Ohio SolarVision Taking Solar Mainstream

Posted on August 15, 2011 by quest

Just two years after SolarVision solar arrays began harnessing the sun’s power in Ohio, the company finds itself at the cusp of revolutionizing the way Ohioans—and Americans view and use renewable energy on a daily basis. What began with a couple hundred solar panels on the roof of an elementary school is quickly becoming a collection of tens of thousands of solar panels totaling more than 20 megawatts of power. With $70 million in projects under contract and an additional $15 million pending, SolarVision has experienced astounding growth since its inception. “We’re on the verge of taking this energy model to scale, where electricity made from the sun will be considered mainstream,” Kuss said. “And with the rate SolarVision is progressing now, we plan to be a big part of making than happen.”

“We have been amazed at the amount of demand for solar power we have encountered in the last two years,” said SolarVision president Greg Kuss. “Government and business leaders are realizing that not only is solar power infinitely cleaner and better for the environment than traditional power generation processes, but with today’s technology it can also be more cost-effective.”This summer SolarVision broke ground on its biggest project yet—the first phase of what will become a 5 megawatt solar array in Celina, OH, encompassing more than 12,000 solar panels on city-owned land. According to Celina planning and community development director Kent Bryan, PE, partnering with SolarVision “is an economic and environmental win-win” for cities seeking to make a positive impact in their communities.
“What attracts municipalities and private industry to SolarVision is the fact that they can enjoy all the benefits of solar-generated electricity—clean power at competitive prices—without having to own or maintain the solar equipment,” added Mike Dickman, SolarVision vice president over construction operations and sales. SolarVision™ has partnered with municipalities and other institutions to build solar power systems in Washington Court House, Worthington, Newcomerstown, Athens, OH, with projects in the works in several other locations.

Intersolar Innovators Shaping Solar Industry

Solar Stage and Eco Village At Philly Folk Festival

Posted on August 12, 2011 by quest

Local artists The Great Unknown, Hoots and Hellmouth, Dr. Dog, Birdie Busch, and the Spinning Leaves are helping raise awareness and funding for new green programs at the Philadelphia Folk Festival. Todd Henkin from The Great Unknown posited, “This year, the Festival will be introducing a compost program, bringing in local foods, hosting the Sustainability Living Roadshow in its first East Coast tour, and presenting a host of eco-programs!” A solar stage and eco-village will be headquartered just inside the main gate of the Festival. We are overwhelmed with the participation from the local community of musicians, organizations and activists at this year’s Folk Festival from August 18th to the 21st,” says Levi Landis, Executive Director of the Philadelphia Folksong Society, the nonprofit organization that presents the seminal event. “The local involvement comes in the form of a regional performer focus on Friday of the festival, a sustainability initiative led by the biggest area artists, and advanced participation by Black Walnut Winery and Yards Brewing Company,” Landis added.

Friday at the Folk Festival will be a truly special Philadelphia-focused celebration. For the 50th commemoration, Yards Brewing Company has brewed its first ever lager—the Folk Fest Lager—and joins new event partners Black Walnut Winery to host a special VIP meet and greet with Friday headliner performers. “As a local Pennsylvania winery, we were thrilled to be invited to join The Philadelphia Folk Festival for their 50th anniversary,” beamed Black Walnut winemaker Lance Castle. “It will be a great experience to share our wines, which we make using locally-grown grapes, with such an incredible local tradition like the Folk Festival.” Tickets are on sale for the VIP event, which is $125 and will feature these local crafted beverages along with farm fresh foods to taste while patrons meet and greet with Roy Book Binder, Tempest, US Rails, Birdie Busch, Hoots and Hellmouth, and Alexis P. Suter!

Friday will also feature winners of the Unsung Heroes campground band competition, the Philadelphia Jug Band and HogMaw. They beat out over 5 dozen artists to present the Folk Festival campground experience on the Martin Main Stage. Returning this year, XPN’s Helen Leicht will be hosting the Philly Local showcase on Saturday afternoon with Suzie Brown and Jim Boggia. The Philadelphia Music Co-op is a Folksong Society sponsored program to develop local artists. The co-op brings Suzie Brown, as well as a showcase of co-op artists Wes Mattheau and the New Way Down, The Berrys, Brad Hinton, and Burning Bridget Cleary on the Lobby Stage Friday afternoon. Co-op artist James McCarthy will bring special kids programs and performances throughout the weekend. An All Festival ticket is just $124

Transform The White House

Nanotechnology Innovations Develop Solar Paint

Posted on August 11, 2011 by quest

It’s been said that big things come in small packages. But according to experts at IEEE, the world’s largest professional technical association, some of the technology innovations and devices that could make the biggest impact in our world are so small millions of them could fit on the head of a pin. These game-changing advancements in nanotechnology, or the “science of small things,” are transforming the way researchers are approaching how to solve some of our world’s greatest challenges. How about solar cells embedded in paint to turn your house into one big solar panel? Or “quantum dots” that attack cancer, cell by cell, while leaving healthy tissue untouched? Or batteries for mobile phones that charge in seconds instead of hours?

Nanotechnology is the area of engineering that involves working with materials or developing devices that are smaller than 100 nanometers in at least one dimension. That’s about 1,000 times narrower than the width of the average human hair. While most electronic technologies today already use nanotechnology, many of these new applications take it to an extreme. Working at the atomic and molecular levels, also known as the quantum realm, the very mechanical, thermal, and catalytic properties of materials can change. “The challenge to making all these nanotechnology applications mainstream comes down to how we affordably and efficiently get them in the hands of people for practical use,” said Jo-Won Lee, IEEE Member and chair professor at the Department of Convergence Nanoscience, Hanyang University in Seoul, South Korea. Traditional manufacturing doesn’t usually work at the nano-level, but there is a better way being developed, he said. It’s called self-assembly, which essentially means the nanodevices build themselves, much like molecules form in nature to create larger systems.

One of the highlights of the council’s efforts this year is the 11th annual IEEE NANO 2011 Conference, 15-19 August, 2011, in Portland, Ore. International scientists and practitioners representing more than 20 IEEE societies will meet to collaborate on new areas of nanotechnology study, as well as see nanotechnologies at work in both their own and related fields.

Solar Energy Training in Portland

SunPower and Ford Offer ‘Drive Green for Life’

Posted on August 10, 2011 by quest

Ford and SunPower have teamed up to offer customers a rooftop solar system that will allow Focus Electric owners to “Drive Green for Life” by providing customers with enough clean, renewable energy to offset the electricity used to charge the vehicle. “SunPower‘s innovative partnership with Ford is a win-win for customers, providing a comprehensive sustainability program,” said Tom Werner, SunPower president and CEO. “By taking advantage of this program, Focus Electric customers can receive the added benefit of installing a SunPower solar system, the highest-efficiency, most reliable on the market today, generating the electricity needed to charge their vehicles.” The 2.5 kilowatt rooftop solar system is comprised of the SunPower E18 Series solar panels that produce an average of 3,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually. These high-efficiency solar panels generate approximately 50 percent more electricity than conventional panels and utilize a smaller footprint on the roof. The system was sized to accommodate a customer who drives about 1,000 miles per month.

“Under the ‘Drive Green for Life’ program, Focus Electric owners can reduce their total cost of ownership by generating enough energy from their high efficiency SunPower rooftop solar system to offset the electricity required to charge the vehicle at night,” said Mike Tinskey, Ford director of Global Vehicle Electrification and Infrastructure. “It’s an eco-friendly solution that perfectly complements our plug-in products and other green initiatives.”

The complete SunPower solar system is offered at a base price of less than $10,000, after federal tax credits. Local and state rebates, along with other incentives, may drive the system cost down even more, depending on a customer’s location. Included in the purchase is a residential monitoring system, which includes the ability to track the performance of their solar system on the web or through an iPhone application. Affordable financing options for the solar system are available through SunPower. By partnering with SunPower, Ford now offers Focus Electric owners two complementary charging solutions to make the overall experience of owning an electric vehicle easier. In January, Ford announced an agreement with consumer electronics leader Best Buy to offer a 240-volt home charging station for the Focus Electric and future electric vehicle owners.

Rainwater A Source of Residential Drinking Water

Play To See How Much Money Solar Panels Can Save

Posted on August 9, 2011 by quest

SANYO North America Corporation has launched a first-of-its kind promotion to help make homeowners and business owners become aware of the savings they can realize by installing solar panels. The promotion will run with SANYO HIT Solar Social media site Twitter @HIT_Solar. Fans go to: http://bit.ly/nq9OHB to follow @HIT_Solar on Twitter and receive instructions on how to win. The promotion offers fans the chance to win prizes by going to the SANYO Website ‘Energy Savings Calculator’ and inputting the information to calculate an average savings on their electric bill by installing solar panels. We then ask them to shout out their savings with a tweet that must include the words @HIT_Solar and #solar in the tweet. HIT stands for Heterojunction with Intrinsic Thin-layer. HIT solar cells employ a proprietary technology developed by SANYO whereby hybrid solar cells composed of single crystalline silicon wafers are surrounded by ultra-thin amorphous silicon layers. The unique structure minimizes defects within the p/n junction of the cell, producing highly efficient cells capable of achieving up to 17.4% module efficiency while producing more power even at higher temperatures.

The Grand Prize is an eneloop Mobile Booster. The Mobile Booster provides portable power to any gadget with USB. This includes cell phones, iPods, iPads, MP3 players and more. The Second Prize is an eneloop Starter Pack. The starter pack includes different size eneloop rechargeable batteries and spacers that convert the batteries into larger sizes. Ten runner-ups will receive a 4-pack of AA-size batteries and a charger. “It’s difficult for people to realize how much they can save by installing solar panels unless they do the calculation, which is why we want people to use our Solar Calculator,” noted Charles Hanasaki, President of the Solar & Smart Energy Division. “This graphic representation includes monthly and yearly savings as well as environmental benefits,” he added.

From now to August 17, followers who tweet their energy savings will be entered for the chance to win the prizes. For complete details, visit http://bit.ly/nq9OHB for the promotion, which includes a sample qualifying tweet. There is no purchase necessary to enter.

Solar Energy Myths

Solar Energy Flare Ups in Santa Rosa California

Posted on August 7, 2011 by quest

Santa Rosa is one of 25 cities in the nation recognized for its strong support of the solar energy industry. Plentiful sunshine, environmentally conscious residents and innovative public financing options have contributed to the city outshining others when it comes to installation of photovoltaic systems. But that success is being threatened, some in the solar industry say, by burdensome fire regulations that reduce the size of many residential solar systems, increase their cost and in some cases may be unnecessary. Since January, the Santa Rosa Fire Department has been requiring that solar panels on homes be set back 3 feet from the eaves and ridgelines of roofs to give firefighters safe pathways during a fire. These and other rules regarding solar installations, which have been recommended by the California Fire Marshal’s Office since 2008, were adopted by Santa Rosa and many other cities as part of their fire codes last year.

But solar installers say Santa Rosa stands out from other jurisdictions for its rigid implementation of the rules and an infuriating permit process.“They have created a whole different layer of bureaucracy that nowhere else has,” said Jeff Mathias, co-owner of Synergy Solar & Electrical Systems of Sebastopol. Since the Fire Department began enforcing the new rules in January, solar installations now require separate plan reviews and field inspections by fire inspectors. Those are in addition to plan reviews and site inspections conducted by city building officials. The extra layer of review strikes Mathias as a “completely and totally unneeded redundancy” that adds time, costs and complexity to jobs in Santa Rosa. “System sales in the city are down, systems we are installing are smaller and the installations are costing more,” Mathias said. “Nobody is a winner here.”

The Solar Generation

Santa Rosa fire officials say the roof setbacks are critical for firefighter safety and are being enforced fairly and consistently, and that projects that comply with the code receive speedy review at a reasonable cost. “While people may not like the rules, we’ve been fair and consistent in our enforcement of them,” said Mark Pedroia, senior fire inspector responsible for most solar-plan reviews. Fire officials say the new fee of $270 for each residential installation should generate about $60,000 annually at the current rate. The fees are designed to recover the cost of administering the program, although the work is being handled by existing staff in the city fire marshal’s