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.

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Proposition 7 - California - November 4, 2008

While I am still convinced that no on prop 7 is the right way, I am still looking for why I should say no!

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Project 10, From Google! Be Good To Ourselves

Happy Birthday Google!
Got an idea how to help another? Please visit Google's Project 10 tell what your idea is!

Friday, September 26, 2008

Google Earth Team Will Train Pioneers At Bioneers Conference.

Bioneers Conference that is slated to be held in San Rafael, CA from Oct 16 to 20th, was a place I am planing to be. It focuses on Social and scientific innovations that naturally come to us as human beings. These people, these visionaries are already have been working on working our world better place.
I think it is a good place of knowledge for all of us. But I was elated today to find out at the Google Lat Long blog that the Google Earth Outreach team will be providing a whole day of hands on training Google Earth and Google Maps. Most of these non profit already integrating maps into the strategies, as most project span the whole world and the this knowledge will provide greatly necessary source of support.
Google Earth Day 08 is one of the good examples of Google's interest in such endevours.
As with everything there are limitations, Space is limited so REGISTER NOW! For more information and registering click here.
Google LatLong: Google Earth Team trains 'non-profiteers' at Bioneers

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Google Takes Frog Out Of The Pot With Clean Energy.

If you ever hear the phrase ""A frog in water doesn't feel it boil in time. Dude, we are that frog."" regarding climate change, good you are on our side. Otherwise you can visit grist.org and educate yourself a little more.
But Google and its green initiative has taken another step to take us, frogs out of the pot that might boil in time. Google has already done some work regarding going green and staying green.
But the new initiative is to generate one Gigawatt of electricity, renewable energy, cheaper than burning coal. The project is known as RE>C.
Even though engineers are the core of this research an development, Google also sees the need to promote the technology through government initiatives and by advancing a policy agenda to stimulate clean energy projects.
Google is also putting money where the mouth is and have already spent closer to $45 Million towards solar thermal, advanced wind, and enhanced geothermal technologies through google.org.
So even if Google does not pull us all out of the pot, it might teach us how to jump out it.
You will find more information at;
Official Google Blog: Building a future that's clean and green

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Berkeley FIRST (Financing Initiative for Renewable and Solar Technology) Approved.

The City Of Berkeley yesterday voted yes to a program providing financing to retrofit Berkeley homes with Solar Power. The program is designed to reimburse property owners for the costs of putting in solar power systems. In turn the property owners would pay the city back over 20 years, including interest, in a form of property tax. Only property owners taking advantage of the program would see the extra charges on their tax bills.

According to New York Times, The city’s mayor, Tom Bates, said in an interview shortly before the vote, “I think this is probably the most important contribution Berkeley can make toward taking on global warming,” and reducing greenhouse gases.
He added, “I think the idea is going to go like wildfire” through other city governments. Already, he said, nearly two dozen cities, from San Francisco to Annapolis and Seattle to Cambridge, Mass., have called indicating they want to follow suit.

Special tax districts to fund public projects is not new and has been used to finance many projects all over the country. But it is the first time this technique has been use to finance solar powering private properties. The city in November claimed to be the first to approve the creation of a Solar Power Financing program using property taxes to front the costs of residential and commercial solar projects.
Also the city waive the building permit fees for solar installation on single homes. I for one hail Berkeley's initiative and cities like Santa Cruz County in California and the city of Boulder in Colorado are on their way to make their own programs based on Berkeley's initiative.

City will need to finance the initial pilot project of about 50 homes that is estimated to cost about $1.5 million. According to city, about 100 people have shown interest. According to San Francisco Chronicle, for a typical solar energy system costing about $22,000, residents would pay about $180 a month, based on a 6.75 interest rate, after state and federal rebates are issued.

This might lead to electricity bill surpassing the solar tax, as energy costs continue to climb. Once the initial wave is completed, there might be other entities stepping into the slate. Already companies such as SunRun, pay for the costs of installing and operating solar power systems in exchange for a one-time payment to defray the initial cost and a long-term electricity contract with each residential customer, who doesn't own the system. I think and hope the Berkeley FIRST will be successful.

Way to Go Berkeley, F.I.R.S.T!

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

YES - NO Prop 7

YES - NO Prop 7. My post about Prop Seven brought a few commenters whom I noticed today. It seems that they are all Yes on Prop 7 people. First of all thank you for reading the badly written article. I know I can't write for toffees but that will not stop me from writing!
I am still on "NO on 7" side unless some one comes forth and convince me of otherwise.
First of all I learned that California Law requires to attach the original law in an amendment through the comments. One learns everyday. There were four comments and four people. I will introduce them below!;

Mary
Pointed out (nicely) where I may have erred and yes I did have a question about PG&E and Edison being there. Trust me I am not a fan of PG&E nor Edison. But still they are Californian companies. But I did read a bunch regarding their association and some questions got cleared. I also read a buch of yes on 7 sites but none told me what the interest of billionaires from out of state got to do with California Energy. So I am following my mothers advise, when in doubt say NO! Anyway I will look further but you did not help me to change my mind. But I thank you.

Red E Fine (re.de.fine),
Actually you gave me a bunch of really good information. I visited them all and will read more after I finish this. I am very happy that people like Red are there to oppose nicely. Who knows if the facts are right. Thank you so much for the visit and your effort.
He/She gave me some information that I should share;
1) Alternative media article to the SF chronicle:

2)NRDC representative blog post AND factual point by point response:

3) www.yeson7.net

4) non biased and non partisan informational website for ballot initiatives and the likes: http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/California_Proposition_7_%282008%29
Thanks Re.de.fine. (links will be clickable once I am convinced! )

Alec,
Thanks Alec you too were a very nice and as I said I did not know about the law requiring Original Law text needing to be there with ammendments! Thank you for visiting.

Fswxscream even asked me not to give up my day job thinking I not smart :`( . But smarts are not on your side buddy. (It is cheaper to register domains here in USA, than Germany, I usually pay less than half of what you or your associates paid to register solarandcleanenergy.org (which gets forwarded to yeson7.net which is actually registered at Godaddy from Arizona, whom I also use for domain needs.). So a side that pays Minimum of $13.50(with maximum discounts) for a domain that could be had for $1.99 in 2007 October tells me I am not smart! Go figure!! Other than that you did not tell much about the cause. I have been to yeson7.net before. Thanks you for making me smile!

Tags: Prop 7, Energy Politics, environmental politics, Enron, Republicans, Democrats, energy companies, environmentalists, renewable energy associations, Scientists

Monday, September 15, 2008

Dream Car 123, It Is Not A Dream.

When ancient Egyptians built pyramids, I doubt that they thought that the design will give way to an energy efficient transport medium in the future. But that is exactly what Sugar Cove, Illinois inventor Greg Zanis did.
Here are the specifications from the web site;

Specifications:

Curb Weight - 8,000 pounds

Speed - up to 200 mph

Miles per charge - 300 and up

Passenger - one or two depending upon size of occupants

City Car Model - $21,000 After rebates the cost is $14,000*

Standard Model - $24,000 After rebates the cost is $16,000*

* Cost does not include delivery or taxes

So if you are looking to travel like an Egyptian, here is the link to find more information.

Monday, September 08, 2008

Prop 7!, The Solar and Clean Energy Act of 2008,

I am Voting No!
You may have seen TV ads in opposition and support of Prop 7, Solar and Clean Energy Act of 2008, But I went of my own fact finding trip and came back with the decision that I would vote NO. Why, very simple, because it is unclear what they wanted to and intend to do with prop 7. One thing is it is too big and after spending enough time at voter guide at California General Election site. You don't need huge 70 page proposition making it too and harder to understand. Unless that was what proponents intended.
The pro Prop 7 did not convince me.
One of the best description I read on the Preop 7 at San Francisco Chronicle, the article has a lot to say but one paragraph rang a bell for me;

"If you're going to legislate at the ballot box, keep it simple, don't write 70 pages," he added. "Our objection isn't to their good intentions, but to their bad initiative." said Ralph Cavanaugh of the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Biggest question is what has an out of state billionaire got to do with California's energy. First thing jumped to my mind was Enron! These energy marketeers make messes out of simple things. The other thing is the opposition. How often do you see Republicans, Democrats, energy companies, environmentalists, renewable energy associations, Scientists and simple folks like me on one side.
So I will direct you to the sites that helped me to decide.

California Voter Guide.
San Francisco Chronicle article.
Renewable Energy world, opinion (PDF)
Should two Arizona billionaires tell California, arguably the nation’s greenest state, how to run its electricity business? Los Angeles Times Article.
Why you should vote no on Prop 7
The California Voter guide has a link for Pro Prop 7 site.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Hydrogen Extraction From Unrefined Crude Oil Is Near To Reality.

ARGONNE, Ill. (Aug. 22, 2008), A commercial-scale process to extract and reuse pure hydrogen from the hydrogen sulfide that naturally contaminates unrefined oil, including oil sands, is one step closer to reality thanks to a collaboration between the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory and Kingston Process Metallurgy Inc. (KPM) of Kingston, Ontario.

Argonne and KPM researchers have invented a molten copper reactor, an innovative process technology that is more energy-efficient than existing methods, according to Gregory Krumdick, an engineer in Argonne's Energy Systems Division. Moreover, the pure hydrogen gas stream that it extracts can be used to upgrade and clean crude oil and petroleum products and aid in a number of refining processes, KPM President Boyd Davis said. Krumdick, Davis, Alain Roy, KPM's vice president of operations, and former Argonne researcher John Hryn invented the technology.

In the reactor, hydrogen sulfide gas is first separated from the crude oil stock, using technology already in place. This gas is then bubbled though molten copper, which releases pure hydrogen. The hydrogen is then captured for use as a valued product. As the sulfur reacts with the copper, the copper is gradually turned into copper sulfide.

Argonne is collaborating with KPM, a bench-scale process development firm, under a work-for-others agreement. KPM is supported in part by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), which has provided $600,000 (Canadian) for the research over the last three years.

In addition to generating pure hydrogen, the process creates another valuable product, concentrated sulfuric acid, which is used widely in the chemical industry and which has become a valued agricultural commodity. The concentrated sulfuric acid is created when copper sulfide is reacted with air to recover the pure copper, releasing a concentrated stream of sulfur dioxide which is then reacted with water. The copper is then reused in the process with negligible losses, Krumdick said.

The reactions between the hydrogen sulfide and copper and the copper sulfide and air release energy that helps to heat the system, enabling the researchers to harvest the products efficiently, Krumdick said. The system operates at a temperature of about 1,200 degrees Celsius.

"Technologies that are in use today, including the widely used Claus process, are more energy- and capital-intensive," Krumdick said. "In addition, they also lose the hydrogen in the process. Instead of capturing the hydrogen from the hydrogen sulfide, the Claus process ends up converting it into water."

The multi-step Claus process was invented more than 100 years ago and is the most widely used method for removing the hydrogen sulfide that is present in crude oil and raw natural gas. The Claus process is also believed to be more limited than the Argonne-KPM process in terms of the other types of impurities it can handle. Costly energy-intensive modules that scrub other contaminants, such as ammonia, methane and carbon dioxide from raw oil and natural gas must be separately attached to Claus processing facilities.

Argonne computer modeling strongly indicated that the Argonne-KPM process would deal with those other impurities, a conclusion that was later experimentally proven. Contaminants such as ammonia and various hydrocarbons are reformed to their elemental constituents, providing an added benefit to the process, Krumdick said.

Argonne and KPM continue to scale up their experimental work to further test the process. "Our goal is to develop a pilot scale reactor," Krumdick said. "If a pilot plant demonstrates that the process is a major improvement over existing technology and we believe it is it will spur the interest of industries that use a process to separate hydrogen sulfide," Davis added.

"Companies will be able to retrofit their facilities with the process technology or construct new plants that incorporate it," Davis added. "In the meantime, we are working with Argonne to use the technology for other energy applications, such as gas cleanup for Integrated Gassification Combined Cycle plants."

Argonne and KPM began working on the technology in 2003 as a laboratory-directed research and development proof-of-concept project.

Kingston Process Metallurgy is an industrial process research and development company. It focuses on providing quantitative data to support the development of novel processes and explores business opportunities in collaboration with customers and partners. It has clients from around the world who use KPM's expertise in process development and laboratory experimentation.

Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) works to ensure the responsible development of Canada's natural resources, including energy, forests, minerals and metals. It has expertise in earth sciences that it uses to build and maintain an up-to-date knowledge base of Canada's landmass and resources. NRCan develops policies and programs that enhance the contribution of the natural resources sector to the economy and improve the quality of life of residents, and represents Canada at the international level to meet the country's global commitments related to natural resources.

Argonne National Laboratory brings the world's brightest scientists and engineers together to find exciting and creative new solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology. The nation's first national laboratory, Argonne conducts leading-edge basic and applied scientific research in virtually every scientific discipline. Argonne researchers work closely with researchers from hundreds of companies, universities, and federal, state and municipal agencies to help them solve their specific problems, advance America 's scientific leadership and prepare the nation for a better future. With employees from more than 60 nations, Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science.

For more information, please contact Angela Hardin (630/252-5501 or ahardin@anl.gov) at Argonne.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Solar Powered Communications With Ericsson

August 21, 2008, 14:29 (CET) For the first time, Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) has combined a GSM base station and satellite transmission in a solar-powered site, enabling Cambodian mobile operator Star-Cell to expand its network coverage in remote areas. The solution offers affordable communications for all and is based on Ericsson's energy-optimized main-remote base-station.

The satellite transmission feature provides affordable mobile-network coverage in remote areas where other transmission solutions are unavailable. This is vital for bridging the digital divide, as about 80 percent of the Cambodian population lives outside the main urban centers. The GSM main-remote solution has a lower environmental impact than standard base stations, consuming up to 50 percent less energy, and helps lower total cost of ownership by reducing operating costs. Star-Cell has selected Ericsson's solution to expand network coverage and introduce EDGE-based applications to enable mobile health and educational services for rural communities. Denis Ryabtsev, Chief Marketing Officer at Star-Cell, says: "Ericsson's solar-powered site with satellite transmission will make a significant difference. It enables us to expand cost-effectively into rural areas, connect people for the first time, and offer affordable services that improve quality of life." Hans Karlsson, President of Ericsson Thailand and Indochina, says: "This marks an important milestone and we are proud to implement the first solar-powered solution in Cambodia. This move highlights our technical leadership, our commitment to sustainable development, and our vision of providing communication for all." This deployment follows a series of initiatives from Ericsson to optimize the energy efficiency of mobile networks by creating solutions that reduce environmental impacts and lower operator costs. These initiatives include: BTS Power Savings features that put a network in stand-by mode during off-peak hours and saves up to 15 percent of the network access energy consumption; the innovative site concept Ericsson Tower Tube; biofuel-powered telecom sites; a hybrid solution using diesel and batteries that cuts network operating costs by up to 50 percent; and the Solar Village Charger, co-developed with Sony Ericsson. Ericsson delivered its first solar-powered sites in 2000 to Maroc Telecom in Morocco, and has so far provided more than 200 sites in Africa, Southeast Asia and the Americas.

Monday, August 25, 2008

WINDPOWER 2009 Conference & Exhibition Is Coming To Windy City Chicago!

The Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (MPEA) and the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau (CCTB) are pleased to join the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) in announcing today that the WINDPOWER 2009 Conference & Exhibition, the world’s largest annual wind energy event, will be held in Chicago next year, at the McCormick Place Convention Center from May 4 – 7, 2009.

The WINDPOWER Conference & Exhibition has become one of the most successful and fastest-growing industry shows in the United States. Sold exhibition space for WINDPOWER 2009 already exceeds that of WINDPOWER 2008, which was 85% larger than the previous year. WINDPOWER was recently listed in Tradeshow Week magazine’s latest installment of its prestigious 50 Fastest-Growing Shows in North America.

“We are excited to be coming back to Chicago,” said AWEA Executive Director Randall Swisher. (AWEA held WINDPOWER 2004 in Chicago.) “The ‘windy city’ offers an ideal mix of hospitality and exhibition facilities in a vibrant downtown setting. We’re excited to hold this event in a state that ranked in the top 5 for new wind project construction in 2007, and where new manufacturing jobs are being created thanks to this technology’s rapid expansion.”

WINDPOWER continues to grow at a fast pace as wind energy becomes a more important part of America’s energy picture. “Following WINDPOWER 2007 and WINDPOWER 2008, we experienced an unprecedented explosion in demand for exhibition space and hotel rooms,” Swisher said. “We are grateful to officials in Chicago’s hospitality sector, as well as the office of Mayor Richard M. Daley and Governor Rod R. Blagojevich, for their efforts to accommodate the show.”

"Illinois is firmly on the path to a sustainable energy future and is proud to host the world's largest annual wind energy event next year," said Governor Rod R. Blagojevich. "By relying more on renewable energy sources like wind, we can generate the electricity we need without polluting our air or contributing to global warming, while at the same time protecting public health, saving energy and reducing our energy costs."

“The MPEA is grateful to the Governor’s Office for its assistance in bringing WINDPOWER 2009 to McCormick Place,” said Juan A. Ochoa, Chief Executive Officer of the MPEA, owner and operator of McCormick Place. “We will work to help WINDPOWER continue to grow their exhibits and attendance.”

"Thanks to Mayor Daley's vision and leadership, Chicago is a catalyst for the green meetings industry," said Tim Roby, CCTB President and CEO. "The CCTB looks forward to working with AWEA to ensure a successful conference while in Chicago."

By 2025, Illinois is expected to see $8 billion in investment in new wind projects that will generate 4,000 megawatts (MW) of power to meet the state’s growing electricity demand and its renewable electricity standard. (The state has enacted a renewable electricity standard requiring that 25% of all power for residential and small commercial customers be provided from renewable energy resources.)

Pending legislation in Illinois would extend the renewable electricity standard to larger customers, a step that would require a doubling of that investment and power generated. In addition to environmental benefits statewide, this investment would bring significant economic benefits to manufacturing towns, windy rural communities, and Chicago financial community.

New wind projects added in 2007 account for about 35% of the entire new power-producing capacity added for the year. Similar growth is taking place this year, making the U.S. the world’s largest wind power market in terms of new installations and wind energy production.

AWEA is the national trade association of America’s wind industry, with a membership that includes global leaders in wind power development, wind turbine manufacturing, and energy, as well as a broad range of component and service suppliers. More information on wind energy is available at the
AWEA Web site: www.awea.org.

General Motors To Install Largest Rooftop Solar Power Plant in Eastern USA.

General Motors to Add 1.2 Megawatt Rooftop Solar Installation at Baltimore Powertrain Plant

Installation will be one of the largest on the East Coast
First GM global manufacturing plant to be landfill-free and have solar installation

Baltimore, Maryland – General Motors announced today it will add a 1.2 megawatt solar power installation to the roof of its transmission assembly plant in White Marsh, Maryland.

The system will be deployed under an agreement with SunEdison, North America’s largest solar energy services provider. Under the agreement, SunEdison will finance, install, operate and maintain the system.

When fully operational in the third quarter of 2009, the system will be one of the largest rooftop solar installations on the East Coast. The system will consist of more than 8,700 solar panels and will sit on approximately 300,000 square feet of roof space.

The installation will generate about 1.4 million kWh of clean renewable solar energy, which is equivalent to the demand of about 140-150 U.S. households with an average annual consumption of 10,000 kWh. Additionally, the installation will enable GM to displace about 20 percent of the plant’s current power purchased from the local utility with a renewable energy resource, while reducing the plant’s utility bill.

“This project will help GM reduce costs while serving as a clean, renewable energy source,” said John R. Buttermore, GM Powertrain Vice President of Global Manufacturing. “Through innovation and commitment, GM is making a significant, positive impact on the environmental issues facing our world.”

The White Marsh plant reached landfill-free status in 2007, because it no longer sends any production waste to local landfills. All the waste generated at the facility is entirely recycled or reused. The Baltimore plant is GM’s first global manufacturing facility to operate landfill-free and have a solar power installation.

The State of Maryland has made an aggressive commitment to developing and promoting renewable energy sources and the GM project has support from the highest levels of the state government.

“Maryland is quickly becoming a national leader in sustainable energy alternatives,” said Governor Martin O’Malley. “We’re proud that GM is making this clean energy pledge at their Baltimore County plant, demonstrating their commitment as responsible corporate citizens to the long-term future of the environment we share as Marylanders.”

GM currently has two of the largest solar power installations in the United States on the roofs of its Rancho Cucamonga and Fontana, California parts warehouses. Upon completion later this year, GM also will have the world’s largest rooftop solar power installation at its Zaragoza, Spain car assembly plant.

“GM is making significant progress in reducing the impact our facilities have on the environment,” said Elizabeth A. Lowery, GM vice president, Environment, Energy and Safety Policy. “Our expanding commitment to renewable energy sources, like solar power, is part of our coordinated global effort to reduce energy use, water consumption, waste and CO2 emissions.”

Additionally, GM is one of the largest corporate users of landfill gas in the U.S. Landfill gas is the natural by-product of the decomposition of solid waste in landfills. GM is one of the largest users of renewable energy as well. Last August General Motors received the Corporate Energy Management of the Year Award from the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE). The award recognizes the company’s worldwide leadership in energy efficiency and renewable energy.

The GM Powertrain Baltimore transmission plant builds the Allison A1000 six-speed automatic transmissions which are featured in the award-winning Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra full-size pickups. The plant built 189,000 of Allison A1000 six-speed transmissions in 2007. It also builds the Hybrid 2 mode transmission currently used in the Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid and GMC Yukon Hybrid.

General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world's largest automaker, has been the annual global industry sales leader for 77 years. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 266,000 people around the world. With global headquarters in Detroit, GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 35 countries. In 2007, nearly 9.37 million GM cars and trucks were sold globally under the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, HUMMER, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn, Vauxhall and Wuling. GM's OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services. More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com.

CONTACT(S):
Dan Flores
GM Corporate News Relations
work: 313-665-4629
cell: 313-418-2374
daniel.flores@gm.com

John C. Raut
GM Baltimore Communications
work: 443-425-1531
cell: 443-286-3686
john.raut@gm.com

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Solar powered QinetiQ's Zephyr Flies For 82 hours 37 minutes

Zephyr's reputation as the world's leading solar powered high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) has been reinforced with a world-beating three and a half day flight at the US Army's Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona.

The solar powered plane flew for 82 hours 37 minutes, exceeding the current official world record for unmanned flight which stands at 30 hours 24 minutes set by Global Hawk in 2001 and Zephyr's previous longest flight of 54 hours achieved last year.

The UK Ministry of Defence has funded the development of Zephyr to date and has partnered with the US Department of Defense (DoD) under their Joint Capability Technology Demonstration (JCTD) Programme - which is designed to move urgently needed technologies rapidly into the hands of US forces in the field. The US DoD funded the demonstration flight under the Programme and this was the first time the two governments have participated in a joint demonstration of a HALE UAV.

JCTD projects are specially tailored to meet the needs of US combatant commands. Zephyr is supported by USCENTCOM, the combatant command with responsibility for Iraq and Afghanistan, along with the Office of Secretary of Defense (OSD) for Advanced Systems and Concepts (AS&C) and the US Army Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC).

Launched by hand, Zephyr is an ultra-lightweight carbon-fibre aircraft. By day it flies on solar power generated by amorphous silicon solar arrays no thicker than sheets of paper that cover the aircraft's wings. By night it is powered by rechargeable lithium-sulphur batteries, supplied by SION Power Inc, which are recharged during the day using solar power.

The flight trial at Yuma took place between 28 and 31 July in the harsh conditions of the Sonoran Desert in mid summer with temperatures up to 45°C (113°F). Zephyr was flown on autopilot and via satellite communications to a maximum altitude of more than 60,000ft. The trial included a military utility assessment of a US Government communications payload.

Simon Bennett, Managing Director of QinetiQ's Applied Technologies business said: "The Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona was an appropriate setting for Zephyr's world beating flight as many landmark aviation developments have taken place there in recent years. In addition to setting a new unofficial record, the trial is a step towards the delivery of Zephyr's capability for joint, real-time, battlefield persistent surveillance and communications to forces in the field at the earliest opportunity."

Andrew Baird, Director Defence Technology and Innovation Centre, UK MoD said: "MOD is very pleased with the success of the recent trial which demonstrated the potential capability of the technologies in Zephyr. This success has also reinforced the close working relationship between the UK and US on these key technologies."

Potential applications for Zephyr include earth observation and communications relay in support of a range of defence, security and civil requirements.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Google.org Invests 10.25 Million On Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS).

Google continues to invest in renewable energy both in the corporate Google and through google.org. Google already has Solar power at its Mountain View headquarters. The latest act by Google to invest in EGS or Enhanced Geothermal Systems which expands the potential of geothermal energy by orders of magnitude. Following is the Press release.
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In the continuing effort to develop electricity from renewable energy cheaper than from coal, Google (NASDAQ:GOOG), through its philanthropic arm Google.org, announced $10.25 million in investments in a breakthrough energy technology called Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS). Today's announcement also includes funding for research on next-generation geothermal resource mapping, EGS information tools, and a policy agenda for geothermal energy.

EGS expands the potential of geothermal energy by orders of magnitude. The traditional geothermal approach relies on finding naturally occurring pockets of steam and hot water. The EGS process, by comparison, replicates these conditions by fracturing hot rock, circulating water through the system, and using the resulting steam to produce electricity in a conventional turbine.

A recent MIT report on EGS estimates that just 2% of the heat below the continental United States between 3 and 10 kilometers, depths within the range of current drilling technology, is more than 2,500 times the country's total annual energy use.

"EGS could be the 'killer app' of the energy world. It has the potential to deliver vast quantities of power 24/7 and be captured nearly anywhere on the planet. And it would be a perfect complement to intermittent sources like solar and wind," said Dan Reicher, Director of Climate and Energy Initiatives for Google.org.

Google's Renewable Energy Cheaper than Coal initiative focuses on solar thermal power, advanced wind, EGS and other potential breakthrough technologies. Google has set a goal to produce one gigawatt of renewable energy capacity, enough to power a city the size of San Francisco, in years, not decades.

To advance EGS, Google.org announced funding for two companies and a university:

AltaRock Energy, Inc.: $6.25 million investment to develop innovative technologies to achieve significant cost reductions and improved performance in EGS projects. For more information, please visit http://www.altarockenergy.com/.
Potter Drilling, Inc.: $4 million investment in two tranches, to develop new approaches to lower the cost and expand the range of deep hard rock drilling, a critical element to large-scale deployment of EGS. For more information, please visit http://www.potterdrilling.com/.
Southern Methodist University Geothermal Lab: $489,521 grant to improve understanding of the size and distribution of geothermal energy resources and to update geothermal mapping of North America. For more information, please visit http://www.smu.edu/geothermal/.

"Innovation is the path to massive quantities of cleaner, cheaper energy. The people we're funding today have a real shot at lowering the cost of EGS, and bringing us closer to our goal of Renewable Energy Cheaper than Coal," added Dr. Larry Brilliant, executive director of Google.org.

"EGS is critical to the clean electricity revolution we need to solve the climate crisis, but EGS hasn't received the attention it merits. That's why we're pressing for expanded support from government and increased investment from the private sector," said Reicher. "We're big believers in EGS and we're looking for more opportunities."

Ongoing Commitments

Today's announcement represents the latest step in Google's commitment to a clean energy future.

Google has been working hard on energy efficiency and making its business environmentally sustainable. To this end, the company has taken concrete steps to reduce its carbon footprint and accelerate improvements in green technology, including:

Developing cutting-edge energy efficiency technology to power and cool its data centers in the U.S. and around the world using 50% less energy than the industry standard
Generating electricity for its Mountain View campus from a 1.6 megawatt corporate solar panel installation, one of the largest in the U.S.
Accelerating development and adoption of plug-in electric vehicles through the RechargeIT initiative (http://www.google.org/recharge/)
Joining with other industry leaders to form the Climate Savers Computing Initiative, a consortium that advocates the design and use of more energy-efficient computers and servers (http://www.climatesaverscomputing.org/)
Working on policies that encourage renewable energy development and deployment, such as a U.S. Renewable Energy Standard.

For more information on EGS, including a 3-D model of a project in Australia, a Google Earth layer, an introductory YouTube video, and our policy brief, see http://www.google.org/egs/.

For more information on the Renewable Energy Cheaper than Coal initiative, including $30 million in investments to advance solar thermal and advanced wind technologies, see http://www.google.org/rec.html.

For broadcast-standard video and other multimedia files for the announcement, see http://www.thenewsmarket.com/google.

For more information on Google's commitment to a clean energy future, see http://www.google.com/renewableenergy.

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Conergy Completes Asia’s Largest Photovoltaic Plant .

19.6 MW project completely on the grid; expansion to 24 MW already ordered

Large projects in 2008: 81 MW realised up to now, additional 40 MW still in the worldwide project pipeline

Hamburg / Seoul, Korea – The Conergy Group has successfully completed the construction of what is currently Asia’s largest photovoltaic plant. The 90 million Euro project, with a peak power output of 19.6 MW, is located in the South Korean city of SinAn, southwest of the capital Seoul. Commissioned by the Dongyang Engineering & Construction Corporation, Conergy set up the plant as a turnkey solution and brought it on grid six months ahead of schedule. Dongyang has engaged the Hamburg-based solar energy company now with the expansion of the plant to a total of 24 MW – an add-on order valued alone at around EUR 20 million. Conergy intends to complete this on site yet by the end of the year.

Conergy’s CEO Dieter Ammer: “Just a few weeks ago we successfully sold the fourth largest photovoltaic plant in the world with “El Calaveron” in Spain. The quick completion of the photovoltaic plant in SinAn shows that despite our restructuring we can continue to book large operating successes – and the focus on our downstream core business was absolutely the right decision for our company.”

230 experts have been working around the clock since 12 May last year on the 600,000 m² construction site in SinAn to erect this Korean lighthouse project. In the meantime, the 19.6 MW plant is completely on grid and producing 27,000 MWh yearly of clean electricity – enough energy for more than 6,000 households. At the same time SinAn is saving 20,000 tons of CO² yearly.

Jihun Kim, CEO of Conergy Korea: “The construction of what is currently Asia’s largest photovoltaic plant is pioneering for the renewable energies industry in our country. With its completion we are ringing in a new era of Korean energy supply.” The government in Seoul had created the prerequisites for this in 2002. Since then, Korea has been seen as one of the large growth markets for renewable energies in Asia. In 2007 alone, 134 solar energy systems were connected to the public power grid – compared to 2006 a growth of 163%. In total, up to the present day more than 160 MW of solar energy has been installed in Korea, including now “SinAn” as a milestone among the large projects.

Large projects in 2008: 81 MW realised up to now, additional 40 MW still in the worldwide project pipeline

Elsewhere in the world too, the Hamburg-based solar energy company is making good progress with its large projects: In 2008 up to now the Conergy Group was able to complete photovoltaic plants worldwide with a total volume of 81 MW. Since its founding, the company has now successfully concluded large projects with a total output of in total more than 400 MW – including photovoltaic plants with an output of 160 MW and wind farms with an output of 250 MW.

Yet by the end of 2008, Conergy intends to conclude additional regenerative large projects with a total output of around 40 MW. Numerous plants are already in the worldwide project pipeline for future years, including solar projects with up to 300 MW in Germany, Italy, Spain, Greece, the US and Korea. The company continues to plan wind farms in Germany, Australia, France and Turkey. 1,000 MW alone are to be realised via the joint venture with the Australian company Macquarie Capital. In Turkey the Conergy Group submitted 3,000 MW for approval the end of April. With this the Conergy Group is one of the world’s leading companies in the development, project planning and financing of large regenerative projects.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

PG&E Signs Agreements With OPTISOLAR And SUNPOWER To Provide 800 MW Utility Scale Photovotaic Solar Power Farms.

SAN FRANCISCO – Pacific Gas and Electric Company today announced it has entered into two utility-scale, photovoltaic (PV) solar power contracts for a total of 800 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy. This significant commitment to photovoltaic technology will deliver cumulatively 1.65 billion kilowatt-hours of renewable energy annually. This would be equivalent to the amount of energy needed to serve approximately 239,000 residential homes each year.
PG&E entered into an agreement with Topaz Solar Farms LLC, a subsidiary of OptiSolar Inc., for 550 MW of thin-film PV solar power. The utility also signed a contract with High Plains Ranch II, LLC, a subsidiary of SunPower Corporation (Nasdaq: SPWR), for 250 MW of high-efficiency PV solar power.
The new Solar Projects from these agreements would provide enough Solar Energy Equivalent to the energy needs of 239,000 Californian homes. It will also fulfill state mandated need of 20% renewable energy requirement for PG&E. “These landmark agreements signal the arrival of utility-scale PV solar power that may be cost-competitive with solar thermal and wind energy,” said Jack Keenan, chief operating officer and senior vice president for PG&E. “We will continue to explore such innovative technologies as we aggressively work to increase the amount of renewable energy we provide our customers.”
Over the past six years, PG&E has entered into contracts for more than 3,600 MW of renewable power, including solar contracts that total more than 2,500 MW. PG&E now has contractual commitments for more than 24 percent of its future power deliveries from renewables, including wind, biomass and geothermal.
Utility-scale PV solar projects feature photovoltaic solar modules, which convert sunlight directly into electricity and produce the greatest amounts of power during the afternoons, when electricity demand is high. Both projects are contingent upon the extension of the federal investment tax credit for renewable energy and processes to expedite transmission needs.

OptiSolar’s Topaz Solar Farm

The 550 MW Topaz Solar Farm project» would utilize relatively low-cost, thin-film PV panels designed and manufactured by OptiSolar in Hayward and Sacramento. Located in San Luis Obispo County, California, the project would deliver an average of 1,100,000 megawatt-hours annually of renewable electricity. The project is expected to begin power delivery in 2011 and be fully operational by 2013.

“We are very happy to be working with PG&E to help meet California’s requirements for clean, renewable energy and are committed to working closely with the local community as this project moves forward,” said Randy Goldstein, chief executive officer of OptiSolar. “Our solar farms are quiet and emission-free, with solar panels mounted near ground level to minimize visual impact. Implementing cost-competitive solar power on this scale establishes thin-film photovoltaic generation as an important contributor to global sustainability.”

SunPower’s California Valley Solar Ranch

SunPower’s planned 250 MW solar ranch, would be located in San Luis Obispo County’s California Valley and will deliver an average of 550,000 megawatt-hours of clean electricity annually. The project is expected to begin power delivery in 2010 and be fully operational in 2012. The ranch would employ SunPower’s proprietary crystalline PV solar cells, which generate up to 50 percent more power than conventional crystalline cells. The company would install its patented SunPower® Tracker solar tracking systems at the site, which tilt toward the sun as it moves across the sky, increasing energy capture by up to 30 percent over fixed systems, while reducing land-use requirements.

“Today, high-efficiency photovoltaic technology is a competitively-priced component of utility-scale peak power generation,” said Tom Werner, chief executive officer of SunPower. “Our experience constructing more than 350 megawatts of solar systems on three continents allows us to deliver utility-scale systems quickly and at a scale of hundreds of kilowatts to hundreds of megawatts. We design our solar systems to maximize energy harvest while adapting to the natural topography of the site and serving the needs of the community.”

The Oregon Department of Transportation Going Solar!

The Oregon Department of Transportation is an agency on the move – to renewable energy. It takes 45 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually to run Oregon’s state transportation system, energy used for signals, illumination, buildings, ramp metering and more, at a cost last year of more than $4 million. Today this energy comes from mostly non-renewable sources, but change is coming. Most highways and free ways could easily utilized to generate solar energy as they are access to large amount of real estate that mostly receive Solar light through out the year. We reported earlier, Venezuela lighting up street lights with Solar energy.

On Feb. 21, 2008, the Oregon Transportation Commission directed ODOT’s Office of Innovative Partnerships to develop a procurement for up to 2 megawatts of solar energy on ODOT properties, including along the state highway right of way and the interstate system. Leading the way will be the Oregon Solar Highway demonstration project, a public-private partnership with Portland General Electric and US Bank, to build the first-in-the-nation solar array in a freeway interchange. Groundbreaking took place Aug. 7, 2008. Physical construction is expected to begin in mid-September.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory Achieves 40.8 % Efficiency With An Inverted Metamorphic Triple-junction Solar Cell, A World Record.

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have set a world record in solar cell efficiency with a photovoltaic device that converts 40.8 percent of the light that hits it into electricity. This is the highest confirmed efficiency of any photovoltaic device to date.

The inverted metamorphic triple-junction solar cell was designed, fabricated and independently measured at NREL. The 40.8 percent efficiency was measured under concentrated light of 326 suns. One sun is about the amount of light that typically hits Earth on a sunny day. The new cell is a natural candidate for the space satellite market and for terrestrial concentrated photovoltaic arrays, which use lenses or mirrors to focus sunlight onto the solar cells.

The new solar cell differs significantly from the previous record holder – also based on a NREL design. Instead of using a germanium wafer as the bottom junction of the device, the new design uses compositions of gallium indium phosphide and gallium indium arsenide to split the solar spectrum into three equal parts that are absorbed by each of the cell's three junctions for higher potential efficiencies. This is accomplished by growing the solar cell on a gallium arsenide wafer, flipping it over, then removing the wafer. The resulting device is extremely thin and light and represents a new class of solar cells with advantages in performance, design, operation and cost.

NREL's Mark Wanlass invented the original inverted cell, which recently won a R&D 100 award. His design was modified by a team led by John Geisz that further optimized the junction energies by making the middle junction metamorphic as well as the bottom junction. Metamorphic junctions are lattice mismatched – their atoms don't line up. The material properties of the mismatched semiconductors allows for greater potential conversion of sunlight.

NREL is the U.S. Department of Energy's primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. NREL is operated for DOE by Midwest Research Institute and Battelle.

For further information contact NREL Public Relations at (303) 275-4090.

National Renewable Energy Laboratory Achieves 40.8 % Efficiency With An Inverted Metamorphic Triple-junction Solar Cell, A World Record.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

U.S. leads world in wind energy generation but expiring tax credit may slow down the growth.

U.S. now leads world in wind energy generation but delay in extending federal tax credit places 2009 project pipeline on hold, discourages manufacturing investment

U.S. wind farms now generate more electricity than any other nation in the world and are on track to expand by over 45% this year, but the expiration of the federal production tax credit (PTC) less than five months from now threatens this spectacular progress, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) said today in its second quarter market report.

“The U.S. is now the world’s largest wind energy producer, with wind development sparking job creation and economic opportunity in a troubled economy,” said AWEA Executive Director Randall Swisher. “But the current figures hide a dire reality: the pipeline of investment for 2009 has been on hold for months, with escalating risks and costs for the industry, because of the uncertainty about the production tax credit. At a time when unemployment is at a 4-year high and the economy needs every stimulus it can get, a rapid extension of the credit should be on any economic priority list for Congress.”

The U.S. is now the world leader in wind electricity generation. While Germany still has more generating capacity installed (about 23,000 megawatts), the U.S. is producing more electricity from wind because of its much stronger winds.

Total U.S. installed wind power capacity now stands at 19,549 megawatts (MW). The industry installed 1,194 MW in the second quarter, down from 1,532 MW during the first. This brings the year’s new capacity to 2,725 MW, more than was installed in any year except 2007. More is under construction for completion either by the end of this year or the beginning of next year, depending on when the PTC is extended. Uncertainty regarding the PTC is causing a rush to complete projects by the end of the year, with increased risks and costs for the industry and eventually for customers. Under the best-case scenario for the industry, Congress will move quickly in September to extend the credit and the pressure will be eased for immediate project completion while reopening the pipeline for 2009. Under that scenario, AWEA projects at least 7,500 MW of new capacity to be added in 2008.

AWEA also reports a strong increase in domestic investment in wind turbine and wind turbine component manufacturing facilities over the past year and a half. At least 41 facilities have been announced, opened, or expanded over that period of time. These facilities will create over 9,000 jobs when they are at full capacity. Uncertainty about the PTC threatens that level of investment as well.

“It’s clear that wind power is not only a major technology with which to fight climate change, but also one of the most promising and dynamic economic engines we have today,” said Swisher. “The nation needs an ambitious plan to promote the deployment of wind and other renewable energy technologies—and the urgent first step it must take is to rapidly extend the expiring renewable energy credits, which are the primary incentive that the nation provides for these technologies today.”

The report is available on the AWEA Web site at www.awea.org/publications/reports/2Q08.pdf

Thursday, August 07, 2008

The City of Hiawatha Goes Green With The Help From Alliant Energy and MidAmerican Energy.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – August 5, 2008 – The City of Hiawatha replaced its 58-year-old city hall with not only a newer, but a “greener” facility. The building went through an energy-efficient design process provided by the Commercial New Construction program offered through Alliant Energy and MidAmerican Energy Company. Representatives from both utilities will present rebate checks totaling $29,646 to city officials during a brief ceremony at the city hall on Wednesday, August 6 at 10:00 a.m.
“The City of Hiawatha has a responsibility to our residents and to our environment. With the construction of our new building, we were committed to making Hiawatha City Hall energy-efficient,” said Dave Van Dee, Hiawatha City Administrator. “During the design process, we met with Alliant Energy and MidAmerican Energy to learn more about making City Hall energy efficient and reducing our energy costs. The energy conservation strategies provide an annual energy cost savings that will be beneficial for years to come.”
By partnering with local utility representations and evaluating the building’s energy efficiency potential before construction began, the City is expected to save more than $15,000 each year on its energy bills. These operational savings result from the City lowering its expected energy usage by an estimated 179,616 kilowatt-hours of electricity and 4,314 therms of natural gas each year. These savings earn the City a total incentive of $29,646, with Alliant Energy awarding a $25,146 energy-efficiency rebate for the electric savings, and MidAmerican Energy providing a $4,500 incentive for the gas savings.

“We evaluated several potential energy conservation strategies the City of Hiawatha could consider in building City Hall,” said Sam Page- Strategic Account Manager, Alliant Energy. “Hiawatha city officials were willing to commit to energy-efficiency on the front end allowing us to achieve much greater fiscal and environmental results.”

Interstate Power and Light Company (IPL), an Alliant Energy Company, and MidAmerican Energy offer Commercial New Construction Programs to assist owners and design teams in evaluating potential energy conservation strategies for new and renovated building projects. From the start of the conceptual design phase, the customer, project design team, and utility personnel work together using building performance simulation modeling to identify and implement cost-effective energy efficiency approaches that improve the overall energy efficiency of a building. A minimum energy savings of 5 percent greater than the State of Iowa building code is required.

The Commercial New Construction program can be utilized for new commercial buildings and building renovation projects. It is available to Alliant Energy and MidAmerican Energy retail electric and/or gas customers located in their respective Iowa service territories. For more information on Alliant Energy’s Commercial New Construction program, visit www.alliantenergy.com/newconstruction or call 1-866-ALLIANT (1-866-255-4268). For more information on MidAmerican Energy’s Commercial New Construction program, visit www.midamericanenergy.com/cnc or call 1-800-292-6448.
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