makes-great-eco-christmas-gift-for-kids-and-dad/#comments Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:44:25 +0000 Andrew Williams http://gas2.org/2009/11/09/h2go-fuel-cell-car-makes-great-eco-christmas-gift-for-kids-and-dad/

OK, I know this isn’t strictly the type of car that you’re used to hearing about on Gas 2.0. For starters, you can’t even drive it. But, with Christmas looming just around the corner, I couldn’t resist writing about this funky little hydrogen fuel cell-powered remote-control car.

Called the H2Go, this is a toy car aimed at teaching kids about alternative energy in a fun and exciting way. Forget falling for the classic disappointment of (duh) forgetting the batteries and having to wait till the shops open, this little number runs on a combination of solar and zero-emission hydrogen.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/11/09/h2go-fuel-cell-car-makes-great-eco-christmas-gift-for-kids-and-dad/feed/ $4 Million Goes to MIT from French Oil Company for Solar Energy Battery Project http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/07/4-million-goes-to-mit-from-french-oil-company-for-solar-energy-battery-project/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/07/4-million-goes-to-mit-from-french-oil-company-for-solar-energy-battery-project/#comments Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:02:21 +0000 Zachary Shahan http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/07/4-million-goes-to-mit-from-french-oil-company-for-solar-energy-battery-project/
Total, a French oil company, recently agreed to give the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) $4 million for a 5-year research project to develop stationary batteries that can more efficiently store solar energy.

More efficient energy storage has been a difficult issue for scientists to crack. It is a major issue preventing more widespread use of renewable energy, and solar energy in particular.

Is this project, one funded by a true oil giant, the one that will make it happen?

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/07/4-million-goes-to-mit-from-french-oil-company-for-solar-energy-battery-project/feed/ Electric Mole Takes a Bite Out of Energy Costs, with Help from Solar Power http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/07/electric-mole-takes-a-bite-out-of-energy-costs-with-help-from-solar-power/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/07/electric-mole-takes-a-bite-out-of-energy-costs-with-help-from-solar-power/#comments Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:28:51 +0000 Tina Casey http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/07/electric-mole-takes-a-bite-out-of-energy-costs-with-help-from-solar-power/ Parkson Corporation will combine a stainless steel Electric Mole with a solar drying chamber to cut energy costs at wastewater treatment plant.Veteran solar installer Parkson Corporation is lending its expertise to a new wastewater treatment plant upgrade for the town of Berlin near the Maryland coast.  When it’s finished, the new plant will almost eliminate the use of fossil fuels for drying and converting biosolids, also known as sludge, into a lightweight Class A soil amendment or sustainable fuel.  The process is pushed along by a stainless steel “Electric Mole” that automaticaly mixes, aerates, and granulates the sludge as it dries.

The $16 million upgrade project is funded by ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act).  Parkson’s Thermo-System Active Solar Sludge Drying Chambers will enable the sludge conversion process to operate under more than 90% solar power rather than using gas or oil.  For disposing sludge in landfills, that translates into a significant savings in preparation and transportation costs.  Even better, it makes sludge products more cost-competitive with conventional soil amendments and fossil fuels, effectively taking the “waste” out of wastewater.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/07/electric-mole-takes-a-bite-out-of-energy-costs-with-help-from-solar-power/feed/ BP Could Start Selling Biofuels By 2010 http://gas2.org/2009/11/06/bp-could-start-selling-biofuels-by-2010/ http://gas2.org/2009/11/06/bp-could-start-selling-biofuels-by-2010/#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:35:23 +0000 Christopher DeMorro http://gas2.org/2009/11/06/bp-could-start-selling-biofuels-by-2010/ As it stands right now, there are comparatively few places to purchase alternative fuels. As of 2005, there were approximately 168,987 gas stations in the United States; of those, just 2,200 sell E85 ethanol fuel.

No major oil outlets have fully embraced biofuels, although British Petroleum has just announced that it may begin commercial production of ethanol starting in 2010.

BP has partnered with Verenium to bring a commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol facility online next year to start bringing alternative fuels to a gas pump near you.

BP has big plans for biofuels and seems to be marching towards an alternative fuel future faster than many of its competitors. Verenium already has a demonstration plant in Louisiana capable of producing over a million gallons of cellulosic ethanol annually, and BP hopes to ramp production up. The Verenium process uses proprietary enzymes to break down grass feedstock and convert it to ethanol more efficiently.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/11/06/bp-could-start-selling-biofuels-by-2010/feed/ Scientists Make Foldable 3D Solar Cells around an Optical Fibre http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/03/scientists-make-foldable-3d-solar-cells-around-an-optical-fibre/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/03/scientists-make-foldable-3d-solar-cells-around-an-optical-fibre/#comments Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:45:11 +0000 Andrew Williams http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/03/scientists-make-foldable-3d-solar-cells-around-an-optical-fibre/

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have made a three-dimensional photovoltaic solar cell around an optical fibre, a revolutionary new approach that could pave the way for a new generation of hyper-flexible solar systems.

According to team-leader Professor Zhong Lin Wang, “Using this technology, we can make photovoltaic generators that are foldable, concealed and mobile. Optical fibre could conduct sunlight into a building’s walls where the nanostructures would convert it to electricity. This is truly a three dimensional solar cell.”

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/03/scientists-make-foldable-3d-solar-cells-around-an-optical-fibre/feed/ DESERTEC $555 Billion Renewable Energy Project Moving Forward http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/02/desertec-560-billion-renewable-energy-project-moving-forward/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/02/desertec-560-billion-renewable-energy-project-moving-forward/#comments Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:53:31 +0000 Zachary Shahan http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/02/desertec-560-billion-renewable-energy-project-moving-forward/
The huge project to build a $555 billion renewable energy “belt” in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, funded largely by German companies, moved another step forward a few days ago.

The articles of association for the DESERTEC Industrial Initiative (DII) were signed by the joint venture group of 12 companies and the DESERTEC Foundation in Munich on October 30.

Additionally, a CEO for DII was appointed — Paul van Son.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/02/desertec-560-billion-renewable-energy-project-moving-forward/feed/ South Africa’s Move to Solar Power Threatened By Eskom’s Problems. http://ecoworldly.com/2009/10/31/south-africas-move-to-solar-power-threatened-by-eskoms-problems/ http://ecoworldly.com/2009/10/31/south-africas-move-to-solar-power-threatened-by-eskoms-problems/#comments Sat, 31 Oct 2009 12:10:37 +0000 Dave Harcourt http://ecoworldly.com/2009/10/31/south-africas-move-to-solar-power-threatened-by-eskoms-problems/ Eskom, the South African state owned electricity generator, recently announced that it has budgeted a billion dollars over the next ten years for a demonstration and pilot concentrated solar power (CSP) plant. However, moving from budget to implementation is proving more difficult!

Why Concentrated Solar Power

Two of the widely used alternatives for collecting the suns energy are the concentrated solar power (CSP) plant where sunlight is focussed on a receiver in which a circulating working fluid is heated and used as the heating media for a conventional power station and the photo voltaic (PV) plant where sunlight is converted directly into electrical energy.

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]]> http://ecoworldly.com/2009/10/31/south-africas-move-to-solar-power-threatened-by-eskoms-problems/feed/ Developing Residential Solar Installation Monitor http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/31/developing-residential-solar-installation-monitor/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/31/developing-residential-solar-installation-monitor/#comments Sat, 31 Oct 2009 11:14:20 +0000 Mariella Moon http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/31/developing-residential-solar-installation-monitor/ rooftop solar

A partnership between two companies will develop a home energy monitoring device for residential solar power installations.

Two startups – Tendril Networks, known for its home energy monitoring technology and Fat Spaniel technologies, a solar panel monitoring company – make up the partnership. The purpose of the partnership is to develop a monitoring device for homes that can gauge the sun’s intensity for any particular time and automatically adjust, or even shut down, home appliances as needed.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/31/developing-residential-solar-installation-monitor/feed/ Dell Builds Solar Trees For Parking Lot http://gas2.org/2009/10/26/dell-builds-solar-trees-for-parking-lot/ http://gas2.org/2009/10/26/dell-builds-solar-trees-for-parking-lot/#comments Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:47:41 +0000 Christopher DeMorro http://gas2.org/2009/10/26/dell-builds-solar-trees-for-parking-lot/

Computer technology is always about being one step ahead of competitors. Information technology moves faster than light it seems, and by the time your new computer arrives at your doorstep, it is already out of date. Dell, whose computers can be found in most offices, homes, and campuses across the country, has been doing its best to stay ahead of the curve.

Proving it is both environmentally friendly and hip to the trends of popular culture, Dell has just finished installing a grove of solar trees at its Corporate headquarters in Round Rock, Texas.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/10/26/dell-builds-solar-trees-for-parking-lot/feed/ Solarmer Breaks Plastic Solar Cell Efficiency World Record, Again http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/23/solarmer-breaks-plastic-solar-cell-efficiency-world-record-again/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/23/solarmer-breaks-plastic-solar-cell-efficiency-world-record-again/#comments Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:37:57 +0000 Zachary Shahan http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/23/solarmer-breaks-plastic-solar-cell-efficiency-world-record-again/
Solarmer Energy broke the world record for plastic cell efficiency last year. Now, they’ve just broken it again.

The new efficiency record is 7.6% and it breaks 7% for the first time.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/23/solarmer-breaks-plastic-solar-cell-efficiency-world-record-again/feed/ Solar Report Shows 30% Decrease in Cost of Solar Over 10 Years http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/22/solar-report-shows-30-decrease-in-cost-of-solar-over-10-years/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/22/solar-report-shows-30-decrease-in-cost-of-solar-over-10-years/#comments Thu, 22 Oct 2009 23:10:25 +0000 Zachary Shahan http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/22/solar-report-shows-30-decrease-in-cost-of-solar-over-10-years/

Just the other day, I wrote that it was a great time to go solar, especially due to the great rebates and discounts on solar technology. Apparently, I jumped the gun and was a few days early. A new report by Lawrence Berkeley National Lab — “Tracking the Sun II: The Installed Cost of Photovoltaics in the US from 1998-2008” — shows a significant decrease in solar costs over the last ten years and shows that now is a great time to go solar.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/22/solar-report-shows-30-decrease-in-cost-of-solar-over-10-years/feed/ $25 Billion for Imported Oil — In One Month! http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/19/25-billion-for-imported-oil-in-one-month/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/19/25-billion-for-imported-oil-in-one-month/#comments Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:48:31 +0000 Zachary Shahan http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/19/25-billion-for-imported-oil-in-one-month/
That is correct — not million but billion, not in one year but in one month! That is how much the US spent on imported oil in September 2009.

For those concerned about the US economy or national security risks, T. Boone Pickens and data from the US Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration (EIA) show us that foreign oil imports should be at the top of our list. We rely very heavily on foreign oil and send a good chunk of our money to other countries to supply us with that oil — $25 billion last month alone!

Take a closer look.

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