SunPower Solar Tracker Makes Energy For Bloomberg

Posted on June 18, 2012 by QuestPoint

SunPower Corp. today announced the completion of a 1.8-megawatt solar power system for Bloomberg in New Jersey. The eight-acre, ground-mounted solar tracking system is generating the equivalent of 58 percent of electricity demand at the 100,000-square-foot main building at Bloomberg‘s Skillman, N.J. campus. It is the first completed renewable energy project at a Bloomberg facility. “Renewable energy development is a core part of Bloomberg’s overall commitment to environmental sustainability. This significant solar installation contributes to Bloomberg’s environmental and financial goals, and diversifies New Jersey’s energy supply with reliable, clean and affordable power,” said Curtis Ravenel, global head of sustainability for Bloomberg.

Bloomberg is buying the power generated from the system at prices below retail rates, providing a long-term hedge against rising power prices with no initial capital investment. The system is owned by a subsidiary of Integrys Energy Services, Inc., which is also selling the solar renewable energy credits and environmental attributes associated with the project. The system is being partially financed through PSE&G’s Solar Loan Program, through which PSE&G offers low-interest loans for solar power development. The system uses high-efficiency SunPower solar panels with the SunPower T0 Tracker system. The Tracker follows the sun’s movement during the day, increasing sunlight capture by up to 25 percent over conventional fixed-tilt systems, while significantly reducing land use requirements.

“The T0 Tracker delivers more solar energy per square meter and greater energy savings than conventional systems, reliably maximizing the clean, renewable solar power generated on site for the next 20 years or more,” said Howard Wenger, SunPower president, regions. “With this system, Bloomberg is achieving significant long-term cost savings on electricity and supporting renewable energy development that is critical to environmental health and energy independence.”

Cali And Panama Conference Targets Renewable Energy

Hillary Clinton Heading US Rio Sustainability Delegates

Posted on June 17, 2012 by QuestPoint

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will head the U.S. delegation to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, also known as Rio+20, which will take place June 20-22 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Secretary also plans to meet with key world leaders while at the conference. Lisa P. Jackson, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, will serve as alternate head of delegation, and Todd Stern, Special Envoy on Climate Change, will serve as chief negotiator. This conference commemorates 20 years since the June 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development (the “Earth Summit”).

The 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development, or “Rio+20” is a forum on how to make sustainable development a reality for seven billion people today, and to define the future we want for nine billion by 2050. With a presence in 177 countries and territories, UNDP assists governments, private sector and civil society to build inclusive, prosperous, and greener societies. We advise our partners to consider every policy and investment from an economic, social and environmental perspective. This holistic, integrated approach to decision making is the path towards empowered lives, resilient nations and a sustainable future. Sustainable development is about people. It is about creating jobs and improving lives while respecting the environment. Eradicating poverty, preventing conflicts, empowering women and girls, and building responsible governing institutions are critical components.

In addition to Secretary Clinton, Administrator Jackson, and Special Envoy Stern, the U.S. delegation will include the following U.S. Government representatives including but not limited to Ambassador Thomas A. Shannon, Jr., Ambassador of the United States to Brazil, Carlos Pascual, Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs, Department of State and Elizabeth L. Littlefield, President and CEO, Overseas Private Investment Corporation. Other members of the U.S. delegation include technical experts from the Department of State, the United States Mission to the UN, the United States Agency for International Development, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the United States Trade Representative, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Energy and the Treasury Department. They will also be accompanied by nine Private Sector Advisors representing business, state and local officials, nongovernment organizations, youth, women, and labor.

Stanford Finds Future Of Solar Power Is Bright

Posted on June 17, 2012 by QuestPoint

Nearly everyone thinks that generating electricity via solar power is good for the environment, but there’s much less agreement on whether it makes sense from an economic point of view. At what point will solar power be competitive with electricity generated by conventional, fossil-fuel plants, and how long will subsidies need to remain in place before the solar industry can stand on its own? Those are some of the questions addressed in “The Prospects for Cost-Competitive Solar PV Power,” a new working paper by Stefan Reichelstein, William R. Timken Professor of Accounting at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and Michael Yorston, graduate student in the Department of Management Science and Engineering at Stanford University. Their paper breaks new ground in studying the life-cycle cost of electricity generated by solar photovoltaic, paying particular attention to key factors such as location, public subsidies, and the long-term learning effects in manufacturing solar panels.

Concerning the future, and this may sound like a pun, the future of solar PV looks rather bright. The industry has consistently been able to lower the cost of solar panels. If this trend can be maintained for the next 10 years, and if subsidies are continued for that period, there is a real prospect for solar to become cost competitive on its own (that is, without a subsidy), at least for commercial installations. Utility-scale installations will take longer to become competitive; possibly 15 years, though it obviously becomes murkier to make projections that far into the future.

Renewable energy and solar in particular remain rather controversial in the public debate about energy policy. Passions have been running high. What motivated me is the bewildering range of statements you have out there regarding the cost effectiveness of electricity based on solar PV. Given the range of opinions, I wanted to do my own analysis. I’m looking at it from the point of view of a business economist who is interested in measuring the life-cycle cost of this abundant energy source.

2013 Solar Challenge Announced

Ford Using Solar Power To Make Electric Vehicles

Posted on June 16, 2012 by QuestPoint

Ford just announced in its annual Sustainability Report that it has reduced the amount of energy required to produce each vehicle in its manufacturing facilities by 22 percent in the last six years. The company also announced plans to reduce usage another 25 percent on a per-vehicle basis by 2016. Decreased energy consumption during vehicle manufacturing is just one highlight of Ford’s 13th annual Sustainability Report. The report – “Blueprint for Sustainability: Accelerating Ahead” – is a comprehensive showcase of the company’s efforts to tackle a myriad of sustainability challenges in a rapidly changing world. Other successful initiatives featured include reductions in water use, waste-to-landfill and CO2 emissions as well as improvements in vehicle fuel economy and safety. “Sustainability has moved from the periphery to the center of our strategy for succeeding in the marketplace and helping to address global challenges,” said Robert Brown, vice president, Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering.

“Our sustainability report is far from a bunch of tables and charts,” said John Viera, global director, Sustainability and Vehicle Environmental Matters. “Anyone who spends any amount of time with it will truly get a sense of just how committed Ford is to supporting positive change and reducing the environmental impact of its products and facilities.”Consider the drop in energy consumption: The amount of electricity used to produce each vehicle in Ford’s manufacturing facilities has been reduced by about 800 kilowatt-hours – from 3,576 kwh in 2006 to 2,778 kwh in 2011. By comparison, average households in states like California, New York, Illinois and Michigan use between 562 kwh and 799 kwh monthly.

Ford’s progress has been achieved by investing in energy-saving practices and equipment. At Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Mich., for example, the company uses a new “three-wet” paint application that reduces electricity use along with CO2 and Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) emissions. At the same plant, a new 500-kilowatt solar panel system has been installed to generate renewable energy for production of Ford vehicles like Focus and Focus Electric. Thanks to such efforts already in place and Ford’s commitment to making further progress, the company projects a continued drop in energy consumption – 25 percent between 2011 and 2016.

New York City & IBM Creating Solar Energy Venture

Scientists Tap Into Underwater Solar Energy

Posted on June 14, 2012 by QuestPoint

Scientists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), Electronics Science and Technology Division, dive into underwater photovoltaic research to develop high bandgap solar cells capable of producing sufficient power to operate electronic sensor systems at depths of 9 meters.Underwater autonomous systems and sensor platforms are severely limited by the lack of long endurance power sources. To date, these systems must rely on on-shore power, batteries or solar power supplied by an above water platform. Attempts to use photovoltaics have had limited success, primarily due to the lack of penetrating sunlight and the use of solar cells optimized more towards the unimpeded terrestrial solar spectrum.

“The use of autonomous systems to provide situational awareness and long-term environment monitoring underwater is increasing,” said Phillip Jenkins, head, NRL Imagers and Detectors Section. ”Although water absorbs sunlight, the technical challenge is to develop a solar cell that can efficiently convert these underwater photons to electricity.”Even though the absolute intensity of solar radiation is lower underwater, the spectral content is narrow and thus lends itself to high conversion efficiency if the solar cell is well matched to the wavelength range. Previous attempts to operate solar cells underwater have focused on crystalline silicon solar cells and more recently, amorphous silicon cells.High-quality gallium indium phosphide (GaInP) cells are well suited for underwater operation. GaInP cells have high quantum efficiency in wavelengths between 400 and 700 nanometers (visible light) and intrinsically low dark current, which is critical for high efficiency in lowlight conditions.

The filtered spectrum of the sun underwater is biased toward the blue/green portion of the spectrum and thus higher bandgap cells such as GaInP perform much better than conventional silicon cells, states Jenkins. Preliminary results at a maximum depth of 9.1 meters reveal output to be 7 watts per square meter of solar cells, sufficient to demonstrate there is useful solar power to be harvested at depths commonly found in nearshore littoral zones.The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory is the Navy’s full-spectrum corporate laboratory, conducting a broadly based multidisciplinary program of scientific research and advanced technological development.

Dartmouth Students On Vehicle For Change

Californians To Vote On GMO Food Labeling

Posted on June 13, 2012 by QuestPoint

Two nights ago, The California Secretary of State’s office announced that the Right to Know initiative to label genetically engineered foods will be on the state’s November ballot. The historic initiative would be the first law in the United States requiring labeling of a wide range of genetically engineered foods.“We’re thrilled that Californians will have the opportunity this November to vote for the right to know what’s in our food,” said Stacy Malkan, a spokesperson for the California Right to Know campaign. “This initiative is pretty simple. It’s about our fundamental right to make informed choices about the food we eat and feed our families.”The initiative requires labeling of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), which are plants or meats that have had their DNA artificially altered by genes from other plants, animals, viruses, or bacteria, in order to produce foreign compounds in that food. Nine out of ten voters in the U.S. and in California back labeling, according to recent polls (see Mellman 2012, Reuters 2010, Zogby 2012). An April poll by San Francisco TV station KCBS found 91% backed labeling.

The California Right to Know initiative is backed by a broad array of consumer, health and environmental groups, businesses and farmers. Major endorsers include Public Citizen, Sierra Club, American Public Health Association, United Farm Workers, California Certified Organic Farmers, Organic Consumers Association, Consumer Federation of America, Nature’s Path, Lundberg Family Farms, Organic Valley, Dr. Bronner’s, Eden Foods, Mercola.com, Center for Food Safety, Food Democracy Now! and the California State Grange. Grant Lundberg, CEO of Lundberg Family Farms in the Sacramento Valley, noted that the United States stands out as one of the few developed nations that does not provide consumers with simple labels to inform them if their food has been genetically engineered. “More than 40 other countries — including all of Europe, Japan and even China — already label genetically engineered food. Californians deserve to be able to make informed choices too,” Lundberg said.

In March, more than one million people submitted comments to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on a petition for mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods, more than any other petition in FDA history. Twenty states have tried to legislate GMO labeling, but none have succeeded due to intense opposition from corporate special interests.“All eyes are on California, and the voters of this state will support our right to know what’s in our food when they vote this November,” said Stacy Malkan from the Right to Know campaign.