Tag Archives: car

Solar Energy Sparks Economic Resurgence

By Michael Gorton, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Principal Solar Despite the sluggish economy, the US solar industry has seen massive growth in the past two years, creating jobs across the country, driving innovation and attracting investors. In fact, solar installations reached 742MW in the second quarter, up 45 percent over the prior quarter, and a 116-percent increase over …

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The Outlook for 2013’s Fuel-Efficient Cars

This coming year promises to be a good one for people looking to upgrade to a more fuel-efficient car. New models coming from the auto industry are showing excellent promise in styling, fuel efficiency and sticker prices. These economy-style gas savers appeal to a wide customer base looking at compact and subcompact cars to help save money at the pump. …

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Electric Car Concepts With Rooftop Solar Panels

When the idea of the electric car was proposed to minimize greenhouse gases and pollution, the two basic platforms were the hybrid platform and a pure electric platform. When it comes to the latter, the main issue is the low range of operation. While the breakthrough in battery technology is unlikely to happen, students, scientists, hobbyists and of course companies …

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Why Hybrid Cars Are the Future?

Although they seem to be growing in popularity, hybrid cars haven’t taken over the vehicle market just yet. However, it is more than likely that this won’t be the case for long. Hybrids as a whole have been around for a while, one of the first true hybrid vehicles as a Lexus Hybrid released in 2004. 8 years on, and …

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Which Energy Uses Too Much Water?

U.S. ENERGY POLICY IS “ALL WET” WHEN IT COMES TO HIDDEN COSTS 100,000 Gallons of Water to Produce a Single Megawatt Hour of Electricity? In a Time of Drought and Growing Water Shortages, “Business As Usual” Energy Approach Ignore Huge Water and Other Hidden Costs. Huge demands on increasingly scarce water are a major hidden cost of a “business as …

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EV Week In San Francisco

Electric Vehicles are popping up all over the automotive landscape as many car manufacturers are getting on board with producing hybrid or all EV cars to meet the growing demand of consumers who want to avoid the gas pump as much as they can or altogether in the case of plug in vehicles. This week in San Francisco EV Week …

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5 Stunning BMW Hybrid Upgrades

The Phoenix International Auto Show promises to be electrifying in more ways than one, thanks to BMW’s continued commitment to hybrid vehicles. While the Motor Trend Auto Show’s website doesn’t reveal the exact BMW models that will be on hand Nov. 22- 25 at the Phoenix Convention Center, BMW may be considered remiss if it didn’t at least showcase a …

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American wind power reaches 50-gigawatt milestone

American wind power has blown through an historic milestone: 50 gigawatts of electric generating capacity, according to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). Denise Bode, CEO of AWEA, made the announcement at the recent National Clean Energy Summit in Las Vegas. The 50 gigawatts (GW) online means that U.S. wind turbines now power the equivalent of nearly 13 million American …

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Solar Power Digest 9-8

Mobile Robots Turn Solar Panels to Follow the Sun IEEE Spectrum Startup QBotix says robots can boost efficiency of solar energy. China Price War Draining Jobs in Germany’s Solar Valley Renewable Energy World When Thomas Behling returned to his home state of Saxony-Anhalt in 2006, he was drawn by a job in the solar industry and the chance to participate …

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Proposal To Make Univ of Iowa Tops In Solar

It’s a vision that would make the University of Iowa one of the top solar energy using universities in the country. “All over campus, on top of the dorms, even small little car charging points where students can plug their electric bikes into,” said Tim Dwight, who formed the Iowa Solar and Small Wind Energy Trade Association. Dwight is now …

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Solar Pioneer Spreads Word In Central America

SolEnergy owner Ken Olson has seen remote villages in Central America with no light. He knows the impact a small, two-watt solar panel can make. “What does strike me is the great gap between these two worlds,” he said, of his recent travels to El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua. “On one hand, we provide two-watt systems, basically the panel is …

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CLIMATE MODELS MAY OVERSTATE BLACK CARBON’S INFLUENCE

Global climate models may be overstating the warming properties of black carbon particles, according to new research led by the University of California, Davis. The study will be published online Aug. 31 in the journal Science. “Our results don’t change the fact that things are going to warm — just to what degree, literally,” said Christopher Cappa, a UC Davis …

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How Building Vehicles from Lighter Resources Can Help Decrease Miles Per Gallon

It’s not a difficult formula: the lighter a car is, the less fuel it needs to consume. So why aren’t all of our cars lighter and more fuel-efficient? The answer is a little more complicated. These days, drivers want a host of safety, entertainment and comfort features that ultimately make cars heavier. Lighter weight cars are more fuel-efficient, but they …

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Who Killed The Electric Car?

f0xmuld3r asked: Documentary about GM killing of the electric car. It has been here since ’96 but they killed it off. If you believe in conspiracy theories: here’s one for ya.

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Testing electric cars at Consumer Reports test track

consumerreports asked: Are electric cars really the vehicles of the future? Consumer Reports tests the Chevrolet Volt and the Nissan Leaf to see if they’re ready to go mainstream. Learn more about electric cars and alternative-fuel vehicles on our website: www.consumerreports.org

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Arizona Community Center Goes Solar

The Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus in Scottsdale, Arizona Now 90% Powered by Solar ~ Centrosolar America and Green Choice Solar Join Forces to Complete 1.3 Megawatt Photovoltaic Solar Power Array~ Today, Centrosolar America, the U.S. subsidiary of CENTROSOLAR Group AG, in Munich, and Green Choice Solar, LLC, Arizona’s leading commercial solar integrator, announce the completion of a 1.3 Megawatt …

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How schools can use less energy & spend less money, without the sacrifice

Making schools energy efficient need not be an exercise in sacrifice. Schools can get the same or better services, as well as increase the health and comfort of students and staff, all while using less energy. The first step is to get an energy assessment that can help identify and prioritize opportunities for substantial energy and operational savings. Once these …

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Electric Cars Rule Ga. Town

AssociatedPress asked: When gas prices go up, residents of Peachtree City, Ga. get around by driving golf carts. There are a few other golf cart communities in the US but most are retirement communities. In Peachtree City, just about everyone rides the golf carts. (July 25)

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