Frankly Green

Solar vs. Energy Efficiency

Solar gets more subsidies, but home energy efficiency may be more cost-effective.

By Ben Arnoldy| Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor/ November 26, 2008 edition

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When Ted and Astrid Olsson set out to cut their home electricity bill, they had three strong incentives to buy solar panels: federal, state, and city subsidies. But they shelved the idea in favor of insulating the attic of their San Francisco Victorian.

While it’s not as sexy as a rooftop rack of silicon, improving a home’s energy efficiency tends to be the more cost-effective way to trim carbon emissions. So why are politicians showering subsidies on residential solar instead?

8 Solar Gadgets, From Serious to Silly

Looking for so solar powered holiday gifts? Check out this piece on MSNBC!

From a cell phone-charging ski jacket to a battery-extending iPhone case

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Solar-Powered Undertaker 'Nuts' No Longer

CNN's Deborah Feyerick reports on a family-owned business benefitting from solar power.

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PV Solar Hits the Big Time

PG&E, Sunpower, and OptiSolar provide enough energy from this solar PV installation to power hundreds of thousands of homes each year! Check out this video below!

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MIT Researchers Deliver Solar Energy Storage Breakthrough

Thanks to Eleanor B. for sending this article!!

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Researchers at MIT say they have delivered a major breakthrough in storing solar energy, inspired by photosynthesis and using a catalyst made up of cobalt metal. In a paper published today in Science, MIT professor of energy, Daniel Nocera, says he’s developed a process that uses electricity generated from the sun or other renewable sources to split water into hydrogen and oxygen using abundant, non-toxic natural materials. The gases can then be stored and reintroduced into a fuel cell that can produce electricity.

Visit post on earth2tech for more!

Winery goes solar with 'Floatovoltaics'

SFGate
Jim Doyle, Chronicle Staff Writer

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Take nearly 1,000 photovoltaic panels and mount them on 130 pontoons floating in a Napa Valley irrigation pond, and what do you have?

A first-of-its-kind solar power array and the latest example of why Northern California's wine industry - with its scores of entrepreneurs and mavericks - is a leader in embracing solar power.

Representatives of the Far Niente winery in Oakville pointed out the unique aspects of a $4.2 million solar venture during a tour Wednesday in advance of today's ceremonial unveiling of the project.

In addition to the 994 floating panels, 306 panels are mounted on an acre of land nearby.

Solar Powered Car

John Weber drives a solar powered car! Check out the video!

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Solar Farm to Rise Over 3 Square Miles

Spanish company to build, operate $1 billion plant based on mirrors, turbine
The Associated Press - Fri., March. 7, 2008

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PHOENIX - A Spanish company is planning to take 3 square miles of desert southwest of Phoenix and turn them into one of the largest solar power plants in the world.

Abengoa Solar, which has plants in Spain, northern Africa and other parts of the U.S., could begin construction as early as next year on the 280-megawatt plant in Gila Bend — a small, dusty town 50 miles southeast of Phoenix. The company says it could be producing solar energy by 2011.

Abengoa would build, own and operate the $1 billion plant, named the Solana Generating Station.

Arizona Public Service, the state's largest utility, would pay Abengoa $4 billion over 30 years for the energy produced, estimated to be enough to supply up to 70,000 homes at full capacity.

Harnessing the Sun

Thanks to Ryan G. for sending this!

Jan 18 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Rachel Byrd Daily Press, Victorville, Calif.

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Our desert, with it's intense sun rays and sprawling open land, is a prime location to harness solar energy.

And the Victor Valley's placement actually makes the area unlike any other desert in the world.

The fact that the levels of solar radiation are as high in the Mojave Desert as they are anywhere in the world makes the area unique, according to Tom Barnett, executive vice president of Inland Energy Inc.

"Unlike most places in the world that have high levels of solar radiation, here in the High Desert, we are right next to a huge population center," Barnett said. "This means we can actually use this electricity. While other places like the Sahara Desert, where they may be able to generate it, they cannot use it."

With the Kramer Junction solar facilities generating power for the desert, and a Victorville hybrid power plant scheduled to be in operation in 2010, the solar power trend has certainly caught on locally.

It has been argued that the area has not taken full advantage of this resource. And with Congress running out of time to come to an agreement on the extension of solar tax credits, some say we may not get the chance to.

California to Build World's Largest Solar Farm

• 80-megawatt farm to occupy 640 acres upon completion in 2011
• Farm will be about 7 times size of world's biggest plant in Germany
• Biggest operating solar farm is 4.6-megawatt plant near Tucson, Arizona

This is huge (literally and figuratively)! Currently, the largest US solar farm is about 4.6 megawatts which makes this farm over 17x larger! And 80 megawatts is a lot of juice!!

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LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- A San Francisco company said Friday it plans to build the world's largest solar power farm near Fresno, California.

The 80-megawatt farm is to occupy as much as 640 acres and upon completion in 2011 will be 17 times the size of the largest U.S. solar farm, said Cleantech America LLC, a privately held 2-year-old company.

The farm will also be about seven times the size of the world's biggest plant and double the largest planned farm, both in Germany.

Bill Barnes, CEO of Cleantech, said the scale of the Kings River Conservation District Community Choice Solar Farm will change renewable energy and make California the global leader for huge solar projects and replace Germany as the solar energy hub of the world.

"We're pretty confident that solar farms on this scale are going to have an industry-changing impact," Barnes said by telephone on Friday. "We think it's the wave of the future. This scale of project, I think, creates a tipping point for renewable energy."