Solar power is one of the most eco-friendly forms of energy available to consumers. Solar technology draws energy from sunlight, which is converted to electricity by exterior-mounted solar panels. One of the disadvantages of solar panels is that a large field of these panels is required to provide the power necessary to fuel a single home, let alone a neighborhood …
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Improving Solar Contractors Workflow
NABCEP Partners with SolarNexus to Support Solar Industry Best Practices Software improves quality of sales and operations management for solar contractors The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) and SolarNexus, the leading supplier of web-based solar business management software, have announced a new partnership to help solar contractors improve quality throughout their organizations. NABCEP’s top objectives include the …
Read More »Renewable Energy Rankings
NEW REPORT RANKS WORLD’S BIGGEST COUNTRIES ON RENEWABLE ENERGY NRDC: Countries need to do more, beginning with Rio+20 Earth Summit U.S. production of renewable energy has increased by more than 300 percent in the past decade, but the United States still lags far behind Europe and Indonesia and is only slightly ahead of Mexico in the percentage of electricity it …
Read More »Energy Benchmarking – How Does Your Building Rate?
Energy benchmarking can help you better understand your commercial property’s energy use and monitor performance over time. It allows for comparisons among similar building types and helps identify which ones could operate more efficiently. The Environmental Protection Agency and its ENERGY STAR® Program offers a free online tool called Portfolio Manager that allows users to track and assess building energy …
Read More »End Fossil Fuel Subsidies
Our friends over at Celsius have raised the bar and worked to promote a call to action with regard to ending fossil fuel subsidies. We at Alt E HQ support this effort and ask you to read the article below and join the cause: Dear friends, This is huge. Two weeks ago we joined a diverse coalition to launch an …
Read More »Good Wind Energy Forecasts Wanted
The wind blows. In some places it blows reliably and steady. In others the wind comes and goes with varying speeds. The growth of the wind energy industry has meant there is a greater need for pin pointing where and when the wind will blow so that operators will know how to integrate that produced wind energy into the electrical …
Read More »US Antidumping Tariffs Could Suspend 45 Percent of Solar Module Shipments to North America
U.S. government antidumping penalties on imports of photovoltaic (PV) cells from China could suspend nearly half of solar module shipments to North America this year, impacting pricing, inventories and project timelines, according to an IHS iSuppli PV Perspectives report from information and analytics provider IHS (NYSE: IHS). The U.S. Department of Commerce on May 17 announced a preliminary determination in …
Read More »Efficient Carbon Capture?
When power plants begin capturing their carbon emissions to reduce greenhouse gases – and to most in the electric power industry, it’s a question of when, not if – it will be an expensive undertaking. Current technologies would use about one-third of the energy generated by the plants – what’s called “parasitic energy” – and, as a result, substantially drive …
Read More »Golden Gate Bridge Anniversery Solar Candles
In celebration of the 75th birthday of the Golden Gate Bridge, space scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, are topping each tower with a glittering solar candle. Space scientist John Vallerga describes the Solar Beacon project and how the public can experience it. Video by Roxanne Makasdjian. The “candles” are mirrors that the public can control through the Internet …
Read More »Wind Energy In The UK
With everyone trying to help the environment by reducing their carbon footprint and using renewable energy to reduce electricity bills, wind turbines are the future for the UK. You probably hear a lot about solar power, expensive panels that will help reduce your energy bill dramatically, but wind and water are other renewable sources that should be considered moving forward. …
Read More »Has Solar Leadership In CA Cost Too Much?
The LA Times examines the effect of net metering in California on solar system installations. Net metering has been a big success in helping to give consumers a reason to install solar. IN fact until net metering came along (and leasing options) I was held up in limbo. I wanted to have solar on my house but could not find …
Read More »Solar Panels Dumping Decision
Anti-dumping and Anti-countervailing Decision Unexpected, Manufacturers Treading Carefully Last Friday’s (May 18) results for the preliminary ruling on the U.S. anti-dumping and anti-countervailing case against China were not what the PV industry expected, and Chinese manufacturers were caught off guard by the news, resulting in delayed price negotiations for June. According to EnergyTrend, a research division of TrendForce, related vendors …
Read More »Non Profit Solar Installers Helping Low Income Families
Low income families across the country probably don’t give much thought to adding solar power to their homes since they might be tight for cash flow as it is in their life. But now thanks to some non profit solar installers in So Cal low income residents can now get help adding solar to their homes. This is the type …
Read More »Today’s Energy Efficiency: Just What are the laggards thinking?
By Elisa Wood Why do some states avoid creating policies that encourage consumers and businesses to save energy? What’s the psychology of the laggards? A new report by the American Council for an Energy Efficiency Economy sheds some insight as it examines the states that consistently fall behind in the organization’s annual energy efficiency ranking. The bottom states are: Alabama, …
Read More »Solar Power In The Cold North
Notice how they installed the solar panels on the side of the roof? Winter snows dont cover them up and they can still provide energy to heat the airport building. Chosen as a project because of its public use and higher profile, the solar thermal heat now part of the Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport is hoped to be a model …
Read More »SA Launches Fuel Cell Train
This seems like a big development in the fuel cell energy market. South Africa is launching a fuel cell powered Locomotive. I love to find news like this about alternative energy development. I say a big hurray for SA for making this step towards renewable fuels for industry. South Africa’s Anglo American Platinum (Angloplat) has launched the prototype of the …
Read More »India Wants To Import Shale Gas From US
India is looking to fortify their energy needs and they are looking to the USA for large scale importation of liquified shale gas. This has some very positive implications for foreign trades concerns but how does it play out with our own energy policy and development? India is looking at the possibility of importing liquefied shale gas from the US, …
Read More »Ethanol Reduced Gas Prices by More than $1 per Gallon in 2011
This year ethanol prices are going up due to foreign market pressures, loss of subsidies and other factors. But last year according to this study ethanol had a positive effect on US gas prices. America’s growing use of domestically-produced ethanol reduced wholesale gasoline prices by an average of $1.09 per gallon in 2011, according to updated research conducted by economics …
Read More »Faith And Solar Power
Here is an interesting story about churches working with solar installers to put solar power on church properties to save energy and money for the faithful. Seems like a nice partnership arrangment. Energy Star helps faithful witness energy stewardship, save money by Charles Morris Solar stewardship: In 2001, St. Elizabeth parish, in Wyandotte, Mich., won the Energy Star for Congregations …
Read More »European Solar Market Remains Uncertain
Recent elections in Europe ushered in uncertainty for the solar market, and the subsidy policies to take effect in 2012 also rendered players conservative. According to EnergyTrend, the solar research division of TrendForce, orders for solar modules will continue to pour in till mid-May, while orders for solar cells will persist till early June. When asked about the orders in …
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