Flat Earth Society In The Dark On Solar Energy

Posted on March 22, 2012 by quest

President Obama continued his west coast tour yesterday with a stop in Boulder City, Nevada which is home to one of the largest solar power plants in the United States. Obama praised the accomplishments of local workers, federal and state officials who helped bring the plant into reality. The speech comes on the heels of new tariffs the Department of Commerce has imposed on Chinese solar manufacturers who’ve been accused of dumping low priced solar panels in the United States in order to undercut American solar makers and gain dominate market share.

The Obama Administration continues to promote what it calls an “All of the above” national energy policy which includes further oil exploration and innovation in renewable energy sources such as hydro power, wind, biomass and solar. The President said, “You know the promise that lies ahead because this city has always been about the future. Eight decades ago, in the midst of the Great Depression, the people of Boulder City were busy working on another energy project you may have heard of. Like today, it was a little bit ahead of its time; it was a little bit bigger than this solar plant — it was a little louder, too. It was called the Hoover Dam. And at the time, it was the largest dam in the world. Even today, it stands as a testimony to American ingenuity, American imagination, the power of the American spirit — a testimony to the notion we can do anything.”

Responding to some of his critics in Congress and elsewhere Obama said, “Some of these folks want to dismiss the promise of solar power and wind power and fuel-efficient cars. In fact, they make jokes about it. One member of Congress who shall remain unnamed called these jobs “phony” — called them phony jobs. I mean, think about that mindset, that attitude that says because something is new, it must not be real. If these guys were around when Columbus set sail, they’d be charter members of the Flat Earth Society. We were just talking about this — that a lack of imagination, a belief that you can’t do something in a new way — that’s not how we operate here in America. That’s not who we are. That’s not what we’re about.”Remarks by the President on Energy

Matt Damon: World Water Day

Solar Powered Gran Turismo Drives The Globe

Posted on March 16, 2012 by quest

A solar-powered car sponsored by SolarWorld will visit the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC), a research institute of the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Cocoa, Fla., on March 19.The visit is the final U.S. stop on the vehicle’s 21,000-mile quest to circle the globe, propelled only by the sun’s rays. The SolarWorld Gran Turismo (GT), a collaboration between SolarWorld and Bochum University of Applied Sciences in Germany, is a two-seat sports car powered by roof-integrated solar panels. The GT’s circumnavigation of the planet, a first for an automobile directly powered by renewable energy, is expected to set a “Guinness Book of World Records” record for the longest distance covered by a solar car. The Gran Turiso joins another first, Planet Solar which when completed will be is the world’s solar powered boat to circumnavigate the world by sea.

At 2 p.m. March 19, SolarWorld and the vehicle’s drivers and crew – the college students who developed and designed the SolarWorld GT – will host a reception showcasing the vehicle and awarding one audience member the chance to ride in the SolarWorld GT. The one-hour event is open to the public and will take place at the FSEC office at 1679 Clearlake Road in Cocoa.“The SolarWorld GT is an ambassador for sustainable personal transportation, reminding us that the power to shift our driving habits away from dirty fossil fuels is within our grasp,” said Kevin Kilkelly, president of SolarWorld Americas, the company’s commercial unit based in Camarillo, Calif. “The vehicle’s visit to FSEC, an esteemed research institute that has been promoting America’s energy independence for more than 35 years, is especially fitting. Our organizations have a history of collaboration on solar projects across the Sunshine State.”

The event at FSEC marks the sixth stop on the SolarWorld GT’s 3,774-mile cross-country road trip that originated in California and will culminate in South Carolina. Previous stops have included University of California Santa Barbara, SolarWorld’s commercial hub in Camarillo, Arizona State University in Tempe, Texas Christian University in Fort Worth and the joint Florida A & M University-Florida State University College of Engineering in Tallahassee.The SolarWorld GT began its trans-world journey in Australia and New Zealand in October 2011, covering more than 3,100 miles before shipping to the United States in December. Following the U.S. leg, the vehicle and its crew will travel through Europe, Africa and Asia before finishing in Australia in late 2012. SolarWorld also showcased the Electra One a solar powered airplane in July of 2011.

AAA offers digital tools for electric vehicle drivers

Energy From Solar Panels Building Electric Vehicles

Posted on March 2, 2012 by quest

It’s real hard not to like BMW’s new electric, prototypes and fossil fuel cars. But now motoring giants BMW and Honda are building solar panels into their production plants and other facilities. With the rising costs of gas and energy; this is a logical move for big commercial energy users and residential users who are ready to use solar power to cut energy usage, transportation costs and dependence on oil. Just imagine the day when you don’t have to go to the gas station to fuel up? You simply plug your electric powered car into your solar powered home and zaaaaap you’re good to go! This is no fantasy…. not anymore and the fact that BMW and Honda are using solar energy to build electric vehicles should be a clear indication where the smart money is going.

Both of these behemoths in the automobile industry are looking to start incorporating more on-site solar electricity generation. Honda has been installing solar power generation systems at their plants all around Japan and they have so far reached a total combined capacity of 3.3 megawatts.

Honda’s own solar power branch is Honda Soltec and they are using their own solar panels, the “Honda Soltec CIGS thin-film solar cells” on all of tir branches. Among the recent installations by Honda there’s been a 9 kilowatt-solar power system fitted at the Honda Cars Tokyo Chuo dealership. This installation marks the beginning of a solar power initiative from Honda that will see over 100 dealerships fitted with similar solar panels. BMW has been pulled over to the ‘green side’ after having just recently finished installing 400 solar modules that each has a 240 watt capacity. They have been installed at BMW Manufacturing heritage museum and visitor centre which is situated next to their South Carolina plant.

Los Angeles Growing Green & Cleantech Businesses

SolarCity Raises $81 Million In Growth Capital

Posted on February 29, 2012 by quest

SolarCity today announced that it has raised $81 million in equity financing. SolarCity allows homeowners, businesses and non-profit organizations to buy renewable energy for less than they currently pay for electricity from utilities. The company has more than 30,000 clean energy projects completed or underway. The round was co-led by Silver Lake Kraftwerk and Valor Equity Partners, and included investments from Nicholas J. Pritzker, partner at Tao Ventures and senior development advisor for Hyatt Hotels Corp., and Shea Ventures, an affiliate of SolarCity partner Shea Homes. SolarCity Chairman Elon Musk and existing SolarCity investor DBL Investors also participated. The new financing will fund SolarCity’s expansion of sales, marketing and operations, technology development and potential acquisitions.

“Individuals and organizations of all shapes and sizes are fed up with the growing cost and consequences of traditional energy,” said Lyndon Rive, SolarCity’s CEO. “This investment provides SolarCity the resources to explore new products and services and identify new geographies and potential acquisitions as we seek to deliver better energy choices to more customers.”Silver Lake Kraftwerk (SLK) is an investment strategy of Silver Lake, the global leader in private investments in technology and technology-enabled industries. SLK was created to provide growth capital to innovators in the energy and resource sectors.

“SolarCity is the leader in its space,” said Raj Atluru, co-founder of Silver Lake Kraftwerk. “The company’s unique, vertically-integrated model, paired with incentives and falling technology costs, allows it to provide solar electricity to customers at lower rates than they pay for utility power. We’ve thoroughly analyzed SolarCity’s full-service approach to solar and energy efficiency and we believe it has the ability to deliver superior customer experience and service across multiple sectors.”Valor Equity Partners pursues investments in leaders in their respective markets. Valor is also an investor in Tesla Motors.

Monsanto asks scientists about global warming

World’s Largest Electric Bus Fleet Expanding In China

Posted on February 27, 2012 by quest

Solar and electric company BYD already with the largest zero-emissions fleet in serviceworld-wide will add 1500 pure electric K9 buses and e6 taxis to the public transportation fleet in Shenzhen City. Commenting on these successes, Shenzhen Development and Reform Commission Director Xiangzhen Lu said, “Shenzhen is the first city in China to implement a subsidy for new energy vehicles and the first city to launch consumer sales of the BYD e6.” The zero-emissions Taxi fleet has already given many consumers their first experience with the BYD all-electric, 5-passenger e6, China’s first long-range, pure-electric car. SDRC cited rising oil prices and growing environmental pressures as key reasons to transform the public transportation system. Shenzhen City believes electrified transportation offers the most effective way to simultaneously stimulate economic recovery while restoring the environment by lowering CO2 emissions.

Shenzhen City will also establish new policies in hopes of encouraging private EV use. The SDRC announced that Shenzhen is formulating measures to impose fees on emissions from gasoline cars while rewarding alternative energy vehicle drivers based on distance traveled. Other incentive policies include allowing pure electric drivers to use the public bus lane during rush hour, insurance privileges, and free annual maintenance checks. The city of Shenzhen is also trying to manage its 200,000 plus electric bikes and has recently introduced restrictions which are to go into effect in April.

China’s Southern Power Grid Company has agreed to install free-of-charge, two electric vehicle charging poles for each Shenzhen EV driver — one at the home or apartment of the driver and another near the EV driver’s place of business. Shenzhen City continues to offer extremely affordable peak and off-peak electricity prices for new energy vehicle users, reducing nightly charging costs. The SDRC predicts that private alternative energy vehicle use in Shenzhen will increase by 3000 units in 2012 and plans to install and support over 6,000 new charging pedestals accordingly. BYD’s North American headquarters are in Los Angeles.

The Pied Piper of Solar

Obama Calls For Extending US Solar Programs

Los Angeles Growing Green & Cleantech Businesses

Posted on February 22, 2012 by quest

Not only is LA becoming a hub for electric vehicle companies, in October 2011 Los Angeles launched its new cleantech business incubator (LACI) to accelerate development of cleantech start-ups by offering flexible office space, CEO coaching and mentoring, and access to a growing network of experts and capital. LACI is the business equivalent of baseball’s farm system: it identifies local talent, nurtures it, and helps it get to market, resulting in more jobs and a bigger green economy in Los Angeles.The Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) announced the acceptance of California Lithium Battery (CALiB) into its Portfolio Company Program making it the sixth start-up in LACI’s portfolio. CALiB has licensed new technology from the Argonne National Labs that improves the performance of lithium batteries by 3X. CALiB’s goal is to be the leading United States-based developer and manufacturer of high performance Very Large Format lithium batteries for utility energy storage, EVs and specialized industrial applications.

Fred Walti, Executive Director of LACI said,“Developing game changing technology in energy storage is a key requirement for wider adoption of sustainable energy. We’re impressed with California Lithium’s technology, which has been developed and validated by the Argonne National Labs, and its business strategy to enter the utility scale energy storage market. While it’s too early to declare victory, CALiB’s batteries could effectively lower the Li-ion battery cost by 70%,”

“LA is emerging as the new global test center for advanced energy technologies and we thank Mayor Villaraigosa and the LADWP for their stewardship of the LACI” said Phil Roberts, CEO of CalBattery. He continued, “as a great example of public private partnership that is helping small businesses do big things for their community. The help and connections of the LACI it will enable CalBattery to create good manufacturing jobs stemming from our new energy storage and EV lithium silicon-graphene battery made in LA for export to the entire global community.” It was just this past October Mayor Villaraigosa welcomed solar and electric vehicle maker, BYD to its North American headquarters in downtown Los Angeles, and In November 2011 Electric maker Coda also set LA as its global headquarters.