Solar Powered Train Stations On Track In China

Posted on May 23, 2012 by quest

Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc., a developer of state-of-the-art, flexible thin-film photovoltaic modules, recently announced it has entered into a three way strategic joint development agreement with Shenzhen Radiant Enterprise Co., Ltd. (Radiant) and Third Railway Survey and Design Institute Group Corporation (TSDI) of China. Under the agreement, TSDI will promote the use of leading-edge solar technology in China’s rapidly growing public railway infrastructure by installing Ascent Solar modules on existing and future railway stations in China. Radiant has been responsible for installing the roofing component on multiple railway station projects throughout China and is well positioned to execute the PV retrofitting of existing railway stations, as well new installations. Total volume of solar installation on China’s public infrastructure is projected to reach 800MW over the next five years.

“We are honoured to be involved with TSDI through this very important partnership, which will promote Ascent Solar’s transformational technology in a high-profile sector of China’s public infrastructure. This year, we look forward to working closely with TSDI and Radiant to design and develop systems to be installed beginning in 2013,” stated Victor Lee, Ascent Solar President and CEO.TSDI, a subsidiary of the China Railway Group, is a large-scale comprehensive survey and design corporation that has been appointed to build a uniform technical platform for China’s state-of-the-art national railway system. TSDI consistently ranks among China’s Top 100 firms in terms of overall strength, and owns a Class-A Qualification certificate for Engineering Survey and Design from China’s Ministry of Housing and Urban-rural Development. The organization has designed over 50,000km of railways in China, including the country’s first high-speed railway and first heavy-haul railway. In addition, TSDI designed China’s first modern, large-scale multi-modal transport hub, the Beijing South Railway Station.

Winston Xu, Founder of Shenzhen Radiant Enterprise Co., Ltd. and Ascent Solar Board Member, said “China’s state-of-the-art railway system is one of the largest and fastest growing in the world. Ascent Solar and Radiant Group feel privileged to work with TSDI towards the goal of incorporating green, renewable energy with this important piece of China’s infrastructure.”According to the terms of the agreement, the three parties will begin system design and engineering development in the near term, with initial project installations beginning in 2013.

Do It Yourself Renewable Energy

Extreme Rains In Midwest Have Doubled

Posted on May 23, 2012 by quest

A Report Details Major Storm/Flooding Trends in Midwest Illustrates Growing Concerns About Climate Link Between Big Storms and Flooding. The kind of deluges that in recent years washed out Cedar Rapids, IA, forced the Army Corps of Engineers to intentionally blow up levees to save Cairo, IL, and sent the Missouri River over its banks for hundreds of miles are part of a growing trend, according to a new report released today by the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization (RMCO) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Big storms, leading to big floods, are occurring with increasing frequency in the Midwest, with incidences of the most severe downpours doubling over the last half century, the report finds.

Stephen Saunders, the president of the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization and the report’s lead author, said: “Global studies already show that human-caused climate change is driving more extreme precipitation, and now we’ve documented how great the increase has been in the Midwest and linked the extreme storms to flooding in the region. A threshold may already have been crossed, so that major floods in the Midwest perhaps now should no longer be considered purely natural disasters but instead mixed natural/unnatural disasters. And if emissions keep going up, the forecast is for more extreme storms in the region.”

In addition to region-wide trends, the report presents trends in the eight Midwestern states. For the worst storms (three inches or more of rain in 24 hours) from 1961-2011, the report outlines the following state-level trends: Indiana (+160 percent); Wisconsin (+203 percent); Missouri (+81 percent); Michigan (+180 percent); Minnesota (+104 percent); Illinois (+83 percent); Ohio (+40 percent); and Iowa (+32 percent). The full report

Solar Decathlon Gets $1 Million For Great Park XPO

Ford Focus Electric Costars In ‘Plugged In’

Posted on May 22, 2012 by quest

Yahoo and Ford are releasing today a teaser video previewing ‘Plugged In,’ a weekly online reality competition show coinciding with the launch of the all-new 2012 Focus Electric and airing exclusively on Yahoo! Screen, the company’s video destination.‘Plugged In’ features two-person teams competing against each other in a series of challenges. The series begins May 29 with actor David Arquette guiding contestants through challenges at some of his favorite Los Angeles locales. Featuring celebrity hosts – David Arquette, Adrian Grenier, Jenna Bush Hager, Emily Procter, Alicia Silverstone, J.R. Martinez and more. Subsequent episodes will feature different celebrities taking contestants and viewers on an intimate tour of their respective hometowns, discovering hidden cultural gems and “best of” locations in their city.

The winning teams in each city will move on to participate in the finale event in Los Angeles, where they will compete with teams from other regions for the chance to win a Ford Focus Electric. The series will crown a winning team in a finale episode on Aug. 7. “Ford is launching the Focus Electric only on Yahoo!, once again recognizing the power and reach of the Web as we continue to rely more on the power of digital media,” says Matt VanDyke, Director, U.S. Marketing Communications for Ford. “The electric vehicle market will grow over time, so we electrified our popular small-car platform rather than creating a one-off vehicle, and now we can use a targeted online campaign instead of a big-budget advertisement.”

Focus Electric offers the equivalent of 110 miles per gallon (MPGe) city, 99 MPGe highway, and operates entirely on battery-generated power. Focus Electric also has been certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to offer 105 MPGe combined. Ford is ramping up Focus Electric retail production for dealership availability in California, New York and New Jersey. By year-end, Focus Electric becomes available in 19 markets across the United States. Focus Electric offers the equivalent of 110 miles per gallon (MPGe) city, 99 MPGe highway, and operates entirely on battery-generated power. Focus Electric also has been certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to offer 105 MPGe combined.

Saudi Arabia Going Solar With $109 Billion Investment

Posted on May 21, 2012 by quest

If you thought solar energy was just a passing fad and not really a serious contender for supplying power for an energy starved world, think again. The revelation that Saudi Arabia has announced a $109 billion plan to create a solar industry that will generate a third of the nation’s electricity within two decades, could silence many skeptics. When the world’s largest source of oil goes solar that should wake everybody up! The Saudi Arabian Market would provide significant opportunities for the Solar Industry. “We are not only looking for building solar plants,” Maher al-Odan, a consultant at the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy, said in a recent interview. “We want to run a sustainable solar energy sector that will become a driver for domestic energy for years to come.” Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, hopes to have 41,000 megawatts of solar capacity by 2032 said al-Odan. According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance the nation trails Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, and the United Arab Emirates with only 3 megawatts of solar installations.

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Topaz Solar Farms The Worlds Largest To Date

Posted on May 21, 2012 by quest

Less than two weeks after its official groundbreaking ceremony, MidAmerican Solar and First Solar, Inc. marked another milestone at Topaz Solar Farms, located in San Luis Obispo County, Calif. On Wednesday, the first solar panel was installed on what is the largest solar project under construction in the world. When complete, the 550-megawatt AC project will include nearly 9 million photovoltaic panels.

To mark this significant event, the first solar panel was installed by Greg Abel, chairman, president and CEO of MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company, and Walter Scott, Jr., who serves on the boards of directors for Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and MidAmerican.

“The installation of this first solar panel is more than symbolic,” said Paul Caudill, president of MidAmerican Solar. “It represents nearly five months of hard construction work put in by a dedicated crew of craftspersons and on-site supervision, a large majority of whom live in the local area. They are helping us achieve our goal of safely and reliably delivering energy to our customer, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, all while adhering to our core value of respect for the environment.”The Topaz project will create approximately 400 construction jobs during its three-year construction period; will generate nearly $417 million in local economic impact, the majority of which will be generated during construction; and will provide California with renewable electricity. The Topaz project will provide enough energy to power approximately 160,000 average California homes.

Insight on US China Solar Tariffs

Costa Rica Hosts Sustainable Agricultural Forum

Posted on May 19, 2012 by quest

Last week, Dole Food Company, participated in the second annual Forum on Sustainability and Happiness in Costa Rica. This year, former U.S. President Bill Clinton provided the closing keynote, delivering a message on environmental sustainability. Dole’s Sylvain Cuperlier, Vice President of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability introduced the Forum’s roundtable on sustainable agriculture. In this introduction, Cuperlier discussed the potential issues related to pesticide use, the need for a more pro-active response to climate change and the requirement to focus further on water use and soil conservation. He also highlighted some challenges specific to agriculture, like how the increasing market pressure on prices can be a constraint when it comes to extending sustainable production practices.

Cuperlier pinpointed some opportunities for collaboration, as well. Participation in multi-stakeholder initiatives aimed at exchanging best sustainable practices, through the Costa Rican platform and the World Banana Forum, was a central focus.”Our participation for the second time in the Forum was a great opportunity for Dole to reaffirm our leadership role in sustainability, while highlighting, with full transparency, the challenges and opportunities our industry can encounter along the way,” said Cuperlier. “These events are so valuable because they bring together some many stakeholders, new and established, to discuss issues that span such a wide variety of companies, industries and regions.”

Vega will further discuss Dole’s sustainability initiatives in the working group on Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture at Business for the Environment (B4E) Global Summit 2012, which will take place May 21-22 in Berlin, Germany. B4E is the leading international platform for dialogue and partnership solutions for the environment. The recommendations from the working groups organized in Berlin will be presented as official business input for decision-makers at Rio+20, the United Nations conference on Sustainable Development, which will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at the end of June.