One of the drawbacks with solar energy is they only collect, on average, 20 percent of available sunlight. To address this problem, University of Missouri engineer Patrick Pinhero, an associate professor in the MU Chemical Engineering Department, is developing a flexible solar sheet that will capture more than 90 percent sunlight. Pinhero notes that energy generated using traditional photovoltaic methods …
Solar to Power Volt Assembly Plant
General Motors (GM) is in full production on the Chevrolet Volt, a flex-fuel electric car (FFV-EV). Since the Volt is more “sustainable” the company is also looking at ways to produce the vehicle in more sustainable ways as well. GM is currently in the process of installing the largest photovoltaic solar (PV) array in Southeast Michigan at its Detroit-Hamtramck assembly …
FUJIFILM Adds Solar Power
FUJIFILM has completed the installation of a 483,391 kilo-watt hours solar power system at its branch office in Hawaii. The installation was completed by 21st Century Technologies and is comprised of 1,455 Conergy PowerPlus modules. The solar power system will produce the equivalent amount of energy needed to power 66 average sized homes per year and is the first Conergy …
Rancho California Water District to Add Solar
The Rancho California Water District (RCWD) is going solar. They have hired SunPower to design and construct two solar power systems that will total 1.7 megawatts (mW) at two of their facilities. It is anticipated that the solar systems will save RCWD nearly $8.5 million in energy costs over the next 25 years. Back in 2009, SunPower completed a 1.1 …
IPPC Releases Renewable Energy Report
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has released a paper on the potential of renewable energy and its impacts on reducing greenhouse gas emissions that are believed to contribute to global climate change. The report found that close to 80 percent of the world’s energy supply could be met by renewables by mid-century if supported by the right policies. …
Hertz Expands Solar Program
Hertz Corporation is expanding its solar program with the installation of solar electric systems at several new locations. The most recent installation was completed at a Hertz Rental Corporation (HERC) facility in Commerce City, Colorado. The completion of this project makes them the first rental car company in the country to install a solar power facility. The project is a …
OPEL Solar Selected for Solar PV Project
The Town of Newtown, located in Connecticut, will soon be the home of a new solar photovoltaic (PV) project. The city’s waste water treatment facility (Newton Facility) is installing a 95 kilowatt (kW) solar system using technology developed by OPEL Solar International. The project received a $320,000 grant from the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF) to help cover the cost …
Solis to Build Rooftop Solar Array in New Jersey
Builder of solar power systems Solis Partners, will put in a rooftop solar array able to generate 1.2 megawatts (MW) of electricity for Shore Point Distributing Company, Inc.’s corporate headquarters and central distribution location in Freehold, N.J. This Solis press release says the array on top of Shore Point’s 267,000-square-foot facility will offset approximately 75 percent of the building’s annual …
Largest School-Based Solar Project Honored
PsomasFMG was honored today for the completion of the country’s largest solar power project at a school. Linda S. Adams, secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal/EPA), has awarded the company a Certificate of Achievement in Sustainability for their public-private partnership project for the Antelope Valley Union High School District (AVUHSD). The $52 million, 9.6 megawatt (MW) design-build project …
Energy Efficiency Showcased in E-Power House
You hear about new energy efficient technologies for your home almost every day but how do you incorporate them into your own household? Well that question has been asked and answered in the new E-power House, a 15-foot-tall cutaway model home that debuts on May 1, 2011 at the Da Vinci Science Center located in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Visitors will be …