Solar Technology Lifts Energy Options In Rural Kenya

Posted on September 4, 2011 by quest

South Korean electronics maker Samsung has launched a solar powered laptop in the Kenyan market with the capacity to run for 15 hours, nearly double the seven to eight hours lasting power of rivals. Korean electronics giant Samsung has launched a solar powered laptop in the Kenyan market targeting thousands of potential consumers currently locked out of the computer revolution by lack of electricity. Kenya, with a large rural population that is not connected to the national power grid, is among the few countries Samsung picked for the global launch that began last week. The Samsung Netbook NC215S lap top is priced at Sh35,000 and is also targeting consumers who are connected to the national electricity grid but suffer erratic power supply.

The solar-charged laptop is loaded with a front cover panel that captures energy from the sun and automatically recharges the battery. When fully charged, the lap top can run for up 15 hours – nearly double the capacity of its closest competitors that have seven or eight hours stand-by capability. “With Netbook NC 215S Samsung is demonstrating its capacity to bring to the consumers technology that satisfies their needs and takes care of the environment,” said Samsung Electronics East Africa Business Leader Robert Ngeru. The Korean firm is building consumer electronics and mobile technology for sub-Sahara Africa where it set a $10 billion revenue target by 2015. Samsung’s sub-Saharan Africa market is currently worth $1.23 billion.

Massai Traditional Dances

Launch of the Netbook NC 215S comes as Kenya’s four mobile telecoms firms, Safaricom, Airtel, Telkom’s Kenya Orange and Essar’s Yu have intensified their activities in the data market and are looking for affordable internet enabled devices such as laptops and mobile phone handsets to expand the number of data users. Growth of the data market is particularly critical to the long term survival of the telecom operators who have had to contend with steep decline in voice revenue in the past couple of years. Samsung is among the hardware vendors who have partnered with Safaricom in the laptops market. Available only in black, the netbook’s solar panel can also be used to charge a smartphone, MP3 player and other devices via its USB port, even when the PC is switched off or in power-saving mode. The Netbook NC 215S also features an ultra-portable and stylish design, weigh–ing just 1.3kg and featuring a slim display rim that is as thin as a finger.

South America Its Green Is On

Former Toronto Mayor Urges Environmental Solutions

Posted on September 4, 2011 by quest

In his first formal appearance as the Polytechnic Institute of New York University Future of Cities Global Fellow, former Toronto Mayor David Miller challenged the incoming students to tackle what he called the world’s foremost challenge: innovating to solve urban problems. His recent convocation keynote speech this to approximately 560 new first-year undergraduates publicly marked the relationship between NYU-Poly and Miller, a global leader in urban environmental sustainability, economic development and social integration. As Toronto mayor from 2003 to 2010, Miller became recognized for innovations that furthered the city’s environmental sustainability, economic development and social integration. Miller is currently counsel, international business and sustainability, to the Toronto law firm Aird & Berlis LLP and president of Urban Green Jobs, Inc.

Noting that recently the scales tipped so that most of the people of the world now live in cities, Miller told the students: “This fundamental change has an important implication for your studies. No longer will it be sufficient to simply study chemical or computer engineering, or any other technical field and become an expert – it will also be essential to understand the public policy context and challenges within which your research is being conducted.” Using real-world examples from his experience, Miller told the students that engineers and technology will play an increasingly important role in solving these urban problems. He also pointed to ways to have fun while creating solutions. He pointed to the example of the NYC BigApps Challenge, which employs open source code and open government information to create apps to make city life better for residents and visitors.

Jon Stewart Surprises NYU Students

“We have faith in your capacity to learn and make the world a better place,” NYU-Poly President Jerry Hultin told students in his welcoming remarks. “Here at NYU-Poly, you will find a 21st century toolbox of education and research…With our faculty I challenge you to combine the traditional engineering disciplines in new ways, and to set a personal goal to make a difference.” Miller’s role as Future of Cities Global Fellow will include other lectures, as well as teaching and assisting NYU-Poly and NYU in developing programs that connect technology and society to solve pressing urban challenges. Among other projects, he plans to co-instruct a studio class in which students work to increase sustainability in local parks. Urban technology is one of NYU-Poly’s highest academic priorities, befitting its mission as a comprehensive school of engineering located in one of the world’s great urban centers.

Santiago Chiles’s LEED Gold Green Building

Biofuel Powering Blue Angels Air Show

Posted on September 3, 2011 by quest

By Andrew Johnson  - The Blue Angels’ F/A-18 Hornet aircraft are using a biofuel blend during their performances at the Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., Air Expo held tomorrow through Sept. 4. The Blue Angels’ Labor Day weekend performance is another demonstration of the Department of the Navy’s commitment to reducing fossil fuel use without compromising capability. All six Hornets will be powered by a 50/50 blend of conventional JP-5 jet fuel and a camelina-based biofuel. Camelina sativa is a member of the mustard plant family. Camelina plants grow from 1 to 3 feet tall, producing pods with many small, oily seeds inside.

Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said the Navy and Marine Corps’ use of alternative energy sources addresses critical vulnerabilities and ultimately serves to improve America’s warfighting capability, while also increasing the nation’s energy efficiency.”Changing the kinds of fuels we use and the way we use them is critical to assuring the Navy and Marine Corps remain the most formidable expeditionary fighting force the world has ever known,” Mabus said. “The Department of the Navy will be taking another visible step toward testing biofuel in our aircraft when all six of the Blue Angels perform using the same 50/50 blend of drop-in biofuel we’ve used in so many of our other aircraft.”

The Labor Day performance is the ultimate demonstration to date of the Department of the Navy‘s commitment to reducing U.S. dependence on foreign oil, as well as safeguarding the nation’s environment through the incorporation of cleaner, more sustainable and renewable energy sources. This initiative is one of many throughout the Navy and Marine Corps that will enable the Department of the Navy to achieve Mabus’ goals to improve energy security and efficiency afloat and ashore, increase energy independence, and help lead the nation toward a clean energy economy.

BLUE ANGELS

GO TO THE SOLAR WALL

High Desert Cali City To Go Net Zero Using Solar Power

Posted on September 1, 2011 by quest

The City of Lancaster, California has taken a historic step towards becoming one of the first “Net Zero Cities” in the world. The Lancaster City Council unanimously approved a Memorandum of Understanding with Beautiful Earth Group for the development of a partnership to establish Lancaster as a Net Zero City. Net Zero Cities produce as much energy from sustainable sources, such as solar energy, as they consume. This dramatically reduces their carbon emissions. New technologies such as energy storage, supply and demand management and the “smart grid” are used to save energy and money — all good news for consumers as prices for oil and energy continue to rise.

Lancaster, known as the “Alternative Energy Capital of the World,” is well situated to benefit from the rapid increase in solar energy investment throughout the area. Applications for more than 4,000 megawatts of generation by photovoltaic (PV) electricity plants have been received in California’s High Desert / Antelope Valley region. This provides Lancaster with a wide range of options to reduce its carbon output by using clean energy coupled with energy saving techniques in the future.

Sour Away

Lancaster‘s goal of becoming a Net Zero City will encourage global investment in the city and will fulfill Beautiful Earth’s mission to supply municipalities and businesses with clean, green energy. “This important agreement will bring new jobs, energy security and a much healthier future to all of us in the Antelope Valley,” said Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris. “The Net Zero City project with Beautiful Earth Group has the potential to increase the quality of living and create thousands of new jobs focused on power conservation, systems to support the smart grid, clean energy generation, and downstream activities related to companies attracted to Lancaster for its ability to supply clean energy for their manufacturing, industrial and commercial processes.”

Pandas microbes making biofuels

Solar Solutions The Bright Spot In The Economy

Posted on August 31, 2011 by quest

“The U.S. solar energy market continues to be a bright spot in an otherwise bleak economy. As the global solar industry continues to grow and evolve, the U.S. is seen more and more as a leading market – both in installations and in exports. Solar is a showcase industry of U.S. ingenuity. In 2010, we grew by over 100 percent, we achieved a significant positive trade balance, and we exported more goods and services to China than we imported,” said Rhone Resch, president and CEO of SEIA. “Solar energy is an industry invented in the U.S. that is helping our country reclaim our manufacturing leadership and creating tens of thousands of jobs. But to maintain our competitive advantage, we need innovative, proactive solutions from policymakers to match the investments being provided overseas to grow robust solar supply chains. Doing so will result in new jobs and opportunities for communities that have seen their factories close up shop in recent years.” A new report shows that the U.S. is central to the global solar supply chain according to SEIA and GTM Research’s U.S. Solar Energy Trade Assessment 2011. Photovoltaic (PV) components accounted for more than 99 percent of the year’s exports, with solar heating and cooling (SHC) claiming the remainder of the positive balance.

“Until now, the finished module was the industry’s benchmark for judging the health of the PV manufacturing sector,” said Shayle Kann, Managing Director of Solar at GTM Research. “However, the PV market is more complex than meets the eye. To completely understand solar trade flows, this report looks both at earlier steps in the value chain and at the non-panel components of a solar PV system. As our research shows, the U.S. remains a focal point in global PV manufacturing, thanks largely to the domestic manufacturing of feedstock and manufacturing equipment.”

According to the U.S. Solar Energy Trade Assessment 2011, a significant portion of the domestic value generated by the PV industry resides beyond manufactured components; site preparation, labor, permitting, financing and other industry ‘soft costs’ comprised nearly 50 percent of total solar revenue in 2010. The report found $4.4 billion of domestic revenue accrued last year from U.S. solar installations. This domestic value originated from both local and foreign firms employing U.S. resources on the ground for solar goods and services. According to the report, for every dollar spent on a U.S. solar installation in 2010, $0.75 accrued to the U.S.

Game Pioneering Ideas In Solar Energy & Business

Hertz To Rent Electric Vehicles With BYD In China

Posted on August 30, 2011 by quest

BYD, the largest Chinese domestic auto brand and The Hertz Corporation, the world’s largest general use car rental brand, recently announced a strategic partnership to promote new energy applications to propel the development of the EV markets in China. In addition, as part of the partnership, Hertz will rent BYD’s e6 electrical vehicle (EV) to Chinese consumers, municipalities and government agencies. Mark Frissora, Chairman and CEO of Hertz stated, “Hertz is once again first to market with innovation. We are the first global car rental company to offer EVs in China for businesses and consumers to rent. With our partnership with BYD, we can offer a complete solution including rental and sales – another first for our industry.” Chuanfu Wang Chairman and CEO of BYD stated, “Innovation is a consistent theme for Hertz and innovation is also the core of BYD’s continuous fast growth — pure EVs for car rental in China is an innovative step for new energy industry development. This joint innovation for our two large enterprises in the field of pure EVs will certainly bring ‘green’ transportation to the forefront for the world to admire.”

“Hertz is once again first to market with innovation. We are the first global car rental company to offer EVs in China for businesses and consumers to rent. With our partnership with BYD, we can offer a complete solution including rental and sales – another first for our industry.”

As part of this agreement, the BYD’s e6, a 5-seat, pure-electric vehicle with the driving range of more than 186 miles (240 km) will be introduced into the Hertz China’s rental fleet making BYD’s e6 the first pure EV for rent in China. The core technology of the e6 FE battery boasts the highest safety, longest service life and most environmentally-friendly rechargeable chemistry (containing no heavy metals or toxic/flammable electrolytes). BYD’s e6 will serve in Hertz’s fleet for multiple groups of Hertz consumers including urban drivers, university students, travelers, and corporations, while bringing them a brand-new environmentally-friendly, EV driving experience.