South Pacific Resort An Eco Innovator

Posted on February 21, 2012 by quest

Paul Gauguin Cruises operator of the highest-rated and longest continually sailing luxury cruise ship in the South Pacific, the m/s Paul Gauguin, has announced the completion of a $7 million renovation. The renovation took place during the ship’s 10-night crossing from Tahiti to Brisbane, Australia, as well as during the 11-night drydock that followed, when extensive enhancements were made to both the interiors and exteriors of The Gauguin. Renovations throughout the ship include new flooring and replaced carpeting, elegant new furniture, new window treatments and decorative wall panels, and new signage, providing a lighter, brighter feel. Additionally, all suites and staterooms feature new teak railings on the balconies and new bathroom flooring

On the culinary front, La Veranda offers guests a redesigned entrance, refinished indoor and outdoor furniture, and solar shades throughout. Le Grill boasts new decorative partitions and divider walls, as well as a new buffet area and new lighting. L’Etoile also features a redesigned entrance in addition to video equipment for conferences. Promenade Deck 5 boasts a new built-in banquette and expanded casino in Le Casino, and Deck 6 received a new integrated display case for books and art. La Palette features a decorative stone band along the front of the bar and an updated lighting system, as well as new outdoor furniture. Le Grand Salon and La Palette offer refurbished dance floors to provide the perfect venue to dance the night away.

Paul Gauguin Cruises is owned by Pacific Beachcomber S.C., the leader in French Polynesia luxury destination resort who has over 25 years of experience in the French Polynesian tourism market, Pacific Beachcomber is the country’s largest luxury hotel and cruise operator in the region. Pacific Beachcomber is also currently developing a luxury eco-resort, The Brando, located on the actor’s private island and slated to open in 2012. Pacific Beachcomber operates five award winning hotels which are all sustainable and Green Green Globe - EARTHCHECK Certified, including the InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa is pioneer in use of sea and water air-conditioning (SWAC) technology.

PV WEST HEADING TO SAN JOSE

Intersolar Europe Brings More Solar Power Than Ever

Posted on February 15, 2012 by quest

2011 was a record year both for Intersolar Europe and the international solar industry, with the expansion of newly-installed photovoltaic capacity reaching a new high. With 18 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) of solar power generated during the year, 2011 saw photovoltaics conquer a larger share of the German energy production market than hydropower for the first time. The increasing market share occupied by solar power highlights the opportunities that could be enjoyed by the technology in future energy supply. In order to exploit these opportunities effectively, the solar industry is working at full steam to create new solutions, such as grid integration and energy storage systems. The PV Energy World Special Exhibit at Intersolar Europe 2012 presents the latest developments in technology and reveals both the measures and the political conditions that are necessary to achieve the highest possible quotas of solar power generation.

In 2011, solar plants with a total capacity of at least 26.5 gigawatts (GW) were installed across the globe. In Germany alone, around 7.5 GW of new photovoltaic capacity was added, exceeding even the previous record year of 2010. According to estimates from BSW-Solar (German Solar Industry Association) in Berlin, solar power production will see a further 70% rise in the next four years alone. In order to take full advantage of this capacity in future, the industry needs to address grid stability, intelligent solutions for on-site consumption and efficient, economical storage as a matter of priority.

Intersolar Europe 2012 will take place from June 13–15 at the New Munich Trade Fair Centre.With over 3,500 exhibitors and 120,000+ visitors spanning three continents, Intersolar is the world’s leading exhibition series for the solar industry. Intersolar Europe takes place annually at the New Munich Trade Fair Centre. Today, it is the world’s largest exhibition for the solar industry, and looks back on a history spanning twenty years.

Massachusetts Man Uses Funds to Rebuild and Go Solar

Obama Calls For Extending US Solar Programs

Posted on February 14, 2012 by quest

President Obama’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 budget, released today, provides for an extension of the Section 1603 Treasury Program. Extension of this worthwhile program will allow taxpayers to reap the significant economic and energy policy benefits associated with the expanded deployment and use of solar energy. “America’s solar industry appreciates President Obama’s support for extending the 1603 Treasury Program,” said Rhone Resch, President and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). “The 1603 program has helped leverage over $24 billion in private sector investment in for a wide range of clean energy projects, and extending the 1603 program will create an additional 37,000 jobs in the American solar industry in this year alone.”

The 2008 economic crisis and the economy’s subsequent downturn drastically reduced the availability of tax equity, severely limiting the financing available for renewable energy projects. The Section 1603 Treasury Program, which was enacted in 2009 and extended in 2010, allows taxpayers to receive a federal grant in lieu of taking an existing energy tax incentive they are otherwise able to claim. This change to the timing of when an energy incentive can be claimed provides the liquidity needed for the further development of domestic energy projects. As the tax equity markets have not yet recovered, there remains a compelling need for the 1603 program.

Added Resch, “The lapse of the 1603 Program at the end of last year has had a detrimental impact. Small businesses and entrepreneurs who typically use this program and who would otherwise be hiring workers and starting new solar projects have been left in limbo. At a time when the nation’s economy is on the verge of recovery, now is not the time to walk away from smart, proven policies like the 1603 Program that create jobs and support small business growth.”

SF Green Festival Is Lights! Camera! Action Steps!

Posted on February 1, 2012 by quest

Back for round two, The San Francisco Green Film Festival announced today their film program and special events line up for the Festival’s 2nd annual film fest, taking place March 1-7, 2012. SFGFF is the Bay Area’s only festival dedicated to films and new forms of media that explore green issues and sustainable living. This year’s films include local premieres of 40 films from around the globe, with 50 visiting filmmakers and guest speakers. The festival will also feature special events, parties, panels and educational programs, inviting festival attendees to get involved and take action with environmental causes important to them. This year’s festival will take place at the San Francisco Film Society Cinema, with additional events at the Superfrog Gallery, both located at 1746 Post St. “We are thrilled to be bringing some of the world’s most innovative and inspiring films about green issues and sustainable living back to the Bay Area for the 2nd Annual San Francisco Green Film Festival,” says Rachel Caplan, the Festival’s Founder and Director. “With thousands of attendees at our inaugural festival last year, we are excited to be able to have the opportunity to bring an even more provocative and compelling line up of programming, panels and parties to an even wider audience this year.”

It was President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives who electrified attendees at the United Nations climate Conference in Copenhagen. The Maldives President also a proponent of solar energy, is being featured in The Festival’s Opening Night Film Premiere of “The Island President.” It was the winner of the Audience Award at the 2011 Toronto Film Festival. Local filmmaker Jon Shenk’s latest critically acclaimed film is about President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives as he confronts a problem greater than any other world leader has faced – the literal survival of his country and everyone in it. Due to rising sea levels, his country could end up under water. The film follows the president’s journey as he fights to get the voice of his small nation heard within the global climate change debate. The film features fourteen songs by Radiohead as well songs from indie band Stars Of The Lid. Samuel Goldwyn Films will release the film theatrically in San Francisco at Landmark Theatres on April 6th. The film will be followed up with the opening night party featuring local organic food and drinks.

Each SFGFF screening includes compelling post-film programs where audiences engage in discussions with filmmakers and activists and meet sponsors and partners. This year SFGFF is launching “Lights! Camera! Action Steps!” linking festival attendees with leaders in local environmental causes to get involved. The program will provide attendees with take-away action steps, web resources, a video story booth at the venue, and group activities that promote tangible ways to stay involved in the issues of environmental justice presented in the festival’s films.The Closing Night film is a sneak preview of Emily James’s energetic “Just Do It: A Tale of Modern-Day Outlaws” which takes a fresh and animated look at illegal activism and civil disobedience through engaging characters fighting capitalism and trying to raise awareness about the environment…a nod for sure to the ongoing Occupy movement activities taking place throughout the world today. Closing night party will follow the film. The Closing Night film is a sneak preview of Emily James’s energetic “Just Do It: A Tale of Modern-Day Outlaws” which takes a fresh and animated look at illegal activism and civil disobedience through engaging characters fighting capitalism and trying to raise awareness about the environment…a nod for sure to the ongoing Occupy movement activities taking place throughout the world today. Closing night party will follow the film.

Energy is a Human Right Says Solar Electric

Santa Clara Students Ready For 2013 Solar Decathlon

Posted on January 30, 2012 by quest

The U.S. Department of Energy announced Thursday that Santa Clara University will compete in the 2013 Solar Decathlon, joining 19 other teams of universities and colleges from around the world. Santa Clara’s undergraduate engineering students will go up against some tough schools, such as Stanford, University of Southern California, and California Institute of Technology. They will also face mostly graduate students, many of whom with professional experience. SCU students, who are 19 to 22 years old, aren’t intimidated, though. Santa Clara University hopes the third time will be the charm in one of the world’s most prestigious competitions that determines the best designer and builder of a net-zero energy house.

“We’ve been putting in countless hours studying, researching, and developing our concept,” says Jake Gallau ’13, student project manager for Santa Clara University’s Solar Decathlon team. “We’re confident in our design and the technology we plan to use, and we’re hoping to shock the competition in 2013, just as our alumni have done in previous years.”Gallau is referring to SCU’s 2007 team, which surprised its opponents when it won third place after a late start in the competition. The university also won third place in 2009, after finishing in the top three in seven of the ten contests of the decathlon. Judges score each team in architecture, market appeal, engineering, communications, affordability, comfort zone, hot water, appliances, home entertainment, and energy balance. The team with the highest overall score wins, but as faculty project manager and Mechanical Engineering Associate Professor Tim Hight points out, winning the Solar Decathlon isn’t the most important goal for Santa Clara University.

To assist Santa Clara University with the architectural design of the home, the students will work with University of San Francisco’s undergraduate architecture program.The students will finalize their plans and begin fundraising for the remainder of the academic year. Then, they will begin more detailed design and analysis this summer. Construction of the house will begin in the spring of 2013. Once the home is finished in the fall, the students will dismantle it, and truck it to Orange County Great Park in Irvine, Calif., where the students will have to rebuild it, operate it, and prove that it’s a functional, energy-efficient, affordable home.Since 2002, the Solar Decathlon has been held on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. For the 2013 Solar Decathlon, though, the DOE sought a new venue to promote the outreach, education, and economic benefits of energy security, renewable energy, and energy efficiency.

Solar Flares Affecting Humans

Toxic Spill Threatens 3.2 Million Residents In China

Yingi Solar Meets New Sustainability Footprint

Posted on January 19, 2012 by quest

Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited one of the world’s leading vertically integrated photovoltaic product manufacturers, today announced that it has accomplished the carbon footprint lifecycle assessment of its multi-crystalline and mono-crystalline PV modules. The Assessment was conducted according to the international carbon footprint standard, a publicly available specification that provides a method for assessing the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions of various goods and services. The Assessment was controlled and verified by TUV Rheinland Group, a leading global services provider in the testing of PV modules and components. Yingli Green Energy is the first company in the global PV sector to obtain Product Carbon Footprint Verification from TUV Rheinland. According to the Assessment, the carbon dioxide emitted during the manufacturing phase is significantly less than that will be reduced during the 25-year usage phase.

Ralf Scheller, CEO of TUV Rheinland Greater China said “We are pleased to have supported Yingli for the pioneer project in the global PV industry. We are also impressed by Yingli’s strong commitments to corporate social responsibility, carbon emission reduction, environmental protection and sustainable development. With our expertise in carbon management and energy efficiency, TUV Rheinland looks forward to continuously working with Yingli to contribute to the global climate change issue.”

“As a leading renewable energy company, Yingli Green Energy has long been committed to sustainable development and corporate social responsibility,” said Mr. Jingfeng Xiong, Vice President of Yingli Green Energy. “We have gained a comprehensive understanding of the lifecycle emissions of our products, and remain dedicated to ensuring a low energy pay-back period for our modules. As a result, we plan to launch more carbon-neutral products in the future, optimize our energy management systems and keep improving energy efficiency within our manufacturing facilities. With today’s Verification from TUV Rheinland, we are able to further support our customers and end users who care about carbon footprint reduction.”