New Solar And Clean Energy Bill Set For Japan

Posted on August 18, 2011 by quest

By Chisaki Watanabe and Sachiko Sakamaki - Japan’s lower house of parliament is set to pass legislation to subsidize renewable energy amid a push to reduce dependence on nuclear power, paving the way for Prime Minister Naoto Kan to quit as early as next week. The bill requires utilities to buy electricity generated by geothermal, solar and wind sources at above-market rates in order to stimulate investment in renewable energy, which accounts for 9 percent of Japan’s power supply. Kan last month called for phasing out atomic power after the March earthquake and tsunami caused the worst nuclear disaster in 25 years.

Passage of the bill marks the last of three legislative goals Kan set down before fulfilling a pledge to resign. His popularity has dropped over his handling of the quake and the crippling of Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Fukushima atomic power plant. An opposition politician yesterday said the lower house vote, originally scheduled for today, may be delayed. Introducing the subsidies, known as feed-in tariffs, may help companies like Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., which makes wind turbines and develops geothermal plants, and solar panels makers Panasonic Corp. and Sharp Corp. Japan aims to increase the size of the renewable energy market to 10 trillion yen ($130 billion) by 2020, from about 1 trillion yen in 2009, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said

Consumers Willing to Pay More for Sustainable Apparel

Asia Pacific Clean Energy Summit Heading To Hawaii

Posted on August 15, 2011 by quest

Leaders and experts at the forefront of the global clean energy movement will be convening at the Hawai’i Convention Center for the 3rd Annual Asia Pacific Clean Energy Summit and Expo, to be hosted by the State of Hawai’i on September 13-15 in Honolulu. An estimated 1,200 industry and government participants from more than 20 countries will attend the conference, which aims to enable exchanges of ideas and partnership opportunities with global corporations, start-ups, investors, policy makers, and utilities involved in clean energy transformation.
To showcase global best practices and new business opportunities, the Summit program will open with venture capitalist and energy and security expert R. James Woolsey. Woolsey, former director of the Central Intelligence Agency, is now chair of a Washington D.C. based private equity fund specializing in energy and security issues. He serves on the National Commission on Energy Policy.

Panel discussions will focus on accelerating the use of various renewable energy resources such as biomass, wind, solar, hydroelectric, ocean thermal, geothermal, and waste-to-energy; financing and incentivizing energy efficiency; and developing public policies, resources, and workforce training programs to build a clean energy industry.

Keiko Matsui

This year’s program is offering a full conference track on the U.S. Department of Defense’s clean energy programs. Representatives from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines will be presenting key military initiatives, technology priorities, and practical guidance on developing partnerships and contracts. CTSI is also coordinating a new technology identification program focused on bringing innovative military-targeted clean energy solutions. The Summit’s Expo will offer exhibits, services and the latest energy technologies. Summit co-sponsors include the University of Hawai’i, Hawaiian Electric Company, Lockheed Martin, AECOM, Phycal, Sempra Generation, Aerovironment, General Atomics, SAIC, ALSTOM, FirstWind, GM, The Gas Company, Pacific Biodiesel, etc.

DiCaprio A Global Green Activist

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

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

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