Monaco Acting On Green And Solar Ideals

Posted on April 24, 2011 by quest

The Principality of Monaco, with its idyllic Côte d’Azur location, has a rich sporting and cultural legacy – from the F1 Grand Prix and Tennis Masters to Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo and the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic and Opera companies – and, for more than 150 years, a deep commitment to protecting the environment. Long before ecological and environmental issues became world headlines and a cause célèbre, Monaco’s “Navigator Prince”, Albert I, sailed the globe’s oceans seeking ways to preserve them. More recently, Prince Rainier III ensured Monaco was at the forefront of environmental awareness and protection. During his 56-year reign, and alongside the Principality’s artistic and sporting evolution, Monaco became one of the most environmentally sensitive countries in Europe and one of the first nations to use reforestation to preserve its spectacular mountainous backdrop.

As part of environmental action, the Monte-Carlo SBM (Hotels) has set up an action plan aiming to encourage eco-friendly conduct and to meet international goals in environmental matters. This plan features 23 measures covering the following areas: information and awareness, energy and water consumption, waste management, reduction of greenhouse gas emission, use of recycled paper and eco-friendly products, and the reduction of the use of pesticides, herbicides and fungicides in green areas. The implementation of the plan in all SBM hotels and restaurants is subject to annual evaluations.

This month The Monaco Government Tourist Office is partnering with The Incentive Research Foundation (IRF) to donate solar car classroom kits that require assembly. It’s part of the The IRF’s 18th Annual Incentive Invitational April 27 to May 1, 2011 in Las Vegas. To show support for the local Las Vegas community, the solar car kits will support science projects in schools and educate the next generation about solar energy resources and going green with solar cars – Monaco Grand Prix style! The Pavilion will be open to all attendees from 12-3pm on Thursday and Friday at the Invitational registration location.

ENVIRONMENTAL INSIGHT

Solar Energy A Source For Brighter Earth Days

Posted on April 22, 2011 by quest

As we welcome the 41st Earth Day it is interesting to look around and take stock of where we are; as going green continues to go mainstream. It is almost impossible not to heed two events that are calling on all human beings around the world to bring about change to our environmental mentality.

The most recent has been the devastating Tsunami that hit Japan and that subsequently caused the explosion at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant. And of course the other was the catastrophic BP oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico. At this point you might expect that the blame for the events should lay at the feet of big oil and nuclear power companies, after all they build them. And yet the responsibility for allowing toxic energy producers to continue, lies with each of us. Much of the early debates about the environment have centered around the idea of saving the birds, trees and environment, as if humans aren’t a part of it. But what new believers of environmental change are conveying is that what we are talking about is saving the earth so humans can live here.

Solar and other renewable energy sources such as wind and biomass offer a far, far less destructive method for providing the energy we need, and do so in a way that provide air we can breathe; water we can drink and an earth that’s healthy enough to sustain life for all living creatures. In that regards California and other states and cities are implementing attractive and innovative incentive programs to encourage renewable investments. The hope is that this will lead to even healthier and brighter Earth Days in the future.

EXPLORE YOUR ENVIRONMENT

Solar Powered Plant To Make Boeing Dreamliners

Posted on April 22, 2011 by quest

Boeing and South Carolina Electric & Gas has announced an energy partnership that will enable Boeing South Carolina to operate as a 100 percent renewable energy site. “This is an important announcement for Boeing and we’re honored to share it with South Carolina Electric & Gas,” said Jim Albaugh, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “Our 787 Dreamliner is manufactured using fewer hazardous materials and designed to consume less fuel, and produce fewer emissions. It only makes sense that our business operations in South Carolina reflect the environmental progressiveness of the airplane we’ll build here.”

Renewable energy will be generated at the North Charleston site in part with thin-film solar laminate panels owned, installed and maintained by SCE&G on the new Boeing 787 Final Assembly building roof. This solar installation will provide up to 2.6 megawatts of electrical power for the site, enough to power approximately 250 homes. The installation will be the largest in the Southeast by production capacity, and the sixth largest in the U.S.

Under this arrangement, SCE&G will install the solar generation system and dedicate the power from the system to the Boeing site. SCE&G will then supplement the solar generated energy with power from its system resources, coupled with renewable energy certificates from its renewable generating facility, to meet all of Boeing’s energy requirements.

Tucker Georgia Resident Seeks to Inspire

Solar Leader Sungevity Shines Light On New Leaders

Posted on April 18, 2011 by quest

Oakland based Sungevity, a fast growing residential solar company, today announced Paul Stroube as its Chief Information Officer (CIO). Stroube will report directly to Sungevity Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Birch, and is charged with further developing the company’s information systems that power its unique and easy online “iQuote” process. Stroube was most recently general manager of the online gamer community, Xfire, and is the third key leadership hire in as many months for Sungevity. In February, the company announced Mack Irvin, formerly of SunPower Corp., as Chief Financial Officer, and in March, social media guru, Patrick Crane, formerly of LinkedIn, joined the company as Chief Marketing Officer. In the past 12 months, Sungevity has nearly tripled in size and now employs more than 150 people to support the company’s rapid growth.

“Like Mack and Patrick, Paul brings a wealth of knowledge to our rapidly growing company,” said Birch. “Paul’s experience building highly scalable systems and interactive online tools will enable us to further advance our industry leading customer experience and expand our solar social network.” Stroube has more than two decades of experience in consumer Internet software development. Stroube oversaw technology, operations and monetization at Xfire, an online community connecting over 10 million gamers around the globe. Prior to Xfire, Stroube served as Vice President, Web Engineering and Production at Ask Jeeves/Ask.com, the number one brand for answering questions online with more than 90 million monthly users. He also worked in management roles at IGT/WagerWorks.

“Sungevity has built a growing community of smart homeowners that are saving money on their electricity bills,” said Stroube. “By improving upon our customers’ experience, adding data, and introducing new social media tools, we can grow this network even further, particularly as we prepare to formally launch our services on the East Coast.”Danny Kennedy is the founder of Sungevity.

WALK THROUGH A GREEN DOOR

Solar Also Popular In Jersey:Trinity Installs 2,000 Solar Systems

Posted on April 15, 2011 by quest

New Jersey-based Trinity Solar, New Jersey’s largest solar energy provider and named by NJBIZ as the 26th fastest growing company in the state, has reached a major milestone with its 2,000th solar electric installation – nearly double the number of any other solar provider serving the Garden State. This is a landmark achievement not only because of the sheer quantity of systems Trinity has installed, but also because Trinity has firmly established itself as the preferred solar provider in New Jersey.

“We’ve seen a substantial uptick,” reports Ed Merrick, Trinity’s Vice President of Marketing and Business Development. “We’ve grown our installation base to over 150 per month, with the majority of our systems being installed in New Jersey. The state is embracing solar power.” Trinity also serves customers in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania. Merrick credits several factors for the surge in interest in Trinity, starting with substantial savings. According to Merrick, residential customers are first excited to learn that generating their own power via solar panels can save them up to $2,000 annually on their electric bill.

Next comes the realization that solar buildings can produce income – in most cases thousands of dollars a year – when owners sell energy credits back to utilities. Finally, Trinity Solar offers multiple financing options that eliminate the start-up fees that once deterred clients. With Trinity, home or business owners are able to go solar at a greatly reduced cost and immediately reap the rewards of a lower energy bill.

JERSEY SHORE

DRIVE ELECTRIC VEHICLES

California Valley Solar Ranch Gets Billion Dollar Backup

Posted on April 14, 2011 by quest

SunPower Corporation sponsor of the 250-megawatt (AC) California Valley Solar Ranch power plant, announced today the project has been offered support via a conditional commitment for a loan guarantee of up to $1.187 billion from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). California Valley Solar Ranch is expected to create 350 jobs during construction, will power approximately 100,000 homes, and will be one of the largest photovoltaic (PV) solar power plants in the world, when complete.

NRG Solar, a subsidiary of NRG Energy, Inc. will assume all ownership and financing responsibilities for the project, subject to certain conditions. SunPower will design, build, and initially operate and maintain the solar power plant.Construction is expected to start in the second half of 2011, contingent on permitting and financing, with a portion of the project expected to begin operations by the end of 2011 and the balance coming on line in 2012 and 2013. “The offer of a conditional commitment for a loan guarantee from the DOE’s Loan Programs Office is a significant milestone for this project, which will make a substantial contribution to California’s effort to generate 33 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020,” said Tom Doyle, president of NRG Solar. “In addition to creating hundreds of jobs and displacing carbon dioxide emissions, the California Valley Solar Ranch will demonstrate photovoltaic technology at a large scale.”

“With this loan guarantee, San Luis Obispo County is one step closer to benefiting from more than $315 million of economic development from the California Valley Solar Ranch, while protecting thousands of acres of local habitat,” said Howard Wenger, president of the utility and power plants business group at SunPower. “The Department of Energy is driving innovative technology deployment to reduce the cost of central station solar power plants. Together with NRG, this is a transformative investment that the federal government can uniquely deliver to nurture innovation, create immediate jobs and stimulate the economy.” The DOE Loan Programs Office was designed to accelerate the domestic commercial deployment of innovative and advanced clean energy technologies at a scale sufficient to contribute meaningfully to the achievement of national clean energy objectives, including job creation and reducing dependency on foreign oil.