Photograph by Tim Wimborne, Reuters

This story is part of a special series that explores energy issues. For more, visit The Great Energy Challenge.

For years, the energy world has puzzled over how to harness the sun to make rooms cool.

That may sound counterintuitive to those who think primarily of the uncomfortable heat beating down on roofs and windows as the summer sun reaches its apex. But to those who ponder the sun’s tremendous energy, there’s a perfect symmetry in the idea of solar cooling. The power of the sun could be used just when it’s needed most.

Solar cooling is one of an array of ideas for greener air-conditioning by making better use of the forces of nature. Air-conditioning has transformed summertime living in the developed world, but at a tremendous energy cost. Invented in 1902 by Willis Haviland Carrier, early air-conditioning cooled air by causing it to pass through refrigerant-cooled coils. Conventional air-conditioning is much the same today, guzzling juice from the electric grid to compress gaseous refrigerant back to liquid state in each cooling cycle.

Strain on electricity systems reaches critical mass due to summer AC demand. Heating homes in winter also requires a lot of energy, but there are many warming options—natural gas, oil, wood. Conventional cooling relies on electricity; as a result, peak summer power demand in the United States, where more than 80 percent of households have air-conditioning, is more than 20 percent higher than at the winter high point. (Cooling accounts for 8 percent of U.S. household energy use.) Power companies must have “peaker” plants on hand for the hottest summer afternoons: typically old, inefficient fossil fuel facilities. The hotter it gets, the hotter they run. Talk about counterintuitive.

Moving can be a stressful time for anyone. Whether you have planned your move for weeks (or even months), or are moving with little to no notice, it is always difficult to pack your entire life into boxes and transport it to your next abode. For those who are environmentally-responsible, minimizing your carbon footprint – the effect that your activities have on the environment – is an important consideration to make. Here are some suggestions on planning an effective, eco-friendly move:

Plan ahead. By taking the time to plan your move, and mapping out your exit strategy, you can solve problems before they arise. Plan your route with fuel-efficiency in mind, and if you have time, calculate your anticipated carbon footprint. If you find that you will be creating too large of a carbon footprint, it may be a good idea to rent a moving truck so you can get everything in one trip, rather than making repeated trips that waste fuel and increase your carbon dioxide output.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! I have moved several times, and I have never bought boxes or packing materials. Free boxes can be found at most stores, or on websites like Craig’s List. Packing peanuts and foam wrap can be replaced with old newspapers, towels, or old t-shirts, which can be used to wrap delicate objects, and wadded up and stuffed into boxes to protect your valuables. Finally, don’t cover your boxes with tape. Securely tape the bottom, fold the flaps together at the top, and the box will be secure for your move. This will not only save money, but help the environment, as well.

Pack carefully. While you don’t want to cram everything into one box, it is a good idea to be as efficient as you can be, in order to have smaller loads and fewer trips whenever possible. If you will be moving from state-to-state or have a lot of belongings, I suggest hiring professional movers. They know how to pack boxes and a truck properly, which will reduce wasted fuel.

Idle hands – and idle cars – are not good. Sitting in traffic is not only frustrating, but a waste of fuel, as well. I have always made an effort to move during late morning and early afternoon hours in order to avoid traffic congestion. Additionally, when you arrive at your destination, turn your engine off. Vehicles waste more fuel when idling than any other time.

Waste not, want not. Move during day hours so you don’t need to turn lights on. Unless temperatures are dangerously high, try to avoid using air conditioning, both in your vehicle and in your old and new residences. While this may cause some minor discomfort, you will be reducing your carbon dioxide emissions, which will be worth it in the long run. Finally, pass your boxes and packing materials onto a future mover if possible, in order to continue the recycling chain.

While these may seem like commonsense suggestions to some, not everyone is aware of the effect that such small details can have on our environment. By being knowledgeable about your carbon footprint and being proactive whenever possible, you can make the world a slightly better place one day and action at a time. Good luck, and happy moving!

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.

Researchers potentially find a renewable path to fuel additives, rubber and solvents

The right balance of zinc and zirconium oxides in this catalyst (purple block) converts ethanol to isobutene with low amounts of unwanted byproducts such as acetone and ethylene.

RICHLAND, Wash. – Researchers in the Pacific Northwest have developed a new catalyst material that could replace chemicals currently derived from petroleum and be the basis for more environmentally friendly products including octane-boosting gas and fuel additives, bio-based rubber for tires and a safer solvent for the chemicals industry.

To make sustainable biofuels, producers want to ferment ethanol from nonfood plant matter such as cornstalks and weeds. Currently, so-called bio-ethanol’s main values are as a non-polluting replacement for octane-boosting fuel additives to prevent engine knocking and as a renewable replacement for a certain percentage of gasoline. To turn bio-ethanol into other useful products, researchers at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and at Washington State University have developed a new catalyst material that will convert it into a chemical called isobutene. And it can do so in one production step, which can reduce costs.

Reported by researchers in the Institute for Integrated Catalysis at PNNL and in the Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering at WSU, the findings appeared July 21 in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

“Isobutene is a versatile chemical that could expand the applications for sustainably produced bio-ethanol,” said chemical engineer Yong Wang, who has a joint appointment at PNNL in Richland, Wash. and at WSU in Pullman, Wash., and leads research efforts at both institutions.

In addition, this catalyst requires the presence of water, allowing producers to use dilute and cheaper bio-ethanol rather than having to purify it first, potentially keeping costs lower and production times faster.

No Z-Z-Z for the Weary

An important key to unlocking renewables to replace fossil fuel products is the catalyst. A catalyst is a substance that promotes chemical reactions of interest. The catalytic converter in a car, for example, speeds up chemical reactions that break down polluting gases, cleaning up a vehicle’s exhaust.

The PNNL and WSU researchers were trying to make hydrogen fuel from ethanol. To improve on a conventional catalyst, they had taken zinc oxide and zirconium oxide and combined both into a new material called a mixed oxide — the zinc and the zirconium atoms woven through a crystal of oxygen atoms. Testing the mixed oxide out, PNNL postdoctoral researcher Junming Sun saw not only hydrogen, but — unexpectedly — quite a bit of isobutene (EYE-SO-BEW-TEEN).

Hydrogen is great, but isobutene is better. Chemists can make tire rubber from it or a safer solvent that can replace toxic ones for cleaning or industrial uses. Isobutene can also be readily turned into jet fuel and gasoline additives that up the octane — that value listed on gas pumps that prevents an engine from knocking — such as ETBE.

Sun Shines

No one had ever seen a catalyst create isobutene from ethanol in a one-step chemical reaction before, so the researchers realized such a catalyst could be important in reducing the cost of biofuels and renewable chemicals.

Investigating the catalyst in greater depth, the researchers examined what happened when they used different amounts of zinc and zirconium. They showed that a catalyst made from just zinc oxide converted the ethanol mostly to acetone, an ingredient in nail polish remover. If the catalyst only contained zirconium oxide, it converted ethanol mostly to ethylene, a chemical made by plants that ripens fruit.

But the isobutene? That only arose in useful amounts when the catalyst contained both zinc and zirconium. And “useful amounts” means “a lot.” With a 1:10 ratio of zinc to zirconium, the mixed oxide catalyst could turn more than 83 percent of the ethanol into isobutene.

“We consistently got 83 percent yield with improved catalyst life,” said Wang. “We were happy to see that very high yield.”

Reactionary Insight

The researchers analyzed the chemistry to figure out what was happening. In the single metal oxides experiments, the zinc oxide created acetone while the zirconium oxide created ethylene. The easiest way to get to isobutene from there, theoretically speaking, is to convert acetone into isobutene, which zirconium oxide is normally capable of. And the road from ethanol to isobutene could only be as productive as Sun found if zirconium oxide didn’t get side-tracked turning ethanol into ethylene along the way.

Something about the mixed oxide, then, prevented zirconium oxide from turning ethanol into the undesired ethylene. The team reasoned the isobutene probably arose from zinc oxide turning ethanol into acetone, then zirconium oxide — influenced by the nearby zinc oxide — turning acetone into isobutene. At the same time, the zinc oxide’s influence prevented the ethanol-to-ethylene conversion by zirconium oxide. Although that’s two reaction steps for the catalyst, it’s only one for the chemists, since they only had to put the catalyst in with ethanol and water once.
More on New Catalyst For Ethanol Made From Biomass

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

A large amount of people are starting to realize it’s feasible to continue enjoying all the modern amenities they became used to while also experiencing the independence of off grid living. Off grid living means exactly that – living off the grid. You can enjoy freedom from power lines, electrical bills and the sky-rocketing rates being charged by resources corporations for being hooked up to the electrical grid. Almost every homeowner can experience this environmentally friendly and cost effective lifestyle . The rules of living this way can be applied to any home anywhere in the world, including those currently connected to the electrical supply grid.

More and more folk are showing an interest in breaking free from their reliance on carbon-based fuel burning power plants through the utilizing of alternative power generation strategies such as solar panels, windmills, hydro-electric generators and even magnetic power generators. Technology has advanced and costs have been reduced at the same time. It is very feasible to make off grid living a do it yourself project with the help of the many kits, resources and guides that are accessible these days. While global energy costs are soaring, those that have made the switch to off grid living are secure in the knowledge that their bills are continuously getting less.

The thought of giving up all of their electronic and electrical luxuries shocks a lot of people away from off grid living. This couldn’t be farther from the actual facts. Learning to control your energy use is all that is really required for off grid living. When you leave a room, turn the lights off. You might purchase appliances that don’t use power when not in use like the clocks on microwaves and stoves. Appliances with indicators lights that are always on, like computers, printers and some telephone chargers, are leeching power and adding to your bills. Your luxuries don’t need to be sacrificed when your are trying off grid living, you simply need to learn how to be smarter when using them.

The enlarging recognition of off grid living has led to the production of high potency, modular and portable homes to cater for the demand. Identical in layout to conventional mobile homes, these one or two person units employ passive solar design, solar energy panels and natural gas to make allowance for off grid living wherever they are moved to.

If you’re interested in off grid living, but are unsure where to begin or you need some more success stories to persuade you, use the Internet for your research. Besides the various guides and resources available to get you moving with off grid living, there are many folk who can not wait to share their own experiences and success stories. Probably the better part of off grid living is when there is a blackout in your area and you do not want to break out the candles. You can also experience the freedom of off grid living regardless of where you live as this approach to life is inside close range of any person.

By Congressman Jerry McNerney Ph.D.,
Co-author of Clean Energy Nation: Freeing America from the Tyranny of Fossil Fuels

I make it a point to meet with as many people as possible to learn from the experiences of others and stay connected. It’s important to represent my constituents effectively. In the last year, the tone of the conversations has changed. People are afraid for their future. They fear losing their jobs and homes, everything they’ve worked so hard to accomplish.

There are simply not enough family wage jobs to go around. The American dream that has inspired generations to work hard and pursue innovative ideas seems to be slipping away.

We must create a new generation of jobs to give parents the confidence that their children will do better than they have, and we must assure our country’s national and economic security. To make great strides on this path, look no further than the clean energy and energy efficiency industries, the next great frontier for Americans to explore.

As a clean energy engineer and small businessman with over two decades of experience in wind energy, I know the rewards and challenges of the clean energy industry firsthand. During my time as an engineer, I often climbed 200 foot windmills to conduct tests and make repairs. From the top of the windmills, I looked out over the landscape and saw what our innovative spirit can achieve — capturing energy from the wind for our homes and businesses. Energy produced right here in the USA.

I worked for a quarter century developing wind energy technology only to see that same technology go overseas and create jobs in other countries. Much to my disgust, technology that was born of American innovation was outsourced to Germany, which had more favorable utility and energy policies. Jobs were created in Germany that should have been created in America. Today, Germany builds and exports wind turbines back to the United States.

Pursuing a more energy independent future for America will not only lay the foundation for the next generation of good paying manufacturing jobs but will also make us safer and more secure. We are heavily dependent on imported oil from the Middle East. Oil produced overseas fuels our cars, the trucks that ship goods around the country, and perhaps most critically, our military airplanes, tanks, ships and defense equipment. It’s dangerous to be so heavily dependent on oil from unstable regions.

We’re also confronted with the devastating threat of global warming, which is impacting people’s lives across the globe with unprecedented heat waves, freakish storms, increasing acidity of the oceans, droughts, animal migrations, and melting arctic ice. Already, island communities in the Marshall Islands and the Maldives are facing the impending threat of rising ocean levels. These trends will only grow as the effects of global warming continue to accelerate and manifest themselves in our weather.

Fortunately, we have within our grasp the means to address the challenges of a struggling economy, our risky dependence on foreign oil, and the threat of climate change. America has the know-how and innovative spirit to be the world’s manufacturer and exporter of clean energy technology. But this opportunity is rapidly vanishing as other countries, especially China, experience a surge in their clean energy development. We must act quickly or — just like when the wind energy I worked on in the 1980s went overseas to Germany — we’ll miss the boat and soon be forced to buy all of our clean energy technology from other countries.

Our nation needs a directed energy policy that gives businesses the security and predictability to invest in developing and manufacturing here in America. Enacting smart policies like a renewable energy standard and providing the right financial incentives will help us unleash the American innovative spirit.
More on Clean Energy Nation

This could not become a case of “Too good to be true”, if you consider the paradox that if anything is good and is cheap it seems to promptly get sent to a silent grave. This is often easily seen in the field of alternative medicine, so I have no idea why it would be any different with alternative energy. For about 90 years the big guys in energy have been colluding with the government to keep an invention by Nikola Tesla hidden from public knowledge. Now this information appears to have been uncovered and it can be purchased in a group of ebooks called Energy By Tesla. Using a simple invention, Tesla had been in a position to produce natural electricity that was clean and didn’t pollute the environment..

No wind turbines, solar panels as well as batteries are needed. No reason to shell out thousands of dollars, and there aren’t any emissions, fumes, or pollutants. Nevertheless, in this period of cynicism, it’s only normal that we all want to know whether this could really be true. Is it actually possible to break clear of the electricity companies and obtain electricity for free? If yes, then it is apparent why the energy boys needed to keep it secret. Over 90 years ago, the government decreed Tesla’s invention a failure, seized all related information kept it out of the public eye. Check out these air conditioner units reviews and stay cool this summer season.

By using the straightforward steps in a guide created by some present-day scientists who rescued Tesla’s invention from obscurity, you can produce free energy, which is natural and clean. Environmentally friendly energy has been discussed a lot lately, with solar energy, wind power, or turbines. They all are good ideas, but they’re expensive to build. They may be a relentless headache, needing to be cleaned, along with constant maintenance. They perform optimally provided that weather conditions are ideal, so cannot be depended on totally. Over a century ago Nikola Tesla discovered that he could generate clean energy, for free, from nature. Tesla realized that he could use the sun’s energy, distinct from its rays that are utilized in today’s solar panels. Check out this site for great home water filters reviews and suggestions.

The world is taking in only some of the sun’s energy as most of it bounces back into space. It’s possible to save a heap of money by constructing your own energy machine, and you can do it in 3 easy steps as shown by Energy By Tesla. Most likely you might be afraid will probably be difficult to build, but if you can follow simple, step-by-step directions then it won’t be a problem. Picture the day you no longer need that expensive electricity from the utility companies. In a period of a day you will surely have this machine built, and after looking at the power of it, you will understand why the energy companies didn’t want it available to the public.

You will receive everything you need to get started with the Energy By Tesla guide, even little known facts about the machine and the inventor. The detailed blueprints include pictures and diagrams showing the step-by-step instructions. You also will get a checklist that explains everything, plus advice, tips, and suggestions for even more energy costs reductions. It really is undoubtedly worth looking at this promising machine, seeing that you’re given 60 days to examine your purchase and if not satisfied, to get your money back, guaranteed.

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

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.

Mike Koenigs is a successful Internet Marketer and video entrepreneur. He bought a Tesla electric car with his money earned from his successful business. In the video he shows what buying a Tesla has meant to him and how he aims to get his life off the grid. “Life With Tesla” Check it out and comment bellow as to what you think about this documentary.

“Life With Tesla” – Tesla Electric Car

How are you with your knowledge of solar energy and solar energy related issues. Well the good folks over at National Geographic have put up a very cool quiz that tests your knowledge.

I took it. Why don’t you?

Solar Energy Quiz Here

We no longer need to burn fossil fuels to produce usable energy. Today there are many alternative forms of usable energy available to us. Choosing to utilize other forms of renewable energy such as solar panels not only reduces our carbon footprint and the impact that we have on the world, but also provides us with a sustainable energy source that will be around for years to come.

The importance of solar power

The surface of the earth receives enough energy in one hour to meet all of the world’s energy needs for one year. By harnessing this energy using solar photovoltaic (PV) technology, we can meet all of our energy requirements. Solar is the perfect example of a form of energy which is truly renewable, as harnessing solar power puts no additional strain on the sun and can be seen as utilizing a vital resource. Scientists believe that the sun will begin to run out of hydrogen (its fuel) in about 5 billion years, thus solar power is a viable option for years to come.

There are many reasons to invest in solar panels. For a domestic installation, the government-introduced Feed-in Tariff ensures a great return on investment of 11% on average. This is significantly higher than savings accounts or ISAs. Another key reason is that by generating your own electricity, you need to buy much less from the national grid, meaning savings on electricity bills, another financial incentive.

The environmental benefits are a key reason for investing in solar panels. These have been overshadowed recently by the financial incentives that were introduced by the government with the Feed-in Tariff (FIT). Yet it is important to remember that the FIT was introduced for environmental reasons, as a way of encouraging individuals and organizations to invest in renewable energy sources as this would help to meet the country’s environmental targets and reduce our nation’s carbon footprint.

Our carbon footprint

Your carbon footprint is a gauge of the impact that your activities have on the environment, measured by CO? emissions. Our carbon footprints are mainly produced from the burning of fossil fuels for transportation and heating, production and shipping. These can be reduced by making lifestyle choices reducing the amount of CO? produced. Buying local produce where possible is an easy way to reduce our carbon footprints, as these items will have no carbon emissions associated with them.

Choosing to heat or power your home or organization through renewable energy sources is one of the most significant choices that you can make to reduce your carbon footprint. This is because heat and power are some of the biggest producers of CO? and can therefore result in some of the most significant reductions.

The UK government is responsible for ensuring that the carbon emissions for the country are reduced, but in order to succeed this needs to be tackled by individuals. Crucially the clean green electricity that a solar PV system produces will be used in the home, replacing the electricity that you would have bought from your energy supplier. Thus you are significantly reducing the amount of energy derived from burn fossil fuels that you consume.

Other sources of renewable energy

Once you install solar panels on your home, the environmental benefits are immediate and significant. The source of the energy that is generated is free, as the sunlight hitting the panels is converted into free, clean green electricity. However there are other forms of renewable energy such as ‘clean fuels’, which, because of physical or chemical properties, create less pollution than fossil fuels do. In general, the hydrocarbons emitted from these fuels are much less, and the hydrocarbons they do emit are much less toxic. Clean fuels can be chosen as alternatives to petrol and gasoline which fuel road vehicles. These will allow individuals and businesses to reduce their carbon footprints from the life-cycle of the products that they use.

The heading of this information may well reflect the truth, because it does seem as if anything that doesn’t cost much and actually works quietly disappears from the market. This is often readily seen in the field of alternative medicine, so I have no idea why it would be any different with alternative energy. People have been prevented from knowing about an invention by Nikola Tesla for some 90 years, because it was kept under cover by the big energy boys in cahoots with the government. Currently this information has been discovered and it can be purchased in a group of ebooks called Energy By Tesla. Tesla invented a way to produce natural, clean electricity because of a simple invention.

This technique doesn’t need batteries, wind power, or even high-priced solar panels. Incredibly, there are no emissions, no fumes, no pollutants – and it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. Nevertheless the real question needed to be clarified, is this the truth? Is there a real technique of producing free electricity, that could break the hold of utility companies? Whether it is true, it is easy to certainly understand why these companies never wanted it introduced to the public. For more than 90 years Tesla’s creation was getting dusty in the government’s possession, labeled as a failure. Visit these windowless air conditioner units reviews and remain cool this summer season.

Using the easy steps in a guide made by some present-day scientists who rescued Tesla’s invention from obscurity, you can produce free energy, which is natural and clean. A hot topic these days is environmentally friendly energy, in addition to wind turbines and solar panels. The downside to these wonderful ways to produce green energy may be the high cost associated with their construction. They also require a satisfactory amount of maintenance to be a nuisance. Their own reliability is also heavily influenced by the weather and day versus night conditions. In an astonishing discovery by Nikola Tesla around 100 years ago, clean energy can be made naturally, and for free. What Tesla discovered was really a method to utilize not the rays of the sun, as used in solar panels, but the actual energy emanating from the sun. Visit this website for fantastic water filters for the home reviews and tips.

The planet absorbs a part of the sun’s radiated energy, but the larger percentage of it is simply reflected off the planet’s surface. It’s possible to save a pile of money by making your own energy machine, and you can do it in 3 easy steps as shown by Energy By Tesla. Putting it together is as simple as just following the instructions provided. Could you imagine no longer needing to depend on the big energy companies? After you experience the ability of this machine you’ll understand why the big energy producers wanted to keep it from the public – and it takes only a day to put together.

The Energy By Tesla guide will give you all the information that’s needed to get off to a good start, as well as interesting information about the machine and its inventor. Easy, stepwise guidelines, amply illustrated by diagrams and pictures, are contained in the blueprints. You get even more tips and suggestions on how to reduce energy costs, along with a very useful checklist which details the entire assembly process. It’s undoubtedly worth examining this promising machine, seeing that you’re given 60 days to examine your purchase and if not satisfied, to get your money back, guaranteed.

You can find a big collection of solar panels for sale nowadays. Therefore, choosing 1 for the house could be a slightly difficult task. Given below is really a list of ten ideas that can help you choose the best solar panel for the house as well as do the installation properly. 1. The very first thing you need to assess before buying home solar power systems may be the quantity of power you need to power all of the equipment that you use in your own home. Once you know exactly how much electrical power is needed, you can look for a suitable cell.

2. The size of your own solar energy product is usually dependent on two elements – your own typical power usage numbers and the quantity of sunshine your house receives. 3. You will find two typical kinds of Solar panels for sale – panels made from crystalline silicon as well as panels made from amorphous silicon alloy. The latter are a good option as they are slimmer, lighter, stronger, and more efficient. 4. The price of a solar panel largely depends upon the quantity of power level it provides. Therefore, it is best to take the dollars/watt ratio into consideration acquire the best with regard to solar power systems. A ratio of $4.30 for each watt is usually considered efficient through many.

5. If you will find the required knowledge as well as experience, you can buy all of the supplies required for a solar panel as well as do the installation yourself. Should you, on the other hand, are not in to Do-it-yourself projects, you can buy a solar panel online or even from a store that provides set up services. 6. GE, BP Photo voltaic, AEE Photo voltaic, Mitsubishi Electric, Sharp, Sanyo, as well as Evergreen Photo voltaic are the most popular brands which create home solar power systems.

7. If you are well on a little budget, you can buy utilized solar panels, which cost substantially lesser than new panels. You need to, nevertheless, ensure that they are of excellent quality and therefore are likely to last a long time. Or else, you may wind up wasting your cash on poor panels that aren’t worth the package they are available in.

8. You will find solar panels for sale in numerous shops. The internet, nevertheless, is the best place to buy solar power systems due to the number of options available on the web. Should you research good enough, you can find some great deals upon home solar power systems as well as save lots of money.

9. Whether you purchase online or even offline, take a look at the options accessible, compare the actual offers, and choose the best offer. The customer support policy, repair as well as upkeep policy, as well as warranty vary greatly through manufacturer to manufacturer. Therefore, spend time online, do some research, and ensure you purchase something which provides great bang for your buck.

10. A south-facing roof along with unobstructed space or an east-west roof along with great sun damage is usually the best area to install home solar power systems. A ground-mounted system is also a wise decision provided you have enough area available. You should make sure the area is not shaded through trees and shrubs or even any synthetic structures, as it is termed to modify the efficacy of the solar panel.

Get the best tips, guide and reviews of home solar power systems from the best resources at: http://www.home-solarpowersystems.net.

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.

GE wind turbines are among the top selling renewable power items on the market today. General electric is one of the couple of companies in the world that invest seriously within alternative, renewable energy dependent products. The organization creates top quality generators that may transform wind energy in to electrical energy without giving off considerable amounts of greenhouse gas.

General electric creates 1.5 MW series, 2.5 MW series, as well as offshore series wind generators that are capable of generating 1.5, 2.5, as well as 4.0 megawatts of energy correspondingly. All three types of generators tend to be rated highly for their effectiveness and sturdiness. GE wind turbines, on average, prevent 18.3 million tons of greenhouse gas through getting released into the environment yearly.

One of the first well-known manufacturers to campaign for green, renewable energy, General electric is often lauded among the pioneers in the field of alternative energy. The company, apart from producing large generators ideal for commercial purposes, is also interested in products for home reasons. In 2009, it invested in South west Wind power, the world’s leading producer of residential wind turbines.

General electric has stated that the investment is centered on the continuing improvement of Sky stream, 2.4 Kilowatt wind generator you can use for home purposes. The turbine, which has a unique plug-and-play style, can be attached to the electric power grid directly. It may produce energy to meet between 40% to 90% of a home’s electricity needs.

General electric and several other like minded corporations have joined hands to deal with the problems of climate change, environmental pollution, and also the unsustainable consumption of non-renewable fuels. The message from all these types of entities – environmentalists, scientists, as well as well-meaning corporations – is extremely clear. It is about time all of us considered changing into renewable energy by utilizing residential wind turbines, solar panels, as well as hydroelectric energy systems.

Wind energy is considered one of the best solutions to meet the growing energy needs of today’s world. The cost of generating wind energy is very low. It is inexhaustible. It may be renewed again and again. It can be used for each commercial and residential applications. Most importantly, it doesn’t bring about climate change, pollution, acid rain, smog, and other such ecological issues that tend to be related to standard non-renewable fuels.

A primary reason why GE wind turbines tend to be preferred by many may be the number of customer support services offered by the company. General electric takes care of installation as well as commissioning, procedure as well as maintenance, remote checking, data management, and several additional services based on your needs.

Find the best reviews, tips & guide on residential wind turbines from the best resources at: http://www.residential-windturbines.net.

Modular building has many benefits: it’s cost-efficient, it’s time-efficient, and it can be just as design-savvy as traditional stick and brick construction. But there is yet another advantage to modular building: it’s greener and more sustainable.

LEED-certification is often the first guideline that comes to mind when considering green building best practices. While LEED-certified modular buildings can and have been constructed, just like traditional construction, it only comes at great expense. There are many simple, cost-effective alternatives that modular builders use every day to reduce construction waste and make their buildings more energy efficient.

First off, the fact that modular buildings are constructed in a factory and then shipped to the site produces less waste than traditional on-site construction. There is also less site disturbance with modular buildings, further reducing the impact on the environment.

Modular buildings commonly incorporate high-tech materials and features for superior efficiency. For example, thick high-quality insulation conserves air conditioning and heat. The use of white roofing material instead of black reduces superheating of the roof and summertime HVAC use. Energy-efficient lighting with occupancy sensors, programmable HVAC systems and window glazing are also frequently incorporated into the design of modular buildings, further improving the energy efficiency and reducing operating costs of these designs.

Modular buildings are a sustainable option. The material used on modular units is both durable and recyclable. So buildings last for years, and can be recycled when the time is right. The key to the sustainability of modular buildings is their ability to be reused for in other locations and for other purposes. Ground offices have been repurposed to ski lodges, storage units, or temporary classrooms, to name just a few.

The end result is a superior, cost-effective, quality-controlled product that can help you meet and exceed your project schedule, operating costs and sustainability goals.

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Jeff Dusing is the Creative Communications Manager at ModSpace, a leading provider of temporary and permanent modular building solutions with 80 branch locations across the United States and Canada. ModSpace offers innovative products for a variety of industries, including commercial, education, government, and healthcare. ModSpace offers the best solutions for your space needs such as mobile office trailers, modular office buildings, portable storage containers, modular complexes, and much more.