Solar Roof Juice From Sungevity Goes Down Under

Posted on April 19, 2012 by quest

Oakland, California-based Sungevity and Australian solar company, Nickel Energy, today announced a joint venture partnership called Sungevity Australia that will provide Australian homeowners with the first ever pay-as-you-go solar option and introduce Sungevity’s innovative brand of online sunshine to the “land down under.” The new pay-as-you-go service, dubbed “RoofJuice,” broadens options for the burgeoning Australian solar market that until now, has been limited to an upfront, cash purchase model. The average cost of a five-kilowatt system (the average system size in Australia) is 12,000 Australian dollars ($12,400). Now, with the introduction of Sungevity Australia’s “RoofJuice” option, homeowners can purchase solar-generated electricity with no upfront cost, giving them instant savings on their utility bills. Sungevity Australia’s “RoofJuice” option will be available starting in late May 2012 and will incorporate the company’s brand assets and proprietary software tools, including the company’s remote solar design services.

Sungevity’s expansion to Australia marks the second global move by the company in less than six months, following an expansion to Europe in November 2011 through a partnership with Dutch Solar firm, Zonline. The company’s highly scalable model, rooted in the use of satellite and Internet technology to design rooftop solar arrays remotely, also enabled the company to simultaneously launch in five Northeast states in July 2011. Sungevity now has a presence in eight U.S. states – Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York – as well as the Netherlands and Australia internationally.

“We share a common vision with Nick Lake and his team, and we are excited to partner with them to introduce easy and affordable solar power to Australian homeowners,” said Andrew Birch, Chief Executive Officer, Sungevity, Inc. “Our move in to the Australian market is further proof that our business model is exceptionally scalable and that customers all over the globe are demonstrating the desire to get easy access to clean energy.””Sungevity’s innovative iQuote technology, coupled with a ground-breaking and disruptive pay-as-you-go model, will enable a new class of Australian customer to go solar,” said Nick Lake, Managing Director, Nickel Energy. “The introduction of Sungevity ‘RoofJuice’ will undoubtedly transform the Australian solar market, and we are excited about leading the way.”

Virgin Gets Its Green On In San Francisco

Solar Power Has Ripple Effect On Job Creation

Posted on April 17, 2012 by quest

Four of the founding manufacturers of the Coalition for American Solar Manufacturing (CASM) purchased more than a combined $400 million in goods and services from other manufacturers and employers in 46 states in 2011, according to a CASM survey. This flow of business highlights just one dimension of solar manufacturing’s multiplier effect in supporting jobs and spurring activity across the U.S. economy, according to CASM. The coalition of about 190 U.S. employers of more than 16,000 American workers contends the nation cannot afford to lose its own industry, particularly in light of advanced manufacturing’s power to generate high-paying and stable jobs and beneficial ripple effects, including research and innovation. Instead, CASM seeks trade-law enforcement to restore legal international competition and domestic manufacturing growth.

CASM is backing an anti-subsidy and anti-dumping trade case against the Chinese industry. In March, the U.S. government issued a preliminary ruling that at least 10 categories of Chinese government programs illegally subsidize Chinese producers of solar cells and panels. China’s export drive has caused a dozen U.S. solar manufacturers to shut down, declare bankruptcy or lay off employees in all U.S. regions since 2010, CASM alleges, even though the National Renewable Energy Laboratory concluded Chinese producers face a cost disadvantage in producing and delivering solar into the U.S. market.

The survey tally excludes many economic inputs, such as interest and tax payments as well as payroll for employees, ranging from Ph.D. researchers to production workers. CASM leader SolarWorld, the largest U.S. solar manufacturer for more than 35 years, employs more than 1,100 workers in Oregon and California. Average annual compensation for permanent, full-time SolarWorld employees exceeds the national average of $45,230 provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In addition, the survey did not account for downstream support that employees of the four solar manufacturers and their vendors paid out to still other businesses – for day-care firms, supermarkets, and car and TV dealers – in their own lives, not to mention the personal interest and taxes they paid and the property they purchased.

One Day On Earth To Screen Worldwide On Earth Day

Solar Energy And The Eyes of Dragonflies

Posted on April 16, 2012 by quest

An unknown inventor, Jong-Eun Lee from Korea, obtained an extraordinary patent on an unusual solar energy system from the government in a surprisingly short time. It is very unusual because the Korean government, which is famous for its thoroughness to examine patent applications, processed this particular case very rapidly.”It is a simple structure but my invention is very convincing,” says Jong-Eun Lee confidently. He got the idea from the eyes of dragonflies. Almost all the existing solar energy systems in the world use panels, which take up a lot of space and expense, whereas Jong-Eun Lee’s system uses only relatively small ball-type lenses that will collect sun light easily from every angle, virtually 360 degrees.

It takes a fairly small space and its durability is extremely long due to its simple structure. The inventor is strongly confident that it will inevitably change the existing concept of solar energy and he hopes that it will replace the nuclear power plant, which is treated more as a necessary evil.

It was no wonder that the first launch of this invention to EXCO 2012, Daegu, Korea, quickly captivated the visitors of Lee’s booth. In fact, his booth was filled with so many people that no one could pass by without asking questions on how it could be possible. His explanation was rather straightforward. “We human beings have chased the sun from the very primitive age until now because we have been trained to think that way, but the sun has been always there waiting to provide us with infinite energy.”And it is a fact that we unconsciously perceived that there was infinite resource in it when we played house with a magnifying glass to burn objects and the problem was that we could not go just one step further because of our limited imaginative power,” says the inventor. “My patent will speak for itself and the Korean government, which examined and granted me this patent, will prove it,” added Lee.

Sunset Idea Open House

Electric Vehicle Technology Driving Through

Posted on April 15, 2012 by quest

Its got to be considered good news for the electric vehicle industry which according to the Boston Globe,”Americans are buying record numbers of hybrid and electric cars as gas prices climb and new models arrive in showrooms, giving the vehicles their greatest share yet of the U.S. auto market. Consumers bought a record 52,000 gas-electric hybrids and all-electric cars in March, up from 34,000 during the same month last year.” Now with the rising cost of gasoline and the fact that solar energy is available, affordable and abundant it is starting to make sense for people to buy electric cars.

Imagine being able to charge an electric vehicle – on the go or at home – without ever having to plug in. The Energy Department announced up to $4 million to develop wireless chargers for electric vehicles. A new funding opportunity from the Energy Department seeks to develop wireless chargers for electric vehicles (EVs). This funding opportunity is made available through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy ‘s Vehicle Technologies Program.

EV wireless charging has the potential to accelerate the adoption of EVs – by making them more convenient for consumers to charge, whether they’re at home or away, and to reduce the total energy storage requirements of EVs, unlocking the benefits of lighter and smaller battery packs, lighter vehicles, higher efficiency and longer ranges.

AC Transit Fueling Buses with Hydrogen Made From Solar Electricity

Look This Way For Green Jobs

Solar Pioneer To Keynote Solar Exchange At Rutgers

Posted on April 11, 2012 by quest

In partnership with Rutgers University , the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA), the New Jersey Higher Education Partnership for Sustainability (NJHEPS) and the Mid-Atlantic Solar Energy Industries Association (MSEIA), Solar Exchange East provides an opportunity for dialogue among innovators and thought-leaders in the solar industry, including engineering management, OEMs, end users, developers, solution providers, academia, researchers, associations and financial institutions. After three years, thousands of participants and events at Arizona State University, North Carolina State University and the University of California Los Angeles, the Siemens-hosted Solar Exchange takes its unique industry forum and networking event to Rutgers University on May 16, for a day of discovery and dialogue on the latest emerging topics, innovations and trends within the solar industry

The event, which is geared towards professionals currently working in the solar market, will be held on Rutgers’ campus in Piscataway, NJ. Dr. Ramamoorthy Ramesh, director of the SunShot Initiative and Solar Energy Technologies Program for the Department of Energy will be the keynote speaker. Event host, Siemens, has been committed to the solar industry from as early as the 1950s. “NESEA is delighted to partner with Siemens and Rutgers on this event as it dovetails with our mission to connect sustainable energy professionals to each other and to the cutting edge information they need to improve their practice. The timing for this event is perfect, given the growth of solar power in the Northeast,” says Jennifer Marrapese, director of NESEA.The event is free to attend, registration is required. Individuals interested in participating may register at www.usa.siemens.com/solarexchange.

“This event offers a strong and broad agenda that will include presentations on Rutgers’ current campus solar projects and our research and academic programs supporting solar initiatives,” said Michael J. Pazzani, vice president for research and economic development at Rutgers. “This university has a leadership role in technology development and policy issues connected to solar, so we’re pleased to host such an influential meeting.”The event will feature round-table networking sessions, offering attendees the ability to increase their knowledge about products, solutions, services and associates within the solar industry in the Northeast, gather new perspectives and learn new methods. Topics for the event include solar panel manufacturing, energy storage and related technologies, New Jersey SREC programs and policies, smart metering and net monitoring, solar PV projects on university campuses and the bankability of solar projects in the Northeast. The day includes a tour of Rutgers seven-acre Livingston Solar array and an evening reception.

ClimateWorks Foundation Appoints Julie Blunden New CEO

Kendall Jackson Winery Has A Taste For Solar Power

Posted on April 10, 2012 by quest

U.S. Congressman Mike Thompson and local business leaders convened today at Kendall-Jackson’s Wine Center to celebrate the company’s commitment to sustainability and unveil the solar cogeneration system, now supplying solar hot water and electricity to power the winery’s extensive tank and bottle washing operations.“Our founder Jess Jackson was a trailblazer who made sustainability a core part of Kendall- Jackson’s DNA largely through innovation,” said Kendall-Jackson’s Vice President of Sustainability Robert Boller. “We’re thrilled to take this leadership position with Cogenra by installing the largest rooftop solar electricity and hot water rooftop system to date and two upcoming installations at our other production sites. It’s a win for the environment and our bottom line.”

Cogenra partnered with local installer SunWater Solar to construct the array on the roof of Kendall-Jackson’s Kittyhawk winery. The solar cogeneration system provides up to 60 percent of the building’s hot water needs, with the electricity powering lighting and cooling. In addition to this initial solar cogeneration project, Kendall-Jackson will install Cogenra arrays at their Vinwood estate in Sonoma County and an additional winery in Monterey County. Expanding on Kendall-Jackson’s existing energy and water conservation projects, the 96-module, 241kW hybrid solar photovoltaic (PV) and thermal array is expected to save approximately $30,000 in annual energy costs.

“The wine industry, and especially Kendall-Jackson, have been leaders in the sustainability movement,” said Gilad Almogy, CEO of Cogenra Solar. “Solar cogeneration is quickly becoming one of the industry’s most effective tools to maximize the impact of solar energy production to meet both electricity and hot water needs. We commend Kendall-Jackson for their sustainability leadership and look forward to deploying future projects.”“This partnership between two great California companies is proof that business can boost the bottom line while helping the environment,” said U.S. Congressman Mike Thompson. “Innovative new energy technologies, like Cogenra’s, and smart, progressive businesses, like Kendall-Jackson, will drive job creation in the years ahead.”