Dartmouth Students On Vehicle For Change

Posted on June 8, 2012 by QuestPoint

For the second consecutive year, Caesars Entertainment Corporation is sponsoring Dartmouth College‘s Big Green Bus tour across America. The converted Greyhound bus, operated by students, will run on recycled waste vegetable oil (WVO) as it travels the country educating individuals on best sustainability practices.The 11-week, 12,000-mile journey will take the 13 students across 24 states and will make refueling stops at Caesars resorts including Harrah’s Cherokee Casino (June 26), Harrah’s Tunica Casino (July 1), Harrah’s New Orleans Casino (July 3), Harrah’s Phoenix Ak-Chin Casino (July 14), Flamingo Las Vegas (July 19), Harrah’s Lake Tahoe Casino (July 24), Harrah’s North Kansas City Casino (August 30) and Thistledown Racetrack (September 3).

Caesars Entertainment’s Big Green Bus gold national sponsorship will enable this “classroom on wheels” to increase awareness about the importance of sustainable practices and incorporating conservation at home.The bus will provide educational opportunities at each stop through stations including a tour of the bus, an interactive map telling stories of sustainability across the country, a demonstration of how individuals can build and shop for environmentally friendly products, a discussion about the energy cost of food, personal waste reduction and a stationary bicycle that powers a generator to light multiple energy efficient bulbs.

“This year, we are proud to increase our support of The Big Green Bus and its mission to educate communities around the country on climate change and environmental responsibility,” said Gwen Migita, Vice President of Sustainability & Community Affairs for Caesars Entertainment. “Caesars is committed to support the classroom on wheels while engaging thousands of employees and the community in seven regions around the country.” Code Green seeks to make both positive environmental and social impacts while reducing water, energy and waste consumption at each of its more than 50 properties worldwide.

Russian Researchers On Global Energy Adventure

Intersolar North America Focusing Energy Storage

Posted on May 30, 2012 by quest

Intersolar North America will feature a close look at advanced energy storage and its impact on renewable energy generation. Intersolar North America, the premier solar industry exhibition and conference in North America for solar professionals to exchange information and develop business opportunities in the U.S. solar market, returns to San Francisco July 9-12, 2012 for its fifth year. Co-located with SEMICON West, the event is expected to draw approximately 900 exhibitors and more than 22,000 registered visitors from more than 80 countries to provide a true global perspective of the solar industry.

This year, Intersolar North America features a new special exhibit that promotes innovative energy storage technologies. PV Energy World, located in the Moscone Center, North Hall will offer expert presentations on energy storage and grid integration. The informative exhibits and display boards will stimulate discussion among visitors. As the North American solar industry matures, energy storage has emerged as a key technology to optimize renewable energy generation. Storage enables greater flexibility for the power grid, thus accelerating the deployment of affordable solar energy. The successful commercialization and integration of new energy storage technologies promises to help boost the capacity of solar projects, ease concerns over grid strain and bring more large-scale plants online.

Janice Lin, Executive Director of the California Energy Storage Alliance said,”Energy storage offers the solar industry the opportunity to bring several goals to fruition, including faster grid interconnection, more precise timing of output, fewer curtailment and imbalance penalties, and the potential to secure valuable new revenue from wholesale ancillary services and capacity markets. Advanced  energy storage is poised to have a huge, positive impact on the solar industry in California and beyond, and the storage industry is very excited to see Intersolar North America cover this formative topic in such depth at this year’s conference and on the exhibition floor.”PV Energy World is supported in part by the California Energy Storage Alliance (CESA), an advocacy coalition committed to expanding the role of energy storage to accelerate the adoption of renewable energy. CESA counts storage technology manufacturers, renewable energy component manufacturers, developers and system integrators among its members, and this year marks the first time Intersolar will partner with CESA.

Manitoba Hydro Place LEED Platinum

SolaPad Ready To Charge Up IPads

Posted on May 28, 2012 by quest

SolaWerks, Inc. a newly formed subsidiary, of Domark International Inc. has announced confirmation that its new “SolaPad” are being prepared for shipment. The company anticipates pre-orders for “SolaPad” will be accepted via the SolaWerks website by the middle of this week. Deliveries to pre-order customers are anticipated to begin during the 1st week of June. The revolutionary new SolaPad product is an ever-charging solar and battery system that fits all versions of the Apple iPad. Once an iPad is placed into a SolaPad sleeve, there is theoretically no reason to ever plug the iPad into any wall-mounted charger again.

DoMark International Inc. has also announced the appointment of Brent Strasler as President of the Company effective May 25th, 2012. In addition, Mr. Strasler has been appointed to the company’s Board of Directors. Strasler has over twenty years experience in both private industry and the public capital markets and has a broad range of skills and expertise in corporate governance, corporate finance, and other matters that are critical to ensuring that DoMark has the necessary stewardship to develop the assets of the Company. Mr. Strasler has owned and operated several businesses in a variety of industries focusing on restructurings, financings, mergers and acquisitions. His leadership has been instrumental in the successful reorganization, development, and expansion of several private companies in the diversified services, technology, and industrial manufacturing sectors.

Mr. Strasler has been directly involved in raising over $275 million in public financings for companies engaged in a wide range of industries and market capitalizations. Additionally he holds an Economics Degree from the University of Western Ontario and an MBA in International Finance from the University of Notre Dame. A new comprehensive business plan including financing and use of assets are central to the changes immediately being implemented by Mr. Strasler and the new board of directors. Mr. Strasler states, “DoMark is an exceptional company with a growth-oriented strategy to build on the Company’s market position quickly and decisively to benefit all shareholders. The changes needed for a strong corporate future are now underway.”

New York City Creates New Green Jobs

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

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.

Five Star Equities releases regular market updates on the Solar Industry so investors can stay ahead of the crowd and make the best investment decisions to maximize their returns. Five Star Equities examines the outlook for companies in the Solar Industry and provides equity research on Trina Solar Limited TSL +1.93% and JA Solar Holdings Co., Ltd.Trina Solar Limited is a leading manufacturer of high quality modules and has a long history as a solar PV pioneer since it was founded in 1997 as a system installation company.

JA Solar Holdings is a leading manufacturer of high-performance solar power products. The company sells its products to solar manufacturers worldwide, who assemble and integrate solar cells into modules and systems that convert sunlight into electricity for residential, commercial, and utility-scale power generation. Five Star Equities provides Market Research focused on equities that offer growth opportunities, value, and strong potential return.

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.