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.

Bill Clinton visits Puerto Rico to Promote Renewable Energy

Former President Bill Clinton looks out over his eyeglasses during a forum on renewable energy in San Juan, Puerto Rico on Tuesday, July 16, 2013

       Former President Bill Clinton urges Puerto Rico to lessen its oil dependence and to pursue clean energy alternatives by developing a renewable energy strategy. He notes that the island has the resources necessary to launch various clean energy projects that would also help drive down power bills, which are about twice that of the United States' bills on average. 

        Clinton has also advised during a forum on Tuesday in the United States that the government should also consider manufacturing solar panels and installing them on buildings (given the number of flat roofs that exist across Puerto Rico). Puerto Rico depends on petroleum to generate nearly 70% of its power, but the government recently has provided renewable energy projects to help drive down the costs of bills and reduce greenhouse emissions.  

Solar Project Development - There's an app for that!

       In these days where technology is constantly advancing in society, there has continuously been many varieties of apps in the market that may satisfy anyone's needs. Even solar installers and developers have thought of the idea that they should possibly develop their own app (as business is usually operated when you choose to accommodate the needs of the public, which also includes the topic of conveniently having your services be available).
       A recently developed app, known as Solar Site Design (SSD), happens to be a free app available to anyone that may possess a smartphone or any smart electronic device. The app, in essence, is a project management solution for solar professionals in that it helps streamline the project development process by enabling mobile data gathering and uploading project specifications to the content management system. The data for all active projects is, then, available anywhere and anytime (either with the app or on a web browser) so that solar installers and solar professionals are able to view the files on hand.
       Solar Site Design's aim is to reduce the "soft costs" of solar project development by streamlining the process of acquiring new customers and having convenient access to local utility processing and any paperwork required. Project professionals can also input data, pictures, and even videos of the solar site during project walk-throughs and accessibility through the app or the website.
       According to Eco Branding, a company specialized in providing marketing services to clean-tech and sustainable businesses, they compliment the use of SSD as follows:

    Typically, installers will visit each site multiple times, and files permitting and municipality regulations in order to get all the requisite information for feasibility drawings. However, with SSD's free application, installers are guided through a data collection process at their initial sales visit with home or business owners. Once all the data is synced to the Solar Site Design interface, SSD's team of solar engineers look over the data and prepare a feasibility report for the installers. Depending on the scale of the project, the report can take between 2 and 5 business days. This technology reduces costs for contractors and makes it easier to acquire more customers.

Google itself Helps Solar Energy Project

      Involved in its green energy investments, Google has set its eyes on the Jasper Power Project, a South African solar power plant. This investment alone totals to $12 million and claims to be the first project that Google has invested in, pertaining to the location being Africa. However, the $12 million investment provided by Google is not the total investments spent for South Africa for many investors are involved in this as well.
      The Jasper Power Project will be a photovoltaic plant, which will have the capacity to generate 96 megawatts of clean energy for residents of South Africa. The project will not only help meet the country's renewable energy goals but also provide long-term jobs and economic development opportunities.
     "Back in 2008, South Africa experienced a severe energy shortage, which resulted in blackouts throughout the country and slowed down economic growth," writes Google energy and sustainability director Rick Needman on May 30, 2013. "Since then, the South African government has been actively supporting the growth of new sources of electricity to power the nation ... Given South Africa's position  as an economic powerhouse in Africa, a greener grid in South Africa can set an example for the whole continent."

The Jasper Power Project is located in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa, near Potmasburg

Once constructed, the project will use solar panels such as these

Kettle Chips Tests Renewable Energy in Salem

       Kettle Brand currently has enough solar panels on the roof of its Salem plant to make 250,000 bags of Kettle Chips, even though this is applicable when the sun is available. A new smart-grid project is being launched today, whereas they persevere in testing the renewable energy stored in a room full of lithium-ion batteries to help aid the solar power plant in Salem. These batteries to be used are stored in a newly established facility, known as Salem Smart Power Center, which can store up to 5 megawatts (in other words, has the capacity to power 3,500 homes).
      "This is the first of its kind in the nation and in the industry," said Kevin Whitener, smart-grid project manager for Portland General Electric. "We're used to calling upon energy sources when we need them, but sun and wind aren't great for that. With this project, we can take that sun and wind energy and store it so it can be available when our customers want to use it."

Kettle Foods potato chip factory in Salem has 616 solar panels on its roof, but the amount of power they produce fluctuates with the availability of the sun 

Gaza Hospital Chosen for Solar Power Project

Doctors use a mobile phone for light as they treat a child critically injured during Israel's attacks on Gaza last November

       Power cuts have the capability to affect Israeli hospitals, specifically in Gaza, so severely that medical operations sometimes may have to be carried out under the faint light provided by doctors' mobile phones. Eager to improve such a situation, a Gaza-based scientist has teamed up with an international group to undertake a renewable energy project towards aiding the health industry. Its aim is originally to provide 168 solar panels and other equipment for Jenin Hospital in al-Shajaiyeh neighborhood, which is east of Gaza City.
      Haitham Ghanem, the scientist behind the project, claims his team decided to focus on the site "simply because this sole hospital lies in the densely-populated al-Shajaiyeh neighborhood and serves 250,000 inhabitants, whom are frequently exposed to Israeli violence from the adjacent border areas."
      Dr. Hisham Murtaja, deputy-chief of the hospital, remarks that he is glad that the three-story hospital has been chosen. "We continue to suffer from the power outage problems and sometimes we happen to carry out minor surgeries by the lights of doctors' mobile phones," he said. "It is true that we run a power generator here, which is too costly by the way. But still we continue to often suffer from maintenance problems as well as the problem of providing gasoline for the power generator itself."
     The project, known as Sunshine4Palestine, the project aims to launch in early 2014. It has a target goal of raising $215,000 in donations by the expected time period next year. Achieving this target goal could require much effort as the project has only a total of $7,000 in its funds savings. The project will require construction of a new roof for the hospital at an estimated cost of $38,500. By storing power in batteries, the system would be capable of powering the hospital throughout the day and night.
     According to Barbara Capone, an Italian scientist living in Austria, she believes solar energy could help relieve Gaza's power problems. "In Europe, such panels have increasingly become widespread and many countries, including Italy, have invested a lot in such installations that are cheap and environmental-friendly," she said. "It is true that the Israeli siege of Gaza continues and would likely hinder delivery of the raw materials for the project, but we are planning to ship the materials through an Egyptian seaport then to Gaza," she explained. "Also, we will make sure that local staff are trained by internationals, even in Gaza itself, so we will avoid delays on maintenance of the panels once they are running. The plant will be made of high-quality Canadian products and will likely be sustained for 25 years."

Sachin Tendulkar Helps Light India's Villages

      Sachin Tendulkar, an Indian cricket (the most popular sport in India) player widely acknowledged as one of the greatest batsmen in One Day International, has helped bring light into lives of over thousand residents of Velunje, in Nashik.

Boys in South India playing "Cricket"

Last year, the villagers were specially selected for a pilot project, where they are provided with electricity through free solar home lighting kits, in courtesy to a non-profit organization "Spreading Happiness." Encouraged by the pilot project's results, currently Schneider Electric, a French-based energy company, has another location in India and is offering similar benefits to over 25,000 villages across the country to celebrate Tendulkar's 40th birthday this Wednesday.
     This initiative actually has been started when Tendulkar was introduced to Schneider Electric's "In-Diya Lighting System," an innovative, affordable and flexible solution to bring reliable, efficient and green lighting to people living without proper electricity access. "In-Diya is a specially designed LED-based lighting system that operates on main power supply and/or solar power. It provides a backup of 8-15 hours for indoor use with 50,000 hours of lighting across its life-cycle," said an official.
      Aware of such challenges faced by many Indian villages, Tendulkar expressed a desire to Schneider Electric to help use "In-Diya" to light up the lives of Indian villagers, whom have been living in the darkness for years. "Sachin Tendulkar and Schneider Electric India have come together for 'Spreading Happiness,' a non-profit organization, to provide access to rural electrification by installing solar home lighting systems for the benefit of over 25,000 villagers in India," Schneider Electric said in a release. "This initiative has already begun a pilot project in Nashik and is currently impacting over 1,000 villagers," it added. Commenting on the initiative, Tendulkar said: "As a country, we cannot have our citizens still struggle with darkness in their lives with the setting of the sun. We have to use advancements in technology and the capabilities of international majors like Schneider Electric to deploy solutions which can brighten the lives of our countrymen."

Sachin Tendulkar

New Apartments offer Free Solar Power

     Solterra, a newly found 114-unit apartment project is nearing its completion, is to be equipped with facilities such as a salt-water pool, games-filled clubhouse as well as a stand-up tanning salon. At this era in the declining economy, there is stiff competition for landlords to attract tenants, especially in luxury areas. Therefore, this sweet luxury area to call home opens in May and offers free electricity to residents.
     In San Diego, this may be the county's first "net-zero" energy project, whereas there is enough solar power cells being installed to provide all energy to be obtained by average users as well as common areas at the 4-acre site east of Interstate 15 at Mira Mesa Boulevard. If residents do not exceed the average use projected, they are guaranteed a rebate check in the mail.
     Company President Mike Neal claims that they offer this special incentive to residents because "we want them to choose us," he says. He believes it's the energy-saving features that he hopes will make a difference. "With our apartment communities we've previously put photovoltaics on, we noticed our customers had a real interest in it," Neal said. "Some of them would say 'How could that benefit my unit?' We took it upon ourselves to take this project and try to answer that question by providing it and see how the customer likes it."
     "The target tenant group at Solterra draws from all over the county and from all demographic groups," he said, "and the rental rate of $1,495 to $2,225 is comparable to housing costs in Scripps Ranch."

The Solar Pocket Factory

        In 2012, solar power has been given an outlook of being expensive and there has been conflicting problems in the portable solar panels, which after a couple of years, lose charging capabilities. That's where Shawn Frayne and Alex Hornstein has thought of plans how to give portable solar charging stations the longevity and price to make them commercially available worldwide and founded "Solar Pocket Factory."
        This project is a kickstarter project, which they attempt to make a perfect development of the pocket factory (and then they claim it to help make a new panel every 15 seconds to ensure the longevity of receiving solar power). For more information, visit here!

Solar distribution cuts down school's energy costs

The Murrieta Valley Unified School District, located in Southern California, has been reported to be saving approximately $23 million in electricity cost for the next two decades. Their solar panels, which they had invested in, is providing them with a total of 2.3 megawatts in the midst of the 19 school districts "Solarcity" had distributed. The schools has been mounted with 10,000 PV panels atop of parking lot carports. The project has been expected to cut down $1 million per year in electricity costs for the first five years bringing them the desire to enhance academic excellence towards their students.

Murrieta Valley Unified Assistant Superintendent Bill Olien- "As these solar projects demonstrate, we want to continue to save money while doing our part for our environment."

Robots taking over the world!

Introducing "Qbotix," the world's first monorail robot, equipped with 20 solar panel arrays, trailing behind a small tuna-shaped robot called the "Solbot." Over time, the sun moves 10 degrees in approximately every 40 minutes, decreasing the efficiency of our solar panels that are being engineered today all across the world. So, in order to get the job done more efficiently in harvesting the energy of the sun from sunrise to daybreak, "Qbotix" had designed a robot that moves through steel pipes like a small roller coaster, tracking the position of the sun while moving with it in order to retrieve the most efficiency of the sun without consuming much energy during the process.

A California based startup, Qbotix, has now come up with a robot that does the job efficiently without consuming a lot of energy in the process.

However, here's Germany with their huge robotic arms engineered to install solar panels onto steel racks. This robot is called "Momo" and it could do the work of 250 workers required to build a 100 megawatt photo voltaic power plant. The main idea of this project was to save large amounts of money, mainly towards labor. Towards a construction of a 14 watt solar plant, reports say that the company could cut the cost nearly half of what they had originally paid in which it came up to approximately $2 million in total. 

Renewable robot: A robotic arm places a large photovoltaic panel onto a frame during the construction of a solar plant near Leipzig, Germany. The panel is nearly six square meters in size and weighs 120 kilograms.