Vinyl Windows | Renewable Energy Blog
The mobile phone provider Orange UK in conjunction with renewable energy experts at GotWind, has created the very first t-shirt that can charge small mobile portable devices batteries via the use of sound. Sound, of course, creates vibrations through the air, which are then collected by reversing the function of a Piezoelectric film. In California we have no shortage of Sound so this T-shirt would do well. [click to continue…]
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MIT students have engineered a cutting edge solar car that will again compete in this years solar challenge. The SunHawk uses 7 square-meters of saucer-sized silicon solar panels. They produce 1.5 kilowatts of power and are 22.6 percent efficient, meaning they can convert 22.6 percent of the sunlight they absorb into energy that gets stored in the battery. That’s about as good as it get for commercial solar cells. Gallium arsenide cells like NASA uses are about 35 – 40% efficient, but drastically more expensive. [click to continue…]
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Headlines and stories about solar companies using high pressure sales tactics are normally enough to anger those of us who are legitimate solar consultants, but when the situation arises with disaster victims, it is horrible. Amid the power shortage following the Great East Japan Earthquake, there has been an upsurge in cases of households being forced to buy overly expensive solar power generation systems by high-pressure salesmanship.
Similar stories have come to us from customers in California who were being pressured to sign a home solar lease. Some strong-arm sales representatives have reportedly forced consumers to sign a solar installers contract on the day of the salespersons first visit. Others have reportedly stayed put in the genkan entry halls of homes, refusing to leave for several hours. [click to continue…]
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New Mexico’s home solar installation and clean-energy efforts lead 43 states in the U.S., according to a recent study. The Land of Enchantment ranks seventh in the country in clean-energy leadership, according to Clean Edge Inc.’s U.S. Clean Energy Leadership Index. [click to continue…]
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Before you consider solar thermal or solar photovoltaics to cut your energy bills, start first with these few energy saving tips. Save water, energy and money at home just in time for Earth Day, TV host and DIY guru Danny Lipford offers these cheap “green” tips. [click to continue…]
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With a 12 volt water pump and 45 watt solar panel Terry Melam hasn’t paid her mortgage in more than three years, since her business went south with the economy. She has been in and out of foreclosure. She’s been on and off unemployment. She now relies on a part-time job at Ace Hardware for money and rides a bike to work.
But Melam, 35, of Palm Bay Florida, isn’t going down without a fight. She has shed almost all of the modern conveniences: microwave oven, computer, and refrigerator. She even is supplying her own power using solar and a small wind turbine. [click to continue…]
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Companies that manufacture solar power panel products had a great year in 2010 thanks to generous government subsidies and an emerging consumer awareness. While 2011 may turn out to be a year of transition, most solar companies should do well and the long-term prospects for the solar industry are bright indeed. [click to continue…]
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In Seville Spain the future of solar is happening now. This solar plant is generating enough electricity to power 200,000 homes with no environmental waste.
The large solar project was made possible with Spain’s forward thinking government and the creation of feed-in-tariffs. “If you wanted to generate all the world’s electricity, you could do it with less than 1% of the area of the world’s desert.” Gerry Wolff, Coordinator of Desertec, makes this statement in this video from the Guardian, “The Challenge Of Solar Power.” But if Wolff is correct, why hasn’t it been done yet? [click to continue…]
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Big brother is watching you even closer now. Internet, public cameras, and now your home power patterns are being monitored. Government and large corporations have a keen interest in what you are doing and when you do it.
Across California utility companies have been installing “smart meters” on homes and businesses to monitor your energy usage even closer. In spite of protest groups and court challenges the installations are progressing. Could solar be a viable alternative to smart meters assault on privacy? [click to continue…]
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Is the Is Solar Thermal Reserve Project in Nevada Worth its Cost?
by Kristie on July 8, 2011
in Energy Commentary
One of the knocks against renewable energy has been that, unlike coal, natural gas and nuclear energy, it is intermittent. Solar and wind power can’t be relied upon when the sun doesn’t shine or the wind doesn’t blow. Solar Reserve, a well-financed California solar startup that can store energy from the sun, wants to change that. [click to continue…]
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