Alternative Solutions To PV Solar Energy Generation

Posted on September 1, 2011 by quest

Bay Area solar manufacturer Solyndra on Wednesday announced it is was shutting its doors and laying off all its 1,100 workers. Solyndra had been visited by Vice President Joe Bidden, Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and President Barrack Obama. The Daily Caller reported, “Solyndra also spent $550,000 lobbying Congress in 2010. Between 2008 and 2011, the company spent more than $1 million lobbying for bills including the “American Clean Energy Leadership Act of 2009″ and the “Solar Manufacturing Jobs Creation Act.”Despite Solyndra’s recent bankruptcy announcement, the Department of Energy and the White House insist the investment was not in vain. “The project that we supported succeeded,” a spokesman for the Department of Energy told The New York Times. “The facility was producing the product it said it would produce, and consumers were buying the product,” he said. “The company struggled because the market has changed dramatically.” “While we are disappointed by this particular outcome, we continue to believe the clean-energy jobs race is one that America can, must and will win,” White House spokesman Eric Schultz said today in an emailed statement.

NPR reports, The Department of Energy notes that the federal loan guarantee “was pursued by both the Bush and Obama administrations.” And, DOE spokesman Dan Leistikow wrote Wednesday, “we have always recognized that not every one of the innovative companies supported by our loans and loan guarantees would succeed, but we can’t stop investing in game-changing technologies that are key to America’s leadership in the global economy. These projects, which include more than 40 other companies, are on pace to create more than 60,000 jobs.”

Solar remains the fastest growing industry in the US and opportunities for alternative energy are fluid; including developments in spray on solar and some recent advancements in Graphene and Carbon Nanotube technology.

Daryl Hannah Arrested at White House

Keystone Pipeline Not in Our National Interest

by Peter Lehner

SunPods Solar Arrays Using Digital Automation

Posted on August 31, 2011 by quest

Clean technology company SunPods Inc. is using software from Autodesk, Inc. to design and manufacture modular solar array units that help make solar power more accessible and affordable “Digital Prototyping makes it easier for young clean tech companies with limited resources to develop products that can have a profound impact on the world around us” Unlike conventional customized ground-mounted solar arrays that require extensive onsite assembly and construction, SunPods (which stands for “Sun Power on Demand”) are configured and built in a factory before being delivered to virtually any site — a process that reduces installation time by up to 85 percent.

The combination of Autodesk Inventor and AutoCAD software has helped SunPods to design and model its arrays without the need for physical prototypes or on-site testing. During the product development process, the company was able to test and evaluate 23 different digital prototypes. Additionally, Autodesk Showcase software enabled SunPods to more effectively demonstrate the innovative concept to customers by creating realistic animations placing the ideas in context. “At SunPods, we want to provide sun power on demand,” said Michael Gumm, managing partner and cofounder of SunPods. “At every stage, Autodesk software has helped us turn that vision into a reality and speed up our progression from ‘good idea’ to great product.” Modular Array Design Reduces Installation Time Up to 85 Percent, Increases Affordability of Solar Energy

As a member of the Autodesk Clean Tech Partner Program — which provides software to emerging clean tech companies in North America, Europe and Japan — SunPods gained access to a variety of Digital Prototyping tools to speed the development of its modular power unit. Autodesk reseller, KETIV Technologies, helped provide training and support to enable SunPods to more quickly implement Digital Prototyping into the design process. Each of the pre-manufactured, self-contained units is capable of generating up to 3.82 kilowatts of power — enough for a small residence. Thanks to its modular design, multiple units can be connected to one another to scale energy needs to power larger projects. The marketplace has embraced the company’s innovative ideas: SunPods have now been deployed for commercial, residential, educational and agricultural projects across the United States. A cluster of three SunPods generates 750 kilowatts per month for a private home in Hollister, Calif., for example, while a cluster of 25 SunPods generates 10,000 kilowatts per month for a high school in Presidio, Texas. “Digital Prototyping makes it easier for young clean tech companies with limited resources to develop products that can have a profound impact on the world around us,” said Robert “Buzz” Kross, senior vice president, Manufacturing Industry Group at Autodesk. “The work SunPods is doing is incredibly important and we’re glad Autodesk software can help play a role in making the transition to solar energy more financially accessible to more people.”

News perspectives on going green

Solar Solutions The Bright Spot In The Economy

Posted on August 31, 2011 by quest

“The U.S. solar energy market continues to be a bright spot in an otherwise bleak economy. As the global solar industry continues to grow and evolve, the U.S. is seen more and more as a leading market – both in installations and in exports. Solar is a showcase industry of U.S. ingenuity. In 2010, we grew by over 100 percent, we achieved a significant positive trade balance, and we exported more goods and services to China than we imported,” said Rhone Resch, president and CEO of SEIA. “Solar energy is an industry invented in the U.S. that is helping our country reclaim our manufacturing leadership and creating tens of thousands of jobs. But to maintain our competitive advantage, we need innovative, proactive solutions from policymakers to match the investments being provided overseas to grow robust solar supply chains. Doing so will result in new jobs and opportunities for communities that have seen their factories close up shop in recent years.” A new report shows that the U.S. is central to the global solar supply chain according to SEIA and GTM Research’s U.S. Solar Energy Trade Assessment 2011. Photovoltaic (PV) components accounted for more than 99 percent of the year’s exports, with solar heating and cooling (SHC) claiming the remainder of the positive balance.

“Until now, the finished module was the industry’s benchmark for judging the health of the PV manufacturing sector,” said Shayle Kann, Managing Director of Solar at GTM Research. “However, the PV market is more complex than meets the eye. To completely understand solar trade flows, this report looks both at earlier steps in the value chain and at the non-panel components of a solar PV system. As our research shows, the U.S. remains a focal point in global PV manufacturing, thanks largely to the domestic manufacturing of feedstock and manufacturing equipment.”

According to the U.S. Solar Energy Trade Assessment 2011, a significant portion of the domestic value generated by the PV industry resides beyond manufactured components; site preparation, labor, permitting, financing and other industry ‘soft costs’ comprised nearly 50 percent of total solar revenue in 2010. The report found $4.4 billion of domestic revenue accrued last year from U.S. solar installations. This domestic value originated from both local and foreign firms employing U.S. resources on the ground for solar goods and services. According to the report, for every dollar spent on a U.S. solar installation in 2010, $0.75 accrued to the U.S.

Game Pioneering Ideas In Solar Energy & Business

Solar Trees Powering Electric Vehicles

Posted on August 25, 2011 by quest

Envision Solar International, Inc., a leading sustainable infrastructure product designer and developer, today announced that the company has commenced work on 15 electric-vehicle (EV) charging enabled Solar Tree structures with their integrated EnvisionTrak proprietary and patent pending tracking systems for a major US Government entity. The project will generate over $800,000 of revenue for the company and is expected to be completed in Q4 of 2011.

Envision Solar’s President and CEO, Desmond Wheatley, said, “Our ability to deliver high quality products to equally high quality customers with whom we have huge scaling potential is key to our growth strategy. This deployment of 15 of our CleanCharge enabled EnvisionTrak Solar Tree structures for the world’s largest customer is another significant indication of our ability to repeatedly execute on that strategy. We are proud and delighted to have been selected for this very high visibility project and look forward to many more.”

Company Chairman and Founder Robert Noble stated, “We are excited about seeing 15 of our iconic, archetypal “Smart Trees™” deployed at this highly visible location right here in our home town, San Diego. For many years to come, visitors to this Solar Grove will be able to charge their EVs, see clean energy generation in action, up close, and experience the sheer pleasure of a shady park of beautiful Solar Trees. It is truly an honor for us to be working on such a forward-looking project which we know will be a powerful demonstration of the government’s growing real commitment to a sustainable future.”

Elon Musk Donates Solar Power Project to Japan

Game Pioneering Ideas In Solar Energy & Business

Posted on August 21, 2011 by quest

“Alex is just a woman who loves her job; she´s ambitious and that´s why she plays the game to win and have fun,” as Alice N. York describes the main character of her eBook. In this fictional story Alex takes on a job in a highly diversified team of a large international corporation to develop new technological business in the solar energy sector. Despite her background and fast success based on pioneering ideas and dedication she soon hits the glass ceiling, throwing her life into turmoil.

The reading experience is like a cocktail with a new twist; let us say a raspberry mojito – ginger style. Take a pinch of smart innovative ideas like solar-driven and robot-handled greenhouses for organic food. Then throw in a dash of spicy and daringly honest experiences of daily work life at a leading corporation and add a handful of personal bitter-sweetness to feed your soul. Finally top it off with strokes of fate as strong as vodka that will turn the heroine´s world upside down with every mouthful you take.  Just like a cocktail this book slowly takes effect on you, eventually sweeping you off your feet, leaving you intoxicated and unable to remain impartial.

GAME-Faint Signals profiles a corporate world in which Alex finds developing long-term strategies and innovational product ideas just as inspiring as implementing both practically; and where business trips take her to fascinating locales around the globe offering insights into different cultures. But it is a ruthless, unscrupulous professional world in which no prisoners are taken; a world that is dominated by demanding challenges and an unbalanced playing field in which the rules keep changing. Faint Signals indicate that something is not quite right and Alex angles her antennas. But – maybe being naive – her code book does not conform. Eventually she is left to her own devices, backed only by family and friends, and her personal supreme court – the daily look into the mirror. A Story Inspired By True Events, ebook Now Out For Kindle, ibooks, Android. Start reading GAME-Faint Signals for free: Game_extract

The EV-Hater’s Guide to Hating Electric Cars

Aspen Summit Attracts Renewable Energy Trendsetters

Posted on August 20, 2011 by quest

Trendsetter, Model, Artist, Author and Designer, Maria Snyder joined other energy and environmental leaders as a speaker at the 8th Annual American Renewable Energy Day (AREDAY) Summit. The annual forum promotes powerful cross-sector dialogue and collaborations. This year’s theme, “Putting the Green in Green, Monetizing Carbon in the Global Economy,” brings leaders from a myriad of fields together including the financial sector, research institutes, think tanks, the film industry and government to Aspen CO.

Solar energy issues are front and center with several experts in the field of solar energy among the more than 100 speakers at this year’s Summit. Rhone Resch, President and CEO of Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), Kevin Smith, CEO of Solar Reserve, and Jim Coombes, Director of Sales Finance and Strategic Planning for REC Solar, will join heavy weights such as Ted Turner and T. Boone Pickens in the four days of conversation about renewable energy.

AREDAY’s purpose is to foster immediate action that addresses climate change through renewable energy development and deployment. The eighth annual AREDAY summit, themed offers attendees, exhibitors and sponsors the opportunity to engage with global environmental powerhouses. AREDAY chooses topics that help people understand the detrimental impact we are having on the biosphere and to see that fixing the problem provides a huge economic opportunity. “We try to find and engage those people who are doing innovative things out there,” says “Putting the Green in Green: Monetizing Carbon in the Global Economy,” Sally Ranney, co-director of AREDAY.

James Cameron

Since 2004, American Renewable Energy Day has been bringing leaders and educators together to promote rapid deployment of renewable energy and energy efficient strategies through demonstration, presentation, performance, film and dialogue. Each year AREDAY has hosted national and international speakers along with presenting of renewable energy booths from all over country attracting thousands of guests.