Solarion

Solar energy, will be playing a big role in our lives, as it has been playing for eons. Sustainable society is a need if we are to survive as a planet. There are many a facets to solar energy, solar electricity, solar heat and so on. Education is key factor in bringing Solar power to the doorsteps of every house and all people. This site will try to empower you, by bringing new about solar energy, the solar power blog, empoweringsolar. Be powerful! be off the grid. Let Sun Shine On You.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Mass Production Solar Cells Reaches Average Efficiency Rates of 17.5%, with Selective Emitter Cells

NANJING, China, Nov. 19 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- China Sunergy Co., Ltd. ("China Sunergy") (Nasdaq: CSUN), a specialized solar cell manufacturer based in Nanjing, China, announced today that it has started mass production of its selective emitter cells after successfully commissioning recently arrived production equipment.

Commercially produced selective emitter cells yielded an average efficiency rate of 17.5% during the first few days of mass production.

Prior to starting mass production, China Sunergy achieved 18.2% conversion efficiency on some of its pilot runs in early November.

Commenting on the announcement, Dr. Jianhua Zhao, CTO of China Sunergy, said: "I am delighted that we have managed to develop and commercialize these high-efficiency cells in less than a year, and am confident that as we refocus our R&D resources we will be able to achieve similar success with other high- efficiency cell products. As we continue to optimize our selective emitter cell equipment and technology, I also believe that we should be able to achieve average efficiency rates of 18% on future commercial batches of these cells."

Commenting further, Dr. Allen Wang, CEO of China Sunergy said: "I have always believed in the technological advantage China Sunergy holds and this is strong evidence that our R&D efforts are starting to pay off. We will continue to drive further efficiency from these cells going into 2008 and will be adding an additional four production lines during the second-half of the year, as we look at ways to expand our margins going forward."

China Sunergy signs Canadian supply deal, ramps output

NANJING, China, Nov. 19 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- China Sunergy Co., Ltd. ("China Sunergy") (Nasdaq: CSUN), a specialized solar cell manufacturer based in Nanjing, China, announced today that it had entered into various sales agreements (the "Agreements") with Canadian Solar Inc. ("Canadian Solar").

The Agreements with Canadian Solar are for a total volume of 25MW of solar cells for 2008. Under the Agreements, China Sunergy will supply approximately 12MW and 13MW of solar cells to Canadian Solar in the first and second half of the year respectively. The Agreements will be denominated in both Chinese yuan and US dollars, with approximately 24% of the volume being based on fixed pricing terms and the remainder being determined on a quarterly basis.

Commenting on the Agreements, Allen Wang, CEO of China Sunergy said: "Following on from this and the recent agreement with aleo solar of Germany, I am very pleased with our ability to expand sales both domestically and abroad. This latest Agreement signifies a substantial development in our relationship with Canadian Solar, one of the leading China-based module manufacturing companies, and is a positive example of how we are developing our high quality global customer base while further enhancing our brand recognition within the industry."

Commenting further, Dr. Shawn Qu, CEO of Canadian Solar, added: "We are pleased to have added China Sunergy to our list of partners, and continue to demonstrate the ability of CSI to establish win-win relationships with companies across the solar value chain. This announcement provides further visibility to the supply contracts we had in place in order to support our 2008 business plan. We look forward to working closely with China Sunergy as a part of our long-term supply chain strategy, which includes continued direct purchasing from a selected number of long-term strategic cell suppliers in addition to our internal solar cell production."

Saturday, November 17, 2007

PUC 'S (CPUC) APPROVAL OF EDISON/CALPINE SETTLEMENT LEADS CALIFORNIA TOWARDS ANOTHER STEP TOWARD STATE'S RENEWABLE ENERGY AND RESOURCE ADEQUACY GOALS

SAN FRANCISCO, November 16, 2007 - The California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) today approved a settlement agreement between Southern California Edison, Calpine Energy Services, and Geysers Power Company that, among other things, approves a Power Purchase and Sale Agreement for 225 megawatts (MW) of geothermal power and 714 MW of Local Resource Adequacy (Local RA) capacity. The new agreements replace the last year of an existing power purchase agreement for renewable power and Local RA capacity between the parties. In addition, the new agreements add an incremental 25 megawatts of renewable capacity and 514 MW of Local RA capacity and extend the two agreements another 3-10 years. The renewable power agreement is equivalent to about 2.35 percent of Edison's forecasted 2010 retail sales and will contribute to the statewide target of 20 percent renewables by 2010. In addition, the Local RA capacity agreement will contribute to Edison's System and Local RA obligations. The table below provides a brief explanation of the Geysers and Pastoria projects

The new power purchase agreements were negotiated in part from Edison's 2005 renewable energy solicitation and in part as a result of Calpine's attempted rejection of the existing Power Purchase Agreement in its bankruptcy proceeding. The approval of the entire settlement will resolve a motion filed by Calpine in Bankruptcy Court to reject the existing power purchase agreement. In addition, the PUC's approval of the settlement and underlying Renewables Portfolio Standard and Resource Adequacy agreements represent an important step towards Calpine's emergence from bankruptcy, expected either by the end of 2007 or in the first quarter of 2008.

The PUC's Renewables Portfolio Standard Program requires investor-owned utilities, Energy Service Providers, and Community Choice Aggregators operating in California to obtain 20 percent of their retail sales from renewable energy sources by 2010; the PUC's Resource Adequacy program requires the same companies to purchase sufficient generation capacity to meet their forecasted peak load with planning reserves including requirements to purchase capacity within transmission constrained Local Areas.

The proposal is available at

http://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PUBLISHED/COMMENT_RESOLUTION/74250.htm.

PG&E and Ausra Announce 177 Megawatt Solar Thermal Power Agreement

PG&E earlier this month announced that they will be teaming with Ausra Inc., to build a plant to be located in San Luis Obispo County in California that will generate 177-megawatts of solar thermal power capacity. The facility is slated to go online in 2010. Ausra has filed its Application for Certification for this plant with the California Energy Commission, which must grant approval before construction begins. The project will use Ausra’s Compact Linear Fresnel Reflector technology to create steam that will power steam turbine generators.

News Release;

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.—Nov. 5, 2007—Pacific Gas and Electric Company today announced that it has entered into a 177 megawatt solar thermal power purchasing agreement with Ausra Inc. The project, to be located in central California, is being developed by Ausra.

"Today's agreement between PG&E and Ausra highlights how clean energy will create jobs in California while delivering a reliable source of renewable energy," said Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. "I'm pleased to see California companies rising to the challenge of AB 32, California's historic initiative to reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change. Clearly, California continues to lead the nation in clean energy research, development and generation."

The plant, to be located in San Luis Obispo County, Calif., is expected to begin generating power in 2010. Ausra has filed its Application for Certification for this plant with the California Energy Commission, which must grant approval before construction begins.

"Solar thermal technology provides our customers with a reliable source of clean renewable energy that is ideally suited to meet peak energy loads," said Fong Wan, vice president of energy procurement, PG&E. "By partnering with Ausra, we are taking another significant step in providing our customers with some of the cleanest energy in the nation."

Ausra projects that the power plant will create over 350 skilled jobs on-site during construction, and an additional 100 permanent jobs in the area. The plant will burn no fuel, use minimal water, and have no air or water emissions. At 177 megawatts of capacity, the project will use only one square mile (640 acres) of land due to the exceptional area efficiency of Ausra's collector technology.

"This 177-megawatt plant is the first manifestation of Ausra and PG&E's shared vision of competitively priced, large-scale solar electric power," said Glen Davis, executive vice president and chief commercial officer of Ausra. "We're excited to be partnering with PG&E to deliver clean power at hours of peak demand."

Ausra's new Compact Linear Fresnel Reflector (CLFR) solar technology utilizes the heat from the sun's rays to create steam. Solar collectors boil water at high temperatures to power steam turbine generators, in much the same way as traditional fossil-fuel power plants, but without use of fuels or emissions.

At the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting in September, PG&E and Ausra announced separate commitments to build and purchase 1,000 MW of solar thermal power over the next five years.

The agreement filed today with the California Public Utilities Commission is the latest example of PG&E's commitment to solar thermal technology. PG&E currently has 553 MW of solar thermal power under contract and is seeking regulatory approval of these purchasing agreements.

PG&E's solar thermal commitments are part of the company's broader renewable energy portfolio. PG&E currently supplies 12 percent of its energy from qualifying renewable sources under California's Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) program. PG&E continues to aggressively add renewable electric power resources to its supply and is on target to exceed 20 percent under contract or delivered by 2010. On average, more than 50 percent of the energy PG&E delivers to its customers comes from generating sources that emit no carbon dioxide, providing among the cleanest energy in the nation.

California's RPS Program requires each utility to increase its procurement of eligible renewable generating resources by one percent of load per year to achieve a 20 percent renewables goal by 2010. The RPS Program was passed by the Legislature and is managed by California's Public Utilities Commission and Energy Commission.

For more information about Pacific Gas and Electric Company, please visit the company's website at www.pge.com. and Ausra Inc., at www.ausra.com

Another California First" "PUC ADOPTS LOW-INCOME SOLAR INCENTIVE PROGRAM"

SAN FRANCISCO, November 16, 2007 - The California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) today adopted an unprecedented $108 million program that delivers incentives to low-income, single-family homeowners under the California Solar Initiative program. The California Solar Initiative Single-Family Low-Income Incentive Program is the first statewide low-income solar program to be implemented at this scale.

The California Solar Initiative's goal is to drive the installation of 3,000 megawatts of high-performing new solar installations in the state over the next 10 years, moving the state toward a cleaner energy future. In adopting the California Solar Initiative, the PUC allocated 10 percent ($216.7 million) of the program's total budget for the installation of solar systems on low-income residences. Today's decision adopts the program that will provide incentives for those installations on single-family, owner-occupied homes. The remaining $108 million is reserved for the low-income program for multi-family residences, which is currently under development.

"California has the second largest solar incentive program in the world. Through the Single-Family Low-Income Incentive Program approved today, our goal is to provide low-income homeowners access to solar photovoltaic systems, to decrease electricity usage and reduce bills without increasing monthly expenses," said PUC President Michael R. Peevey. "By enabling low-income households to purchase photovoltaic systems, this program will help ensure that all Californians have an opportunity to avail themselves of the benefits provided by the clean energy technologies this Commission so ardently supports, including solar."

"As a member of the PUC's Low-Income Oversight Board, I am pleased that we are reaching out to those Californians who are otherwise unable to participate in the state's solar initiative," said Commissioner Dian M. Grueneich. "A key piece of this program is the requirement for applicants to enroll in the PUC's Low-Income Energy Efficiency program and have energy efficiency measures installed prior to receiving the solar incentives."

"This program will make sure that low-income single family owners can help save money and save the earth by becoming their own generators of solar energy," commented Commissioner Rachelle Chong. "I encourage our outreach to low-income families be conducted in non-English languages such as Spanish and Chinese."

"All Californians should have the opportunity to generate clean energy from solar photovoltaics. Not only will this program bring solar to the homes of low-income communities, but it's my hope that it will provide job training and wealth enhancement opportunities for the very same communities," said Commissioner Timothy Alan Simon, who will join with The Willie Brown Jr. Institute on Politics & Public Service to host a symposium in January 2008 on investments and green jobs.

The program will provide incentives that range from $4.75 to $7 per watt, as compared to the general market California Solar Initiative program, which began with subsidies of $2.50 per watt. The incentives will subsidize roughly 50 to 75 percent of the photovoltaic system, and they are expected to be available to approximately 5,000 qualifying homeowners. The Single-Family Low-Income Incentive Program Manager will help incentive recipients find loans and grants to cover the remaining cost of the system. Unlike the general market California Solar Initiative program, the incentives will not decline as the number of megawatts installed grows.

The program will also reach out to California's lowest-income households who cannot afford to take out loans to cover the cost of the system by providing fully-subsidized, 1kW photovoltaic systems for qualifying homeowners with incomes up to 50 percent of the area median income. The program will provide these fully subsidized systems to approximately 1,800 qualifying households.

The California Solar Initiative Single-Family Low-Income Incentive Program will be managed by a single, statewide entity with a history and knowledge of serving low-income communities. The Program Manager will be contracted through the investor-owned utilities, and will be chosen through a competitive Request for Proposal process. An independent program evaluator will provide a comprehensive evaluation of the program's management and execution every two years.

For more information on the PUC, please visit www.cpuc.ca.gov.

Friday, November 16, 2007

Canadian Solar Expands In Eutope

JIANGSU, China, Nov. 16 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Canadian Solar Inc. ("the Company'', or ''CSI'') (Nasdaq: CSIQ) announced that it has signed a new contract with German City Solar Group to deliver 60MW of solar modules for a series of solar power station projects in Spain. Shipment will start immediately. Installations are expected to be completed by the Summer of 2008.

CSI has recently completed the delivery of 11.7 MW solar modules to City Solar for three large-scale solar power projects in Germany. The new 60 MW contract will expand the collaborations between the two companies from Germany to Spain, one of the fastest growing and strategically most important solar markets in the world.

CSI expects to introduce its PC200 new module type with City Solar. This new module product is capable of delivering 200-240W of output per unit and is specially designed to promote the maximum performance of City Solar's state- of-arts solar tracker systems.

Dr. Shawn Qu, CEO of CSI, commented, ''The expansion of our collaboration with City Solar is the latest example of the repeat orders we are winning from key customers in an important market segment. The combination of CSI's high- performance modules in City Solar system designs and project management has quickly gained market recognition for our two companies as one of the top- notch one-stop shopping solutions for high performance solar power plants.''

Mr. Steffen Kammler, CEO of City Solar, AG, commented, ''City Solar is one of the leading solar plant project management companies in Europe. City Solar's vast experience in large-scale solar plant project development, planning, implementation and financing arrangement has brought turn-key solutions to commercial renewable energy investors. We have developed unique solar tracking technologies to maximize solar module performance. We have so far implemented several solar farm projects in Germany using CSI modules and we are much impressed by CSI's superior module quality, after service technical support and its highly efficient and effective management team. We will continue to work closely with Canadian Solar for our future projects.''

gridtech: First Ever Green500 List Released at SC07

It is good to see that even super computers could go green. (These could reach 500KW!).
gridtech: First Ever Green500 List Released at SC07

Thursday, November 15, 2007

POET WIll Power Ethanol Plant Expansion with Alternative Energy Source, Solid Waste Fuel Boiler

More than half of the ethanol plant’s natural gas usage will be replaced by fuel generated from waste
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (November 15, 2007) - An expansion of a POET ethanol plant includes a technology that will allow ethanol production to double without increasing fossil fuel usage. POET Biorefining - Chancellor, an ethanol production facility near Chancellor, S.D., is undergoing an expansion that will increase production capacity from 50 to 100 million gallons per year. The expansion includes construction of a solid waste fuel boiler, an alternative energy source that will generate enough steam to produce more than half of the expanded plant’s power needs. Mueller Pallets of Sioux Falls, S.D. will supply woodchip fuel for the boiler.

"The solid waste fuel boiler will allow us to double our production capacity without increasing our natural gas usage," said Rick Serie, General Manager of POET Biorefining - Chancellor. "We’ll be reducing our operating costs by using a green fuel source to produce a domestic, green transportation fuel for America."

Waste wood from pallets, construction sites and area landfills will be the primary fuel source for the solid waste fuel boiler. POET Biorefining - Chancellor has contracted with Mueller Pallets of Sioux Falls to provide 150-350 tons of wood per day. The company, long a recycler of used transport pallets, has increased operations to accommodate POET’s woodchip needs. Not only has Mueller begun acquiring and grinding waste wood from area landfills, but the company is also reaching out to tree services companies, contractors and other private sources to acquire and re-cycle waste wood at no charge to the providers.

"It’s a win-win situation. By recycling instead of disposing of waste wood, companies, cities and towns in the region will together save hundreds of thousands of dollars in landfill costs yearly," said Margie Mueller, president of Mueller Pallets. "And while saving raw materials from disposal, the fuel product we process will help reduce the need for natural gas."

POET Alternative Energy Engineer Jim Geraets said the solid waste fuel boiler will be outfitted with state-of-the-art pollution control equipment that exceeds state and federal standards and continuously monitored. "Ethanol is one of the best tools we have to fight pollution from vehicles," said Geraets, "and at POET we’re always looking for ways that we can make the ethanol production process even more environmentally-friendly."

POET Biorefining - Chancellor started operations in March, 2003. Last year, the facility produced 51 million gallons of ethanol and 160,000 tons of Dakota Gold Enhanced Distillers Nutrition products. The facility is in the midst of an expansion that will increase the production capacity to 100 mgpy. Construction on the expansion is expected to be completed in Q1 2008 and the solid waste fuel boiler is expected to be complete in Q3 2008. The construction will necessitate the hiring of approximately 20 additional employees for the facility, which is already the largest employer in the town.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Santa Cruz City School System Awards 950 kW Solar Project to UPC Solar

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--UPC Solar, a leading solar power development company, today announced an agreement to build solar crystalline PV systems for seven Santa Cruz City Schools totaling 950 kW of installed capacity. Won in a competitive bidding situation, UPC Solar was awarded seven of the 9 schools on which Santa Cruz City Schools will have solar power systems built.

The project will be designed, installed, owned and operated by UPC Solar under a long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with the Santa Cruz City Schools District. The systems will provide 90% of each school’s total annual electricity requirements and 100% of the most expensive “peak demand” requirements. Importantly, the projects will avoid annual greenhouse gas (CO2) emissions by 1,774,008 pounds, Nitrogen Oxides (NO_x) emissions by 613 pounds and Sulfur Dioxide (SO₂) emissions by 91 pounds.

“This agreement represents an important contribution to the environment as well as an important cost savings to the school system,” noted Richard C. Moss, Assistant Superintendent, Business Services Santa Cruz City Schools. “The Santa Cruz City School system is also providing an important leadership message regarding the environment to the students, parents, school staff and the local community. We’re excited to have the Santa Cruz City School system as one of our long-term green energy customers,” said Morten Sissener, President and CEO, UPC Solar.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Telephony Companies Go Green

GUILDFORD, UK - Extreme Networks® and Avaya today announced that its combined Go Green IP telephony solution is set to reduce UK businesses carbon footprint through dramatically reducing electricity usage of its phones, with energy savings between 50 and 75 percent compared to the current solution.

In addition, for the second year, Extreme Networks scooped the Technology Partner award at Avaya’s yearly EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) BusinessPartner Conference recently held in Paris. The company was recognised with this award for its advanced data equipment and business performance throughout 2007.

The new Go Green solution--built around Extreme Networks’ ExtremeXOS™ Universal Port Automation technology and Avaya’s Power over Ethernet (PoE) efficient Gigabit Ethernet Deskphones-- powers down phones when not in use, offering the potential for significant cost and environmental savings.

“With companies rightly looking to reduce their carbon footprint, solutions such as Go Green from Extreme Networks and Avaya are highly relevant and sought after,” explains Extreme Networks Regional Director, UK and Ireland, Paul Phillips. “Through the automated power down of a block of IP phones in areas of the building not regularly used at night or weekends, companies can save money and do their bit for the environment in one go.”

The Go Green solution is easy to manage and provides the speeds required by today’s bandwidth intensive users. Once the edge policies have been created and the power saving criteria chosen, the ExtremeXOS™ Universal Port Automation powers off the IP handsets outside of these time boundaries, resulting in power savings on both the switch ports and the phones themselves.

For a typical company with 200 non-essential phones that are powered down outside of normal office hours by the Go Green solution between 17:00 each evening and restarting at 09:00 each working morning, there can be a 75 percent reduction in costs associated with running network connected IP phones.

Industry leaders in network infrastructure and intelligent communications respectively, the Extreme Networks and Avaya alliance was formed in 2003 to offer secure and best-of-breed, converged network solutions for enterprises to optimise voice, data and video applications on an easily managed robust infrastructure. The relationship consists of providing jointly developed product and technology solutions as well as Avaya single point of accountability for complete end-to-end networks.

Extreme Networks products offer secure, highly available connectivity for voice, video and data. Its high performance fast Ethernet Summit® series switches used as the backbone to the Go Green solution are based on its revolutionary ExtremeXOS, a highly resilient, modular operating system that can provide high performance, manageability and operational efficiency at an affordable price.

Avaya provides the industry’s broadest selection of IP Deskphones that support a range of functionality and price point requirements, ensuring they meet a variety of user profiles. Avaya’s Gig Ethernet models are already the most power efficient on the market, requiring an estimated half the wattage of comparable competing models. Through implementing the Go Green solution, companies can save even more energy, reducing their electricity bills and carbon footprint at the same time.

“Avaya’s Deskphones provide one of the ultimate voice communications experiences available today and Extreme Networks one of the most intelligent core-class operating systems,” adds Nick Roullier, Country Manager, Avaya, UK “By working together with Extreme we have developed the Engaged Network, an integral part of Avaya’s Intelligent Communications offering that can become an integral part of UK Business’ green initiatives, encouraging responsible use of resources while delivering real energy cost savings.”

Avaya Web site: http://www.avaya.co.uk

Exterme Networks:http://www.extremenetworks.com

San Francisco Bay in Peril, when are we going to be ready for oil spills?

All of you know that there was a big oil spill in the bay. A cargo ship Costco Busan, touched a bay bridge column. The impact did not damage the bridge, but it opened a 90-foot gash in the hull of the ship and ruptured its fuel tank, dumping 58,000 gallons into the bay, fouling miles of coastline and killing dozens of shorebirds.
A lot of people are cleaning it up, shore line and the sea birds. This has interrupted many a life 's needs around the bay. Politicians came, Cost guard was already there! Our own good people in San Francisco and surrounding cities, like fire fighters were not able to help because of bureaucracy. There were volunteers that have help rebelliously because of the same bureaucracy.
One way or the other, this is incompetency in our way of handling a small incident like this. Why can't we handle this type of spills better. Can't we surround the spill with tubes that usually used in spills. I think this is something that we really need to improve on. Emergencies like this should be handled in a better manner.
I am very saddened and I have not even really read about the Prussian spill yet!

Monday, November 12, 2007

Alternative Energy Blowing Towards Wind?

According to Wall Street Journal, more and more investors are snapping up wind energy properties, in USA and the investors are also coming from Europe. For instance In October, Germany's E.On AG announced the acquisition of $1.4 billion of North American wind assets from Airtricity, an Ireland-based wind-farm operator.
Southern California Edison made three recent demand-response deals, with Comverge, EnerNOC Inc. of Boston and privately owned Energy Curtailment Specialists Inc. of Buffalo, N.Y. EnerNOC's deal to manage approximately 160 megawatts of capacity for SoCal Edison was its largest to date, valued at $50 million to $75 million. Comverge and Energy Curtailment each struck deals to manage 50 megawatts of SoCal Edison's power.
But Solar power also getting more attention in cases. Ausra Inc., of Palo Alto, Calif., plans to build at least 1,000 megawatts of solar thermal power plants at a cost of roughly $3 billion, says David Mills, the company's chairman and chief scientific officer. Ausra is benefiting from ambitious solar-thermal investment plans on the part of electric power provider FPL Group Inc., which said recently it plans to invest $2.4 billion over several years in solar-thermal and renewable energy projects.
The WSJ Article; Power Plays

Solar Energy On the Rising Edge

Sun Rises on Solar Energy
According to Credit Suisse, The heat is on solar energy these days as concern about global warming and rising oil prices prompts more countries to launch programs to promote solar power. In doing so, they are helping this relatively young industry to boost innovation and achieve growth rates of which other sectors can only dream.
Although it is estimated that enough solar energy reaches the surface of the earth in less than two hours, to satisfy the entire energy needs of the world’s population for a full year. But so far we have only managed to use about 0.1% of that energy by converting through solar cells. Therefore The potential for generation of energy, growing business enveloping the phenomenon is vast. Taking in the adoption by major political powers to be energy independent.

The US is also getting serious about the sun. At the state level, California leads the pack, having just made 3 billion US dollars available to support solar installations.

The most progressive nation in Asia is South Korea, which promotes the construction of solar energy plants with low-interest loans and guarantees a payment of 0.58 euros per kWh for 15 years.

Meanwhile in Japan, which currently accounts for 17 percent of solar energy installations worldwide, solar power hardly attracts further subsidies. Against a backdrop of generally high electricity prices, however, demand remains steady, especially as solar plants can be integrated cost-effectively into new-build homes.

Also the new direction of technology and research aids us in reaching our goals according to Credit Suisse article published today. The Nobel Prize-winning invention of conductive polymers paved the way for organic solar cells that can be produced from cheap, flexible plastic and wound around structures or even painted on. Their low resistance to ultraviolet (UV) light and rel-atively low efficiency have so far proved to be drawbacks, although US scientists recently achieved an efficiency of 5.2 percent. What’s more, in the future ultra-thin nanotechnology based structures from new types of materials should make it possible to produce windows which can generate electricity.
Artificial photosynthesis is another exciting development. Here, light is used first to ionize organic molecules before the electrical charge that this generates is passed to a cathode or anode.

Friday, November 09, 2007

Clean Energy Stocks Rallying all around.

More than 100 companies attended the Pacific Growth Equities clean-technology conference in San Francisco on Wednesday and Thursday, catering to an eager audience of fund managers, venture capitalists, private-equity firms and even large industrial players searching for ways to broaden their businesses. First Solar rallied more than 30% on better than expected earnings and the rest followed perhaps feeling the heat from rising oil prices.
Here is a Video From the conference, courtesy of Market Watch!

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

Berkeley Approves Solar Power Financing Program, First in the Nation

The Berkeley, California, city council Tuesday night approved a new green initiative, a solar power loan program that would be the first of its kind in the nation. The initiative will pay for the installation of solar panels and solar hot water systems for any homeowner or commercial building owner. The owners of the home or the Business building will retain ownership of the solar systems, by paying back the cost over 20 years through an assessment on their annual property tax bill.
Mayor Bates explained the value of the move; "A lot of people say, 'I�d love to go solar but I�m not planning to be here the rest of my life,' When they sell, they get the benefit. The new owner will take over the obligation. So, it�s a big giant win-win."
Please don't run to the city office planing to get a loan and have that Solar Power or Solar Hot water system On you roof or your yard yet. City will spend the next 6 to 8 months working out financial, legal and tax details and should have a proposal for final approval of the council by next summer. Cisco DeVries, Bates’ chief of staff who devised the municipal solar financing proposal, said the city hopes to start signing up homeowners by June 2008. The city will likely float a bond to obtain millions in bank financing to pay for the initiative.

Not only home and commercial building owners in Berkeley stand to win, there are others that supports Berkeley's Solar Power Initiative. Bates mentioned that other cities have approached him about replicating the initiative. The city also has the backing of utility PG&E, which itself if promoting green energy. The others, the solar industry has, not surprisingly, been enthusiastic about the program that promises to expand the market for solar panels and Solar Water heaters. Manufacturers, dealers and installers stand to gain.

Way to go Berkeley! and You can go here to learn more;
www.cityofberkeley.info/sustainable

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

EPA opens public comment period for Big West of California refinery project

U.S. EPA opens public comment period for Big West of California refinery project

Release date: 11/05/2007

Contact Information: Marc Mowrey, (415) 972-3324

SAN FRANCISCO - Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency opened the public comment period on a proposed air permit for the construction of a Clean Fuels Project at the Big West of California, Bakersfield refinery.

Air emissions from the proposed project are subject to federal air pollution permitting laws for new emission sources under the Prevention of Significant Deterioration regulations of the Clean Air Act.

The proposed project would consist of new process units and supporting equipment at the existing Bakersfield refinery for the conversion of intermediate products into gasoline and diesel fuel that meets California Air Resources Board gasoline and diesel fuel specifications.

The public comment period for the proposed air permit opens today. Interested parties may submit comments on the permit now through December 12. An open house and public hearing have been scheduled as follows:

Date: December 5

Time: Open House: 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Public Hearing: 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.

Location: Discovery Elementary School, Multipurpose Room
9500 Vaquero Ave., Bakersfield, CA 93308
For more information about the project and proposed permit, visit:
http://www.epa.gov/region09/air/permit/r9-permits-issued.html

Thursday, November 01, 2007

Save Energy and the Earth with gPC, a low poer Low Cost PC

Google and Everex together with Open Source Community has a Low Power, Low Cost, complete PC, gPC loaded with gOS and OpensOffice and other software to be marketed by WallMart, For <$200. Geemodo: Under all the noise, gPC Arrives in Wallmart from Google and Everex.

DOE Looking for 2008 Solar America Cities

10/29/2007 – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced the release of a funding opportunity that will create partnerships between DOE and a new round of Solar America Cities. The 2008 Solar America Cities program will fund up to twelve cities that demonstrate their commitment to building a sustainable solar infrastructure.

Subject to negotiation of final terms, DOE will provide up to $2.4 million in financial assistance to the competitively selected, cost-shared, two-year projects. Additionally, DOE will provide up to $3.0 million over two years in hands-on technical assistance from technical and policy experts to help cities integrate solar technologies into city energy planning, zoning, and facilities; to streamline city-level regulations and practices that affect solar adoption by residents and local businesses; and to promote solar technology through outreach, curriculum development, and incentive programs. Including cost share, the value of the awards is expected to be up top $7.8 million.

Solar America Cities have been identified as large cities with high electricity demand, and represent a diverse geography, population, and maturity of solar infrastructure. To be eligible for a Solar America Cities award, cities must have a population of 100,000 or more, as the DOE attempts to promote solar in America’s electricity load centers. The efforts of the Solar America Cities will improve the ability of citizens and businesses to adopt solar technology locally and provide a model that other cities across the country can follow.

Awards will be made competitively and are subject to both evaluations by DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, as well as to congressional appropriations.

DOE is also announcing the selection of two Solar America Showcases. Solar America Showcases are large-scale, replicable installations of solar technology that DOE will support with technical assistance. DOE will assist the Northeast Denver Housing Center in overcoming barriers to the installation of solar photovoltaics on 80 permanently affordable housing units. Additionally, Montclair State University will receive technical assistance in support of the 280 kW “solar farm” at its New Jersey School of Conservation.

For additional information on applying to become a 2008 Solar America City or a Solar America Showcase visit: http://www.eere.energy.gov/solar/solar_america/index.html.

The 2007 Solar America Cities are: Ann Arbor, MI; Austin, TX; Berkeley, CA; Boston, MA; Madison, WI; New Orleans, LA; New York, NY; Pittsburgh, PA; Portland, OR; Salt Lake City, UT; San Diego, CA; San Francisco, CA; and Tucson, AZ.

Duke Energy in Search Of Solar Deverloper

NEW YORK -(Dow Jones)- Looking to develop its renewable energy portfolio, Duke Energy Corp. (DUK) is seeking to acquire a solar project development company, Clean Technology Investor has learned.

In May, the Charlotte, N.C.-based power company bought Austin, Texas-based wind-power development business Tierra Energy LLC from Energy Investors Funds for an undisclosed sum. That acquisition included more than 1,000 megawatts of wind assets under development in the Western and Southwestern U.S.

(This story also appeared in Clean Technology Investor, a newsletter and information service published by Dow Jones & Co.)

Now the company is looking to broaden its renewable power project development expertise by adding a solar developer to the mix. The company is "actively pursuing some joint ventures and potential acquisitions of solar developers," said David Mohler, Duke Energy's chief technology officer, in an interview. " That's a model that's very interesting."

Mohler wouldn't disclose the names of any potential targets, nor did he set a time frame for when a transaction might be completed.

Complete article at CNN

IKea will recycle your CFL Bulbs with "Free Take Back" Program

The first place I bought my first pack of CFL bulbs (Compact Florescent Light Bulbs) is also now recycling those bulbs. CFLs have Mercury in them and need to be disposed in special manner by professionals.
So Collect your CFLs once they reach their end of life (Mind you they last for a very long time.) bring your used mercury containing lightbulbs to the IKEA store for free disposal. IKEA's offer a ‘Free Take Back’ program offering recycle bins in all IKEA stores is a very responsible task by IKEA. If you are far away from IKEA or want to find out how to accomplish this in other manner, lamp disposal information for your state is available at www.lamprecycle.org .
In addition to CFL bulbs, IKEA is being environmentally responsible than many others. To learn about their afforts, please follow this link.