PlanetSolar Returns To Monaco Makes History

Posted on May 6, 2012 by quest

This is the kind of accomplishment that electrifies the imagination. A solar powered catamaran that looks like the Starship Enterprise from Star Trek has just completed a trip around the world . Planet Solar is the first boat ever to circumnavigate the globe with energy generated by solar panels atop the craft. The journey started in Monaco on September 27, 2010.

Some of their ports of call included Miami, Cancun, San Francisco, Sydney, Singapore, and Abu Dhabi before finally returning to Monaco yesterday.The purpose of project was to inform the public about the importance of sustainability and  renewable energies. I’m not sure if they encounterd any unknown deep sea creatures, but PlanetSolar has an impressive group of supporters such as IMMOSOLAR, Candino Swiss Watch, SunPower and Jean Verne, Great-Grandson of the writer, Jules Verne who wrote about the mission early on said, ” In the spirit of the PlanetSolar project that calls upon scientists, technicians, industries, financiers and scholars who are working together on an “extraordinary voyage into known and unknown worlds.

PlanetSolar catamaran (without flaps) boosts 31m in length, 16m in width, and approximately 540 square meters of solar panels as the solar generator. The specially developed energy storage should permit the boat to move for approximately 3 days and nights without sunlight. The MSTÛRANOR PlanetSolar was designed by the extraordinary designer and constructor Craig Loomes and his company LOMOcean (New Zealand). It has been built by high-performance yacht builder Knierim, based in Kiel (Germany). The boat is navigated under the Swiss flag.

PlanetSolar underway

Effects of Ecotourism on Tiger Sharks

Angelenos Looking Up To Rooftop Solar Power

Posted on May 4, 2012 by quest

“Sunny Los Angeles has enormous potential to lead the state in solar energy, and in recent months city leaders have done a commendable job of putting L.A. in a position to harness that homegrown renewable resource,” said Susannah Churchill, Southwestern Solar Advocate for Vote Solar. “Our poll shows that this is the kind of solar progress that Angelenos overwhelmingly want to see in their community.”“Local solar power puts our energy dollars to work building a healthier and more prosperous L.A. An expanded solar program would put more boots on roofs and create more jobs in areas that need them most,” said Bill Gallegos, Executive Director of Communities for a Better Environment (CBE), a leading environmental justice organization. “Poor communities often get the worst of the fossil fuel energy system. It is only fair that they enjoy the environmental, health, and economic benefits of the clean energy system.”

A significant majority of voters in Los Angeles wants more local solar powering their city; in fact they want lots more. These are the findings of a new poll on L.A. attitudes toward renewable energy conducted by the public research firm Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates (FM3) for the Vote Solar Initiative. “Our poll shows that this is the kind of solar progress that Angelenos overwhelmingly want to see in their community.”Advocates are urging city and utility leaders to take note and keep taking bold steps to expand investment in a local solar power economy.“In addition to proving hugely popular among L.A. residents, expanded use of local clean energy can reduce the city’s dependence on out-of-state dirty coal power,” said Evan Gillespie Sierra Club, America’s largest grassroots environmental organization. “City leadership has set an exciting goal of getting LADWP off dirty coal. It just makes economic and environmental sense to harvest our homegrown solar resource, creating more local jobs and economic development for Angelenos.”

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) is the largest municipal utility in the country, accounting for 10 percent of California’s electricity demand. The utility currently gets less than 1 percent of its power from solar generation. In September 2011, LADWP reopened its Solar Incentive Program with a goal of installing 125 megawatts (MW) of solar to meet on-site power needs at homes and businesses. And in April 2012, the City Council and Mayor authorized LADWP to move forward with a new program called CLEAN LA Solar that will add 150 MW of rooftop solar power to the city’s electricity mix. Together these programs will result in about five times the amount of solar currently installed in L.A. and generate enough electricity to power more than 60,000 homes. An overwhelming majority feels that the city should achieve 1,200 MW of solar, which is LADWP’s share of Governor Brown’s statewide goal of 12,000 MW of local clean power by 2020. 1,200 MW of rooftop solar would generate enough clean, reliable electricity to power more than 260,000 homes.

US solar market will explode within five years

STOP… Solar Time!

Posted on May 3, 2012 by quest

Consistently raising the bar within the timepiece industry, Casio America, Inc. has introduced the newest model to its Pro Trek series, the PRG550-1A1. Built with Casio’s easy-to-use, one-touch triple sensor technology, the PRG550-1A1 includes a digital compass, altimeter, barometer and thermometer making it the ultimate tool for rugged, outdoor adventures.”The PRG550-1A1′s enhanced features are designed to make outdoor activities seamless and enjoyable,” said Shigenori Itoh, Chairman and CEO of Casio America, Inc. “The simplicity of this watch is what makes it fashionable and functional and the enhanced styling makes it easy to go from the mountains to the boardroom.”

Casio’s Pro Trek series of watches feature the most cutting edge sensor technology; the new PRG-550 is a 3 hand analog model with an LCD window. The triple sensors measure compass bearing, altitude/atmospheric pressure and temperature. The multi-purpose second hand points towards magnetic north and can indicate the latest change in atmospheric pressure or show a change in altitude from a pre-selected location, depending on the function selected. While the LCD displays numerical sensor information such as compass direction angle value, altitude, atmospheric pressure, and temperature, the PRG550-1A1′s full auto LED light activates with just a flick of the wrist and operates by Casio’s Tough Solar Power technology, allowing readings to be accomplished with ease. Casio’s Tough Solar Power technology adds to the PRG550-1A1′s efficiency by allowing the timepiece to power down when not exposed to light for a certain period of time, thus conserving energy.

In addition to other features, the PRG550-1A1 is powered by Casio’s Solar Power 100M, is water resistant and is can manage low temperature (-10 degrees C/14 degrees F). With a black, resin band, the PRG550-1A1 is lightweight and provides durability and comfort on every excursion. The PRG550-1A1 will be available in June 2012 at select department stores and sporting goods stores.

Solar Power Set For 20 Square Miles Atop LA Rooftops

Congresswoman Johnson Backs Renewable Energy Bill

Posted on May 2, 2012 by quest

Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas has backed legislation that will make significant new investments in renewable energy sources, create hundreds of thousands of new jobs, help end our dependence on foreign oil and slash taxpayer funded subsidies to oil companies. The Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act of 2008 was approved by a vote of 236-182 on February 27th.“With oil prices reaching another record high of $102 per barrel today and families paying $3.15 a gallon for gasoline, the time for action on renewable energy and American energy independence is now. This bill is good for our environment, good for our economy and good for our national security,” said Congresswoman Johnson. “Ending our dependence on foreign oil and using renewable energy to help fight global warming will make our nation stronger. And at a time when our economy is struggling, these investments will help create hundreds of thousands of new jobs. ”

The Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act extends and expands tax incentives for renewable electricity, energy and fuel, as well as for plug-in hybrid cars, and energy efficient homes, buildings, and appliances. Additionally, the bill includes solar energy tax credits that could reduce carbon dioxide pollution by 240 million tons.The new investments in wind, solar, geothermal and fuel cell technology will also create hundreds of thousands of new jobs and help strengthen the American economy. The Geothermal Energy Association estimates that the geothermal provisions alone could create tens of thousands of new jobs and stimulate tens of billions of dollars of new investment in geothermal energy production.

Additionally, the legislation approved today repeals $18 billion in unnecessary tax subsidies for big, multinational oil and gas companies. The vote comes shortly after the big five oil companies recently reported record profits for 2007. While oil companies have profited, consumers have felt the pinch. The average cost of a gallon of gasoline in Dallas is $3.058. A year ago it was $2.61 a gallon. H.R. 5351 includes more than $8 billion in long-term clean renewable energy tax incentives for electricity produced from renewable resources, including wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, hydropower, ocean tides, and landfill gas and $2 billion in new clean renewable energy bonds for electric cooperatives and public power providers to finance facilities that generate electricity from these renewable resources.

Recovery Depends On Good, Green Jobs

Solar To Save Mount Diablo Unified $220 Million

Posted on May 1, 2012 by quest

Today, Mount Diablo Unified School District and SunPower Corp. are celebrating the completion of 40 SunPower solar power systems planned for district schools and facilities. When the total number of 51 systems is complete later this year, the systems are expected to reduce the district’s electricity costs by more than $3 million per year, and save $220 million over the next 30 years. With a cumulative capacity of 12.1 megawatts, the project is creating more than 140 jobs during construction and injecting almost $24 million into the regional economy through the use of local subcontractors and suppliers.

“With this project, we will eliminate 92 percent of electrical cost from our general fund in the first year alone and generate additional financial resources from the California Solar Initiative. This will help preserve desperately needed financial resources for our schools and classrooms,” says School Board Member Gary Eberhart. “Saving our schools’ money while reducing emissions is the right thing to do for our students and the environment. We are very excited to team with SunPower to bring the largest K-12 solar project in the country to fruition.“SunPower is installing the system on rooftops and shade structures in parking lots and hard court areas. The systems use high efficiency SunPower solar panels, the most efficient panels on the market today, which are manufactured locally in Milpitas, California. All systems are expected to be complete and operational before the end of the year.”The completion of the largest solar school project in the U.S., delivering electric bill savings of more than 90 percent at 51 schools, represents a major milestone in our industry. The Mount Diablo Unified School District selected SunPower to deliver the world’s highest performing solar systems for its schools, in partnership with great local firms,” said Howard Wenger, president, regions for SunPower.

According to estimates provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Mount Diablo Unified’s solar power systems will avoid production of almost 400,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions over the next 30 years, the equivalent of removing 70,450 cars from California’s highways.

Jamba’s Got Juice With Youth

Labor Department Awards Aid to SolarWorld

Posted on April 30, 2012 by quest

The U.S. Department of Labor has determined that all manufacturing employees laid off from SolarWorld Industries America Inc. as a result of the company’s shutdown of its 35-year-old solar-panel production plant in Camarillo, Calif., in September are eligible for federal trade-adjustment assistance, including grants for education to retrain them for new work.“How many more U.S. manufacturing jobs must the United States lose in this most promising renewable-energy industry, which Americans pioneered, before adequate remedies are put in place to offset the illegal practices of Big China Solar,? said company president Gordon Brinser.

The determination that Chinese imports helped cause the shutdown resulted from an investigation earlier this year by the department’s Office of Trade Adjustment Assistance, which announced the decision Friday in the Federal Register. The decision means that many of the 186 laid-off SolarWorld employees can tap federal assistance with job placement; expenses for job searches, relocation and retraining; income support during full-time retraining; and a tax credit on health-insurance premiums.

According to U.S. law, the Labor Department may certify workers for trade-adjustment assistance only if it finds that an increase in competing imports “contributed importantly” to the decline in sales or production of a firm and to the cause for worker layoffs. Though SolarWorld invested tens of millions of dollars automating the Camarillo plant after purchasing it in 2006, the company determined it needed to consolidate its U.S. manufacturing in Hillsboro, Ore., where it operates the Western Hemisphere’s largest solar plant. Consolidation was required, according to SolarWorld, to contend with the illegally subsidized and dumped solar products of China’s government-backed export drive. U.S. Department of Energy researchers have concluded that without state sponsorship, Chinese manufacturers would face a 5 percent cost disadvantage in producing and delivering solar products into the U.S. market. Read the full article: U.S. Labor Department Awards Aid to SolarWorld Workers Laid off Because of Chinese Solar Imports