George Washington Carver Goes Solar

Posted on December 13, 2010 by quest

George Washington Carver Elementary School of Lexington Park, Maryland begins breaking ground today on the installation of a large scale solar electric system supporting Maryland’s St. Mary’s County Public School system (SMCPS). Once completed, the elementary school’s system is expected to generate approximately 677,000 kilowatt hours of electricity in its first year of operations, representing 80 percent of the school’s energy needs. The amount of clean energy the system will produce in its first year is equivalent to taking 105.5 cars off the road each year. St. Mary’s County Public School system (SMCPS) received a grant from Maryland Energy Administration specifically designed for the development of solar electric projects on public buildings in Maryland. The array will be installed by Standard Solar a full-service development, installation of solar electric systems for commercial, government and residential customers, and its joint venture financial partner Perpetual Energy Systems.

St. Mary’s County Public Schools (SMCPS) recently completed construction on a Gold LEED elementary school where every aspect of the building is a teaching tool and is relevant to the curriculum including photovoltaic panels, a wind turbine, two 15,000 gallon cisterns for the harvesting of rainwater, and attention to the environmental sensitive sites in which the school has been carefully placed to preserve endangered species. Additionally, SMCPS has a green school mobile classroom that travels to each school to support the curriculum, and has a mascot, Wattson, who works with students to promote energy conservation and recycling efforts and educates students on the importance of natural resources.

George Washington Carver Elementary School serves approximately 551 students from the age of 3 to Fifth Grade. G.W. Carver is designated as a Title I school. This distinction is based on the percentage of Free and Reduced Meals (73%) received by students. As a result, G.W. Carver is the beneficiary of both state and federal money to help supplement the county funded budget.

SOLAR CHRISTMAS TREES

GROWING URBAN FARMING

Oil Man Gets Smart Goes Solar

Posted on December 12, 2010 by quest

Steve Holdaway has been named president of Chapel Hill, NC, based Academy Solar. Academy Solar is a residential and commercial solar energy design and installation company. In this role, Holdaway will lead the company in overall strategy, financial management and oversee the commercial sales sector of the business.

We are confident that as president, Steve will continue to lead Academy Solar into a successful business,” said JW “Wild Bill” Stealey, partner and head of residential sales at Academy Solar. “Founding a new company in this economy will be difficult, but we feel that there is a strong market for solar energy in North Carolina, and with so many state and federal tax incentives, it is a great time for homeowners and business owners to consider alternative energy sources.”

Holdaway, a former oil executive along with three other partners, founded Academy Solar on the belief that it is important to secure a more sustainable energy mix for the future. Academy Solar is the only firm of its kind in the southeastern United States that allows customers an online calculator to estimate a firm, final price for their solar energy installation with complete cash flows, payback, expected real energy production and anticipated environmental benefits that their system will produce.

VISIT THE SOLAR WALL

GE invests $6 Billion in renewable energy

Posted on December 9, 2010 by quest

GE Energy Financial Services announced today that it reached its multi-year target of building a $6 billion portfolio of renewable energy investments by the end of 2010, inspired by GE’s ecomagination initiative. Alex Urquhart, president and CEO of GE Energy Financial Services said “We achieved this $6 billion milestone because of our competitive advantage as a GE business focused on one of GE’s core domain strengths, renewable energy. To maintain this momentum, drive further deployment of renewable energy worldwide and keep America competitive through technology innovation and job creation, we are calling on Congress to enact long-term, predictable renewable energy policies.”

Cumulatively, the projects and companies have supported thousands of “green collar” jobs worldwide, helped grow the multi-billion dollar US renewable energy manufacturing industry, and—according to US Environmental Protection Agency methodology—avoided more than 23 million tons a year in global greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to taking all the passenger vehicles off the road in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. GE Energy Financial Services started investing in renewable energy in 1987. It had amassed a $3 billion portfolio by January 2008, when it set a target of reaching $6 billion by the end of this year. The investments have spanned 14 countries, 95 wind farms, 40 solar installations, six hydroelectric projects, 12 landfill gas facilities, and 15 projects involving other technologies, across a wide spectrum of capital – from project equity to debt, and venture capital.

Across the United States, GE Energy Financial Services has made approximately 75 percent of its renewable energy investments in states with renewable portfolio standards, or regulations requiring increased electricity generation from renewable sources. The GE unit’s research has shown that investments in the wind industry have risen and fallen with the renewal and expiration of renewable energy incentives. The expiration of incentives in 2000, 2002 and 2004 caused a 76-90 percent drop in installed capacity in the United States from the previous year.

VISIT GREEN NEWS WALL

Solar could create 750 Thousand Jobs in US by 2020

Posted on December 7, 2010 by quest

This week at the United Nations convention on Climate Change (COP16) in Cancun, Mexico, SEIA (Solar Energy Industries Association Industries – along with EPIA – European Photovoltaic Industry Association and 40 other solar groups around the world) released a report on solar’s potential to fight climate change and create jobs. The report states that solar is already a global success story, but is not yet living up to its full potential.

The report estimates that by 2020, world solar deployment could reach a combined level that reduces carbon pollution equal to removing 110 million cars from the road. Additionally, if the solar deployment goals (that are highlighted in the report) are agreed upon and reached, over one million jobs could be created in the European Union and nearly seven hundred thousand jobs created in the United States.

Solar is fighting climate change and creating jobs now, but we have not even come close to maximizing this free, clean, and abundant resource. If, on a global scale, we continue to ignore solar as a jobs creator and a clean energy alternative, a tremendous opportunity to do the right thing will be lost.

OBSERVE ECO FASHION

Innovations make solar mainstream and affordable

Posted on December 4, 2010 by quest

Atlanta area based solar manufacturer Suniva who was just recently awarded $15 million of working capitol from Export-Import Bank of the United States and was part of President Obama’s U.S. – India Innovation Roundtable held in Mumbai; was just named as the Commercial Technology of the Year at the 2010 Platts Global Energy Awards. Suniva CEO and Chairman John Baumstark accepted the award at a black-tie gala in New York. The award honors companies that practically apply new technology in the pursuit of efficiency, business advantage and profit.

Established in 1999, the Platts Global Energy Awards highlight corporate and individual innovation, leadership, and superior performance in 17 categories spanning the entire energy complex. Nearly 600 energy industry executives from 18 countries attended the event. A prestigious panel of judges selected finalists from more than 200 entries. “We wish to thank Platts for this incredible recognition,” said Suniva CEO and Chairman John Baumstark. “We are extremely proud to receive this honor, particularly given the caliber of entrants and finalists. Suniva will continue to innovate and commercialize our technologies to further harness the power of the sun around the globe.” The solar industry is evolving. Solar cell manufacturers’ products are either low-cost and low-efficiency, or high-cost and high-efficiency cells. Platts honored Suniva for bridging this divide by creating high-efficiency, low-cost solar cells. Its technical sophistication has allowed the company to continually improve its performance, and its commercial success is evident, in the fact that the company is sold out well into 2011, with exports to Europe and Asia amounting to more than 80 percent of its sales.

“The awards judges were impressed by Suniva’s innovative cells and their contributions to moving solar into the mainstream and making solar sensible for anyone who has power needs and access to sunshine,” said Larry Neal, president of Platts. “This year’s record number of entries and finalists in the energy efficiency and technology categories underscores the industry’s increasing commitment to developing environmentally-conscious solutions to the world’s supply needs.”

GREEN VIDEOS

PlanetSolar heading to Climate Summit in Cancun

Posted on December 3, 2010 by quest

PlanetSolar the world’s largest solar powered boat continues its a round-the-globe expedition and is now heading for Cancun and the UN World Climate Summit. PlanetSolar is a pioneer for sustainable energy technology on water. The goal of the PlanetSolar team is to be the first to circumnavigate the globe in a “solar” boat, one powered by a silent, pollution-free electrical engine, driven exclusively by solar energy.

With this project the PlanetSolar team intends firstly to show that current technologies aimed at improving energy efficiency are reliable and effective, and secondly to advance scientific research in the field of renewable energy. Reporting on events from the Climate Summit in Cancun Ashley P. Lau, of MarketWatch writes