nuclear-news

Sun and wind saving money, and the environment, in USA sports stadiums

Stadiums increase renewable energy use Pro sports facilities are using green energy sources to help the environment and their own bottom lines.  Nov. 9, 2012 ALISON BURDO, MEDILL NEWS SERVICE   WASHINGTON, Nov. 9 (UPI) — Green is more than a team color for the Philadelphia Eagles. By the end of the year the team’s stadium, Lincoln Financial Field, will generate enough energy from 14 wind turbines and 11,000 solar panels to power every home game.

“One of the uses of such a high-profile enterprise is you can sometimes help show the way and lead by example,” said Eagles Vice President of Communications Rob Zeiger.

Construction of the wind turbines was to be completed this week. The 15-feet-tall structures were installed atop the north and south ends of the stadium, in direct view of the nearly 70,000 fans entering the “Linc” and the countless drivers passing the complex on I-95. Continue reading →

November 10, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | decentralised, USA | Leave a comment

Solar truck helping to provide electricity in New York

Rolling Sunlight Helping New York Storm Victims http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=3454 by Energy Matters, 7 Nov 12, Greenpeace’s solar truck is in New York, generating electricity for some of those affected by Sandy.

Hundreds of thousands of people in states hit by Sandy are still without power and it may be quite some time before electricity supply is back to normal. Adding to the misery is the cold weather and a lack of fuel.

Greenpeace has sent in Rolling Sunlight to lend a bit of a helping hand.

Built in 2001, Rolling Sunlight is a mobile power station fitted with 2.4kW of solar panels and a 50kWh deep cycle battery storage system. The truck itself is powered with biodiesel. After reaching a site, Rolling Sunlight can start cranking clean electricity within 15 minutes.

The truck has been generating power in a variety of locations, including acommunity store in Rockaway. Residents have also been able to drop by to get a much-needed charge for their mobile phones.

“We are happy to work with the community relief effort to bring solar power to New York. Today, solar power can help bring a small degree of comfort and a cell phone charge to the people left without electricity in Sandy’s wake,” said Greenpeace climate campaigner Robert Gardner.

“Tomorrow, the same solar power can help us slow down the global warming that is supercharging storms like Sandy, and prevent us from further loading the dice toward even worse extreme weather.”

In a nation where the term “climate change” is such a thorny issue that the topic was never raised during the recent series of presidential debates, attitudes are rapidly changing as a result of the storm.

While in a blackout scenario grid connected home solar power systems are also crippled as a safety measure, the Next Big Thing for solar is energy storage for residential applications; which will allow households to still generate power in such circumstances and enable people to further reduce their dependence on the mains grid.

November 7, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | decentralised, USA | Leave a comment

Solar energy catching on with friends and neighbours

Solar Power Adoption is Contagious,   Dani Thé, ENN , October 22, 2012  
Apparently doing something good can be contagious. Or at least this seems to be the case with solar power adoption. According to a study by Yale and New York University, published though Marketing Science, individuals are most likely to install solar panels on their home if one of their neighbors has also done so. The study, “Peer Effects in Diffusion of Photovoltaic Panels“, took a close look at solar installation clusters between January 2001 and December 2011 throughout the state of California. They found that a resident was most likely to install solar panels if solar panels had already been installed within that resident’s same zip code…… However, without governmental policy measures to create a market for which solar panel installations are desirable, initial installations by a household in a zip code area remains the principal challenge. Without it, a likelihood of adoption domino effect is minimal.

An example of such policy required to kick-start solar technology adoption rates is the “California Solar Initiative”. Established in 2006 by the California Public Commission, it played an integral role of encouraging solar infrastructure installations. Ten years since its establishment, the 3.3 billion dollar, 10-year rebate program encouraged the installation of over 3,000 megawatts of solar infrastructure. This study provides insight into the diffusion process of solar technology infrastructure, and also encourages policy makers to take action. It will require both governmental guidance and business strategy to take full advantage of these findings, so that solar technology adoption rates can quickly grow. The hope is that future studies will discover that the diffusion of other environmentally friendly technologies are just as contagious as solar is. http://www.enn.com/top_stories/article/45120

October 26, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | decentralised, USA | Leave a comment

Small scale renewable energy promoted by California’s Governor

Governor signs bill to ease small-scale renewable energy generation http://westernfarmpress.com/government/governor-signs-bill-ease-small-scale-renewable-energy-generation
Oct. 1, 2012  California farmers, school districts and commercial energy users got a boost with the Gov. Brown’s signing of Senate Bill 594, which removes barriers to on-site renewable energy production. The California Climate and Agriculture Network (CalCAN), a coalition of sustainable agriculture organizations, supported the bill. Senate Bill 594, authored by Sen. Lois Wolk (D-Davis), will allow Net Energy Metering (NEM) customers to aggregate the electrical load of their meters.

The new law will ease the production of small-scale distributed renewable energy production in the state. “California farmers produce more renewable energy on their farms and ranches than their counterparts in other states, but obstacles still exist,” said Jeanne Merrill, policy director with CalCAN. “The governor’s action today moves us closer to developing more on-farm renewable energy production throughout California.”

Farmers and ranchers typically have multiple meters on their property. Current California law prohibits the power generated from an on-site renewable facility to be counted against other meters. Consequently, farmers would have to install a separate facility for each meter, which is extremely inefficient and cost prohibitive; thus limiting their ability to cost-effectively generate renewable energy. Senate Bill 594 addresses this issue and eliminates the need for multiple facilities.

“The governor just made it easier and more affordable for growers like me to produce renewable energy,” said Russ Lester, owner of Dixon Ridge Farms in Winters, Calif. “California agriculture can help the state reduce greenhouse gas emissions and produce clean energy. Senate Bill 594 is an important step forward.”

Senate Bill 594 will move California closer to meeting the governor’s goal of 12,000 megawatts of distributed renewable energy generation in the state.  For more information on Senate Bill 594, please see: http://bit.ly/oNr9fT .

October 3, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | decentralised, USA | Leave a comment

Transparent solar cells – a revolution in solar energy

 every building could be designed with south-facing windows that would absorb some amount of electricity without impeding peoples’ views.

These types of applications would not necessarily require huge renovations either, simply requiring owners to apply the film on top of the existing glass window.

Transparent Solar Cells Could Make Windows Into A Power Source   http://why.knovel.com/all-engineering-news/1743-transparent-solar-cells-could-make-windows-into-a-power-source.html   July 24, 2012 Over the past few years, the U.S. has already become a growing player in the solar energy industry, with states like New Jersey and California seeing solar panels cropping up on rooftops from houses to warehouses.

Researchers at the   University of California at Los Angeles   are hoping to bring this revolutionary new power source down off the roofs specifically to where people will not see them – windows. Continue reading →

September 23, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | decentralised, USA | Leave a comment

California tops for solar powered electric cars

Solar Energy and Cars: A Perfect Combination in California  August 30th 2012   GetSolar  It may seem odd to some to pair together driving and solar energy. After all, one is responsible for emitting greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and the other is one of the cleanest energy sources for homeowners and businesses. However, it turns out that photovoltaicelectricity is already a big part of how some cars operate on the road.

The Sun Powers California Vehicles California solar installers should be happy to know that the market for electric vehicles in the Golden State is growing, as that means new business opportunities. According to a recent report from the California Center for Sustainable Energy (CCSE), 39 percent of plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) owners in the state have PV power set up at home. In addition, 31 percent indicated that they were considering installing panels over the next 12 months. Considering an estimated 33 percent of respondents only charge their PEVs at home, that means a significant portion of California’s electric vehicle fleet is powered by sunlight.

The state has the nation’s largest market for PEV cars, with about 1,000 new electric vehicles hitting California roads each month, according to the report.

Even those car owners who do not have a California solar installation at their home will have their PEV partially powered by solar energy. The state’s renewable portfolio standard dictates that all California utilities need to have 20 percent of its output come from renewable energy sources like solar power by 2013 and have 33 percent of distributed electricity come from renewables by 2020, according to the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency.

“California is firmly established as a national and worldwide leader in supporting advanced technology, zero-emission automotive transportation,” Mike Ferry, the CCSE transportation program manager, said in a release………
http://www.getsolar.com/News/Solar-Energy-Facts/General/Solar-Energy-and-Cars:-A-Perfect-Combination-in-California-800852795

August 31, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | decentralised, USA | Leave a comment