Electric Vehicle Home Solar Charging On The Move

Posted on October 4, 2011 by quest

SunEdison, a leading worldwide solar energy services provider and a subsidiary of MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc., today announced that it has joined the Pecan Street Inc.to help lead the charge of the advanced home solar photovoltaic (PV) charging systems for Chevrolet Volt electric vehicles (EV).“To be relevant, smart grid energy innovations must solve consumers’ problems and provide services that excite them,” said Pecan Street Inc. executive director Brewster McCracken.

Pecan Street Inc. is creating a consumer-focused smart-grid demonstration project in Austin, Texas, built around home applications, and consumer electronics. SunEdison joins other participating companies – Best Buy, Check-It, Chevrolet, Freescale, Intel, Landis+Gyr, , Sony and Whirlpool – in deploying products and dedicating researchers to the project who will collaborate with Pecan Street Inc. and University of Texas researchers.
Deployments by member companies include one of the nation’s most highly concentrated residential installations of EVs, home services systems, smart appliances and charging of cars from home solar panels.

“We are delighted to be participating with Chevrolet and other industry and thought leaders in the Pecan Street Inc. project,” said SunEdison President Carlos Domenech. “The use of our advanced SunEdison Energy and Environmental Data System (SEEDS) platform in this project will help gather what will be the most comprehensive collection of consumer energy data developed in the United States, and will enable us to support zero-carbon footprint automotive solutions.” A number of the SunEdison-led home solar vehicle charging systems will also have in-home batteries, and all systems will integrate into the home services systems provided by other companies in the Pecan Street Inc. project including Best Buy/Check-It, Intel, Sony and Whirlpool. More than 150 participating residents will have rooftop solar PV, including nearly all of the residents who acquire Volts.

Santiago solving its energy challenges

Chevron To Use Solar Technology For Oil Production

Posted on October 3, 2011 by quest

Chevron Technology Ventures, a division of Chevron U.S.A. Inc. that identifies, evaluates and demonstrates emerging technologies, today launched a unique demonstration project to test the viability of using solar energy to produce oil. The project uses over 7,600 mirrors to focus the sun’s energy onto a solar boiler. The steam produced is injected into oil reservoirs to increase oil production. The project is the largest of its kind in the world.

“Through this demonstration, we want to determine the feasibility of using solar power for enhanced oil recovery,” said Desmond King, president of Chevron Technology Ventures. “This technology has the potential to augment gas-powered steam generation and may provide an additional resource in areas of the world where natural gas is expensive or not readily available.” One of America’s oldest oil fields, the Coalinga Field began operations in the 1890s. Because the heavy crude oil produced at the field does not flow readily, it is more difficult to extract than lighter grades of crude.

Chevron enhances oil production from the Coalinga Field by injecting steam to heat the crude, thereby reducing its viscosity and making it easier to produce. This steam is currently generated by burning natural gas. The solar-to-steam project will supplement the gas-fired steam generators and help determine the commercial viability of using heat from the sun instead of natural gas to generate steam. Throughout the course of the day, more than 7,600 mirrors track the sun and reflect its rays to a receiver positioned on a solar tower. Using heat from the concentrated sunlight, the solar tower system produces steam that is distributed throughout the oil field and then injected underground for enhanced oil recovery. The solar demonstration generates about the same amount of steam as one gas-fired steam generator. Chevron contracted BrightSource Energy, Inc., as the technology provider and for engineering, procurement and construction. The project will be operated by Chevron Technology Ventures.

Paris Tests Rentals of Electric Cars

The Thrill Of Solar Decathlon Victory

Posted on October 3, 2011 by quest

The University of Maryland won the Prestigious Clean Energy Competition, the Solar Decathlon. U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced the winners of the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011 at the National Mall’s West Potomac Park in Washington, D.C. The University of Maryland won top honors overall by designing, building, and operating the most cost effective, energy efficient and attractive solar powered house. Purdue University took second place followed by New Zealand (Victoria University of Wellington) in third place.

“This competition to build innovative, highly energy-efficient homes has been two years in the making, and all of these teams must be commended for their hard work,” said Energy Secretary Steven Chu. “The houses on display blend affordability, consumer appeal, and design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency. These talented students are demonstrating to consumers the wide range of energy-saving solutions that are available today to save them money on their energy bills.”

All teams competed in 10 contests during 10 days that gauged each house’s performance, livability and affordability. The teams performed everyday tasks, including cooking, laundry, and washing dishes, that tested the energy efficiency of their houses. After all contest results were tallied, Maryland earned 951.151 points out of a possible 1,000 to win the competition, followed by Purdue with 931.390 points, and New Zealand with 919.058 points. Student teams in the 2011 competition hailed from five countries across four continents, including the United States, Belgium, Canada, China and New Zealand. The application process for the sixth U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon, to be held in fall 2013, has already begun.

Serengeti Ecosystem Threatened By Climate Change And Highway

Green Webinars

University of Maryland Wins Solar Decathlon Architecture Award

Posted on September 29, 2011 by quest

Announced before an enthusiastic crowd at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, the University of Maryland took first place in the highly competitive Architecture Contest of the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011. For the Architecture Contest, collegiate students from around the world are judged on the design and construction of attractive, high-performance houses that integrate renewable energy systems and energy-efficient technologies. Dennis Andrejko, representing the American Institute of Architects, presented the award in front of an audience that included government leaders and Solar Decathlon student team members. The Solar Decathlon challenges collegiate teams from around the world to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are affordable, highly energy efficient, attractive, and easy to live in.

“We are thrilled to announce this prestigious award during a special ceremony on Capitol Hill,” said Richard King, director of Solar Decathlon for the U.S. Department of Energy. “The Solar Decathlon lets today’s leaders see firsthand the innovative spirit of tomorrow’s clean energy workforce.”

Maryland earned a score of 96 out of a possible 100 points. Architectural juror Michelle Kaufmann, who has been called “the Henry Ford of green homes” by the Sierra Club and is a former Associate with the office of Frank O. Gehry, said, “The Maryland home achieves an elegant mix of inspiration, function and simplicity. It takes our current greatest challenges in the built environment – energy and water – and transforms them into opportunities for spatial beauty and poetry while maintaining livability in every square inch. This is what the Department of Energy Solar Decathlon is all about.” New Zealand (Victoria University of Wellington) claimed second place with 95 points, and Appalachian State University took third place with 94 points.

Tribute to Heroine Wangari Maathai

Boeing Delivers 787 Dreamliner: Solar To Be Key In Manufacturing

Posted on September 27, 2011 by quest

Boeing celebrated the delivery of the first 787 Dreamliner today to launch customer ANA during a ceremony adjacent to the factory where the airplane was assembled. More than 500 employees representing the 787 program walked alongside the all-new jetliner to present it to ANA executives as a crowd of thousands looked on. “We are delighted to be taking delivery finally of our first 787. ANA is extremely proud to be the launch customer for the Dreamliner and to have helped Boeing so closely in the development of this state-of-the-art aircraft,” said Shinichiro Ito, president and CEO of ANA. “The Dreamliner will enable us to offer unrivalled standards of service and comfort to our passengers and will play a key part in ANA’s plans for international expansion.

Made from composite materials, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner is the first mid-size airplane capable of flying long-range routes and will allow airlines to open new, non-stop routes preferred by the traveling public. In addition to providing airlines with unprecedented fuel economy and low operating costs, the 787 features a host of new technologies that greatly enhance the passenger experience. During the ceremony, Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Jim Albaugh presented a ceremonial key to Shinichiro Ito, president and CEO of ANA.”It’s not often that we have the chance to make history, do something big and bold that will change the world in untold ways and endure long after we are gone,” said Albaugh. “That’s what the 787 Dreamliner is and what ANA and Boeing have done together – build what truly is the first new airplane of the 21st century.”

Boeing’s North Charleston in South Carolina will manufacture the 787 Dreamliners using thin-film solar laminate panels owned, installed and maintained by SCE&G on the new Boeing 787 Final Assembly building roof. This solar installation will provide up to 2.6 megawatts of electrical power for the site, enough to power approximately 250 homes. The installation will be the largest in the Southeast by production capacity, and the sixth largest in the U.S. “Today we celebrate a significant moment in the history of flight,” said Jim McNerney, Boeing chairman, president and CEO. “The 787 Dreamliner is the biggest innovation in commercial aviation since the Boeing 707 introduced the world to passenger jet travel more than 50 years ago.

Google Does Solar

Enchanting New Mexico Develops Mega Solar Energy

Posted on September 23, 2011 by quest

Wells Fargo announced project financing for the deployment of a 53.5 megawatt multi-site solar project for Sun Edison LLC, a subsidiary of MEMC Electronic Materials. A site ceremony was held yesterday in Carlsbad, New Mexico with the city’s mayor and officials from SunEdison, Xcel Energy, and Wells Fargo to announce the activation of the first three of five solar power plants that make up the 53.5 MW project. “Wells Fargo is committed to helping cleantech businesses and will continue to expand our support of projects and companies, such as SunEdison, that are leaders in building a clean energy economy,” said Puon Penn, head of Wells Fargo’s National Cleantech group. With the remaining two plants expected to begin operation before the end of 2011, the total 53.5MW solar project is expected to be among the largest photovoltaic solar power projects in the U.S. As the construction lender, Wells Fargo provided more than $200 million to finance the installation phase of the projects.

New Mexico

Building upon its ongoing support of the renewable energy industry, Wells Fargo began providing construction financing for the project earlier this year, and the new SunEdison projects collectively mark Wells Fargo’s largest renewable energy construction loan to date. Wells Fargo has also committed to provide permanent equity financing for all five projects upon completion. The company has already invested approximately $2.2 billion in renewable energy projects since 2006, including funding for 35 wind projects and over 220 solar projects in 26 states.

Electricity from the solar farms is sold to Southwestern Public Service Co., a subsidiary of Xcel Energy, Inc., supporting the utility’s compliance with New Mexico’s renewable portfolio standard. Once all sites are active, the solar farms are expected to produce more than 1.9 million megawatt-hours of electricity over the next 20 years, generating enough to power over 8,000 average U.S. homes per year while the environmental attributes associated with the solar farms are expected to offset more than 2.9 billion pounds of carbon dioxide emissions over 20 years. “We are proud to make investments in our energy future through these groundbreaking solar projects,” said Barry Neal, head of Wells Fargo’s Environmental Finance Group.