Duke Energy Builds 3 Solar Projects in North Carolina

         Duke Energy Renewables, a commercial business unit of Duke Energy, has begun construction of three utility-scale solar power projects totaling 30 megawatt solar energy in Eastern North Carolina. The 20 megawatt Dogwood Solar Power Project is located in Halifax County, near Scotland Neck. The company is also building two 5 megawatt projects, one in Bertie County near Windsor, named Windsor Copper Hill Solar; the other, Bethel Price Solar, is in Pitt County, near Bethel.
          "We are pleased to be expanding our presence in Eastern North Carolina and bringing significant community development benefits to these counties," said Duke Energy Renewables President Greg Wolf. "The projects generate valuable tax revenue, provide supplemental income for landowners and bring clean, renewable energy to the state." Power from these projects will be sold through long-term fixed price contracts. SunEnergy1, a solar design, engineering and construction company based in Mooresville, North Carolina, is building the photovoltaic projects, which are expected to be complete by the end of 2013.
           "When the sun is shining and the plants are operating, the 30 megawatt of solar energy generated by the three projects will supply enough electricity to power about 6,000 homes," said Kenny Habul, CEO of SunEnergy1. "We are proud to be partnered with Duke Energy and applaud their continued commitment to bring economic growth and renewable solar power to these counties that can repeat tangible benefits from the projects."

Duke Energy Renewables' 14 megawatt Blue Wing Solar Project in San Antonio, Texas, one of 20 solar farms the company owns across the U.S.

Google Invests $80 Million to Open 6 Solar Energy Plants

        Google is investing $80 million in 6 new solar plants in California and Arizona that the company says will provide enough electricity for 17,000 homes in the United States. The investment is Google's 14th in renewable energy. The company has so far put more than $1 billion behind solar and wind projects since April 2010. Google is partnering with investment firm KKR for the venture; the lead developer is Recurrent Energy.
       According to a Google blog post, the projects have a combined capacity of 106 megawatts. A typical coal power station produces 600-700 megawatts while a nuclear power plant puts out 900-1,300 megawatts. Google currently gets 33% of its energy from renewable sources, but hopes to be 100% reneawble at some point.

Apple Experiments with the Solar iWatch

       Apple is "experimenting with wristwatch-like devices", the New York Times reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with Apple's tests. The devices would be made of curved glass and, not surprisingly, run on iOS, the paper said. Apple has discussed such a device with its key manufacturer Foxconn, the Wall Street Journal reported in a follow-up pace.

       A wrist watch could make a lot of sense in the context of Apple's search for way to deliver products that are more accessible in lower income markets, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster said in a report last month, the Times notes. Rumors circulated earlier this year that Apple was looking at plastic to bring the cost of an iPhone down to between $99 and $250.

       Apple may have its own energy solution to the power constraints a watch running iOS may face. The U.S. Patents and Trademark on February 5 granted Apple patent No. 8,368,654 for "Integrated touch sensor and solar panel configurations." The solar patent would introduce optical sensing capabilities to the screen as a means to interact with it and to boost its energy generating capacity.

       "The integrated touch sensor array and solar cell stack-ups may include electrodes that are used both for collecting solar energy and for sensing on a touch sensor array. By integrating both the touch sensors and the solar cell layers into the same stack-up, surface area on the portable device may be conserved. In addition to being used for capacitive sensing, the integrated touch sensor and solar panel configurations may also be used for optical sensing," Apple notes in the patent.

         The patent adds: "When an approaching object, such as a finger, is detected the solar panel may switch to a capacitive sensing mode to more precisely locate the object. Alternatively, the solar panel may cycle between solar power/optical sensing mode and capacitive sensing mode."

First Public Auction for Solar Energy Rights on Federal Land

         Federal officials are trying to figure out why the Bureau of Land Management's first-ever auction of public land for solar-energy development failed to attract any bids. According to the Denver Post, no bidders showed up for the first auction for three parcels of land in Colorado's San Luis Valley, even though five solar development companies had expressed interest in the land.
        Three parcels covering 3,700 acres in so-called solar-energy zones were offered on Thursday, October 24. The bureau has created 19 zones for large solar projects in 6 Western states, encompassing nearly 300,000 acres, the newspaper reported. "We are going to have to regroup and figure out what didn't work," Maryanne Kurtinaitis, the renewable-energy program manager for the BLM's Colorado division, told the Denver Post. "It is always tough to be the first out of the chute. This is a learning experience."
       Even though the auction's results seem to be pretty bleak, good news is on the horizon. The Obama administration continues to make it a priority to promote solar energy development as part of its energy strategy. Since 2009, the Interior Department has approved 47 renewable energy projects on public lands, including 25 solar facilities, 10 wind farms and 12 geothermal plants.

Walmart Draws More Solar Power

        Solar power and keg stands have one thing in common: Wal-Mart wants to profit from them. In the race for commercial solar power, Wal-Mart is killing it. The company now has almost twice as much capacity as second-place Costco. A better comparison: Wal-Mart is converting more energy from the sun than 38 U.S. states.
        In the beer department, Wal-Mart recently decided alcohol was good business and vowed to double sales by 2016. The result: 500 reps from the alcohol industry converged on the Sam's Club auditorium in Bentonville, Arkansas for an "adult beverages summit" focused on Wal-Mart. "It's even selling it in garden centers," wrote Bloomberg News in August.
       With solar, will Wal-Mart have the same industry-focusing presence its had with booze? If small business is the heart of the U.S. economy, Wal-Mart is the gluteus maximus (also known as the power muscle). The company defines global supply chains and crunches cost reductions in just about every area it touches. More than 80 publicly traded companies rely on Wal-Mart for 10% or more of their annual revenue, according to Bloomberg data. "When we find something that works--like solar--we go big with it," the company's website proclaims.

U.S. Air Force will Install New Solar Power Storage System

          In yet another demonstration of the U.S. military's transition to renewable energy, the Air Force Research Laboratory is eyeballing a computer center in Hawaii to demonstrate an advanced system for collecting, storing and using solar power. The aim is to show that solar power can contribute to a seamless energy management system for a sensitive, high-demand facility. If the pilot project is successful, it could be implemented at other Department of Defense facilities worldwide and make its way into the civilian sector as well.

Proposed AESM system

           Of all the 50 states, however, Hawaii is the most vulnerable when it comes to fossil fuel dependency and it is also the site of key Department of Defense facilities, notably Pearl Harbor, so the state's transition to locally harvested fuels is a vital national defense issue as well as a boost for consumers and businesses beset by high fossil fuel costs. In that context, it's little wonder that Hawaii was chosen as the shakedown site for the new Advanced Energy Storage and Management (AESM) system.
           AESM also dovetails with another solar project the computer center is pursuing, the Maui Solar Initiative. This will consist of a proposed 1.5-megawatt, 13-acre solar farm located nearby. Aside from reducing fossil fuel dependency in Hawaii, the project is expected to save big bucks for the Air Force, which according to hpcwire.com, currently foots the center's annual electricity bill of more than $3 million.

New York and Solar Energy?

           Owens Corning, the Fortune 500 buildings materials company, is probably best known for its pink fiberglass insulation. Now it's got another claim to fame: the company's Bethlehem, New York manufacturing plant, already the winner of a New York State Governor's Award for pollution prevention, is, as of [recently], home to one of the largest industrial solar arrays in the Empire State.
          The company had flipped the switch on the 2.7 megawatt installation [on October 15] at noon--just as sunshine broke through the clouds, as if on cue. The solar array was approximately 9,000 ground-mounted photovoltaic panels located on more than 9 acres, on a former cornfield close to the plant. The array demonstrates the benefits of pollution-free electricity, producing enough clean power from the sun to supply some 6% of the plant's electricity needs.
          It also demonstrates the benefits of Governor Cuomo's NY-Sun Initiative, without which this solar array would not have come into being. The initiative is currently funded through 2015, but we hope that with one last push from the Governor, NY-Sun will live on as a 10-year, $150-million-a-year effort to finally make New York a solar leader.
          Sunny states like California, Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico are, of course, early leaders in installed solar capacity, but Northeastern states also have a high potential for solar power. Currently, the great state of New York lags behind New Jersey and Massachusetts in total solar power installed. However, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association, New York is catching up, thanks to NY-Sun and is now #8 in the country for installed solar power, up from #13 at the beginning of 2013.

Robots Built to Clean and Install Solar Panels

Rover, a robot, placing a solar panel in a track at Alion Energy, which is looking to shave labor costs

       In Richmond, California, there are low-tech robots installing and maintaining large-scale solar farms, at least a start-up company, known as Alion Energy, believes so. Working in near secrecy until recently, the company is ready to use its machines in three projects in the next few months in California, Saudi Arabia, and China. If all goes well, executives expect that they can help bring the price of solar electricity into line with that of natural gas by cutting the cost of building and maintaining large solar installations.
       In recent years, the solar industry has wrung enormous costs from developing farms, largely through reducing the price of solar panels more than 70% since 2008. But with prices about as low as manufacturers say they can go, the industry is turning its attention to finding savings in other areas.
       "We've been in this mode for the past decade in the industry of really just focusing on module costs because they used to be such a big portion of system costs," said Arno Harris, chief executive of Recurrent Energy, a solar farm developer, and chairman of the board of the Solar Energy Industries Association. Now, Mr. Harris said, "Eliminating the physical plant costs is a major area of focus through eliminating materials and eliminating labor."

(877) 20-SOLAR Introduces Solar Power to Burbank with 0 Out-Of-Pocket Costs

         The leading Burbank solar energy company, Solar Center, is pleased to announce that their new (877) 20-SOLAR subsidiary is now offering zero down solar energy systems in Burbank. (877) 20-SOLAR is dedicated to serving every aspect of the Burbank solar energy market.
         Solar Center offers leasing options, with an extremely small upfront payment, that's usually around $1,000 but sometimes as low as zero, that allows homeowners to start saving money immediately. Homeowners can also purchase a system and earn an extremely attractive return, typically around 20% per year on the investment. Typical payback periods for solar systems today are approximately 6-8 years, although with leases the paybacks can be instant. As the solar industry has grown and matured over the last decade, the cost of putting solar panels on homes has decreased significantly. There's never been a better time to switch over to renewable clean energy than now and to Go Solar.
         Solar Center is one of a select group of Burbank solar power distributors who can offer the highest efficiency solar panels on the market, those manufactured by SunPower. With SunPower, the Solar Center can tailor a solar panel installation to specific needs and lifestyles, so customers get maximum Burbank solar energy performance without a maximum investment. Also, the provided experienced service and craftsmanship meets the highest standards set by the AAMA (The American Architectural Manufacturers Association).

Solar Cells Meets New World Record Efficiency

        Researchers at the German Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems have achieved a new world record for the conversion of sunlight into electricity using a new solar cell structure with four solar subcells. It took three years of research on this particular solar technology to hit the new world record of 44.7%, an efficiency that is getting the world of solar technology tantalizingly close to 50%.
        Just four months ago in May 2013, the group of researchers at the institute were able to achieve an efficiency of 43.6% with the technology. This type of solar cell is used in concentrator photovoltaics (CPV). Phys.org reports, "The terresterial use of so-called III-V multi-junction solar cells, which originally came from space technology, has prevailed to realize highest efficiencies for the conversion of sunlight to electricity. In this multi-junction solar cell, several cells made out of different III-V semiconductor materials are stacked on top of each other. The single subcells absorb different wavelength ranges of the solar spectrum."
       The solar cells developed in the Fraunhofer labs are manufactured by Soitec. So far, the company has produced solar cells for installations in Italy, France, South Africa and California, as well as in 14 other countries.

Solar Sidewalk Invented!

       George Washington University's Virginia Science and Technology Campus is now home to the world's first walkable solar-paneled sidewalk with the completion of a 100-square foot solar walkway, dubbed the Solar Walk. As part of the University's "sustainable Solar Walk" project, 27 walkable solar photovoltaic panels were installed as an extension of a public sidewalk on the campus, along with a solar trellis.

       The semi-transparent solar panels have a peak capacity of 400 watts, and is designed to power some 450 LED lights to illuminate the solar pathway after dark. The panels, which were designed by Onyx Solar, are said to be slip-resistant and able to stand up to regular foot traffic.

       The solar trellis, designed by Studio39 Landscape Architecture, is installed at the end of the solar sidewalk, and sends its solar energy output to help power Innovation Hall on the campus. Both installations can be seen on the public sidewalk between the Exploration and Innovation Halls, at the intersection of GW Boulevard and University Drive.

World's Largest Solar Power Plant is Now Online

         After three years and $2.2 billion of construction, California has just flipped the switch for the planet's largest solar thermal plant, the 392 megawatt Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System. Ivanpah's 300,000 heliostatic mirrors, which reflect and concentrate light around a central molten salt-filled tower, rather than convert light to electricity like photovoltaics, sit on 3,500 acres of federal land in Mojave, California. The project has received major funding not only for the DoE but also Google, NRG Energy, BrightSource Energy and Bechtel.
         While only the first of they system's three central towers has begun operating, it's already feeding power back into the PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric) grid. And when the remaining two will be activated in the coming weeks, Ivanpah is expected to produce enough energy at peak to power 140,000 homes while reducing carbon emissions by some 400,000 tons per year over its 30-year service life.

Elliot City Home Supports Solar Energy

        Starting in 2007, Dan and Margo Duesterhaus had 32 solar panels installed on their Elliot City home 12 years ago, in which it was placed on three sections of the roof, two additional panels for their solar water heater and another smaller panel for a solar attic fan. They added solar daylight tubes at three locations on the main floor of their rancher, two small heat pumps and large windows with extensive insulation.
        Over 5 years, the Duersterhauses transformed their 1950s-era home into a model of energy-efficiency. "It was a long-term desire," said Margo Duesterhaus, an IT consultant for the Baltimore-Washington firm Triple TeQ. "We were interested in the long-term cost savings, and obviously we had a concern for the environment."
        This weekend, the Duesterhaus home is one of the stops on the Metropolitian Washington Tour of Solar and Green Homes, which features 50 solar-powered homes in Maryland, the District of Colombia and Virginia. The Duesterhauses expect to greet at least 25 visitors when they opened their house Saturday; other houses in the area will be open Sunday as well.

Margo Duesterhaus' house is on a tour of solar homes. South facing windows were added to the kitchen area, which are double-paned with argon in between. EIFS, exterior insulation and finishing system is on the walls on the back of the house.

There are three sections of solar panels on the roof that provide 90-95% of the home's electricity.

Crowdfunding Helps Military Conversion to Solar Energy

U.S. Army's solar array at White Sands, New Mexico

      The U.S. military has ambitious plans ($7 billion worth) to install renewable energy at bases and other facilities across the nation. American taxpayers, of course, are footing the bill. But now they can choose to put their money into a military solar project and make a return, thanks to the crowdfunding craze.
      Mosaic, a California startup that earlier this year began letting ordinary investors put in as little as $25 to help finance commercial rooftop photovoltaic arrays, today announced its first military-related project, a 12.3-megawatt installation that will put 55,189 panels on housing at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey. The panels will be installed on 547 homes and are expected to supply 30% of their electricity demand.
     The deal is significant on two fronts. Military bases represent a huge market that will help drive down the cost of solar energy through economies of scale. Silicon Valley's SolarCity, for instance, scored a $1 billion deal in 2011 to finance and install 371 megawatts of photovoltaic panels on military housing in 30 states. Second, the deal marks a new way to finance solar energy. As lucrative U.S. tax breaks for solar and wind projects fall from 30% to 10% at the end of 2016, they will become less attractive to big banks and corporate investors currently bankrolling commercial and residential solar projects. Enter the ordinary investors, not the high-roller ones but the ordinary ones.

In Newark, NJ, "Solstice" Built on Campus

       In Newark, New Jersey, the "Solstice," a charging station powered by the sun, is ready to renew the energy of the cell phones, laptops and other electronic devices used at Essex County College thanks to the efforts of a group of ECC students.
       Members of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and Solar Training class erected the station, mounted on a 9-foot pole outside the college's Center for Technology. It has one AC and two USB ports that allow charging of devices completely through solar energy. "We are primarily using it as a hands-on learning tool for both our students and area high school students," said professor Ravi Manimaran. He noted that the 14 students who participated in the installation had the chance to receive green industry-based training from professions as part of the hands-on project.

IKEA Selling Solar Panels!

         The Sweden-based company known as Ikea, best known for cheap basics such as its Billy bookcases and Ektorp sofas, plans to offer solar panel packages at all of its 17 British stores within the next 10 months. It said the move follows a successful pilot project at its Lakeside store to the east of London, which sells one photovoltaic system almost every day.
        Britain offers subsidies to encourage the takeup of photovoltaic panels in a bid to boost production and help it meet legally-binding targets to cut carbon emissions. A solar panel owner receives subsidies for generating solar-sourced electricity exporting excess power into the grid. An average semi-detached house would earn as much as $1,200 a year through subsidies and savings on energy bills, an IKEA case study showed.
      IKEA's offer of panels made by China's Hanergy Holding Group Ltd., a power producer and manufacturer of thin-film photovoltaic panels, involves a minimum spend of 5,700 pounds for which customers get 18 panels which should break even within roughly 7 years. "We know that our customers want to live more sustainably and we hope working with Hanergy to make solar panels affordable and easily available helps them do just that," said Joanna Yarrow, IKEA's head of sustainability in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

16-year-old Kelvin Doe -- Self-taught Inventor

          Kelvin Doe, a 16-year-old inventor from Sierra Leone, is known as the boy genius being both the youngest person to be awarded his country's presidential medal, and the youngest person ever offered a fellowship at MIT, where he spent a week as a visiting practitioner training MIT and Harvard undergraduates. He traveled 14 hours from Sierra Leone to attend the CGI conference this week.
          In middle school, the young boy would scavenge nearby trash yards in the capital of Freetown to find parts for his inventions. "I'd go to bed, then wake up after midnight," he told the audience with a laugh. "My mom would wake up most nights to see our living room transformed into a small electronic junkard." Doe had no formal engineering training, but he tinkered endlessly. "I just figured things out, just picked things and took them home and made things on my own. Sometimes it can take me a week, sometimes a month, but I just believe I can do it so I just keep on going."
          He first built small generators to solve what he views as his country's most pressing scarcity: electricity. "There was a problem affecting my community and I wanted to do something about it which was lack of transferred information from one community to another," he said. "I decided to a build a station for the people to be able to use to talk about issues, also educate people." After working as a radio engineer for his friends and neighbors, he'd pieced together enough skill and equipment to begin a radio station where he broadcast under the name DJ Focus. His inventive spirit only came under the spotlight when, just last year at age 15, he was discovered by a Sierra Leonean Ph.D. student at MIT during a high school innovation challenge.
           He is also currently working with Canadian provider Sierra Wifi to build solar panels and transmitters in all 400-odd schools and universities in Sierra Leone to power computers and bring Internet access to remote regions, all made possible by a $100,000 grant. Up next: a windmill prototype, which is a few months from being finished. "There are so many more problems I'd like to solve, how can human energy contribute to electricity."

A boy stands on a road at dawn in Freetown, Sierra Leone, on November 21, 2012

Japan Growing in Renewable Energy Sources

A man watches waves break into anti-tsunami barriers after a storm in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture on September 16, 2013. Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), operator of the tsunami-crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, said on Monday it released what was believed to be untainted rainwater around the storage tank areas into the ocean in order to avoid flooding near the tanks due to heavy rains by Typhoon Man-yi

        According to new research released by NPD Solarbuzz, Japan has become one of only five countries to have achieved 10 gigawatts of cumulative solar capacity. While aiming to diversify its energy mix, Japan is developing its renewable energy sector, especially as it steers away from nuclear power following the disaster at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in 2011. The development of solar power in Japan slowed in the mid-2000s, partly due to a 10-year energy plan that favored nuclear power.
       With a shifting of focus toward renewable energy, and after a new law approving feed-in tariffs for renewable energy was passed last year, the Japanese government is giving incentives for the use of solar energy. The policy requires utility companies in Japan to buy electricity from renewable sources like solar and wind at a premium price for the next 20 years.

Silicon Energy and Outback Power Promote Solar Energy

Tim Nelson, of Fire Mountain Solar, discusses Silicon Energy's solar panels with area homeowner Ron Nichols at Silicon Energy's Marysville facility on September 21

     Two local companies, Silicon Energy in Marysville and Outback Power Technologies in Arlington, served as hub sites for this year's Snohomish County Solar Tour, whose informational walk-throughs on Saturday, September 21, were designed to answer the questions of area residents and prospective industry professionals.
      "We're trying to show local homeowners and contractors what's possible with solar power," said Phil Undercuffer, director of product management at Outback's recently opened facility just east of the Arlington Municipal Airport. "We want them to see the advantages of changing over to solar, and even the visitors we've had, who were already knowledgable about this field, weren't aware of a lot of the new technologies."
      Vice President of Arlington Electric, Russell Tilton, also claims that "only 1% of the state is on solar. Just because it's cloudy, people think that you can't rely on solar here, but we get more than enough sun. We get more sun than Germany, and they rely on solar more than anybody."

ConEdison Joining Solar Power

   Sempra U.S. Gas & Power and Consolidated Edison Development (ConEdison) became equal partners in two of Sempra U.S. Gas & Power's solar power facilities, the 150 megawatt Copper Mountain Solar 2 plant near Las Vegas and the 150 megawatt Mesquite Solar 1 plant near Phoenix. Under the terms of the joint-venture agreement, which was announced in May 2013, each company will own a 50% interest in each of the solar facilities. The terms of the transaction, however, were not disclosed.

      Mesquite Solar 1, the first phase of the Sempra U.S. Gas & Power's Mesquite Solar Power complex located in Arlington, Arizona, was completed in late 2012. Mesquite Solar 1 generates enough clean electricity for about 56,000 homes. Power from the facility has been fully sold to Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) under a 20-year contract. 

       The first phase of Copper Mountain Solar 2 is also complete and is currently generating 92 megawatts of solar power. When the second phase is fully constructed (expected in 2015), the project's total operating capacity will be 150 megawatts. The solar power plant generates enough clean energy to power about 45,000 homes. Power from the facility has also been fully sold to PG&E under a 25-year contract.

Utah's $600 Million Solar Power Plant Coming Soon!

        A multimillion dollar power plant will be soon built in Central Utah. The solar farm will be nestled near the small town of Delta, but it won't be generating clean energy for Utah. Instead, it will be sending its energy to California, but it'll prove to be a big boom for rural Utah's economy. At the same time, the Provo-based company contracted to do the project is placing the solar panels next to one of the worst polluters in the Western United States. Josh Case is the CEO of Energy Capitol Group, and he said that's a good location. 

       "We think we have the ideal location," he said. "We're adjacent to the Intermountain Power Plant and the transmission infrastructure and we're developing a 300 megawatt solar plant. We're leasing 1,754 acres from SITLA." The vacant landscape will become a sea of 800,000 solar panels spanning nearly 2,000 acres. Because the land belongs to SITLA, school children will also benefit from the energy harvested from the sun.

Millionaire Richard Darx Wants Solar Farm on Estate

      A millionaire, Richard Drax, has infuriated his neighbors with his plans to build an enormous solar farm on his estate. Last night actually, he was facing claims of hypocrisy after proposals to put scores of solar panels on 174 acres of his land were submitted to planners.
      Local residents have also claimed that three months ago, Mr. Drax had attacked plans to increase subsidies for wind turbines and solar panels. He also highly opposed a proposed wind farm off the Dorset coast. Therefore, surprisingly enough, he currently wants to build a solar farm the size of 110 football pitches on his 7,000-acre Charborough Estate.
      Sir Michael Butler, aged 86, is among more than 300 people who have written to the planning authority about the solar project. He says, "If this plan was to go ahead, it would be an absolute disaster. This is a most beautiful part of the British countryside and they want to stick this abomination in the middle of it."

Solar panels are planned for 174 acres of the sprawling Charborough Estate in Dorset

Washington Gas Solar-Powering California University

       Washington Gas Energy Systems, Inc. will own and operate a solar array at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, California. Financial terms were not disclosed. However, "the facility will be opened and operated by Washington Gas Energy Systems, Inc. under a 20-year power purchase agreement," Washington Gas said. Green Energy Group LLC developed the project, which will be completed next month. 

       The roof-mounted system includes 2,688 solar panels on three campus buildings and will produce more than 1,100 megawatt hours of solar energy a year. Washington Gas Energy Systems, Inc., is actually a subsidiary of Washington Gas parent WGL Holdings, which owns commercial-scale projects in 10 states, including the largest solar photovoltaic panel system in the District, at Catholic University at America. 

City Hall Powered with Solar Panels

        By the end of this year, Rancho Mirage's City Hall and the city's vehicle maintenance yard should be getting most of their power from brand-new rooftop and carport solar panels. The City Council gave the go-ahead Monday to a $1.2 million contract with Palm Springs-based Nobell Energy Solutions to add the panels to the city facilities, with construction expected to begin in October and finish in mid-December.
        The council also approved spending $23,000 to put a new roof over the maintenance yard's traffic signal warehouse, which will be able to support the panels. The new panels, which will be leased by the city from Nobell for up to 20 years with an option to buy them out at 10 years, are projected to generate 60% of the electricity needed by City Hall and 95% for the maintenance yard, which is in Thousand Palms.

iPhone 6 May Have Solar Charging Capabilities?

       According to analysts, Apple's patented solar technology could be seen in the iPhone 6. In February 2013, Apple has also received patents for its innovation in using solar panels in mobile devices, such as the iPhone 6. The technology would have an integrated touch sensor with a solar panel. This technology allows Apple to "stack-up" touch sensors on top of solar cell layers. The electrodes that would be featured on the integrated panel can be used for collecting solar energy and for sensing on a touch sensor array.
       In terms of hardware, the iPhone 6 is expected to have a quad-core processor with an A7 chip. A 2 gigabyte RAM along with the iOS 7 operating system will enhance the performance of the smartphone. The camera is also expected to be a better quality featured on the iPhone 6 for Apple fans.

Why are Solar Energy Projects a SAFE Investment?

       If you are a new investor or you simply are looking around for markets that would be safe to invest in, your choice would most likely be solar energy projects. Why? Well, one reason is because the sun will continue to shine: it currently shines enough rays on the U.S. every day to more than power us for 10 years. 

     Also, solar technology has been a proven and reliable technology. Some solar systems that were installed in the 1970's have lasted far beyond their warranties and are still producing. While it is not a new invented technology, there are improvements recently, which have helped make new systems more reliable. 

      If you are concerned about the quality and efficiency of the solar panel systems, it is most likely that the manufacturers will typically offer 25-year warranties for the equipment, minimum protection guarantees, and insurance to protect against events such as fires or hurricanes. Leading businesses and research groups like DuPont, Standard and Poors, and the Rocky Mountain Institute recently had founded the industry consortium TruSolar. Their goal ultimately is to standardize the risk evaluation process for solar energy projects.

    Investing in solar energy projects are not equivalent to investing in a company's stock. While investing in a business comes risks of the company failing; investing in solar energy projects, on the other hand, would be considered a tangible asset. It's an asset that depends on a proven technology using the rays that we know will keep shining upon it. This means the asset is likely to produce revenue immediately and to keep producing it. 

       Last but not least, solar energy projects, in essence, saves money. With the price of solar energy continuing to fall and costs of fossil fuel is rising, solar energy is poised to become a better investment in the long run. It already has outperformed the S&P 500 in 13 states, and major investors are taking note. 

Apple is Seeking for Engineer Experienced in Thin-Film Solar Technology

         A new listing on Apple's website suggests Apple could be looking to add solar technology into mobile devices. Discovered by 9to5Mac, the listing outlines a candidate that needs to be experienced with thin-film technologies and refinement of how that technology integrates with electronic systems. This could also potentially point to future Apple products having solar charging capabilities.
        In the past, Apple has filed for patents pertaining to the use of solar assemblies directly in a smartphone display, and the company has already made clear its desire to use panels at its Spaceship campus. Hiring someone on with extensive solar and semiconductor experience could help Apple on a path toward having their mobile devices that harness the sun. Simply imagine if there were all Apple products having solar charging capabilities, how wonderful that would be to not worry about your phone dying on the most crucial moments (especially when everyone is on their phones 24/7).

Apple's spaceship campus

India + Renewable Energy = Positive Consequences

     India is growing in its expanding its clean energy opportunities, specifically solar, wind and other renewable energy projects, throughout India. In the last month, the Indian government had announced a $7.9 billion investment is to double its transmission capacity, which was designed to increase access to power from wind and solar projects. For instance, India's installed solar energy capacity has jumped from a mere 17 megawatts in 2010, when India's National Solar Mission was announced, to over 1.7 megawatts. Not only do these renewable energy projects increase India's energy supply, but they also help create much needed jobs.

Grid-connected concentrated solar power project under construction in India

 
     The Indian government and businesses around the country are making significant investments in renewable resources. The investment in transmission capacity and the next phase of the National Solar Mission are example policies to drive clean energy development. The motivations for these investments, in part, are to continue to power India's rapid economic growth and increase energy access by providing modern electricity to the nearly 400 million population in India without access to modern electricity.

Girls Inc. - Solar-Powered Tech

      Roughly speaking, 100 girls in Oakland are creating solar panel-powered technology this summer. Through Girls Inc., girls teams are making solar wrist USB chargers, cell chargers, backpack chargers, and purse chargers that will charge nearly any technology device. 

      To create their visions, participants meet on weekdays from Monday to Thursday on the Girls Inc. campus at Concordia Park. They attend workshops, field trips, and activities throughout the month. Girls Inc. participants begin their program, Eureka!, in the 7th grade. They finish when they're in the senior year in high school. 

       "It is important for girls to innovate because girls are users," said Danielle Stanton, the Girls Inc. Rookies Coordinator. "When we put ourselves into the shoes of designers, engineers and overall innovators, we incorporate our own perspective, which is important considering women have more purchasing power nationwide. We are able to make products that will benefit a large majority of the population."

Solar-Powered Boat has Reached Paris

         The world's largest solar-powered boat, Turanor PlanetSolar, has docked on the banks of Seine River, its final port of its 3-month voyage across the Atlantic Ocean to study how the Gulf Stream and climate change could influence each other. Starting from Miami in June, University of Geneva scientists had sailed up the eastern seaboard of the United States, then across the Atlantic Ocean, taking water and air measurements that should allow them to better understand the complex interaction between the ocean and the atmosphere. 

         The expedition's chief climatologist Martin Beniston commented, "Our first surprise when we started looking at the data is the quantity of the aerosols that are actually injected into the atmosphere by the ocean, which means we might have underestimated the climatic role of the oceans via aerosols."

For more details about Turanor PlanetSolar, click here. 

Finca Bellavista -- Solar Treehouse

     Tucked away in the Costa Rican rainforest is the remote treehouse community, Finca Bellavista, built by two Americans who wanted to create a village like that of the Ewoks of Endor in the movie, "Star Wars," who lived high among the trees. The eco-friendly village features many tree homes, including Mis Ojos. This two-level abode includes a porch, kitchenette, bathroom and outdoor shower and offers amazing cliff and waterfall views. The off-the-grid complex relies on solar and wind power for energy, composting toilets and running water collected in gravity-fed rainwater catch tanks above the abodes.

GoSun Stove: Portable, High-Efficiency Solar Cooker

 

      Solar energy expert and Cincinnati, Ohio native Patrick Sherwin, realized an innovation that he created one day while removing some solar collectors from a client's roof. In the 10 years since Sherwin removed those solar collectors from a client's roof, he's been working on perfecting the art of solar cooking. On September 5th, he had launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds to mass-produce his GoSun Stove, a compact $279 solar cooker that he hopes could not just change the way the Western civilization uses and looks at sources of renewable energy, but also impact the entire world.

        The Kickstarter campaign, which had raised more than 1/4 of its $40,000 goal within the first 10 hours of its launch, is being used as a means for Sherwin and his team to raise funds for marketing, equipment and manufacturing and other programs to bring the invention to developing countries in need of less dangerous and time consuming ways to cook food.

Indian Solar Invention Reduces Food Waste

       

       
        A group of Indian graduate students have came up with a solution that helps reduce the problems faced in rural areas in India: food, electricity and income. Vaibhav Tidke, Shital Somani, and Aditya Kulkarni had used different scientific backgrounds to innovate a solar conduction dryer, which helps to dry out fruits and vegetables, enabling farmers to preserve and sell the food at a higher price. This, in result, solves several problems at once as this technology reduces food spoilage, extends food shelf life and allow nutritional retention, helping the agriculture-dependent livelihood earn more.
        Their creation, known as the Solar Conduction Dryer (SCD), recently had won the grand prize at the 2013 Dell Social Innovation Challenge (DSIC), an initiative of the RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service at the LBJ School of Public Affairs in the University of Texas. The trio had received $60,000 in prize money to help fund and commercialize their project.

Elysium: Grow in Self-Awareness

     The newly released "Elysium" has been a spectacular movie for me. It had opened my eyes and made me realize even more why I have decided to embark upon this journey to inform the public of the benefits of solar energy and arose awareness of it.
      This movie has inspired me even more because it shows of the catastrophic future we may have in store for us if we continue to use excessive amounts of fossil fuels and consistently contaminate our clean air with pollution.
       Therefore, as I am spreading the awareness (and many others) of solar energy and other renewable energy sources, I hope that communities may grow in knowledge to the technology that is available to us, which is steadily growing with many scientists and researchers heavily researching about new technologies.

SunnyBot uses the Sun to Light and Heat Homes

       Developed by Italian startup Solenica, SunnyBot is approximately the size of a large desk lamp and equipped with an on-board mirror that continuously adjusts to reflect the sun's rays on a chosen area. The idea is to exploit sunlight and recycle it as a light source for other gloomy rooms or to reflect the sun's heat to warm the room, heat a swimming pool or nurture indoor plants.
       SunnyBot is actually integrated with a dual-axis microcomputer that's powered by a row of solar cells and comes with an optional feedback system. The device redirects 7,000 lumens (equivalent to a single 500-watt halogen lamp) with a range of nearly over 656 feet.

Solar-Powered Boat to Patrol Great Barrier Reef

          The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 1,600 miles. Patrolling this area seems to be a difficult task for Queensland's Department of National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing (DNPRSR) and Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) and so, the agencies are using solar power to help.
          Marine engineering consultants (MEC) have been requested from these agencies to help construct a 78.7 feet long-range Catamaran Patrol Vessel to work in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. The catamaran is very eco-friendly as it is equipped with extensive solar panels, high R-value insulation, zoned air conditioning, as well as window blinds and shutters to reduce the impact of the Queensland sun.

Titan Aerospace's Solar-Powered "Satellite"

           Titan Aerospace is currently developing a high-altitude solar-powered (unmanned) plane, in which it is the world's first atmospheric "satellite" with limited applications. As Spectrum has written: "The Solara is intended to loft a payload to 20,000 meters (60,000 feet) and then keep it there for five years, running entirely on solar power. It functions a bit like a satellite except substantially cheaper and much more versatile. And, you can get it back when you're done."

            The Titan Solara 50 solar plane has a wingspan of approximately 150 feet. It has the ability to carry a payload of around 250 pounds to "atmospheric orbit" and then stay operational up there, thanks to the 3,000 solar panel cells that can produce 7 kilowatts of electricity).

BioLite Campstove = Backpacking Stove + Off-Grid Power Charger

          The BioLite Campstove is the combination of a backpacking stove as well as an off-grid power charger so you are able to cook a meal while charging your electronic gadgets at a country camping area. This mini campstove uses biomass, which decreases your carbon footprint and eliminates the ned to carry the extra weight of a solar power panel and fuel canisters.
          Simply imagine how relaxing Labor Day Weekend would be when you are able to cook your meals along with charging your devices using only firewood. However, the gadget may be heavy so if you may think finding dry wood would be hard, it may not be worth carrying the weight. Though, this mini campstove is handy when you need a power source to charge your devices and cook your meals at the same time.