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.

FYI: Solar Cooker for Simply $5

        With a few common household materials along with time and creativity, one is able to create a personal stove capable of reaching temperatures approximately between 250° to 375° Fahrenheit, solely powered by the sun. Step-by-step instructions are provided by Instructables user sclausson; this invention is known as the Purple Fig Solar Cooker, which can be built with simple items that can be found in convenience areas. The list of materials include a posterboard, aluminium foil, glue, a shoelace, a couple of binder clips as well as purple paint (obviously). According to the creator of this invention, the total cost of the materials should be under $5 (and possibly free to those households that may already have the needed materials). 

          The posterboard helps form the structure needed for the cooker while the foil is to provide the surface for concentrating the sun's rays. The glue helps to hold the foil to the posterboard while the binder clips aid in holding the structure in place. The shoelace is needed as a key component of the solar cooker but if you are interested in making one, do find out more here at Purple Fig Solar Cooker at Instructables. Enjoy!