Largest US Solar Factory Being Built In Colorado

Posted on October 16, 2011 by quest

GE has announced plans to build its new solar panel factory in Aurora, Colorado. When completed, the advanced manufacturing facility will create 355 jobs in Colorado and will be larger than any existing solar panel factory in the country today. GE anticipates the new factory will first start up earlier than expected with the first panels coming off the line in 2012 with commercial availability in 2013. “This is great news for Colorado and further proof that our state is emerging as a center of innovation. GE’s move to Aurora takes advantage of Colorado’s clean energy resources and a collaborative business environment that is committed to helping the company succeed,” said Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper. “We look forward to supporting GE as it fosters its technical innovation and research capabilities in Colorado.”

GE will locate the factory in an existing building in Aurora, just east of Denver. This location, which also is in proximity to GE’s existing solar center of excellence, enables an accelerated start-up schedule with production equipment installation beginning in January 2012. At capacity, the new factory will produce enough panels per year to power 80,000 homes and will be larger than 11 football fields. When complete, the new solar factory will highlight a $600 million investment in GE’s solar business. “I am so proud GE is building the largest solar panel factory in the nation right here in the 7th Congressional District of Colorado. This plant will create over 350 jobs and reinforces Colorado’s leading role in renewable energy. This solar technology was originally developed at NREL and further highlights how this world-class lab continues to partner with the private sector to create long-term jobs and bolster our nation’s energy security. Making things here in Colorado and America ensures we will make it in America,” stated U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter.

“Working with our Colorado-based solar team, we were able to achieve record efficiencies in our solar panels in record time,” said Victor Abate, vice president of GE’s Renewable Energy business. “The Colorado location will allow us to deliver our technology roadmap faster and commercialize industry-leading panel efficiencies sooner. We also look forward to continuing to build our relationships with Colorado’s local, state and federal officials who have been extremely helpful as we moved through the site selection process.” “This is terrific news for Aurora, for Colorado and for solar, and it shows the tremendous potential renewable energy holds to create jobs and power our economy,” said U.S. Sen. Mark Udall.

Lady Gaga at Clinton Climate Gig

Bioplastics Producer Expands Green Investment

Dereliction Of Foodies

Posted on October 15, 2011 by quest

As urban farming becomes a valid source of obtaining fresh foods with local sources addressing energy and conservation concerns, will the direction we work towards be thwarted by local government or lack of necessary resources to continue our efforts?

The short answer to a long question is there are no guarantees. I have watched one community garden after another closed for a variety of reasons. All who partake should be aware of legalities http://www.theselc.org/food-and-livelihoods-project/ and poised to take action as the South Central Farmers in Los Angeles have. Although they didn’t prevail in the legal sense a commitment to continue sent them in many directions. Some facilitated by the mayor whose campaign led the farmers to believe he would be able to help them. During times like this when good food is unaffordable to many and we realize that subsidized means substandard products it is important to continue efforts and sometimes battles for the right to clean water and fresh foods. http://gefoodlabels.org/ By Susan Rigali

Susan Rigali is Owner/Executive Chef of Savor Solar. She has invested a significant amount of her career to education and research in the areas of food safety and the slow food movement. She has been a part of many organic urban gardening projects in L.A., which aim to transform socio-economic barriers that keep families from accessing healthy food and practicing eco-friendly lifestyles. For the majority of her career, Susan has worked in connection with the unique world of film and television production. Her accomplishments range from large scale events to intimate dining affairs.

Oregon proposes approval of wave energy project

Environmental Media Awards Honor Justin Timberlake

Posted on October 15, 2011 by quest

Toyota and Lexus are once again celebrating the entertainment industry’s environmental efforts as the presenting sponsors of the Environmental Media Awards today Saturday, Oct. 15 at 6:00 PM. In its 21st year, the annual event honors film and television productions that communicate environmental messages in the most creative and influential ways. This year’s honorees are actor and musician Justin Timberlake (In Time Movie), communications executive Marc Nathanson, Southern California Edison, and the Producer’s Guild of America’s environmental initiative – PGA Green. The nominees include films such as Yogi Bear, Disneynature African Cats and The Other Guys, and TV programs such as The Good Wife, Nurse Jackie, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, The Biggest Loser and Futurama. This year marks Lexus and Toyota‘s 11th year as the presenting sponsors. The ceremony will be held at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, CA.

“More than a decade ago, Toyota and Lexus joined forces with the Environmental Media Association to help communicate the benefits of hybrid technology. It’s inspiring to see how EMA links the power of celebrity and the influence of entertainment to environmental awareness,” said Dian Ogilvie, senior vice president and secretary of Toyota Motor North America. “We congratulate the nominees and special honorees, and we thank you for continuing to convey environmental messages and actions in creative and influential ways.”

The Environmental Media Association doesn’t just recognize sustainable productions throughout the entertainment industry, but keeps productions environmentally responsible as well. Some of things the EMA does to green up the event include; using dinnerware that is compostable, use of local, seasonal, organic food and the event is completely water bottle free. The 21st Annual Environmental Media Awards, honoring film and television personalities, productions, musicians and musical tours that convey environmental messages in the most creative and influential ways, will be our most eco-friendly show to date. You can watch the Environmental Media Awards Saturday, October 15 6pm PT LIVE at www.Facebook.com/EMAOnline.

Justin Timberlake’s eco friendly gulf course

IN TIME

Solar Energy Revolution Star Trek and The Wizard of Oz

Posted on October 13, 2011 by quest

Remember that Orwellian scene? A new female prototype…running from convention, past the drones of conformity on the sideline…and than tossing the hammer of change – shattering what appeared to be an invincible bigger than life, fire breathing and all knowing figure to bits. And with that the personal computer movement was off and running. Steve Jobs and the talented people within the service of that enterprise captured something that drew us and continues to draw us closer. Empowering us with technology that was once only available to the few…but is now available to the many. Like Star Trek, Apple projects a world where the question remains: Do the needs of the few out way the needs of the many? And look at the new IPhone. What’s next…Beam me up Scotty?

Technological advancements always seem to outpace human ability to adapt to change. The solar, renewable energy and green movement is set to usher in incredible developments in the economy, people and the environment. It is not without some irony that we find ourselves as a nation struggling with outdated political philosophies and business practices that simply are not as effective as they once were. The impact of the Occupy Wall Street and XL Pipeline protests are spelling out many of the broad political, business and environmental issues that America needs to address. Is it not apparent that solar and renewable energy is a solution?

Apple 1984 Ad

The legacy of Steve Jobs and the times we’re in now offer great possibilities. In simple terms look what they did, and continue to do they do extremely well. Apple constantly innovates, redesigns and reduces the size of its devices; while improving efficiency. Who knows one day the size of a rooftop solar panel system could be the size of IPhone or laptop. Could a solar energy system be portable enough to power your car?

One of Apple’s successful ad campaigns pronounced….“Think Different.” Yet in practice it appears Apple actually just doesn’t think different…they do different. Now as a new chapter in the life of America unfolds; we can all come to some understanding that in order to change the world, we must first change ourselves. By Richard Andrews

Electric Vehicle Home Solar Charging On The Move

Hawaii Going Solar With SunPower Solar Farm

Posted on October 13, 2011 by quest

The Hawaii Public Utilities Commission has approved a contract for SunPower to sell energy to Hawaiian Electric Company from a 5-megawatt solar photovoltaic farm planned for Kalaeloa in West Oahu. SunPower Corp. will design, build and operate the facility. Subject to receipt of applicable permits, SunPower plans to begin construction this year and complete the solar farm within five months. It will be located on land leased from the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands at Roosevelt Avenue and Boxer Road. “We welcome this approval of our continuing effort to add as much renewable energy as possible to our island grid,” said Robbie Alm, Hawaiian Electric executive vice president. “Hawaii is a national leader in adding solar watts per person to our grids and this project will help reduce our use of imported oil and increase our solar leadership.”

The SunPower agreement represents the first utility-scale solar project on Oahu approved by the PUC. The contract is the outcome of Hawaiian Electric’s request for proposals for renewable energy projects for Oahu issued under the PUC’s competitive bidding framework in 2008. “With SunPower’s high-efficiency technology, Hawaiian Electric will benefit from reliable, cost-effective, guaranteed performance,” said Jim Pape, president of SunPower’s residential and commercial business group. “The solar farm will contribute clean, renewable solar power to Oahu while generating revenue for the important work of the Hawaiian Homelands department on behalf of native Hawaiians.”

SunPower will install high-efficiency SunPower solar panels on a SunPower T0 Tracker system which moves the solar panels to follow the sun during the day. According to SunPower this increases sunlight capture by up to 25 percent over fixed-tilt systems, while significantly reducing land requirements. Based on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates, the solar farm will produce enough renewable power to avoid almost 11,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year, equivalent to removing 37,600 cars from Hawaii’s roads over the 20-year term of the power purchase agreement.

Bill McKibben - Keystone Pipeline & Occupy Wall Street

Solar Energy Has Massive Potential In The Himalayas

Posted on October 12, 2011 by quest

Mention prime geography for generation of solar energy, and people tend to think of hot deserts. But a new study concludes that some of the world’s coldest landscapes — including the Himalaya Mountains, the Andes, and even Antarctica – could become Saudi Arabias of solar. The research appears in the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology.

Kotaro Kawajiri and colleagues explain that the potential for generating electricity with renewable solar energy depends heavily on geographic location. Arid and semi-arid areas with plenty of sunshine long have been recognized as good solar sites. However, the scientists point out that, as a result of the limited data available for critical weather-related conditions on a global scale, gaps still exist in knowledge about the best geographical locations for producing solar energy. To expand that knowledge, they used one established technique to estimate global solar energy potential using the data that are available. The technique takes into account the effects of temperature on the output of solar cells. Future work will consider other variables, such as transmission losses and snow fall.

The Himalaya

As expected, they found that many hot regions such as the U.S. desert southwest are ideal locations for solar arrays. However, they also found that many cold regions at high elevations receive a lot of sunlight — so much so that their potential for producing power from the sun is even higher than in some desert areas. Kawajiri and colleagues found, for instance, that the Himalayas, which include Mt. Everest, could be an ideal locale for solar fields that generate electricity for the fast-expanding economy of the People’s Republic of China.