Chabot College Center Achieves LEED Certification

Posted on May 17, 2012 by quest

Chabot Community College in Hayward, Calif., recently achieved LEED Platinum certification for their sustainably-designed student center building with the help of SageGlass dynamic glazing. The Community and Student Services Center (CSSC) is the centerpiece of the college’s “green intelligent building initiative,” serving more than 15,000 students, staff and faculty. Architects at tBP/Architecture wanted to incorporate as much glass as possible into the CSSC to flood the interior with daylight and keep a connection to the outdoors for the well-being of the students. The architects needed to find a way to maintain outside views and keep people comfortable inside, while simultaneously minimizing energy consumption to achieve the project’s LEED goals. Although conventional low-e glazing, automated interior blinds and automated exterior louvers would have managed the sun and solar heat gain, this approach would also have obstructed outside views and compromised building aesthetics.

The CSSC uses SageGlass as a strategic element of an integrated daylighting control system to manage sunlight and heat gain. The dynamic glazing tints or clears within minutes, significantly reducing energy consumed for air conditioning, heating and lighting. SageGlass glazing keeps glare and temperature under control throughout the day, making effective use of the natural ventilation system. In addition to SageGlass, the facility features a variety of other advanced sustainability technologies designed to achieve LEED Platinum accreditation through aggressive energy-efficiency levels and maximum occupant comfort.

SageGlass was instrumental in helping Chabot meet its ambitious sustainability initiative, which includes attaining LEED Silver rating as a minimum for all new construction,” said Doug Horner, Project Manager with Chabot Community College. “This one-of-a-kind facility exceeds this standard by using advanced design elements, which provide natural daylight in all occupied spaces and access to outdoor views. The CSSC also controls the amount of light to reduce heat gain as a means of increasing the comfort level of occupants.”

Sexy Celebrity Environmentalists Making A Difference

Solar and Renewable Energy Innovations Awarded 200k

Posted on May 15, 2012 by quest

Young entrepreneurs developing energy from waste water treatment, robots for cleaning solar panels and solar cell films with 20% more efficiency took the top prizes at the First Look West (FLoW) regional finals competition, which closed last week. At an awards celebration held at the California Institute of Technology on May 1, Stanford Nitrogen Group, Greenbotics and Xite Solar shared $200,000 in prize money.Professor Harry Atwater, Director of Caltech’s Resnick Sustainability Institute, says “Successful competitions such as this show how universities, working with investors and the business community, are leaders in accelerating innovation flow to the real world, and in launching our future entrepreneurial leaders.”

At the Regional Awards Celebration, keynoter and Judge Andrew Chung, Partner at Khosla Ventures, captured the tone of the competition during an address that touched on the importance of thinking beyond the obvious. “Entrepreneurship shouldn’t be about extrapolating the past, but rather inventing the future,” Chung said. “Startups shouldn’t let the word of the ‘experts’ or conventional ‘wisdom’ constrain them from imagining new possibilities.”

FLoW represents the Western Region of the DOE’s National Clean Energy Business Plan Competition (NCEBPC). The winning teams from six regions across the country will now participate in the National Competition in Washington D.C., June 12 and 13, 2012. The awards event was the culmination of a six month competitive process searching for the untapped clean energy innovation that lies in American university labs. In its first year FLoW attracted 83 applicants from 34 universities across twelve states, and saw inventions ranging from new battery materials for portable electronic devices to net energy+ home kits, hydroponic farms and telephone apps for tracking energy use in the home.

Solar Powered Light Little Sun Launched

Suniva Named 2012 Cool Provider in Solar Energy

Posted on May 14, 2012 by quest

Suniva, Inc., a U.S. manufacturer of high-efficiency crystalline silicon solar cells and modules, today announced that it has been recognized by Gartner as a 2012 Cool Vendor in Solar Energy. The Gartner Cool Vendors in Solar Energy 2012 report highlights four vendors whose innovations could have a disruptive impact on the PV solar industry by dramatically reducing the cost of solar-generated electricity. The report highlights that improving the energy conversion efficiency of solar cells can be an effective cost reduction strategy, but only if increases in manufacturing complexity and cost are kept to a minimum. Suniva recently announced that its ARTisun(TM) Select series solar cells are now averaging 19 percent efficiency in plant-wide production, yielding conversion efficiencies of up to 16.3 percent at the module level.

“The report by Gartner recognizes that the Solar industry will continue to be driven by innovation that produces high efficiency, high performance cells at a cost that is sensible for today’s market conditions,” said John Baumstark, CEO, Suniva. “We’re proud of our inclusion in the report and for the recognition of our pioneering and proprietary work in producing the highest efficiency cells and modules possible through low cost manufacturing techniques.”

Suniva’s continued research, innovation and deep experience have led to these most recent cost-effective cell-efficiency improvements. In 2011, the company formed its Manufacturing Innovation Center to improve processes and enhance performance. Suniva’s unique, low-cost approach achieves these efficiency gains without the added steps and processing costs that traditionally characterize the means of increasing performance, thus avoiding the complexities and premiums of enhanced performance.

End Polluter Welfare Invest In Solar

The Power of A Solar Salary

Posted on May 14, 2012 by quest

First Solar, Inc. recently announced that James Hughes has been appointed Chief Executive Officer. Hughes succeeds Mike Ahearn, First Solar’s founder and Chairman, who has been serving as interim CEO since Oct. 2011. Hughes joined First Solar in March as Chief Commercial Officer. Ahearn will continue in his role as Chairman of the Board.“Jim has been instrumental in developing the strategic plan that will enable us to compete and win in this new era for the solar industry, and it became clear he is the right person to lead the execution of that plan”

Bloomberg BusinessWeek is reporting that Hughes will receive a $750,000 salary. He is being promoted from within the company.“Jim has been instrumental in developing the strategic plan that will enable us to compete and win in this new era for the solar industry, and it became clear he is the right person to lead the execution of that plan,” said Ahearn. “Jim brings a wide range of experience that will be invaluable in leading our organization, having owned and operated utilities, built power projects, cultivated partnerships and led profitable growth in a wide array of key markets around the world.”

“I am excited for this opportunity to lead First Solar into a new era for the industry,” said Hughes. “First Solar is unrivaled in terms of talent and experience and has the premier platform from which to implement solar power at a meaningful scale around the world. The rapid cost reductions in the industry position solar at the threshold of the mainstream energy markets, and we are well-positioned to capitalize on that opportunity.” First Solar, the world’s largest maker of thin-film solar panels recently closed it plant in Germany and laid off 2000 workers.

Yingli Solar To Power Rio’s Maracana Stadium

Solar Powered Light Little Sun Launched

Posted on May 11, 2012 by quest

Little Sun, a small solar-powered light, was launched today at the World Economic Forum in Addis Ababa as part of the WEF’s focus on how art can contribute to changing the world.Leading artist Olafur Eliasson, working with engineer Frederik Ottesen, has been developing Little Sun – a work of art that works in life – over the last two years. Olafur Eliasson said: “Little Sun is a small work of art with a large reach. It brings the different strands of my work together in a new, meaningful context. One part of the artwork is the lamp itself and the activities enabled by its light; the other is the successful integration of Little Sun into off-grid communities – its journey from production to usage.”

Little Sun provides a practical, affordable, and safe source of artificial light to some of the 1.6 billion people worldwide who live without access to mains electricity. Little Sun makes light for living, learning, and earning. Little Sun creates business opportunities in off-grid regions that generate profits for everyone involved, in all stages of production, distribution, retail, and use.The light’s durable, versatile sun-like design utilises a 6 x 6 cm mono-crystalline solar module. When charged for four hours in the sunlight, Little Sun will yield five hours of bright LED illumination.

The Little Sun project will be presented at Tate Modern, London, this summer in a specially created display as part of the London 2012 Festival, the cultural programme that accompanies the London 2012 Olympic Games. Details will be announced shortly. A photo exhibition by leading Ethiopian artists about Little Sun solutions to energy poverty will be presented during the Forum: Tehras Berhe, Mihret Kebede, Desta Madere, Merklit Mersha, Michael Tsegaye, and Helen Zeru.

PlanetSolar Returns To Monaco Sails Into History

Solar Window Developer Sees Through

Posted on May 8, 2012 by quest

New Energy Technologies, Inc., a developer of SolarWindow, capable of generating electricity on see-through glass, today announced plans to introduce the Company’s novel electricity-generating technologies to commercial interests and industry participants with the appointment of its Vice President of Business & Technology Development, Mr. J. Patrick Thompson. Mr. Thompson is an accomplished industry executive and glass manufacturing-process engineer who brings particular expertise in solar, plastics and film, glass, and solar-glass segments – all important areas of commercial interest and technology development for New Energy’s SolarWindow™.“The ability to generate electricity on glass windows while remaining see-through is a truly disruptive industry breakthrough which could stand to change the way in which we power our homes, offices, and commercial businesses,” explained Mr. J. Patrick Thompson, the Company’s newly-appointed VP, Business and Technology Development. “I’m excited to be part of advancing New Energy’s SolarWindow™ towards commercialization and very much look forward to helping introduce our technology to industry and commercial interests.”

“Patrick has a proven track record with Fortune 100 companies in industry segments most important to the future development and eventual commercial launch of our novel technologies,” explained Mr. John A. Conklin, President and CEO of New Energy Technologies, Inc. “In the past few months, while serving on our Board of Advisors, Patrick’s advice and counsel have been invaluable. I’m proud to now welcome Patrick to our management team during this very exciting time, especially in light of the important development progress we’ve made with SolarWindow in recent months.”

Recently, the Company has achieved significant milestones in the development of its novel, SolarWindow™ technology, capable of generating electricity on see-through glass. Notably, in March, 2012 New Energy Technologies, Inc. and the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory announced the development of ‘invisible wires’ for transporting electricity on SolarWindow™. Weeks earlier, New Energy and the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory fabricated the institute’s largest-ever organic photovoltaic device. Previously, Company researchers successfully fabricated its latest working SolarWindow™ prototype using a faster, rapid scale-up process for applying solution-based coatings which generate electricity on glass.