New Yorkers In Times Square Billboard Talk Solar Jobs

Posted on June 19, 2011 by quest

Times Square is about to get a little bit sunnier: starting today, a digital billboard will feature photographs of real New Yorkers calling for state lawmakers to make the Empire State a solar energy powerhouse by passing the New York Solar Jobs Act of 2011 (S.4178/A.5713). Legislators have until the session ends on June 20 to pass the bill and bring the many economic and environmental benefits of a strong solar industry to New York.“There’s no better place to show New York lawmakers, and the world, that solar is ready for primetime than iconic Times Square,” said Shaun Chapman, Director of East Coast Campaigns for Vote Solar. “We have the power to create tens of thousands of jobs in New York, boost the state’s economy with billions in increased wages and revenue, and help clean up its air – all with solar energy,” said Pierre Bull, Energy Policy Analyst at the Natural Resources Defense Council. “New Yorkers want the jobs, economic, and health benefits that solar power can deliver. With New Jersey currently number two nationwide in solar energy, there’s no reason the Empire State can’t give them a run for their money. ”

The featured New Yorkers are winners of the Empire State Solar Generation Photo Contest. The contest was led by Vote Solar and the Natural Resources Defense Council with participation from a coalition of grassroots organizations to demonstrate public support for the New York Solar Jobs Act. The groups used social media and other online outreach tools to encourage New Yorkers to submit photos showing their support for solar energy in the state. The contest drew entries from across the state, from Long Island to Lake George. Pictures featured solar businesses, customers and fans posing in front of panels, holding signs and finding other ways to illustrate New York’s solar potential. In addition to the photos, the broader grassroots campaign elicited more than 10,000 emails and 31,500 letters to lawmakers in support of the New York Solar Jobs Act.

The New York Solar Jobs Act would build a robust, competitive new solar energy marketplace in New York by requiring the state’s electricity providers to obtain an increasing portion of their electricity from solar power until they achieve 3% in 2025. The bi-partisan legislation is sponsored by Assemblymember Steven Englebright (D-Setauket) and Senator George Maziarz (R-C, Newfane). In addition to other benefits the bill would develop 5,000 MW of solar photovoltaics in New York by 2025, which would provide enough safe, reliable renewable electricity to power 500,000 average households.

Chile: Activists rally against Patagonia dam plans

Brown Praises Job Creation At World’s Largest Solar Project

Posted on June 17, 2011 by quest

California Governor Jerry Brown, Jr. today joined Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and other federal, state and local officials at a groundbreaking ceremony for the Blythe Solar Power Project, a plan to build the largest solar energy facility in the world. The project will bring thousands of construction jobs to Riverside County and help California obtain 33 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020. “It makes sense to power California with renewable wind and solar energy that protects clean air and water and promotes energy independence,” Governor Brown said. “Renewable energy projects also stimulate business investment in California and create thousands of new jobs.”

Brown also visited six other solar and wind energy projects—just 5% of the state’s 270 total renewable energy projects—including: First Solar’s Desert Sunlight, Solar Millenium’s Palen Solar Power Project, NextEra’s Genesis facility, Solar Reserve’s Rice Airfield Project, Abengoa’s Mojave Solar Project, and Terragen’s Alta-Oak Creek wind power project. The projects Brown visited today are estimated to create 5,390 new construction jobs and 400 permanent jobs in California. Upon completion, these power plants will generate 3,470 megawatts of energy, or 6 percent of California’s peak energy requirement, which is enough energy to power more than 1.4 million single-family homes.

In 2010, the Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technologies surveyed 12 solar, wind, and geothermal projects and found an average of 4,258 jobs would be created per month during construction. Skilled and non-skilled trades needed to work on these projects include steel and ironworkers, teamsters, plumbers and pipefitters, cement masons, electricians, operating engineers, and managers and general laborers. These projects would also bring nearly 1,000 long-term operations and maintenance jobs to California. Source: Imperial Valley News

33% of Electricity Must Come from Renewables by 2020

Why Water Conservation Is Important

US To Become The World’s Largest Solar Market

Posted on June 17, 2011 by quest

The U.S. solar energy industry continued to be one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy in Q1 2011 according to the U.S. Solar Market InsightTM: Q1 2011 released today by the Solar Energy Industries Association and GTM Research. In total, cumulative grid-connected solar electric installations have reached more than 2.85 gigawatts (GW), enough to power nearly 600,000 U.S. homes. In the first quarter of 2011, the United States installed 252 megawatts (MW) of grid-connected photovoltaics (PV) or 66 percent year-over-year growth over Q1 2010 installations. Two major factors drove this growth: falling solar energy equipment costs and a rush to take advantage of the Section 1603 Treasury program that was expected to expire in 2010 (the program was eventually extended through the end of 2011). All three PV market sectors (residential, commercial and utility) continued to grow, with commercial installations showing the strongest gains.

“On the whole, the U.S. is currently the PV industry’s most attractive and stable growth market,” said Shayle Kann, Managing Director of Solar at GTM Research. “This is reflected in our report’s quarterly market data and in the comments from global suppliers, distributors, and developers, all of whom see the U.S. positioned to nearly double its global market share in 2011 and support a greater diversity of installation types than has been previously seen in any leading demand center.” Geographically, the market was concentrated in a few key states. In Q1 2010, the top seven states comprised 82 percent of total installations, but that figure grew to 88 percent in Q1 2011, implying that established, leading markets gained an even larger share. The pace of installations grew more than 50 percent in 11 of the 21 states analyzed in the report.

Price declines were also an important factor in the Q1 2011 solar expansion, as technology costs fell and the industry matured further, capitalizing on greater economies of scale and streamlined project development and installation. Domestic PV module production in Q1 2011 amounted to 348 MW, a 31 percent increase over Q1 2010. “With analysts predicting the U.S. to become the world’s largest solar market within the next few years, manufacturers are increasingly looking to the U.S. to site their facilities,” said Tom Kimbis, SEIA Vice-President of Strategy and External Affairs. “They are finding significant value in manufacturing close to their expected source of demand. This strong demand continues to make solar one of the fastest growing industries in the United States and a source of thousands of good jobs from manufacturing and installation to engineering and sales.”

GO ORGANIC

A New Day For Solar City And Google

Posted on June 14, 2011 by quest

SolarCity and Google , today announced the creation of a new $280 million fund to finance residential solar projects. The Google-backed fund is the first collaboration between the Internet giant and the nation’s leading solar power and energy efficiency service provider, and represents Google’s largest investment to date in the clean energy sector. The fund is SolarCity’s largest project financing fund and the largest residential solar fund created in the U.S. SolarCity has now created 15 project funds with seven different partners to finance $1.28 billion in solar projects. Google has now invested more than $680 million in a wide range of clean energy technologies. This marks Google’s first investment in residential solar.

The SolarCity/Google fund will extend solar lease (SolarLease) and power purchase agreement (SolarPPA) options to customers who desire to have solar panels installed on their homes, but do not wish to make the larger upfront investment to purchase the systems. SolarCity serves Arizona, California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Texas, and has more than 15,000 solar projects completed or underway. More than 12,000 of those customers have chosen SolarCity’s financing options, while 3,000 have purchased their systems.

“Google has made a series of investments in renewable energy because they make business sense and help deploy a range of solutions that can help move us toward a clean energy future,” said Rick Needham, Director of Green Business Operations at Google. “Now, through this partnership with SolarCity, we’re excited to be making our first investment in distributed residential solar, making it easier and more affordable for consumers across the country, including our own employees, to use renewable energy at their own homes.”

Top 10 Solar Trends for 2011

Nepal Schools Say Namaste To Solar Energy

Posted on June 13, 2011 by quest

by Jasmine Greene EarthTechling: Tilak Pun and co-worker Clif Swigget of Knowledge Mosaic have created a plan called the “Solar Energy for Shikha Schools.” This plan seeks to bring technology to a remote part of the world by providing consistent energy via renewable means.

Pun himself graduated from the Shikha higher secondary school and knows first-hand the energy issues over 350 schools are having. Power outages in these schools are a frequent occurrence and often last for days, severely limiting options and opportunities to study. Shikha’s solar panels will help at least power the numerous donated computers in these schools to allow access to the Internet and communication. Pun tested a small prototype of the panels out in Seattle and was able to successfully grill shrimp on a small Nepalese grill to ensure compatibility with the Nepalese current.

Pun, along with Swigget and his two sons, plan to travel to Nepal in August and install the solar panels. The installation of these panels will lead the four along the Annapuna circuit, reaching elevations of 17,000 feet and taking around two days while the men carry ten solar panels and ten batteries, altogether weighing 1,400 pounds. Besides getting support from Knowledge Mosaic, the project is receiving help from the Nepal’s Secretary of Ministry of Education and the Namaste Children’s Fund. Knowledge Mosaic will track its employees’ progress in Nepal via their blog. Pun’s efforts are not only to provide clean and reliable energy, but, as he stated, are also to “giv[e] these children access to the wealth of knowledge and educational resources available on the internet [that] will enable them to dream big and realize new possibilities.”

SOLAR DICTIONARY

Solar Satellites Key To Green Energy

Posted on June 13, 2011 by quest

With gas prices on the rise, the race is on for cheap alternative fuel sources, including solar power, but amid a wash of criticism, the solar industry may not even be in the running. The major criticisms against solarpower facilities, such as wind farms, are unreliability and inefficiency. Solar power depends on environmental factors beyond human control and that makes investors anxious. These facilities also require areas with high amounts of sunlight, usually hundreds if not thousands of acres of valuable farmland and all for relatively little power production.

This is why, in the 1960s, scientists proposed solar-powered satellites (SPSs). SPSs have about the most favourable conditions imaginable for solar energy production, short of a platform on the sun. Earth’s orbit sees 144 per cent of the maximum solar energy found on the planet’s surface and takes up next to no space in comparison to land-based facilities. Satellites would be able to gather energy 24 hours a day, rather than the tenuous 12-hour maximum that land-based plants have, and direct the transmitted energy to different locations, depending on where power was needed most.

So, with so many points in its favour, why hasn’t anyone built one yet? Obviously, putting anything into outer space takes a lot of money. Many governments claim there simply isn’t any money in the budget for launching satellites into space, but in 2010, amid an economic crisis, the United States managed to find $426 million for nuclear fusion research and $18.7 billion for NASA, a five-per-cent increase from 2009. The most recent projections, made in the 1980s, put the cost of launching an SPS at $5 billion, or around 8-10 cents/ kWh. Nuclear power plants cost a minimum of $3 billion to $6 billion, not including cost overruns, which can make a plant cost as much as

LADY GAGA GOING GREEN ?

LADY GAGA

Lady Gaga steals the limelight at the Council of Fashion Designers of America Awards in New York, in a bright green wig and huge platform boots. The pop star was there to accept the prize for style icon of the year.