Watch out Cali NJ is in the Solar House

Posted on October 1, 2010 by quest

From Trenton New Jersey; the Garden State comes news that it has just reach a new solar milestone of 200 MW (MegaWatts) installed in more than 6,800 projects. What makes this quite the accomplishment is that just eight years ago there were only six solar installations in the entire state.

NJBPU (New Jersey Board of Public Utilities) President Lee A. Solomon said, “This milestone establishes New Jersey’s position as one of the fastest growing solar energy markets in the country.Our success is due in large part to the subsidies provided by the state which are advancing the state’s efforts to come into balance with its RPS (Renewable Portfolio Standard) goals, possibly as early as 2012.”

New Jersey is the first government globally to adopt the use of Solar Renewable Energy Certificates (SREC) financing model that provides energy credits and additional long term financing for those who invest in solar. The SREC are then sold or traded, separately from the power, providing solar system owners a source of revenue to help offset the cost of installation. SRECs are increasingly replacing rebates, which fueled solar growth in the early years of the state’s solar program. Now neighbor states Pennsylvania, Delaware, Massachusetts, Ohio and Maryland, as well as the District of Columbia are getting with the program.

Now it’s not just California that’s got cleantech green swag, Jersey is all up in the solar house.

Tony Coiro Purdue student builds Solar Motorcycle

Maldives President taking a lead with solar energy

Posted on September 30, 2010 by quest

You ever have one of those moments when you say to yourself? Oh now I get it. That was my reaction when I did some research on the Maldives. I have been fortunate to have traveled the globe and I just sort of thought of Maldives as a tropical paradise. For me what also comes up is Madagascar and the Cape Verde Islands although they aren’t anywhere near each other. It’s just idea of the Maldives just being so remote and exotic. And even though I didn’t hear the President of the Maldives, Mohammad Nasheed‘s voice when he made an impassioned plea at the UN Climate Summit in Copenhagen…I hear him now.

In a largely symbolic gesture to persuade world leaders to go green and demonstrate their commitment to renewable energy, President Mohammad Nasheed will install solar panels and green up the presidential residence. It’s hard to figure out why the White House rejected 350.org plea to reinstall solar panel at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, but if you see and hear President Nasheed speak you can understand the situation in the Maldives and recognize the real time effect of climate change.

The Maldives is a very small country of 1200 islands most of them uninhabited, which lie off the Indian sub-continent. The country is just 5 fleet above sea level. It has the distinction of being the lowest country on the planet. So you can easily see that rising sea levels from climate change will spell certain doom.

President Nasheed at the UN

So severe is the situation that in 2008 President Nasheed announced plans to look into purchasing new land in India, Sri Lanka, and Australia because of his concerns about global warming and the possibility of much of the islands being inundated with water from rising sea levels. The purchase of land will be made from a fund generated by tourism. Nasheed said, “We do not want to leave the Maldives, but we also do not want to be climate refugees living in tents for decades.”The solar panels are to be installed as part of 350.org’’s ”Global Work Party” on October 10.

New York Jets touchdown with solar

Posted on September 28, 2010 by quest

The New York Jets and Yingli Solar today announced the completion of a solar power system at the Jets’ teams’ HQ and training center in Florham Park, NJ. This is the largest solar installation at a NFL team headquarters the project utilizes over 3,000 Yingli Solar panels. All of the power generated by the system will be sold to The New York Jets under a long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA).

“The New York Jets are excited to be at the forefront of incorporating solar energy into the NFL. When we decided to add solar energy to the Atlantic Health Training Center, going green was the catalyst,” said Thad Sheely, New York Jets’ Executive Vice President of Finance and Stadium Development. “This project is the first of many green initiatives on behalf of the team, and we are proud to be green in color and also in deed..”
“We are excited to have formed a long-term partnership with the New York Jets, and to align our brand with the most popular sport in America,” said Robert Petrina, Managing Director of Yingli Green Energy Americas. “We commend the Jets for their commitment to renewable energy.
New Jersey is currently a U.S. leader in solar energy, second only to California. The project will reduce CO2 emissions by 540 metric tons each year, which is equivalent to taking over 100 cars off the road. By utilizing a power purchase agreement, the team will also save tens of thousands of dollars each year in electricity expenses with no capital

Spray on Solar

Posted on September 28, 2010 by quest

Earlier this year I reported on whether blue jeans could be a source for solar power. Now here’s something that could be a real game changer in the world of solar developments. A Florida company has introduced a spray on solar solution that they say can turn a window into a energy generating solar panel. What’s more is that the spray painted window can apparently save over 300% more than regular rooftop systems. New Energy Technologies see thru spray turns ordinary glass surfaces into electricity-generating windows called the SolarWindow. The solar industry has been seeking ways to lower cost.

Company CEO, John A. Conklin, recently introduced the SolarWindow to the press as the world’s first see thru technology of its kind. They are also working on MotionPower roadway systems for generating electricity by capturing the kinetic energy produced by moving vehicles.

New Energy Technologies demonstrated the the product at their press meeting with successful results and will release more comprehensive reports as they move towards commercialization.

Listen to the latestUPDATE: A GREEN RENAISSANCE V

Solar Wind can power the entire world

Posted on September 27, 2010 by quest

“Space the final frontier… these are the voyages of”- those words seem engraved in our time. The interesting thing though; think of all the cool gadgets that were being used in the sci fi tv series Star Trek that have come into reality. Dr Spock, Uhura and Captain Kirk were using wireless communicators like the iPhone, video and all. So the idea of using the solar wind to power the needs of the entire planet may not be just an artist dream. The solar wind is what blows the tails of comets back away from the bodies of comets as they go through the solar system.The solar wind is a stream of energized, charged particles, primarily electrons and protons, flowing outward from the Sun, through the solar system at incredible speeds and extreme temperatures.

Scientist say the solution to future energy issues may now be in harnessing of solar wind through satellites.
The conceptual satellite is named the Dyson-Harrop. According to the scientists, the energy yield from this method will meet the requirements of the entire world’s energy 100 billion times more than necessary

NASA – THE SOLAR WIND

The energy harnessed through the satellite will be beamed to the Earth. This receiver will also generate power for the satellite and its wire loop making it self sustaining. The energy absorbed by the satellite will be transmitted to the Earth via the means of an infrared laser. An infrared laser was chosen for a transmitter because Earth’s atmosphere is like a transparent material for infrared, therefore there is little or no chances of loss of energy when passing through the atmosphere. Some background at Times New World

California leading the way in solar and wind energy

Posted on September 24, 2010 by quest

Even though Washington seems to be having a hard time putting a national energy plan in place, California isn’t standing by waiting. The California Air Resources Board today has set a new standard that one third of the electricity sold in the state come from clean renewable energy such as solar, wind and geothermal sources. The new 33% goal must be met by 2020. The regulation applies to all entities that deliver electricity, including investor owned utilities and publicly owned utilities including municipal utilities.

“This standard is going to further diversify and secure our energy supply while also growing California’s leading green technology market, which will lead to cost savings for consumers.” said ARB Chairman Mary D. Nichols. “It will help clean our air and bring new solar and wind energy facilities to California with thousands of jobs in construction, operation and spin off industries,”

Work on the standard began immediately following Governor Schwarzenegger‘s Renewable Electricity Standard (RES) Executive Order, signed on September 15, 2009. The goal of 33 percent renewable electricity was, adopted by the Board in December 2008 in a move toward fulfilling AB 32, the requirements of California’s climate change legislation.

The standard is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about the equivalent of 12 to 13 million metric tons of carbon dioxide per year in 2020. In addition to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the regulation will result in hundreds of tons of statewide reductions in smog-forming and toxic air pollutants by displacing the use of dirtier fossil fueled generation, providing a range of health related benefits. RES is one of many measures designed to reach the goals set out by AB 32, California’s law requiring the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. RDA