Solar Impulse Flies To Sahara On Sun Energy

Posted on June 24, 2012 by QuestPoint

After completing its historic 2,500-kilometer intercontinental flight to Morocco earlier this month, the Swiss solar-powered plane, Solar Impulse, lifted off from Morocco’s capital Rabat this morning on the second attempt at its most challenging flight yet — to the Sahara desert and Ouarzazate, where Morocco is building the world’s largest solar-thermal plant to harness renewable power from the Sahara sun for North Africa and Europe. The pioneering solar-powered aircraft faced “difficult meteorological conditions” that last week forced pilot Andre Borschberg to turn back after experiencing unexpectedly strong headwinds halfway through the flight. Today, Solar Impulse took off from Rabat at 7:05 A.M. local time and flew over the Atlas Mountains before heading for a landing at Ouarzazate expected around midnight local time (early evening Thursday Eastern Time).

Pilot Andre Borschberg was forced to fly the Solar Impulse back to Rabat when turbulence made it impossible to cross the Atlas Mountains in southern Morocco on June 14, 2012. But yesterday’s second attempt was finally successful, and the team was welcomed in Ouarzazate by a jubilant crowd. The 683 km journey was completed in 17 hours and 20 minutes at an average altitude of 16, 405 feet. Reports Green Profit. The solar plane, powered by 12,000 solar cells in its 207-ft wing-span and not a drop of fossil fuel, touched down in Morocco on June 5 after flying from Switzerland via Madrid. After landing, the Solar Impulse team joined events highlighting renewable energy technologies, under the patronage of King Mohammed VI and at the invitation of the Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy, MASEN, which oversees Morocco’s solar energy plans.

MASEN President Mustapha Bakkoury welcomed Solar Impulse pilot Bertrand Piccard at Rabat’s airport, calling the flight important for raising awareness about solar energy’s potential to reduce global dependence on oil, and saying, “we share a common message with Solar Impulse.” He said Morocco will be producing solar energy by 2014, when Solar Impulse plans to fly a round-the-world tour. The solar flight to Morocco coincides with construction launch of a World Bank-financed solar thermal project in Ouarzazate — the first of five sites — that will produce 2,000 megawatts of renewable energy from the Sahara sun and create many jobs in the area. When it reaches Ouarzazate, Solar Impulse plans to fly over the site and land nearby to show its support for the innovative solar power project.

Hotels house honeybees on rooftops

Waves Of Change At Rio+20 Sustainability Conference

Posted on June 21, 2012 by QuestPoint

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon speaking yesterday at the Rio+20 Conference on Sustainable Development outlined a series of actions he believes the global community must take over the next five years to build the future we want. In a speech to the General Assembly last September Mr. Ban presented five imperatives or generational opportunities that must be addressed to ensure a better future for the world’s people. These are sustainable development; preventing and mitigating conflicts, human rights abuses and the impacts of natural disasters; building a safer and more secure world; supporting countries in transition; and working to engage the talents of women and young people. Today I want to share with you an action agenda for the coming five years, he told the Assembly as he returned to the rostrum to brief Member States on his vision for his second term.

A plan to help create a safer, more secure, more sustainable, more equitable future. A plan to build the future we want. A plan to make the most of the opportunities before us. A plan to help create a safer, more secure, more sustainable, more equitable future. A plan to build the future we want, he said. The action agenda presented today describes specific measures regarding each of the five imperatives, including an unprecedented campaign to wipe out five of the world’s major killers malaria, polio, paediatric HIV infections, maternal and neonatal tetanus, and measles.

Mr. Ban also announced that the UN will work with Member States to make Antarctica a World Nature Preserve and that he will appoint a new special representative for youth. Among his other proposals is the convening of a first-of-its-kind World Humanitarian Summit to help share knowledge and establish common best practices, and the creation of a New UN Partnerships Facility to harness the full power of transformative partnerships across the world body. Waves of change are surging around us, he told the Assembly. If we navigate wisely, we can create a more secure and sustainable future for all. The United Nations is the ship to navigate these waters.

Rio 20 years later: Pollution up, forests down

Tesla EV Model S Hitting The Road This Week

Posted on June 19, 2012 by QuestPoint

SF Gate is reporting on the progress on Elon Musk‘s Telsa Model S electric vehicle – which will be making it’s first deliveries this Friday. Elon Musk received Wall Street Journal Innovator of The Year Award Award in 2011. Tesla Motors is growing its network of retail stores across the United States in preparation for deliveries of Model S, the world’s first premium electric sedan. Tesla recently opened its first U.S. store of the year at The Westchester shopping center in White Plains, New York. Tesla is reinventing the car-buying experience with its unique retail model. Tesla Westchester, the first store of its kind on the East Coast, will feature a hands-on exhibit of the Model S drivetrain, a Design Studio where customers can customize their own Model S, and an interactive touchscreen experience designed to engage and inform customers about Tesla’s advanced technology and the benefits of driving electric. The store will open with four Model S Betas on display, a record number of vehicles at a Tesla store opening.

“Our sales strategy is very different from the rest of the automotive industry — we put our stores in high foot-traffic locations so we can tell as many people as possible about Tesla’s incredible cars,” says George Blankenship, Tesla’s vice president of worldwide sales and ownership experience. “Opening our own stores allows us to ensure consumers interested in learning more about Tesla will receive an amazing customer experience from the moment they walk through the door.”

Tesla Westchester will be the 22nd company-owned store worldwide. The company will open four additional stores this summer at 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica, California, Fashion Square in Scottsdale, Arizona, Washington Square in Portland, Oregon, and on Lincoln Road in Miami Beach, Florida. These stores will expand Tesla’s “new retail experience” to both new and existing markets.Model S was designed from the ground up as an electric car. Engineered for performance, it offers a premium ride, great handling and accelerates from 0 to 60 miles per hour in as little as 4.4 seconds. With seating for five adults and two children in optional rear-facing seats, plus ample cargo space, Model S blends smart design with cutting-edge technology. The 17″ in-dash touchscreen with wireless capabilities allows for streaming radio, navigation and web browsing. Model S is offered with three battery pack options to suit a variety of drivers’ needs, and can be recharged using any conventional outlet. Tesla has more than 10,000 reservations for Model S worldwide.

Organic Farming Legislation Introduced In Congress

Hillary Clinton Heading US Rio Sustainability Delegates

Posted on June 17, 2012 by QuestPoint

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will head the U.S. delegation to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, also known as Rio+20, which will take place June 20-22 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Secretary also plans to meet with key world leaders while at the conference. Lisa P. Jackson, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, will serve as alternate head of delegation, and Todd Stern, Special Envoy on Climate Change, will serve as chief negotiator. This conference commemorates 20 years since the June 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development (the “Earth Summit”).

The 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development, or “Rio+20” is a forum on how to make sustainable development a reality for seven billion people today, and to define the future we want for nine billion by 2050. With a presence in 177 countries and territories, UNDP assists governments, private sector and civil society to build inclusive, prosperous, and greener societies. We advise our partners to consider every policy and investment from an economic, social and environmental perspective. This holistic, integrated approach to decision making is the path towards empowered lives, resilient nations and a sustainable future. Sustainable development is about people. It is about creating jobs and improving lives while respecting the environment. Eradicating poverty, preventing conflicts, empowering women and girls, and building responsible governing institutions are critical components.

In addition to Secretary Clinton, Administrator Jackson, and Special Envoy Stern, the U.S. delegation will include the following U.S. Government representatives including but not limited to Ambassador Thomas A. Shannon, Jr., Ambassador of the United States to Brazil, Carlos Pascual, Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs, Department of State and Elizabeth L. Littlefield, President and CEO, Overseas Private Investment Corporation. Other members of the U.S. delegation include technical experts from the Department of State, the United States Mission to the UN, the United States Agency for International Development, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the United States Trade Representative, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Energy and the Treasury Department. They will also be accompanied by nine Private Sector Advisors representing business, state and local officials, nongovernment organizations, youth, women, and labor.

Stanford Finds Future Of Solar Power Is Bright

Posted on June 17, 2012 by QuestPoint

Nearly everyone thinks that generating electricity via solar power is good for the environment, but there’s much less agreement on whether it makes sense from an economic point of view. At what point will solar power be competitive with electricity generated by conventional, fossil-fuel plants, and how long will subsidies need to remain in place before the solar industry can stand on its own? Those are some of the questions addressed in “The Prospects for Cost-Competitive Solar PV Power,” a new working paper by Stefan Reichelstein, William R. Timken Professor of Accounting at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and Michael Yorston, graduate student in the Department of Management Science and Engineering at Stanford University. Their paper breaks new ground in studying the life-cycle cost of electricity generated by solar photovoltaic, paying particular attention to key factors such as location, public subsidies, and the long-term learning effects in manufacturing solar panels.

Concerning the future, and this may sound like a pun, the future of solar PV looks rather bright. The industry has consistently been able to lower the cost of solar panels. If this trend can be maintained for the next 10 years, and if subsidies are continued for that period, there is a real prospect for solar to become cost competitive on its own (that is, without a subsidy), at least for commercial installations. Utility-scale installations will take longer to become competitive; possibly 15 years, though it obviously becomes murkier to make projections that far into the future.

Renewable energy and solar in particular remain rather controversial in the public debate about energy policy. Passions have been running high. What motivated me is the bewildering range of statements you have out there regarding the cost effectiveness of electricity based on solar PV. Given the range of opinions, I wanted to do my own analysis. I’m looking at it from the point of view of a business economist who is interested in measuring the life-cycle cost of this abundant energy source.

2013 Solar Challenge Announced

Scientists Tap Into Underwater Solar Energy

Posted on June 14, 2012 by QuestPoint

Scientists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), Electronics Science and Technology Division, dive into underwater photovoltaic research to develop high bandgap solar cells capable of producing sufficient power to operate electronic sensor systems at depths of 9 meters.Underwater autonomous systems and sensor platforms are severely limited by the lack of long endurance power sources. To date, these systems must rely on on-shore power, batteries or solar power supplied by an above water platform. Attempts to use photovoltaics have had limited success, primarily due to the lack of penetrating sunlight and the use of solar cells optimized more towards the unimpeded terrestrial solar spectrum.

“The use of autonomous systems to provide situational awareness and long-term environment monitoring underwater is increasing,” said Phillip Jenkins, head, NRL Imagers and Detectors Section. ”Although water absorbs sunlight, the technical challenge is to develop a solar cell that can efficiently convert these underwater photons to electricity.”Even though the absolute intensity of solar radiation is lower underwater, the spectral content is narrow and thus lends itself to high conversion efficiency if the solar cell is well matched to the wavelength range. Previous attempts to operate solar cells underwater have focused on crystalline silicon solar cells and more recently, amorphous silicon cells.High-quality gallium indium phosphide (GaInP) cells are well suited for underwater operation. GaInP cells have high quantum efficiency in wavelengths between 400 and 700 nanometers (visible light) and intrinsically low dark current, which is critical for high efficiency in lowlight conditions.

The filtered spectrum of the sun underwater is biased toward the blue/green portion of the spectrum and thus higher bandgap cells such as GaInP perform much better than conventional silicon cells, states Jenkins. Preliminary results at a maximum depth of 9.1 meters reveal output to be 7 watts per square meter of solar cells, sufficient to demonstrate there is useful solar power to be harvested at depths commonly found in nearshore littoral zones.The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory is the Navy’s full-spectrum corporate laboratory, conducting a broadly based multidisciplinary program of scientific research and advanced technological development.