solar energy

Financial Crisis Inspires Investment in Cost-Saving Solar Technologies

jplatt — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 11:08:34 -0400

Solar power is more than just green -- investors are hoping it will earn them a lot of green.

You might call it a perfect storm for solar. The world financial markets are in turmoil, energy prices are at record highs, and new solar innovations are being announced almost every week. Companies know they can save money by buying solar energy, and banks know that solar is a mature enough technology that it is an investment likely to pay off.

A few weeks ago, GreenTech Media revealed that venture-capital funding in renewable-energy companies more than doubled in the third quarter of 2008, with solar companies raking in a record $1.5 billion. And it didn't end there. Bankers are reportedly lining up at this week's Solar Power International Conference, ready to put their green into green.

So what does this mean for you? The next few years will see even more solar devices, more efficient solar innovations, and more options for home and business energy. And that's good news for everyone.

News: How the Philippines Can Be a Solar Power

solarpowerboy — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 06:39:45 -0400

Interesting News from Business Week

The solar power industry these days is a mix of large and small companies pushing their own technologies. The playing field is still wide open for competing solar panel technologies (i.e. 12 Volt Solar Chargers). Eventually, the market will decide which ones will be left standing and which ones will eat the dust.

With all this competition, are there still opportunities for developing countries like the Philippines? Yes, particularly in manufacturing and in the downstream and applications areas of the value chain. The Philippines semiconductor and electronics industry, working closely with local universities, industries, and investors, can offer significant opportunities for innovation, particularly in solar energy applications development and manufacturing-process reengineering and optimization.

Five Green Devices Every Home Should Have

jplatt — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 09:44:18 -0400

You don't have to install huge solar panels on your home or drive a hybrid vehicle to go green. Sometimes, the best steps to take are the littlest ones. With that in mind, here are five green devices that should be in every home, all of which are easy to find, and none of which will break the bank.

1. A battery charger. Too many of our devices and tools still need batteries, which end up in landfills and leach toxic chemicals into the ground. Stop the cycle by making the switch to rechargeable batteries. They'll save you money, reduce your waste, and make a huge difference.

2. A solar-powered calculator. Why use batteries at all if you can choose a device that doesn't need them?

3. A solar-powered charger. For the devices that don't take your conventional AA batteries, try picking up a solar charger. You can use the device to charge your cell phone, MP3 player and other portable devices. Several are on the market, with prices starting under $100.

4. Solar-powered LED flashlights. These great new devices use both solar cells for power and low-energy LED bulbs to provide bright light. I picked one up at my local drug store last week for 15 bucks, and it's the best buy I've made in a long time.

5. An ENERGY STAR-qualified fill-in-the-blank. Just about any appliance you want to buy comes in two flavors: an energy hog, and an energy-efficient version. Look for that ENERGY STAR logo whenever you buy an appliance or piece of electronics. You'll use at least 25% less energy, which will save you plenty of green.

What other green devices do you think everyone should embrace? Post your ideas here.

Daily Home Renovation Tips

Dan_DHRT — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 07:31:57 -0400

Our family is renovating every area of our home. We provide a daily tip based on our own experiences, both our mistakes for you to avoid and things that worked well for us.

Our current and ongoing energy conservation projects include:

Energy Audit

Exterior Solar Blind

Retractable Screen Door

Solar Charged Lawn Mower

Some of our home renovation projects include:

Basement Ceiling Leak

Gutter Replacement

Garden Makeover

Kitchen Makeover

Front Door Replacement

Most of our articles contain lots of pictures of the different renovation activities.

Dan

Reasons Why Anyone Can Go Solar

jchait — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0400

One of my favorite books, The Solar Living Sourcebook, notes that too often people sort of whine about locating the perfect plot of land for a solar powered home, when really solar can work for every location, just to varying degrees.

They make a good point.

Obviously, there's more sun on a mountain in New Mexico then in a valley in Northern Oregon. However, there's still sun everywhere, and if you have sun, you have solar potential. Basically any amount of solar power your home can use is a good deal for the environment. Any amount you can use is just that much less used from non-renewable sources, and that much money saved.

The Solar Living Sourcebook notes the following ideas:

Anyone can utilize solar power to a degree. You have to use what you have, make the most of what's available, and use super smart before building planning.
Work with nature, not against it.
You don't have to accomplish great strides all at once. Simply working hard to reduce your dependency on your heater and AC is a good start. Learning to use less is a key point. Sure your plot may not produce enough solar power to have your electricity running 24/7, but should it? No one needs their lights or TV on all day.

Learn more about solar power:

On the Go? Charge Your Devices with a Solar-Powered Briefcase

jplatt — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Road warriors, are you always looking for a wall outlet to charge your cell phone, GPS, MP3 player or PDA? Well seek no further, my friends, because the outlet you need could soon be hanging from your shoulder.

The new Juice Bag ProFolio from Reware is the latest in a growing line of solar-powered bags that you can use to charge your portable devices. The ProFolio is about the same size as the briefcase you've got now, but it comes with a nice one-foot-square array of solar panels that add just half a pound of weight to what you're already carrying.

That extra weight can take some pressure off of you and make it easier to charge your devices on the go. Just plug your devices into the bag when you're in the car, on the plane, or in a meeting, and they'll be fully charged in 2-4 hours.

Sadly, the ProFolio doesn't pack enough juice (pun intended) to charge a laptop, although it is big enough to carry one. Maybe the next generation of bags will do better.

But until then, the ProFolio could be a flexible and affordable alternative for charging your devices. It's just $299 right now, although that introductory price will soon jump to $399.99.

Oh, BTW, the ProFolio is made out of recycled materials. Just in case that little bit of green information helps you make your buying decision.

Clean, Renewable Energy: The Answer to Global Warming

jchatraw — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 01:00:00 -0400

I must admit there are days when my six-mile bike ride to work seems like a straight uphill climb. In those moments of laziness, I wish the Idaho sun could just transport me there aside from the pumping power of Pat and Charlie. And while that may be a reality soon as solar-powered cars are becoming a reality, harnassing the cleanest and best renewable energy source we have for all power usages is a must for the future.

In their book Apollo's Fire: Igniting America's Clean Energy Economy, authors Jay Inslee and Bracken Hendricks go after naysayers and present some fine arguments on how this can happen and ways to get started.

Here is a green nugget from their book:

"There are many tyrannies in the world, but the worst are tyrannies of the mind, mental straightjackets that imprison imagination. When it comes to energy, the tyranny of the present is a box that confines us to considering only the technologies of today as we envision the future.

"Some say we are helpless in the face of global warming. Those "nattering nabobs of negativism" will constantly point out irrelevant facts about how expensive alternatives are compared to fossil fuels, how inconvenient they are, and how undeveloped they are. Those unfortunate victims of the tyranny of the present cannot envision the inevitable growth in efficiency, declining costs, and ever increasing accessibility of clean and renewable energy.

"We must understand the awesome power of the human intellect. That is the real renewable energy. That intellectual power is now on the cusp of perfecting the ultimate clean energy: solar power. If we see only what is possible today, we will miss the most transformative technologies and overlook clean energy's greatest potential.

Want to learn more about global warming?

Top 10 Lesser-Known Myths About Global Warming

New Report: Doubts Grow About Global Warming

Send an Instant Message, Fight Global Warming

Top 10 Ways to Prevent Global Warming

Global Warming Cartoons

Jared Leto Pushes Back on Global Warming

What You Eat Can Affect Global Warming, New Study Shows

Wicked Fun with the Sun

jchatraw — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 00:05:05 -0400

OK, let's be honest -- most of us are still looking for our genius side, forget good and evil. But in Gavin D.J. Harper's book Solar Energy Projects for the Evil Genius, Harper appeals to the eco enthusiast by showing you how to turn some everyday electrical possessions into objects powered by the sun.

Harper's book may seem like a working contradiction of sorts as he explains some environmental issues like telling someone for the first time what global warming is then unloads a diagram on you to convert something into being powered by the sun. However, any book that shows you how to make a solar-powered hot dog cooker is hot!

Enjoy this green nugget ... and go make something useful--and solar:

"As present, the bulk of our energy comes from fossil fuels—gas, coal, and oil. Fossil fuels are hydrocarbons, that is to say that if we look at them chemically, they are wholly composed of hydrogen and carbon atoms. The thing about hydrocarbons is that, when combined with the oxygen in the air and heat, they react exothermically (they give out heat). This heat is useful, and is used directly as a useful form of energy in itself, or is converted into other forms of energy like kinetic or electrical energy that can be used to "do some work," in other words, perform a useful function. ...

"Even the fossil fuels which we are burning at an unsustainable rate at the moment, actually originally came from the sun. Fossil fuels are the remains of dead animal and plant matter that have been subject to extreme temperature and pressure over millions of years. Those animals fed on the plants that were around at the time (and other animals) and those plants grew as a result of the solar energy that was falling on the earth."

Inexpensive Residential Wind Turbine -- Wind Power

jchait — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 02:53:37 -0400

Over at one of my favorite green blogs, The Alternative Consumer, I saw a post about inexpensive residential wind turbine. That's very cool, because while nifty, thus far, powering your home with wind, hasn't exactly been the most cost efficient option. If you'd like to learn about the inexpensive wind turbine, check out the Alternative Consumer post linked above. If you're new to idea of wind power, keep reading, and we'll look at some basic facts.

Wind is a great way to provide energy for your home, without depleting natural resources. Wind power has really changed how people can live off-grid, or with less of an earth impact in recent years.

There are many different sorts of wind turbine systems available. They run the gamete, from big to small, to less powerful to full force, and some are hybrid, which means a wind/solar system.

With all wind power systems comes some basic benefits, like...

Lower energy bills. In some cases people use wind power to reduce their energy costs. In great cases you can power up, using wind and other methods and reduce your paid our energy costs to zero (after all system costs and installation of course).

Bergey Windpower, one of the world’s leading suppliers of small wind turbines suggests that you first work on conservation efforts to save on energy costs and then make the move to wind power to supplement the rest.

Bergey Windpower offers a quick test on wind power feasibility. They note, if you'd like to, "recoup your investment in 15 years or less, you should consider wind power if: Your electricity costs more than 11 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh), your area has an average wind speed of 11 miles-per-hour (mph) or more, and, you have one (1) acre of property or more."

Earth benefits: Thankfully, wind is still renewable, we haven't run out yet. In some areas wind works better (obviously) but proper placement can also allow someone in a low-wind area to utilize this system.To see what kind of resources are saved when people use wind, both eco and eco-economically, visit the Earth Policy Institute.

Power when there is no power: If you have a back up generator wind power is useful during outages, and if you live off-grid bringing in wind and solar can be cheaper than bringing in utility. Of course the side benefit is that you won't be dependent on the energy grid and rising costs.

No see a run-down of more wind power benefits visit NRG Systems. The Realities of Wind Energy is a great article that tells it like it is when it comes to wind power, plus offers installation tips.

You also might like to read Treehugger's take on one popular wind turbine question: Common Eco-Myth: Wind Turbines Kill Birds.

Want to learn more about wind power?

Wind Turbine Power: Farmers Turning the Wind Into Gold

Can You Harness Wind Power or Not?

Home Wind-Power Turbines Going Mainstream

What YOU Should Know About Wind Power!

Can You Use Wind Turbines to Power Your Home?

Residential Wind Power

Which Solar Energy System Saves the Most Money?

ellen — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Solar Energy - this seems to be a pretty hot topic on the street right now.

The question over what's best to use; a solar thermal system which
uses the sun's heat to provide domestic hot for use in the house or a
solar PV (photovoltaic) system which converts the sun's light to
electricity? For this discussion, we'll stick to talking about
residential projects.

There is very limited data available on this matter as far as costs
go - so this past summer, while doing our Seminar series 'Greening your
home: Live Sustainably in Brooklyn', I did a cost comparison between
the two energy systems, based on the energy use & consumption of a
typical Brooklyn Brownstone.

These numbers looked at the type of solar system, cost, and the
return on investment to install each of these systems. The results?
Solar PV panels was about a 10-14 year payback time versus a 4-6 year
payback time for the solar thermal system (depending on the type of
fuel used for backup domestic hot water - oil, electric or gas). Note
that both of these payback periods include reductions for tax credits
and rebates. Of course as the cost of electricity increases, you'll
reach the payback period faster.

Since doing these calculations, we've come across some more data and
have spoken to contractors who have performed both types of
installations, and we've found that these numbers are right on. You can
download our calculations here.
These are based on a typical Brooklyn-sized brownstone. Remember,
you'll need approximate 100 square feet per kilowatt and they add up in
size quickly on a small brownstone's roof when you consider that you
also need a hatch, at least one skylight, maybe some mechanical
equipment etc...

This interesting article in treehugger, The Economist misses the point on Going Solar,
argues that solar PV panels, albeit expensive, can be justified if the
energy usage of the house has been well managed and is low enough so
that you don't need to spend a mint to afford them.

We're by no means opposing Solar PV panels - we're strong advocates
for any system that reduces the amount of fossil fuels being used.
However, when budget is a concern, as it often is in residential
projects, a solar thermal system may be a better alternative for its
value and function.

The other concern I have about solar PV installations is that they
seem to fairly delicate and I worry that they won't last out the
payback period. A solar thermal system, on the other hand, is
constructed of durable pipe and seems much hardier. I also think that
in a few years, there will be many more options for solar PV given the
heavy amount of research currently being done and the promises of the
presidential candidates to fund even more.

Here is a photo of a typical Solar PV Panel installation:

This is a photo of a Solar Thermal System we saw while surveying a project in Harlem