GOING SOLAR PROGRAM

Thanks To The New American Vision Solar™ Power Purchase Agreement

Solar panels create a ‘green’, pollution-free source for heat, light and electricity. The technology has been around for a while, in fact, because satellites utilize solar panels, we already rely on solar power for many of the gadgets we use everyday from cell phones to GPS systems to satellite TV. Large corporations are now relying on solar to power their plants and factories while major league ballparks use it to power LED scoreboards. So what has been keeping the average homeowner from installing solar panels on their home? Hands down, the answer is the upfront cost to install the solar panels.

Thanks to leaps in technology over the years, solar panels are more within your financial reach than you may think. The Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) from American Vision Solar™ is a brilliant, cost-effective program that helps homeowners take advantage of solar panels with little to no upfront costs. By signing an American Vision Solar PPA, qualifying homeowners will get professional installation of the highest quality solar panels on their home, and immediately reap all of the amazing benefits solar has to offer.

“A lower carbon footprint, significant monthly cost savings and added home value are just a few significant reasons why homeowners are taking the plunge to go green with solar,” says Bill Herren, President and CEO for American Vision Solar. “And the new PPA from American Vision Solar now makes it possible for virtually every homeowner to benefit from solar panels, with little to no money down as well as no hassle with ongoing maintenance.”

How does it work? American Vision Solar works with Solar PPA Companies who literally purchase the solar panels for you, and in turn act as your ‘local energy company’ –
collecting your monthly utility bill (PPA Payment), as well as any applicable state/local incentives. There’s no initial investment by simply letting someone else pay for the system, handle all the paperwork involved, plus the PPA Company will pro-actively monitor the system and be responsible for any repairs and maintenance over the 20 year term. Production guarantee, inverter replacement and full-system insurance are also included. And the biggest benefit of all, your PPA payment is guaranteed to be LESS than your local Southern California Edison (SCE) bill without solar. Over a period of 20 years, the solar panels will provide a huge rate of return on investment!

Husband and wife team Bill and Kathleen Herren began providing homeowners with
energy-efficient solutions with their window sales and installation company, American Vision Windows™. Now, more than ten years and 30,000 satisfied customers later, the company has expanded its unmatched service to its other brands that will help revolutionize the home improvement industry: American Vision Solar and American Vision Garages™.

To learn more about American Vision Solar, and to find a showroom near you, visit the company online at http://www.americanvisionsolar.com • Call toll free: (888) 635-2579.

If you are having any problems accessing the feeds or updates in the email regarding our latest news about solar power, please feel free to let us know. We know you want to be in the know so we'd love to help you on that.

We also want to hear any feedback from you to make our blog better. Leave a comment and tell your friends and family about us! We will make everyone updated about solar power.

Share

El Segundo, Calif., August 8, 2011—Blessed with abundant sunshine and a supportive political structure, California is positioned to add 7.5 gigawatts (GW) of installed power from photovoltaic (PV) sources during the period of 2010 to 2015, further ensuring that the state remains America’s leading light in solar energy, according to new insights from the IHS iSuppli Photovoltaic Service from information and analysis provider IHS (NYSE: IHS).

Installed PV capacity in California is projected to reach 967 megawatts (MW) this year, the highest in the country and part of an increasing push by the most populous U.S. state to derive a greater portion of energy from renewable sources, a mix that also would include wind turbines and fuel cells.

Next year, power from solar sources will generate some 1.2GW in California—more than the PV capacity of the next six-highest states combined. States approaching the land size of California, like New Mexico and Arizona, are projected to have less than a third as much PV capacity by the same time, hovering in the mid-300MW range. And outside of the top 10 states where solar generation will be highest, combined PV capacity from the lowest 40 states will add up to just 395MW, also merely one-third of California capacity, IHS data shows.

“California is indeed at the forefront of photovoltaic technology, and its commitment to the industry is important for the whole North America region,” said Mike Sheppard, analyst for photovoltaics at IHS.

California’s drive to attain clean energy gained fresh impetus during a recent two-day conference in late July at the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA), attended by 200 researchers, academics, business leaders and politicians. There, Calif. Governor Jerry Brown reiterated the push to obtain by 2020 as much as 33 percent of energy from renewable sources, an amount equivalent to 12GW—enough to power roughly three million homes.

With a series of intensive solar projects under way, as much as 7.5GW in PV capacity could be added to the local power grid by 2015, more than half the state’s announced goal of achieving 12GW from all renewable sources—and with five more years to spare before the targeted 2020 deadline. What this shows is the likelihood of PV accounting in the future for a great portion of clean energy in California, Sheppard noted.

The figure below shows the cumulative PV capacity for California from 2010 to 2015. Given an installed PV power capacity of 900MW in 2010 that then rises to a forecast level of 8.4GW in 2015, a total of 7.5GW in power will have been added to the state in the span of five years.

California’s natural advantage lends itself to busy PV activity within the state
In the United States, California has among the highest insolation levels for measuring the rate of solar radiation delivery as measured by NASA. With a score of 5.4 kilowatt-hours per square meter per day (kWh/(m2/day)), the Los Angeles area ranks second only to the 5.96 kWh/(m2/day) rate of Honolulu, Hawaii. Los Angeles also places higher than perennial hot-weather spots like Phoenix, Ariz. (5.38 kWh/(m2/day)); Las Vegas, Nev. (5.3 kWh/(m2/day)); and Miami, Fla. (5.26 kWh/(m2/day)).

Two other areas surveyed in California likewise boast of above-average insolation rates: the Bay area near San Francisco at 5.08 kWh/(m2/day), and San Francisco proper at 4.89 kWh/(m2/day).

Aside from an inherent natural resource in plentiful supply, California hosts a number of companies engaged in the solar business, including research and development sites that do not engage in manufacturing. At least 27 firms can be found in the state engaged in solar-related activities including the production of ingots, crystalline silicon cells and modules, and thin-film cells and modules—all components that go into the manufacture of solar panels.

Currently the biggest PV project within the state is the Topaz Solar farm, a 550MW power plant being built by Arizona-based First Solar Inc., located in the Carrizo Plain northwest of Los Angeles. Other solar projects under way or slated to begin are the 55MW Niland Project in Imperial County; a five-year program by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) to develop 500MW of power in northern and central California; the Catalina Solar Project in Kern County; and a project by Southern California Edison for distributed power through commercial rooftops, IHS data shows.
More on California to Continue to Lead Nation in Solar Power Installations

This is by far one of the best articles we have seen recently. We hope you enjoyed reading it. Each year it seems that somebody comes out with a new take on an old problem, however, this is the most interesting way to look at it that we have found.

If you have some tips on solar power installations that you would like to share with our other readers, please leave your comments. We would welcome your input into the discussion.

Share

Department of Energy Finalizes a $967 Million Loan Guarantee to Support the Agua Caliente Solar Project

Arizona Project Expected to Generate Approximately 400 Solar Related Jobs

Washington D.C. – U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced that the Department of Energy finalized a $967 million loan guarantee to Agua Caliente Solar, LLC. The loan guarantee will support the construction of the Agua Caliente Solar project, a 290-megawatt photovoltaic solar generating facility in Yuma County, Arizona that will use thin film solar panels manufactured by First Solar, Inc. The project sponsor, NRG Solar LLC, estimates the photovoltaic generation facility will fund approximately 400 construction jobs and 10 full time operating jobs, and will be one of the largest plants of its kind in the world when completed.

“The Agua Caliente Solar project will bring hundreds of jobs to Arizona, while helping increase the reliability of renewable solar power,” said Secretary Chu. “Today’s announcement, in addition to several recent offers of conditional commitments for loan guarantees to solar manufacturing and generation projects, demonstrates the Administration’s ongoing commitment to creating clean energy jobs while bringing innovative renewable energy technologies to the market.”

The Agua Caliente Solar project will deploy fault ride-through and dynamic voltage regulation, innovative technologies that are new to photovoltaic solar power plants in the United States. These technologies will improve the reliability and predictability of the electricity supplied to the electricity grid. Pacific Gas & Electric Company will purchase power generated from the project and will deliver clean, renewable electricity to California consumers.

More on Agua Caliente Solar Project

There are lots of issues to be considered about solar power, and those that are heavily into the subject are likely to want to know more. Even if this article serves as no more than an introduction, nothing stops you from putting the information to good use.

Share

New Energy Generates Electricity on Flexible Plastic Using Novel See-Through SolarWindow(TM) Coatings

Columbia, MD – August 3, 2011 – New Energy Technologies, Inc. (OTCQB: NENE) today announced that researchers developing its SolarWindow(TM) technology, capable of generating electricity on see-through glass, have now successfully generated electricity on flexible plastic using the Company’s ‘spray-on’ coating methods – an important technical achievement necessary for the development of electricity-generating window films.

“Today’s breakthrough supports a brand new commercial application for our core SolarWindow(TM) technology and is the direct result of numerous patent-pending methods, materials, and processes we have worked hard to invent and develop,” explained Mr. John A. Conklin, President and CEO of New Energy Technologies, Inc.

“These important technology breakthroughs have already resulted in a successful public demonstration last year of our SolarWindow(TM) application on glass, able to generate electricity while remaining see-through. Since then, New Energy’s product development group has worked aggressively to advance our SolarWindow(TM) application for glass windows towards commercial manufacturability. Concurrently, our research scientists have been working to create new and exciting SolarWindow(TM) products which reach beyond glass. The result is today’s announcement regarding our ability to generate electricity on flexible plastics.”

Scientists anticipate that commercially developed electricity-generating flexible plastic could be deployed as tinted window film, which remains see-through while generating electrical power. Traditionally, the prospect of creating see-through flexible plastic which generates electricity has been limited by numerous technical challenges, including the need for cumbersome temperature-specific, pressure sensitive, and expensive process methods for applying coatings to plastic surfaces.

New Energy researchers achieved today’s breakthrough by spraying the Company’s electricity-generating coatings onto flexible, lightweight lab-scale plastic (polyethylene terephthalate or “PET”) at room temperature and at low pressure, which may result in reduced manufacturing costs. While developing the first working PET prototype, researchers also overcame conventional issues with surface preparation, considered vital to achieving maximum strength of the coatings’ bond to the surface, and for optimizing product durability and lifespan.

Notably, researchers were able to maintain the working ‘architecture’ of New Energy’s SolarWindow(TM) while achieving flexibility. The SolarWindow(TM) architecture enables various important functions such as generating electricity on the surface of plastic and distributing electricity to the circuit.

Currently under development for eventual commercial deployment in the estimated 85 million commercial buildings and homes in America, SolarWindow(TM) is the subject of ten new patent filings and is the world’s first-of-its-kind technology capable of generating electricity on see-through glass windows.

If you are having any problems accessing the feeds or updates in the email regarding our latest news about solar power, please feel free to let us know. We know you want to be in the know so we'd love to help you on that.

We also want to hear any feedback from you to make our blog better. Leave a comment and tell your friends and family about us! We will make everyone updated about solar power.

Share

4.4 MW of Solar Power from Constellation Energy

More than 8 Megawatts of Solar Now Supplies 6 Percent of DIA’s Total Electricity Needs

DENVER, July 28, 2011 – Constellation Energy (NYSE: CEG) and Denver International Airport (DIA) today announced the completion of a 4.4-megawatt, ground-mounted solar power system. Constellation Energy built, owns and maintains the solar installation, and DIA will purchase the electricity produced by the system over a 20-year period. It is the third large-scale solar project for DIA, bringing the airport’s total amount of hosted solar power to more than 8 megawatts – the most solar generation at a commercial airport in the United States.

In honor of the solar project’s completion, a celebration and ribbon-cutting were held today at DIA. Business and community leaders, as well as representatives from state and local government were on hand for the event, including Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, former Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter and Denver Mayor Michael Hancock.

“With the addition of this solar facility, Denver International Airport’s three solar array systems now produce approximately six percent of the airport’s total power requirements,” said Kim Day, aviation manager for DIA. “We support alternative energy applications at DIA because these projects are good for the environment while positively impacting our bottom line; they are financially sustainable. This airport was built with a goal of being green, and with this additional solar array, Denver International Airport now has one of the largest solar installations in North America.”
More on Destination Clean Energy: Denver International Airport Dedicates

Share

Renewable energy supplied an estimated 16% of global final energy consumption; Emerging and developing economies show rising share of renewables policies, investment, supply, and use

Washington, D.C.—-The newly released REN21 Renewables 2011 Global Status Report shows that the renewable energy sector continues to perform well despite continuing economic recession, incentive cuts, and low natural gas prices.

Authored by Worldwatch Institute Senior Fellow Janet Sawin in collaboration with a global network of research partners, the report shows that in 2010, renewable energy supplied an estimated 16% of global final energy consumption and delivered close to 20% of global electricity production. Renewable capacity now comprises about a quarter of total global power-generating capacity. Including large and small hydropower (an estimated 30 GW added in 2010), renewable energy accounted for approximately 50% of total added power-generating capacity in 2010. In 2010, existing solar water and space heating capacity increased by an estimated 25 gigawatts-thermal (GWth), or about 16%.

The report was commissioned by the Paris-based Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century, or REN21 (www.ren21.net). Sawin was the lead author of the report, which in recent years has become the industry standard for information on the global renewable energy industry. Worldwatch staff Matthias Kimmel and Will Bierbower, Senior Editor Lisa Mastny, Senior Fellow Eric Martinot, and Director of Climate & Energy Alexander Ochs also contributed to the coordination, research, writing, and editing of the report.

“The Global Status Report shows that despite the recession, renewables are growing at an enormous rate,” said Ochs. “Still, there are 1.5 billion people who don’t have any access to energy, and 3 billion people relying on traditional biomass sources and coal. If we want to prevent climate change from spinning out of control, we need to scale up our efforts to accelerate renewable energy development and deployment at all levels. Worldwatch will continue to provide guidance as to how this can be done.”

Renewable energy policies continue to be the main driver behind renewables growth. By early 2011, at least 119 countries had some type of policy target or renewable support policy at the national level, more than doubling from 55 countries in early 2005. More than half of these countries are in the developing world. At least 95 countries now have some type of policy to support renewable power generation. Of all the policies employed by governments, feed-in tariffs remain the most common. Last year, investment in renewables reached a record $211 billion-about one-third more than the $160 billion invested in 2009 and more than five times the amount invested in 2004.
More on Renewable Energy Continued Growth in 2010 Despite Recession

Share

Trade-off between Profitability and Inventory Clearance Becomes the Biggest Challenge for Solar Cell Manufacturers

July 27, 2011 — According to the latest survey conducted by EnergyTrend, manufacturers indicated that they are conservative about September orders and the PV market of 3Q11. On the other hand, the spot price of polysilicon remained at a high level. The Chinese market demand still stayed high while other markets showed signs of slowing. According to EnergyTrend, downstream manufacturers are conservative about spot price trend of polysilicon, primarily because most orders from large manufacturers are signed on contractual terms, and few make purchase on the spot market. The second tier and third tier manufacturers are the main active participants on the polysilicon spot market, but their combined purchase volume is much less than top tier manufacturers’. Therefore, it is estimated that the current spot market situation can not support polysilicon manufacturers to raise the price.

Source: EnergyTrend

This week’s survey shows that the polysilicon price remained stable with the main trading price between $52/kg and $54/kg. Notably, the trading price in the Chinese market is slightly higher than other areas, ranging from $55/kg to $58/kg with the average price of polysilicon remaining at $54.55/kg. In terms of Si wafer price, the average market spot price of mono-Si wafer stayed stable, and the main trading price stayed between $2.6/piece and $2.65/piece. The current trading price of multi-Si wafer remanded between $1.95/piece and $2.1/piece, but the top tier manufacturers’ price has increased to $2.0/piece. Comparatively speaking, the average price of multi-Si wafer has slightly risen by 0.05% to $2.051/piece while that of mono-Si waver has increased by 0.04% to $2.632/piece.

As for solar cells and modules, due to strong demand for high conversion efficiency solar cells, the price remained relatively high with the highest price above $0.9/Watt. In addition, from perspectives of the production line, the output volume of solar cell with conversion efficiency under 16.4% accounts for 10%~20%. Although the demand for high conversion efficiency solar cells stays strong, manufacturers still need to take selling lower conversion efficiency product into consideration. Therefore, with the pressure of trading price adjustment for lower efficiency products still remaining, trade-off between profitability and inventory clearance is the biggest challenge for solar cell manufacturers. According to EnergyTrend, cell prices fluctuated this week and lower priced products has dragged down the average price by 0.62% to $0.797/Watt. On the other hand, the average price of module, affected by Chinese manufacturers’ price quotation, has continuously decreased by 0.78% to $1.265/Watt.

According to current market situation, manufacturers indicated that they put much focus on the Chinese local governments’ subsidies. To date, Jiangsu, Shandong, and Qinghai provinces have announced their local subsidies. Among those, the subsidy of Qinghai government attracted wide attention of Chinese PV manufacturers. However, EnergyTrend believes that fund availability is the key determinant factor for the subsidy program’s future success. Furthermore, subsidy releases show the Chinese local governments’ support for local PV industry developments. In particular, Jiangsu and Shandong, their PV industry developments have reached a certain scale. EnergyTrend indicates that the subsidy release can help locally based manufacturers to overcome challenge of the oversupply market.

Notably, the Qinghai government attempts to support its PV industry growth through the new subsidy in the hope of making Qinghai province become a big PV production base and market place. Currently, the Qinghai government has achieved the fundamental goal. However, the Chinese market is now the world’s biggest PV production base. At this stage, the accumulated production capacity in the southeast China can fully already meet the projected annual domestic market demand through 2020. Additionally, the northwestern China has also released new subsidy policy that might further spur the production output. Therefore, EnergyTrend believes that the risk of Chinese PV industry forming a bubble may increase, if the oversupply situation continues or even worsens without guidelines.

Solar Startup Semprius to Create 250 Jobs in North Carolina at Cutting-Edge Pilot Plant

Energy Department-enabled innovation made Tuesday, July 19, a good day for North Carolina.

Entrepreneurs from Durham-based solar startup Semprius teamed with Governor Bev Purdue to announce the company’s plan to build a new high-tech manufacturing facility in Henderson. The factory is expected to create more than 250 full-time jobs over the next five years, which is a particular boon for Henderson, where the county unemployment rate reached 13.3% in May. This follows on the heels of news that Siemens recently participated with others in a $20 million investment in Semprius. Siemens took a 16% stake in the company – a vote of confidence from a global engineering giant with years of success in the solar industry.

None of this comes as a surprise to those of us who have followed Semprius’ progress as a pioneer in the design and fabrication of high concentration photovoltaic (HCPV) solar modules. The company’s story provides a case-study example for how federally-funded research and development sparks job-creation for Americans in a global growth industry.

Spun out of Lemelson-MIT award winner John Rogers’ research lab at the University of Illinois, Semprius employs a breakthrough semiconductor manufacturing technique called micro-transfer printing, originally invented with Energy Department Office of Science support. This core technology has a broad range of potential applications — from improving LED lighting to increasing computer hard drive capacity to making tiny sensors for next-generation medical devices. It enables Semprius to combine extremely small solar cells — about one half the surface area of a pin head — with low-cost, highly efficient lenses that concentrate the sun’s energy more than 1100 times.

Semprius first explored the idea of using micro-transfer printing for HCPV with the help of a 2007 “Next Gen” grant from the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. The company’s progress has been astounding since then; it earned Semprius one of four spots in the 2010 class of the PV Incubator Program along with recent record-breakers Alta Devices and Solar Junction and Tetrasun, which also closed a funding round recently. Like its peers, Semprius has benefited greatly from its participation in the Incubator. “Programs like the PV Incubator allow you to develop quicker, implement quicker and go to market quicker,” as Semprius CEO Joe Carr recently told me. Access to key tools and personnel at the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) has helped the company optimize both its tiny cell (NREL-confirmed 41.7% ) and its module.

This news adds Semprius to a growing list of PV Incubator participant companies that have attracted significant private investment and are plowing it into new manufacturing operations in communities like Henderson across the U.S. Between 2007 and 2010, the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy invested $50 million in the Incubator for 20 solar startups like Semprius. Private investment in those firms now totals more than $1.3 billion, a 25-to-1 multiple.

These companies already employ more than 1,200 people in good hi-tech jobs, and that number is poised to grow rapidly as new manufacturing facilities come online. Six of those companies — 1366, Abound, Calisolar, PrimeStar (acquired by GE), Solopower, and now Semprius — have publicly announced plans to hire more than 3,800 full-time workers for new factories being built here in America.

The Department’s SunShot Initiative investments are not only making solar energy systems cost competitive with traditional sources of energy by the end of the decade; programs like the PV Incubator catalyze market support for leading companies like Semprius that are putting Americans to work.

Share

Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida Lead List of “Toxic 20” States with Most Toxic Air Pollution from Power Plants

Worst States: OH, PA, FL, KY, MD, IN, MI, WV, GA, NC, SC, AL, TX, VA, TN, MO, IL, WI, NH, IA

Washington, DC (July 20, 2011) – Residents of Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida live in states with the most toxic air pollution from coal- and oil-fired power plants, according to an analysis by the Natural Resources Defense Council.

The study used publicly-available data in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Toxics Release Inventory (TRI). The analysis, entitled “Toxic Power: How Power Plants Contaminate Our Air and States” was jointly released today by NRDC and Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR).

Among the key findings:

* Nearly half of all the toxic air pollution reported from industrial sources in the United States comes from coal- and oil-fired power plants.

* Power plants are the single largest industrial source of toxic air pollution in 28 states and the District of Columbia.

“Power plants are the biggest industrial toxic air polluters in our country, putting children and families at risk by dumping deadly and dangerous poisons into the air we breathe,” said Dan Lashof, Climate Center Director at NRDC. “Tougher standards are long overdue. Members of Congress who consider blocking toxic pollution safeguards should understand that this literally will cost American children and families their health and lives.”

Despite the health benefits of reducing toxic pollution from power plants, some polluters and members of Congress are seeking to block EPA’s efforts to update public health protections. Last week, two House Committees voted for amendments by Ed Whitfield (R-KY)/Mike Ross (D-AR) and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) to block for at least a year the EPA’s Mercury and Air Toxics standard. These amendments could move to the House floor as early as this week.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee, Fred Upton (R-MI) has vowed to block EPA’s clean air safeguards. One of the nation’s biggest polluters, American Electric Power (AEP) based in Columbus, Ohio has drafted legislation to block the EPA and has argued against EPA’s current efforts.

The states on the “Toxic 20’’ list (from worst to best) are:
1. Ohio.
2. Pennsylvania.
3. Florida.
4. Kentucky.
5. Maryland.
6. Indiana.
7. Michigan.
8. West Virginia.
9. Georgia.
10. North Carolina.
11. South Carolina.
12. Alabama.
13. Texas.
14. Virginia.
15. Tennessee.
16. Missouri.
17. Illinois.
18. Wisconsin.
19. New Hampshire.
20. Iowa.

The EPA estimates that the reductions of toxic pollution required by the pending “Mercury and Air Toxics” standard would save as many as 17,000 lives every year by 2015 and prevent up to 120,000 cases of childhood asthma symptoms. The safeguards also would avoid more than 12,000 emergency room and hospital visits and prevent 850,000 lost work days every year. These standards are expected to be finalized in November; the agency is taking public comments on its proposal until Aug. 4, 2011.

“Coal pollution is killing Americans,” said Lynn Ringenberg, MD, of Physicians for Social Responsibility. “It is America’s biggest source of toxic air pollution. Air toxics from coal-fired power plants cause cancer, birth defects, and respiratory illness. Just one of those air toxics, mercury, damages the developing brains of fetuses, infants, and small children. It robs our children of healthy neurological development and native intelligence.

“Poisonous power threatens the health of our kids and families. As a pediatrician for over thirty years, I urge us absolutely to support the EPA’s efforts to reduce the health threat from coal.”

The 28 states in which power plants are the leading source of toxic air pollution reported to the TRI are: Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.

ABOUT THE DATA

The EPA’s Toxic Release inventory, known as the TRI, is a national database of toxic emissions self-reported by industrial sources. This analysis compared TRI emissions from the electric utilities sector to those from other sectors and ranked sources by total emissions by sector. Releases are calculated and self-reported by covered entities. Emissions of key power plant pollutants are reported to the TRI, including mercury, hydrochloric acid, and other hazardous metals.

Top emitting power plants were identified based on toxic emissions reported to TRI. Power plant ownership information was drawn from “Benchmarking Air Emissions of the 100 Largest Electric Power Producers in the United States (2010).” Data on pollution control systems at specific plants was obtained from EPA’s National Electric Energy Data System Database v.4.10 (2010).

For the full methodology, see the analysis “Toxic Power: How Power Plants Contaminate Our Air and States,”

Share

Thanks To American Vision Solar’s New ‘Solar as Service’ Program

One of the biggest hurdles that keep homeowners from taking the solar power plunge is the large amount of cash needed for the initial solar panel purchase. This is why American Vision Solar™ is now offering its customers a unique opportunity under its new Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), to install solar panels onto their home with little to no money down, allowing them to immediately reap the incredible cost savings.

“American Vision Solar is dedicated to enhancing home energy efficiency, and we’re thrilled to be able to offer our customers such a unique PPA,” said Bill Herren, President and CEO for American Vision Solar. “We pride ourselves on providing impressive customer service, which is why it was our priority to create an agreement that would truly benefit the homeowner.”

Just imagine, what if you didn’t have to purchase your power from Southern California Edison (SCE)? What if you could choose to pay less? The new ‘Solar as Service’ program from American Vision Solar puts this ‘power’ in the palm of your hands — providing qualifying homeowners with a choice to pay less for clean energy generated through solar panels — too good to be true? Here’s how it works. American Vision Solar works with Solar PPA companies who literally purchase the solar panels for you, and in turn act as your ‘local energy company’ – collecting your monthly utility bill (PPA Payment), as well as any applicable state/local incentives.

Benefits to the homeowner are overflowing — no initial investment by simply letting someone else pay for the system, handle all the paperwork involved, plus the PPA Company will pro-actively monitor the system and be responsible for any repairs and maintenance over the 20 year term. Production guarantee, inverter replacement and full-system insurance are also included. And the biggest benefit of all, your PPA payment is guaranteed to be LESS than your local Southern California Edison (SCE) bill without solar. Over a period of 20 years, the solar panels will provide a huge rate of return on investment!

So why not ‘go green’ if it doesn’t cost you any ‘green’ ($)? Utilizing the clean energy brilliantly generated from the sun’s rays makes you a friend to the environment. In fact, there’s enough free and pure sunlight shining on America every hour of every day to power the world for a year. So the right question is, why not ‘go green’ if it actually saves you ‘green’? The answer: there’s no reason not to, it’s time to go solar!

Husband and wife team Bill and Kathleen Herren began providing homeowners with energy-efficient solutions with their window sales and installation company, American Vision Windows™. Now, more than ten years and 30,000 satisfied customers later, the company has expanded its unmatched service to its other brands that will help revolutionize the home improvement industry: American Vision Solar and American Vision Garages™.

To learn more about American Vision Solar, and to find a showroom near you, visit the company online.

Share

Five Major Parks In or Near Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin Highlighted; Significant and Growing Impact on Beaches, Wildlife, Tourism Revenue and Jobs Detailed.

CHICAGO, IL.///July 13, 2011///Five major Great Lakes national parks are already feeling the impact of climate change in the forms of rising temperatures, decreased winter ice, eroding shorelines, spreading disease, and a crowding out of key wildlife and plant life, according to a major new report issued today by the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization (RMCO) and Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

Available online at http://www.rockymountainclimate.org/programs_13.htm, the new RMCO/NRDC report focuses on the five largest parks on the Great Lakes: Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore (NL) in Indiana (near Chicago); Sleeping Bear Dunes NL, Pictured Rocks NL, and Isle Royale National Park (NP) in Michigan (just offshore from Minnesota); and Apostle Islands NL in Wisconsin.

As “Great Lakes National Parks in Peril: The Threats of Climate Disruption” notes, the threats of climate disruption to the national parks in the Great Lakes are also threats to the Great Lakes regional economy. “The five parks featured in this report together drew more than four million visitors in 2010. Visitor spending in 2009 totaled more than $200 million and supported nearly 3,000 jobs. These economic benefits are at risk as a changing climate threatens the special resources that draw vacationing families and others to these parks.”

The report documents the following major impacts:

* Higher temperatures. Summers in Indiana Dunes could become as hot by late in this century (2070- 2099) as summers in Gainesville, Florida, have been in recent history (1971-2000). Summers in Sleeping Bear Dunes could become as hot as those in Lexington, Kentucky, recently have been.

* Less winter ice. Higher air and water temperatures already are reducing winter ice cover on the Great Lakes, a trend expected to accelerate. Lake Michigan may have some winters with no ice cover in as soon as 10 years, and Lake Superior may typically be ice-free in about three decades.

* Major erosion of shoreline and related features. With less ice and more open waters, the lakes will have more waves in winter than before, especially during strong storms, increasing erosion threats to park shorelines and structures. The park staff at Sleeping Bear Dunes has expressed concern that the park’s signature perched dunes, atop towering bluffs above the shorelines, could be vulnerable to accelerated loss from increased erosion, resulting from a loss of winter ice and snow cover that keeps the dunes’s sand from blowing away and from more waves undercutting the bluffs on which the dunes perch.

* Loss of wildlife. In Isle Royale, the moose population has declined, as have the numbers of the wolves that depend on them as prey. Other park mammals at risk as the climate changes include lynx and martens. Birds at risk of being eliminated from the parks include common loons and ruffed grouse, iconic birds of the Great Lakes and the North Woods.

Stephen Saunders, president, Rocky Mountain Climate Organization (RMCO) and former deputy assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior overseeing the National Park Service, said: “Human disruption of the climate is the greatest threat ever to America’s national parks. This report details the particular threats that a changed climate poses to our Great Lakes national parks — those within the lakes or on their shores.”

Dale Engquist, former superintendent, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, and president, Chicago Wilderness Trust, said: “Change in nature is natural. But the changes we face with the accelerated rate of global climate change that our human activities have caused don’t allow millennia or even centuries for adaption; the changes now will take place in only decades without time for nature to adapt.”

Thom Cmar, staff attorney, Chicago Office, Natural Resources Defense Council, said: “We need to head off climate change quickly to protect our Great Lakes parks, the iconic landscapes and wildlife that live in them, and our own communities. Climate action is economic action in the Great Lakes. To protect the jobs and massive revenue that come out of these parks, Congress needs to either act on climate or get out of the way and let the EPA do its job to limit carbon pollution.”

Larry J. MacDonald, mayor, Bayfield, Wisconsin, said: “The City of Bayfield, as the gateway community to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, faces the financial reality that climate change will bring tremendous economic challenges to our National Lakeshore-based local tourism economy. We need to continue to respect and protect Lake Superior. When the Lake is healthy, our community and the Apostle Islands will continue to prosper.”

The new RMCO/NRDC report also concludes:

* The amount of rain falling in heavy storms in the Midwest increased by 31 percent over the past century. This is well above the national average of 22 percent.

* Winds over the Great Lakes already are stronger than they used to be. Lake Superior wind speeds have increased by 12 percent since 1985.

* The waters in the Great Lakes are hotter, with their temperatures having increased more in recent decades than air temperatures have. Lake Superior’s summer water temperatures rose about 4.5 degrees from 1979 to 2006, roughly double the rate at which summer air temperatures have gone up over the surrounding land.

* In Isle Royale NP, the moose population is down to about 515, half the park’s long-term average. Temperatures higher than moose can tolerate could be responsible—as in nearby northwest Minnesota, where the moose population has crashed in the past two decades from 4,000 to fewer than 100 animals, coinciding with higher temperatures. Also, warmer winters in Isle Royale enable enough ticks to overwinter and cause such a large loss of blood among the moose that they are more vulnerable to the park’s wolves.

* Isle Royale’s wolf population has fallen, too. The park’s moose make up 90 percent of the wolves’s prey, and declines in the moose population threaten the wolves. The park now has only 16 wolves in two packs, compared to 24 wolves in four packs a few years ago.

* Botulism outbreaks linked to high water temperatures and low lake levels now kill hundreds to thousands of birds a year in Sleeping Bear Dunes NL. There are so many dead birds cover the park’s beaches that the National Park Service patrols from June through November to clean up the bird carcasses.

* In 2010, a tick of the type that carries Lyme disease was confirmed at Isle Royale for the first time — a fact apparently being reported publicly for the first time in this report. Cold temperatures previously prevented the ticks that carry Lyme disease from reaching so far north, but their spread into the region had been projected as the climate gets hotter. The Lyme disease ticks also apparently have spread to nearby Grand Portage National Monument for the first time.

Learn more at http://www.rockymountainclimate.org.

Share

Company Extends Solar PV Systems Warranty to 30 Years

Marysville, WA – July 11, 2011 – Silicon Energy, a manufacturer of world-class solar photovoltaic (PV) systems for the North American market, announced today that it has extended its Silicon Energy Cascade PV System Power Warranties by five years. Based on over two years of field performance data and extensive third-party testing by NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory), Silicon Energy’s decision to extend its product warranty makes it one of the strongest warranties in the industry.

“We are committed to making solar a mainstream energy source with products that are safe, durable, maximize energy production, increase energy harvest, are aesthetically appealing, and support our local economy and environment with smart manufacturing practices,” said Gary Shaver, president, Silicon Energy. “Customers who choose Silicon Energy for their PV systems are choosing best-in-class products, now backed by one of the industry’s top warranties. Our product lifespan, application flexibility and optimized energy harvesting capability make our product a great investment.”

For Silicon Energy’s growing network of partners and contractors who sell and install the company’s PV systems, the extended warranty provides an added incentive for customers who want a long-term system that boasts a 40+ year usable life and innovative design that provides completely sealed wiring to make it extremely safe, a theft-resistant mounting system, the highest industry fire rating, and frameless design that allows water, dirt, snow and ice to easily flow off for optimal light access and energy creation even in extreme weather conditions. The Silicon Energy glass-on-glass construction also enables installations such as awnings, carports, patio covers, and bus shelters. For those design-conscious customers, the company also provides custom color mounting hardware for visual continuity.

Silicon Energy’s extended warranty is available starting July 1st for its Cascade PV System.

· Limited Product Warranty Materials & Workmanship: 5 years

· Limited Power Warranty:

Power Output Table

1-15 years (up from 10 years)

? 90% PMAX

16-30 years (up from 25 years)

? 80% PMAX

In addition to presenting its extended warranty, Silicon Energy recently has been able to reduce its pricing as a result of manufacturing improvements and strengthened vendor relationships.

“When choosing Silicon Energy PV systems, our customers are making a sound investment in solar, their local economy, their environment, and clean energy creation for many, many years to come,” closed Shaver.

Share

Event to Focus on Sustainability Solutions

June 27, 2011, Austin, Texas – South by Southwest (SXSW) Conferences and Festivals announced today it will launch the inaugural SXSW Eco Conference to bring together experts in the fields committed to finding solutions for a sustainable world. The event will take place at the Hilton Austin in Austin, Texas, October 4-6, 2011. SXSW Eco will feature three days of diverse, top-level programming for executive decision makers from the public, private and academic sectors, and provide a platform for attendees to collaborate and advance solutions to the most pressing challenges facing the environment, the economy and civil society.

SXSW Eco will provide an open and creative space for experienced, passionate and pragmatic professionals to network with a diverse group of influential organizations and individuals, while contributing to cutting-edge discussion. The conference will feature a mix of sessions, including keynote presentations, panels, and core-conversations. Session ideas submitted via the SXSW Eco website will be considered by SXSW Eco staff as well as the SXSW Eco Advisory Board.

The SXSW Eco Advisory Board features an eclectic group of experts with decades of experience dedicated to sustainability technology, research and education. Advisory Board members will assist the SXSW Eco staff with programming well-rounded sessions intended to encourage thought-provoking discussions among panelists and attendees alike. The Advisory Board currently includes dedicated professionals such as Robert Skinner, Associate Director, United Nations Foundation; Callum Grieve, Global Director of Communications, The Climate Group ; Melinda Taylor, Executive Director of the Center for Global Energy, International Arbitration, and Environmental Law at the University of Texas School of Law; and Karl R. Rábago, Vice President for Distributed Energy Services with Austin Energy. Additional members will be announced via the SXSW Eco website in the coming weeks.

“Just as SXSW Music, Film and Interactive emerged as a vibrant space for the creative and entrepreneurial communities, we hope SXSW Eco will foster a similar, productive environment for policy makers, academics, and professionals to build meaningful relationships and develop tangible solutions,” said Roland Swenson, SXSW Managing Director. “We are eager to apply our successful event experience to provide a new forum that will address these timely, complicated and interdependent issues of sustainability.”

“SXSW has always provided an environment that creates the kind of informal opportunity for the exchange of ideas, and I think extending their expertise to SXSW Eco could be very helpful in moving the agenda forward on these critical issues of sustainability,” said Robert Skinner, Associate Director of the United Nations Foundation. “I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to participate on the Advisory Board, and really looking forward to the discourse that will surely come from the event.”

Individuals with ideas for session topics, or those who are interested in speaking at SXSW Eco may submit proposals directly via the SXSW Eco Session Proposal Form. All ideas will be reviewed by SXSW Eco staff as well as the SXSW Eco Advisory Board. Proposals will be accepted now through July 29. To submit an idea or for more information, visit sxsweco.com/present.

The SXSW Eco Conference will take place at the Hilton Austin from Tuesday, October 4 through Thursday, October 6. SXSW Eco registration will include three days of programming, an opening night reception, registrants’ dinner and a closing party featuring live entertainment. SXSW Eco registration is available now at the discounted rates of $800 through July 29 and $1000 through September 2, after which the final walk-up rate will be $1200. Student and academic discounts of up to 50% will be available to qualified applicants. For more information on the SXSW Eco schedule, registration, and more, visit sxsweco.com/attend.

Share

Solar Power For Churches: an underutilized market

A strong, faithful congregation isn’t the only thing powering the 58-year-old Faith Lutheran Church in Inglewood. A 26.6-kilowatt solar installation is now producing a majority of the church’s electrical power.

The installation is made up of 144 solar panels placed on 2,500 square feet of the church’s concrete roof. Installed in 2008 by California Green Designs, the church has since saved a minimum of $500 to $600 per month in energy costs.

“We are a very large church, with a school and administration building. Our electric bills were getting quite high,” says Rev. Dietrich Schleef, head pastor at Faith Lutheran. “We were in the process of planning a church renovation. Solar had been on my mind for many years. I grew up on a farm in Indiana where energy conservation was always important. Our church had a perfectly pitched roof with southern exposure so solar was a natural fit as part of the renovation.”

The church took advantage of government rebates and tax credits that reduced the solar installation price tag by $53,000, bringing the total cost to $132,000. “The rebates were very helpful, but we would have probably added solar even without them,” says Schleef. The installation is expected to save the church $83,000 in electricity costs over a 10-year period.

At the time of the installation, the number of solar panels was the maximum allowed by Edison. “Soon after, we we opened our doors to a variety of other churches that now use our facilities nonstop. The number of kids in our school has grown from 30 to 70. We also decided to open a food pantry with freezers and refrigerators that weren’t too energy efficient. Even with all the added use and demand for electricity, it’s still nice to receive an energy bill that’s about the same size as my electric bill at home,” says Schleef.

The church also replaced recessed and flood lighting, over 30 lights with 500 watt bulbs. with more energy efficient, low-watt florescent lighting.

“Church administrators have an obligation to their congregations to keep costs down,” says Sevan Varteressian, California Green Designs president. “Those with long-term outlooks can use solar energy to greatly reduce their church’s overall operational costs.”

In addition to cost savings, the environmental impact of Faith Lutheran’s installation is significant. The installation will save an estimated 3,410 barrels of oil or 35,484 pounds of coal and keep 586,935 pounds of CO2 out of the atmosphere. “As a church, we recycle as much as possible and try to be energy conscious,” says Schleef. “We want to do what’s right to benefit the environment.”

California Green Designs, based in Tarzana, has been designing and installing commercial and residential solar electronic systems since 1985. It has installed thousands of systems throughout Southern California. For more information, go to http://www.ca-green.com.

Share

Across the country, the race is on to drive down the cost of solar energy. And a new challenge through the U.S. Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative could help slash the costs even faster.

We are challenging cities and counties to compete nationwide to cut the red tape that can push up the price tags on solar energy projects.

One of the highest hurdles for would-be investors in residential and small commercial solar energy installations is navigating the differing and expensive administrative processes required to get their solar panels from the drawing board to the rooftop.

Solar panels on the roof of the Department of Energy Forrestal Building in Washington, D.C. | Credit: DOE photo

Today the Department of Energy announced a new challenge in which teams of local and regional governments compete for funds to help bring down administrative barriers to residential and small commercial photovoltaic (PV) solar installations by streamlining, standardizing and digitizing their administrative processes. The Rooftop Solar Challenge will also spur participating cities and states across the nation to enable innovative financing programs to help homeowners and entrepreneurs install solar energy systems on their homes and businesses.

Up to 40 percent of the total cost of a solar energy system is the result of balance of system costs, which include the capital required to pay for siting, permitting, and installing a solar energy project and connecting it to the grid.

By challenging local governments to cut their upfront fees and paperwork and standardize their permitting processes, the Challenge will not only reduce the cost to homeowners and businesses of installing solar energy systems, but it will also save money and time for local governments already struggling with tight budgets.

Using the Administration’s “Race to the Top” model, the Rooftop Solar Challenge incentivizes local governments to find new ways to tackle old problems and use the best of those innovative solutions as models for other regions. To participate, cities and counties will build teams with other local governments in their state or region, as well as with other critical stakeholders such as their local utility and their state energy office, to develop a step-by-step plan for how they will meet the goals laid out in the Challenge.

The Rooftop Solar Challenge will encourage participating government teams to compete in four critical areas: standardizing permit processes, updating planning and zoning codes, improving standards for connecting to the grid and increasing access to financing. Each team must submit data, including information about their current permitting and grid interconnection processes to establish the baseline against which to measure the progress they make during the year of the Challenge.

The Rooftop Solar Challenge will make it easier for investors to capitalize on all of the benefits of solar energy technologies, support jobs for solar installers, create new opportunities for small solar companies across the country and help the U.S. remain a top competitor in this key renewable energy market.

The Rooftop Solar Challenge will be funded with $12.5 million as part of the SunShot Initiative, which aims to make solar energy cost-competitive with traditional forms of electricity by reducing the total installed cost of solar energy systems by 75 percent before decade’s end.

For more information and to follow the progress of the Initiative, visit the SunShot Initiative site.

Share

WASHINGTON, DC – As part of the Obama Administration’s SunShot Initiative to make solar energy cost-competitive with fossil fuels within the decade, U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced the availability of more than $27 million in new funding that will reduce the non-hardware costs of solar energy projects, a critical element in bringing down the overall costs of installed solar energy systems.

The funding will support a $12.5 million challenge to encourage cities and counties to compete to streamline and digitize permitting processes, as well as $15 million that will be made available to advance innovations in information technology systems, local zoning and building codes and regulations, and more. These process improvements and innovations will help increase U.S. competitiveness in the global solar industry and will play an important role in achieving President Obama’s goal of doubling America’s electricity from clean energy sources.

“These investments under the SunShot program can help to transform the solar energy industry by addressing significant challenges to solar energy deployment, including permitting and installation,” said Secretary Chu. “Innovations in IT and local business processes, such as online permit applications, can deliver significant savings for solar energy systems and will help America to compete globally in this growing market.”

Both funding opportunities focus on reducing “non-hardware balance of system” costs, which generally refer to the costs of installing solar systems not associated with the solar panels, mounting hardware, electronics, etc. These “soft costs,” including the capital required to pay for siting, permitting, and installation, as well as the cost of connecting the systems to the grid, can represent up to 40 percent of the total cost of the solar energy system.

A major obstacle for homeowners and developers looking to invest in solar energy is navigating the differing and expensive administrative processes of various towns, cities, and counties across the nation and securing financing for their projects. These projects will help standardize some of the processes, cut upfront fees and paperwork, and reduce the overall costs associated with permitting and installation, making it easier and cheaper for homeowners, businesses and their local communities to deploy solar energy.

Rooftop Solar Challenge – up to $12.5 million

Under the Rooftop Solar Challenge local and regional government teams can compete for funds to help eliminate administrative barriers to residential and small commercial photovoltaic (PV) solar installations and improve the availability of financing for solar projects. This Challenge incentivizes local governments to develop innovative solutions in four key areas:

* Standardizing permitting processes;
* Updating planning and zoning codes;
* Improving interconnection and net metering standards; and
* Increasing access to financing.

Every jurisdiction in each winning team must adopt the same processes, which will help address the challenge of different communities having different sets of rules and regulations. The winners will also remove siting restrictions from local codes and land use policies and will increase access to financing options for homeowners by promoting innovative financing mechanisms like solar leasing and group purchasing. More on DOE Announces $27 Million to Reduce Costs of Solar Energy Projects, Streamline Permitting and Installations

Share

New Worldwatch Institute Report, Timed in Conjunction with Chernobyl Anniversary, Shows Nuclear Industry Was in Decline Even Before Fukushima

Washington, D.C.—-Even before the disaster in Fukushima, the world’s nuclear industry was in clear decline, according to a new report from the Worldwatch Institute. The report, which Worldwatch commissioned months before the Fukushima crisis began, paints a bleak picture of an aging industry unable to keep pace with its renewable energy competitors.

“The industry was arguably on life support before Fukushima. When the history of the nuclear industry is written, Fukushima is likely to begin its final chapter,” said Mycle Schneider, lead author of the new report, The World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2010-2011: Nuclear Power in a Post-Fukushima World, and an international consultant on energy and nuclear policy.

Some of the report’s key findings include:

· Annual renewable capacity additions have been outpacing nuclear start-ups for 15 years. In the United States, the share of renewables in new capacity additions skyrocketed from 2 percent in 2004 to 55 percent in 2009, with no new nuclear capacity added.

· In 2010, for the first time, worldwide cumulative installed capacity from wind turbines, biomass, waste-to-energy, and solar power surpassed installed nuclear capacity. Meanwhile, total investment in renewable energy technologies was estimated at $243 billion in 2010.

· As of April 1, 2011, there were 437 nuclear reactors operating in the world, seven fewer than in 2002. In 2008, for the first time since the beginning of the nuclear age, no new unit was started up. Seven new reactors were added in 2009 and 2010, while 11 were shut down during this period.

· In 2009, nuclear power plants generated 2,558 Terawatt-hours of electricity, about 2 percent less than the previous year. The industry’s lobby organization headlined “another drop in nuclear generation”-the fourth year in a row.

Despite predictions in the United States and elsewhere of a nuclear “renaissance,” the report concludes that the role of nuclear power was in steady decline even before the Fukushima crisis. The disaster will make the construction of new nuclear plants and extensions to the lifetime of current plants even more unrealistic.

“U.S. news headlines often suggest that a nuclear renaissance is under way,” said Worldwatch President Christopher Flavin. “This was a big overstatement even before March 11, and the disaster in Japan will inevitably cause governments and companies that were considering new nuclear units to reassess their plans. The Three Mile Island accident caused a wholesale reassessment of nuclear safety regulations, massively increased the cost of nuclear power, and put an end to nuclear construction in the United States. For the global nuclear industry, the Fukushima disaster is an historic-if not fatal-setback.”

Honeywell Wind Turbine by WindTronics Now Available for Purchase

Wind is Nature’s Energy-Savings Generator

Muskegon, Mich. – April 21, 2011 – WindTronics announced today the launch of its much-anticipated Honeywell Wind Turbine, which is now available through authorized dealers, retailers and partners. Best noted for always turning and generating power in as little as two miles per hour (mph), the Honeywell Wind Turbine’s small size, light weight and negligible noise, ensures everyone with wind has the ability to generate renewable wind energy for their home or business.

“Our vision is to make renewable wind power truly distributed and widely available,” said Reg Adams, president of WindTronics. “The ability to generate onsite power will help communities around the world convert the wind – bringing renewable energy technology into the mainstream.”

The Honeywell Wind Turbine is now available for purchase around the world through WindTronics’ authorized dealer network. For a complete list of dealers, please visit www.wheretobuyone.com. This ever-expanding network of distributors, partners and retailers, includes the following companies:

· WindTronics Full Sales, Service & Warranty Dealers

· Honeywell Resellers

· Ace Hardware

· True Value

· WESCO Distribution, Inc.

· Mid-States Distributing Co.

Weighing less than 185 pounds and measuring only six feet in diameter, the Honeywell Wind Turbine produces up to 1500kWh annually depending on height and location. This gearless wind turbine features an innovative Blade Tip Power System™ that utilizes a system of magnets and stators surrounding its outer ring to capture power at the blade tips where speed is greatest, practically eliminating mechanical resistance and drag. This enables the Honeywell Wind Turbine to start turning at 0.5 mph and generating energy in two mph of wind.

“The design of the Honeywell Wind Turbine is unlike anything I have seen before,” said Kyle Biedermann, CEO of WindBucks Energy, a distributor of Honeywell Wind Turbine in Texas. “This product, which lives harmoniously in almost any setting, is beneficial anywhere there is wind and is a viable option for sustainable energy.”

Designed to be flexible, the Honeywell Wind Turbine gives customers the choice to have the turbine mounted directly on a rooftop or use a pole. Additionally, customers can choose to connect the power directly to the building, to the grid, or to batteries using one of three connector options:

· Grid-tie – using the Power One Aurora® Grid Tie Inverter to feed renewable power to any utility worldwide

· Non-Grid Tie – using the WindTronics battery power management system called the SmartBox that converts wind power into electricity for the building

· Direct DC – an option which captures the power directly into 12, 24, or 48 volt batteries for storage in remote areas

Depending upon which connector option is chosen, the cost of the Honeywell Wind Turbine ranges starting at $5,795 (plus installation). Similar to installing an electric generator, the Honeywell Wind Turbine was designed to be installed by a licensed electrical contractor. WindTronics offers a list of authorized installers to help customers properly install the Honeywell Wind Turbine.

NEXT GENERATION FLOATING SOLAR HAS ARRIVED

SPG Solar Floatovoltaics® Goes Beyond Renewable Energy, Delivering A Solution for Water Conservation

Novato, CA—April 20, 2011—SPG Solar Inc.®, the company that introduced the world’s first operational floating solar array in 2007, today announced the availability of it’s next generation in floating solar technology. Redesigned and engineered to be cost competitive, SPG Solar Floatovoltaics™ makes it possible for commercial, industrial and government users with little available rooftop or land space to float solar on water, providing triple benefits: energy savings, water savings and environmental benefits. Using proven and cost effective floating technology, fresh water irrigation ponds, lakes, or reservoirs become revenue-generating, power producing platforms.

“Floatovoltaics has changed the way solar power is now considered, making it an option where never before possible,” said SPG Solar CEO and President Chris Robine.” “Now, customers around the world can install a floating system that is priced competitively to ground based, single –axis tracking solar systems.”

When available open space is limited, Floatovoltaics provides a water-based solution. Where water is at a premium, the system offers significant conservation benefits:

• Reduces water evaporation up to 70%,
• Improves water quality by providing coverage from the sun that minimizes algae growth and reduces the need for harsh water treatment chemicals, and
• Provides shade below the panels, lowering the water temperature and improving power output from the solar panels.

The Floatovoltaics power generating system works the same way as in all other solar photovoltaic (PV) installations. It is quality engineered for a system lifetime of 20+ years, features no moving parts and requires limited maintenance.

Floatovoltaics technology is anticipated to be particularly valuable for agribusinesses, water agencies, wastewater treatment facilities, and utilities; among other applications.

Share

Universal Studios Hollywood Adds Innovative New Energy Program to Reduce Carbon Emissions

U.S.- based ClearEdge Power Energy Systems Installed New Fuel Cell Technology System to Further the ‘Green Is Universal’ Sustainability Commitment

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., April 18, 2011 — As part of NBCUniversal’s continued efforts to employ the latest in alternative energy, an innovative onsite fuel cell energy system has been installed at Universal Studios Hollywood(SM), enabling the theme park to cut CO2 emissions from its enormous food production operations by 40% compared to traditional forms of power generation, an environmental impact equivalent to the planting of almost four acres of trees.

Announcement of the new energy system program built on fuel cell technology, coincides with “Green is Universal’s Earth Week, April 17-24,” observed throughout NBCUniversal. The announcement was made jointly by Universal Studios Hollywood and ClearEdge Power, the company that created the theme park’s newly installed fuel cell technology program.

Since embarking upon a sweeping energy-reduction program in 2007, the company has continued to reinforce its commitment to proactively implement sustainable products like the ClearEdge5 and other programs, which drive both business growth as well as satisfy their customers’ demand for energy efficient products and practices.

“The ClearEdge Power stationary fuel cell energy system is a great fit for our needs at Universal Studios Hollywood,” said Russ Randall, Senior Vice President, Technical Services, Universal Studios Hollywood. “The fuel cell system is an excellent example of the type of innovative solutions that we adopt to address our environmental challenges while helping to demonstrate that new energy solutions are now available to people who want to make a greener choice.”

ClearEdge Power president and CEO, Russell Ford said, “NBCUniversal’s thought leadership and action- oriented sustainable practices are a guiding force for companies like ours who are working to bring cost effective alternative energy solutions to businesses and consumers. We are proud to be part of the diverse Universal power system and to provide this same smart energy across the California market and beyond.”

Functioning as a reliable microCHP (combined heat and power) system, four ClearEdge5 energy appliances are installed and currently supporting the power and hot water needs of the Universal production kitchen serving the theme park where reliable heat and power are a necessity. The ClearEdge5 appliances are uniquely equipped for the kitchen’s needs where both hot water for the dishwashers and food prep areas are needed along with electricity.