In an attempt to break the high initial cost of solar power for remote regions, an MIT team has developed a small – 1kW – solar concentrating combined heat and power system. It uses the concentrated heat in an Organic rakine cycle, in which a liquid with a low boiling temperature is reused over and over – to turn a turbine salvaged from an old car.…
Pope Benedict has Vatican engineers install solar panels on some of the Hole See buildings.…
India receives solar energy equivalent to nearly 5,000 trillion kWh/year, which is far more than the total energy consumption of the country today. A government-led campaign to promote and harvest solar has been launched.…
Gizmodo reports on new concentrated solar panels turn out to be premature.…
SolCool One LLC of Redlands, California, is marketing an air conditioner that uses so little power it can be run from the power generated by no more than four solar panels. The air conditioner uses less than 400 watts of power, allowing it to run off the power of four or fewer solar panels or a wind turbine.…
When it comes to renewables, you�ve got to be realistic. Try taking one small solar panel and think: what can I power with this? That�s the question Richard Rogers asked himself, and his answer � a hi-fi. Music-lovers can re-create his design using some basic equipment and a little electronics know-how.…
Al Gore has been under attack ever since the release of his documentary �An Inconvenient Truth� for allegedly not practicing what he preaches. Most notably, his frequent flying and lavish energy-guzzling home were revealed to be causing the environment a whole lot of damage.
But, Gore has had some vindication lately. It seems that zoning laws have prevented the former presidential candidate (and some suspect potential candidate for 2008 despite his denials) from installing solar panels on his roof.…
Residents in Colorado are getting around 50% back on their solar installation spending � all thanks to renewable energy incentives offered by Colorado utility companies. In 2004, Colorado voters passed Amendment 37, requiring large utility companies to get 10% of their energy from renewable sources. As a result, Xcel created the Solar Rewards program, offering an up-front rebate for homeowners wanting to install solar systems.…
Oprah’s opened an off-grid school as part of her Leadership Academy in South Africa.
She…
Solar hot water heaters can be a cost-effective way to heat the swimming pool at your off-grid palace. This isn�t just a celebrity trend, though � you can buy ready-made kits to that are easy to install starting at around �700. Heating an average pool for the swimming season uses about the same amount of energy as most homes require per year. The costs go beyond just monthly heating bills when you consider greenhouse gas emissions involved � so a solar pool heater pays for itself quickly. Solar blankets (pool covers) are the cheapest way to reduce heat loss and save energy.…
George Bush has been listening to the light gods � he�s given funding to a project harnessing energy from sunlight and interior light to wirelessly power everything from cellphones to signboards. With the Solar America Initiative, Bush has finally been forced to let solar energy compete with conventional electricity sources, and Konarka hopes to develop flexible plastic solar cell strips � material that could be embedded into the casings of laptop computers and even woven into power-producing clothing to energize digital media players or other electronics.…
Solar expert Jeff Wolfe has exposed an apparently idealistic solar power company called Citizenre is in fact a multi-level marketing scheme.
The stated plan of the company is to build “the world’s largest” solar cell and module manufacturing plant and install 100,000 residential systems annually. Wolfe�s article generated hundreds of comments – some of them in defence of the company from old-style multi-level marketing sales agents who were concealing their true affiliation. In one case, a Citizenre marketing agent is a well-known renewable energy conman who has pulled similar tricks in the past, Wolfe revealed.…
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