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Another state has signed on with Better Place to create an electric-car network. Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle announced yesterday that Hawaii is partnering up to fuel Hawaii’s drive to lead the nation in renewable energy use, and create jobs locally.

“Attracting investments into the state is a major component of our Five-Point Action Plan to help stimulate the economy,” said Governor Linda Lingle. “Today’s announcement is a significant move towards our state gaining independence from foreign oil. This public-private partnership is exactly the type of investment we have been working on as we continue to carry out our Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative (HCEI), moving toward the goal of 70 percent clean energy for the State of Hawaii. It highlights the importance we place on finding innovative ways to attract investments in energy technology,” Governor Lingle added.

The move – only the second of its kind announced in the nation. California announced its partnership recently to lead the way in setting up this sort of EV consortium.

Better Place plans to begin permitting for the network within the next year and begin introducing vehicles within 18 months, with mass-market availability of electric cars in 2012. Hawaii joins Israel, Denmark, Australia and California since Better Place was founded in October 2007, committed to deploying the world’s first electric car networks.

Hawaii spends up to $7 billion a year on oil imports and drivers pay some of the highest gasoline prices in the nation. The carbon produced from consumer vehicles utilizing foreign oil account for nearly 20 percent of the state’s Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. Building the infrastructure for widespread adoption of electric vehicles will not only stimulate the local economy and reduce carbon emissions, but also provide a more affordable transportation option to Hawaii’s drivers.

“Hawaii, with its ready access to renewable energy resources like solar, wind, wave and geothermal, is the ideal location to serve as a blueprint for the rest of the U.S. in terms of reducing our dependence on foreign oil, growing our renewable energy portfolio and creating an infrastructure that will stabilize our economy,” said Shai Agassi, Founder and CEO of Better Place. “Hawaii has made the commitment to breaking its dependence on foreign oil, and is leading the way in addressing the most important economic and energy issues facing us today.”

The arrival of Better Place Hawaii furthers the progress of the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative (HCEI) signed in January – with the goal to meet the state’s energy needs from 70% clean energy by 2030, as well as fostering economic growth and building the workforce of the future. The state is well on its way to leading the nation to a new era of energy independence. “While oil prices have recently come down from their historic highs, we believe this volatility highlights the urgency for a transformation to renewable energies,” said Ted Liu, director of the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. “As we begin to break our addiction to foreign oil, we will be a model for the rest of the nation and the world.”

See the video here

See the press conference here

Energy Tags: alternative energy, alternative

Whenever the sun is out, your home's roof is exposed to home solar power. Why not harness that energy, reduce your electric bill and limit the amount of carbon dioxide you add to the atmosphere each day? Depending on where you live, your roof's orientation, and the load your roof can bear, mounting photovoltaic cells (PVs) on your roof could be a valuable investment in increasing your household's energy independence.

* What are PVs and how do they work?

Certain materials like gallium arsenide, crystalline and amorphous silicon, and copper indium diselenide produce electricity when they absorb light. This is called the photoelectric effect. home solar power cells are typically made of a thin layer of such photosensitive material. Light hitting the solar cell raises the energy level of the electrons within. At an elevated energy state, the electrons are able to escape from their molecules and create an electric current.

* How can you tell if your roof is a good candidate for solar cell installation?

Solar cells work best when exposed to direct sunlight. Ideally, you could put a panel of cells on a motorized mount that follows the sun's path through the sky, but that's usually not practical for a roof. The next best thing is a roof mounting where the pitch has an unobstructed southern exposure. Depending on your latitude and the angle of your roof's pitch, your PV system installer may suggest optimizing the angle of your PV modules with an elevated mounting rack so that they can catch more light.

You also need to be cognizant of how much weight your roof can bear. If your roof already has two layers of shingles, you probably shouldn't add home solar power panels to the load.

An alternative to solar panels is a relatively new product, "solar shingles". These are shingles into which PV cells have been incorporated. If your roof needs to be replaced anyhow, solar shingles offer the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.

Finally, PV cells lose efficiency as the temperature rises. In warm climates, you may be better off exploring alternatives like wind-power. In places like Florida and California, public utilities are bringing solar thermal electric power plants online. Such systems, though primarily feasible only for installations much larger than the single-family home, actually turn out to be more efficient and cheaper than PV systems when it's hot.

* What components make up a roof-mounted PV system?

PV cells output direct current, and can be connected in series to increase the output voltage. Though there are specialized appliances available that run on DC, most PV systems have the cells send electricity through an inverter. This converts the solar cells' DC to standard household alternating current. The output from the inverter is then integrated into the house's electric system. Smaller systems mostly just supplement power from the electric company, reducing your overall bill.

If you install a larger system and make your home very energy efficient, you may have often had a surplus of electricity. You can either store this for later in on-site batteries, or feed it back to the electric grid. If you feed your surplus back to the grid, the electric company may actually pay you. This is called "net metering", and is the law in more than thirty-five states. It's a good deal for you, and it's a good deal for the electric company because your PV system is most likely to produce surplus electricity exactly when peak demand occurs. Your surplus-producing PV system could actually help avert power outages.

* How much does a PV system cost?

The initial cost of a roof-mounted solar array can range from $6,000 for a small supplementary system to $30,000 or more for a large "off-the-grid" system. The capital cost of such a home-based PV system is rather abstract, though. It would be better to compare what you are currently paying per kilowatt-hour to an amortized per kilowatt-hour cost for a PV system. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, that cost is about $0.25 per kilowatt-hour. In most places, this is more than what the utilities charge.

That's the bad news.

The good news is that there are many state-sponsored incentive programs for solar energy. Take advantage of them, and you could break even. For information about these programs, you should consult the National Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy (DSIRE), prepared by the North Carolina Solar Center. The database covers incentive programs meant to promote the development of renewable energy.

In addition, the cost of the electricity your PV system produces is insulated from deregulation, rate-hikes, and inflation — that amortized twenty-five cents per kilowatt-hour cost will still be twenty-five cents thirty years from now. Who knows what your local electric rate will be?

And there's more good news. By going solar, you are reducing the amount of coal and natural gas burned at power plants, you are reducing the amount of carbon dioxide we pump into the atmosphere, and you are asserting your energy independence.

Putting solar cells on your roof is an idea whose time has come. Home-produced solar electricity is feasible, makes sense, and is within the reach of most homeowners.

People can obtain lots of advantages of solar energy. Solar energy actually converts the sun's rays into electricity with the help of solar panels. It provides us the cleanest energy since it does not produce any harmful emissions. Furthermore, solar energy is an inexhaustible source of power. As long as the sun still shines, we can get the advantages of solar energy.

Towards a Greener Earth

Non-polluting energy is one of the major advantages of solar energy. Additionally, it is also soundless. The solar cells extract the energy from the sun without any sound. You can understand the benefit of switching to solar energy when you compare it to the other fossil fuel. The solar cells have no moving parts so the maintenance is easy and almost negligible. Furthermore, the cells have a long lifetime use.

Unluckily, the initial investment on solar panels and the installation of the system requires lots of money. You’ll find that it costs more than thousand of dollars. Nevertheless, after in the long run, you’ll get the advantages of solar energy excitedly since it can reduce your energy bills. You’ll get the advantages of solar energy exceed more than the way you spend money for the initial cost.

As the solar panels have a long life use, once the investments costs are met, there is no more drain only gain. When the system is installed and functioning well, you are free from power failures and blackouts and no more at the mercy of power generating companies.

The initial cost of solar energy is the weakness of applying solar energy. Solar energy at present costs twice as much as traditional sources of power generation which is oil and coal. Nevertheless, as natural sources of oil and coal run out, the cost of producing energy from such sources will increase.

The other drawback is that it is only possible to produce electricity during the daytime. But with good battery backups or provincial grid system, the distribution and flow of electricity is maintained to an optimum level.

The advantages of solar energy generation gain its fame in most of people. Lately, to produce electricity, you don't need huge power plants with expensive machinery. The electricity can be supplied at home without annoyance or any noise to people living in the area. Furthermore, the installation of the system is also maintainable and very easy.

Explore more about the advantages of solar energy, since there are many things you haven’t known and will be answered only if you visit the links here! These guidelines will make you smarter about solar energy!

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Energy Tags: battery technology, biodiesel

India is so large and diverse it is hard to classify it. India is, as you will no doubt know, the name given to the vast peninsula which the continent of Asia throws out to the south of the magnificent mountain ranges that stretch in a curve across the southern border of Tibet. Shaped like an irregular quadrilateral, this large expanse of territory, so richly deserves the name of a subcontinent.

Government controls on domestic investment have been largely abolished in the last 10 years, and since then it has been agreed that the public sector should wherever possible stay out of any endeavor that could be accomplished by private firms.

This has now led to a sense of optimism in which many view India as perhaps now still only in the initial stages of a long boom that could extend over several decades. However, India remains as a country with a vast army of unemployed. Many families depend on just one earning member for sustenance and survival.

We have seen other countries in the region go down the same road and eventually emerge out of mass poverty at the end of it. August, 2007, saw the 60th anniversary of Indian independence, so it is still a young nation.

The sub continent has always been, through history a land of brave and chivalrous rulers who patronized arts and architecture and had a real knack for rewarding the deserving people. There are many forts and palaces around the land that demonstrate this, and if you visit them they will open up a whole new range of experiences of the local culture, and a respect for old Indian traditions.

Unfortunately, India is generally not cost-competitive with China for low-tech manufacturing work such as producing toys and household goods, because resources of india labor and transit costs are higher. However, high-tech manufacturers are diversifying to India for other reasons.

India is also poised to play a major role in the large-scale commercialization of renewable energy technologies and can offer technology transfer to other industrializing nations. The country has achieved installation of over 10,000 megawatts of renewable-based capacity. India has been said by some experts to be short on natural gas, and that is expected to last only until 2012.

India is also poised to play a major role in the large-scale commercialization of renewable energy technologies and can offer technology transfer to other industrializing nations. The country has achieved installation of over 10,000 megawatts of renewable-based capacity. India has been said by some experts to be short on natural gas, and that is expected to last only until 2012.