Ready for Solar Cars ?

Posted on March 26, 2010 by quest

This is a photo from the World Solar Challenge in 2009.The World Solar Challenge is a solar-powered car race which covers 3021 km (1,877 miles) through the Australian Outback, from Darwin to Adelaide. Plans are underway for the Challenge which happens in 2011.

The race attracts teams from around the world, most of which are fielded by universities or corporations although some are fielded by high schools. The race has a 20-year history spanning nine races, with the inaugural event taking place in 1987.

The objective of this competition is to promote research on solar-powered cars. Teams from universities and enterprises participate. In 2005, 22 teams from 11 countries entered the primary race category.

The idea for the competition originates from Danish-born adventurer Hans Tholstrup. He was the first to circumnavigate the Australian continent in a 16-foot (4.9 m) open boat. At a later stage in his life he became involved in various competitions with fuel saving cars and trucks. Already in the 1980s, he became aware of the necessity to explore sustainable energy as a replacement for the limited available fossil fuel. Sponsored by BP, he designed the world’s first solar car, called Quiet Achiever, and traversed the 4052 km (2,518 miles) between Sydney and Perth in 20 days. That was the precursor of the World Solar Challenge.

Recently some engineering students from De LA Salle University in the Manila introduced a solar powered vehicle; the “Sikat” is a racecar with a flat body, a narrow single seat, and three wheels the size of a big pizza. Philippines is among the top carbon emitters in Southeast Asia. Engineering students created a solar-powered car to inspire others to take pollution more seriously.

See the Video Here.

GREEN NEWS WALL

Chevron Tests Emerging Solar Technologies in Central California

See video and read story here.

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Health Care Bill Signed…Next!

Posted on March 23, 2010 by quest

The late Senator Edward Kennedy must have seen something very special in Barack Obama. He has now signed into law a bill desperately needed to address the health of all Americans. Now that President Obama has signed the Health Care Bill you can bet that renewable energy and green transportation is in the Obama administration’s eyesight.

See the video

California recently received $2.25 billion in high-speed rail funding.The federal stimulus grant, the largest for any state, is intended to help bring the Anaheim-to-San Francisco project to fruition. this has got to be a big boost for the long-discussed project aimed at accelerating the state’s economic recovery.

Overall, the Obama administration plans to distribute $8 billion for work on 13 rail corridors. Those include a Midwest line from Chicago to St. Louis and one in Florida running from Tampa to Orlando.See High Speed Rail Video Here

In the Bay Area a tireless champion for high speed rail has been:

State Assembly Woman Fiona Ma.
See a video of her here.

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Everybody loves the sunshine

Posted on March 19, 2010 by quest

The world’s largest solar-powered boat aims to be the fastest such vessel to cross the Atlantic Ocean and the first to cross both

the Pacific and Indian Oceans when it embarks around the world in 2011.

Planet Solar was recently showed in Germany.

See the Video Here.

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GE Sees Bright Future for Thin Film Solar Technology
Increasing Investment in Promising Thin Film Photovoltaic Technology; Engaging Global Resources to Deliver Best-in-Class Product

NISKAYUNA, N.Y.—March 18, 2010—With the race on in earnest to have the most efficient, low-cost solar module on the market, GE (NYSE: GE) announced it is focusing its research and development efforts on thin film photovoltaic (PV) technology in conjunction with PrimeStar Solar Inc., the startup firm in which GE is a majority investor. Working closely with PrimeStar technology experts, the company is bringing to bear the full scale of its four Global Research operations to address each of the challenges required to bring a new product to market.

“After having completed an exhaustive survey of the PV landscape, we determined that thin films were the optimum path for GE,” said Danielle Merfeld, GE’s solar R&D leader. “Specifically, the CdTe technology from PrimeStar has great potential. Bringing together world-class materials expertise, unique materials and systems modeling and design capabilities and state-of-the-art indoor and outdoor solar testing facilities, GE researchers are innovating across our four global research centers— literally around the clock—to deliver a breakthrough product to market.”

The GE/PrimeStar product is being developed at PrimeStar’s headquarters in Arvada, Colo. A team of PrimeStar technologists with more than 100 years of combined thin film deposition expertise is working closely with GE researchers, who are focused on several key areas in order to achieve best-in-class technology. These include device efficiency, reliability, production and installation costs and manufacturability. Hundreds of technologists in Germany, China, India and the United States are working on GE solar technologies today—addressing these challenges in the following ways:

The team in Munich, at the heart of the global solar industry, is utilizing world-class indoor and outdoor solar system test facilities where they study finished module performance to identify and address degradation mechanisms and packaging issues. In addition to the focus on the module itself, this team also brings deep expertise at the system level. This allows them to define system-level optimized features and metrics for the module.
In China, where most of the world’s CdTe raw materials are found, researchers at GE’s China Technology Center in Shanghai are focused on CdTe materials and the impact they have on device performance. Improving material quality and developing advanced materials characterization techniques are key topics being addressed by the Shanghai team.
In India, GE is leveraging extensive modeling capabilities at its John F. Welch Technology Centre in Bangalore. Unlike the exclusively experimental approach favored by many in this field, GE believes that dramatic improvements in the device performance and reliability will be realized through a deeper understanding of the materials and basic physics of the device. The team in Bangalore is tasked with building comprehensive models to help guide advanced device design.

Finally, GE’s research team in Niskayuna, N.Y., is working on all facets of CdTe module development, including material growth, device development and robust process development. Their technical expertise cuts across diverse fields such as surface chemistry, laser processing and plasma physics. Equally diverse is their product development experience, which they have derived from GE’s other technology-focused businesses such as Healthcare, Lighting and Batteries.

GE currently provides a range of utility-scale solar solutions, including smart grid power electronics and pre-packaged systems. GE’s Brilliance™ solar inverter offers reliable power conversion technology derived from its industry-leading 1.5 megawatt wind turbine.

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EXPLORE recent Green info below

At a recent press conference Mayor Gavin Newsom

welcomes GA Solar to San Francisco.

SEE the Video Here

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Read the article:

Building Health Wealth (TM)

by John C. Bish

SOLAR WALL

SunRun

First to Offer Solar For No Upfront Cost in New Jersey Leading Residential Solar Company Makes Solar Affordable for Every New Jersey Homeowner

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TRAINING

**WEBINARS Now “LIVE” AND ON DEMAND**

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Hear Inverness Valley Inn Owners

Leslie & Alden Adkins interview with QuestPoint n The Mix

on going green.

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Underwater Skyscraper

Posted on March 17, 2010 by quest

Underwater Skyscraper is a Self-Sufficient City at Sea
Posted By Mike Chino On March 9, 2010 (10:04 am) In Architecture, Floating Houses, Sustainable Building, Water Issues

Underwater Skyscraper

Ocean levels are rising around the globe, so rather than tethering our buildings to the sinking shoreline why not suit them for a life at sea? That’s the approach behind the Water-Scraper, a futuristic self-sufficient floating city. A special mention in this year’s eVolo Skyscraper Competition, the design expands the concept of a floating island into a full-fledged underwater skyscraper…

ENERGY NEVER DIES

Posted on February 28, 2010 by quest

LONG ISLAND YOUTH

SHOW CONCERT GOERS WHAT GREEN JOBS ARE ALL ABOUT

Sammy Chu-Director of Long Island Green Homes-Babylon, NY.

When Green for All called me looking for volunteers for their joint effort with The Black Eyed Peas, I knew just where to find some.

Since 2008 the Long Island Green Homes program has been retrofitting homes in Babylon, Long Island and is on its way to thousands more. What’s better than that? This year we partnered with United Way’s Youth Build program to train low-income youths from Wyandanch, the most economically depressed community on Long Island. They are attaining the skills they need to start careers with Green Homes contractors. Who could be better to spread Green for All’s message of high road green jobs for everyone than our Youth Build kids?

Our Youth Build kids along with the Long Island Green Homes crew canvassed Nassau Coliseum all night long. I was so impressed with the enthusiasm that they demonstrated taking part in a movement that will have such an enormous impact on their lives and the future of our clean energy economy. These kids have seized the opportunity to forge their own futures through self-improvement, volunteerism and civic participation. We are so grateful to Green For All and The Black Eyed Peas for providing such a powerful platform for change. We truly appreciate the opportunity to advance our green economy and create new opportunities for those who have been left out in the past.

You’ve got to give it up for Green For All, the innovative national grass roots organization started by Van Jones and Majora Carter currently being led by Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins. Now in conjunction with THE BLACK EYED PEAS, RETHINK, AND LEAGUE OF CONSERVATION VOTERS their launching the ENERGY NEVER DIES (END) TOUR .

To raise awareness about climate change and to promote a strong clean-energy economy during the U.S. leg of their 2010 The E.N.D. World Tour. will.i.am, member of six-time Grammy Award winning The Black Eyed Peas said, “From creating new sustainable products out recycled bottles to capping harmful global warming pollution, the actions and policies that protect the planet for future generations are the same as those that create new jobs and economic opportunities.”

The campaign launched in Washington, D.C., and will continue throughout the band’s 23 U.S. tour stops. Each city features a unique recycling initiative with Rethink, an innovative fabric and apparel company that focuses on producing sustainable fabric from recycled plastic bottles. Green For All volunteers will encourage fans at each tour venue to recycle their plastic bottles, which will eventually be converted into fabric to produce The Black Eyed Peas merchandise including t-shirts.

In addition to supporting this recycling initiative, non-profit partners Green For All and LCV are conducting community outreach and educational events, including conversations around jobs and opportunities in the green industry.

EXPLORE the latest Green information below

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Read the article:

Building Health Wealth (TM)

by John C. Bish

SOLAR WALL

SunRun

First to Offer Solar For No Upfront Cost in New Jersey Leading Residential Solar Company Makes Solar Affordable for Every New Jersey Homeowner

_____________

TRAINING

**WEBINARS Now “LIVE” AND ON DEMAND**

Transform Your Teleconference Into A Dynamic Web Meeting

Presented BySheri Jeavons

________________

Hear Inverness Valley Inn Owners

Leslie & Alden Adkins interview with QuestPoint n The Mix

on going green.

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Envison sustainable transportation & solar power now

Posted on February 23, 2010 by quest

Not long ago I talked with Ginny Madeiros of ZAP electric cars, a pioneer in electric transportation based in Santa Rosa, California. Ginny drives an all electric vehicle, the Xebra . You can hear our interview on

QuestPoint n The Mix.

In that conversation we envisioned a world where solar power homeowners would be able to plug their electric cars into their home’s solar power system and get the energy their car needed for the day. Well seems as if these ideas aren’t just wishful thinking. The city of San Francisco has announced a plan to build electric charging stations around the city in anticipation of electric cars to come. This is a collaborative effort between Nissan Motors, which has launched LEAF, an all electric vehicle. It is interesting to note that ZAP currently offers a solar powered line of vehicles which you can plug into a 110 outlet. The series is called Xebra Xero.

UPDATE – The United States Postal Service has awarded ZAP a contract for the design and development of an electric mail truck. US Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey recently toured the ZAP’s facilities and stated,

“I so appreciate ZAP for hanging in there all these years, knowing what we should be doing as a country. I think a majority of members of Congress, the House in particular, know that they were right and that this is where we need to be investing.
As we know, Congress is pushing to get at least 20,000 electric vehicles into the USPS fleet using a program called Edrive.org.” Here’s Jenny on the scene with Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey.

ZAP has got a lot going on. I wonder what George Jetson of cartoon fame would think if he could see how we are using technology these days. Oh that’s right it was a cartoon.

By the way ZAP also owns Thomas Edison’s “electromobile” from 1910 and the Detroit Electric brand. Seems as if electric vehicles have been around for some time now…interesting.