Tag Archives: Solar Energy

Passive Solar Design Is Low-Tech Energy Saver

BY Adam Wasch, Energy Outreach Consultant at CCHRC
Energy Focus: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner November 6th, 2008, Section A3

This is the second of a series of columns exploring how solar energy can be used at home to reduce your energy costs.

Even in winter, enough sunlight peeks over the horizon to make a difference in your home’s comfort and energy consumption. Last week, we looked at using active solar technology to heat water and generate electricity, but passive solar design is among the most cost-effective ways to improve the energy efficiency and comfort of your home – without a lot of fancy gadgetry. Continue reading →

Solar power may become more affordable, due to economic downturn

From reuters.com, on Tuesday, November 4, 2008:

“In our view, too much solar capacity has been added relative to demand, and will lead to oversupply,” Goldman Sachs analysts wrote, adding that the consequences would drive module prices down by about 15 percent next year.

Oversupply and an easing of demand as economies slow will help the cost of photovoltaic solar energy fall in line with the cost of conventional electricity — so-called “grid parity” — which will ultimately give the sector a boost, but not before many companies have fallen by the wayside.

A toxic mix of tight credit and falling prices will make it especially perilous for those solar companies with weak cash flows and high debt.

“On a global average, three out of four (solar energy) companies will not make it,” said Robert Schramm, analyst at Germany’s Commerzbank.

Click here to read the rest of the article.

The high cost of a green home

From the New York Times, on Friday, October 31, 2008:

Building a green home, with features like solar panels and top-of-the-line insulation, involves significant up-front costs.

Added onto that is the cost of certifying your home — a stamp of approval that the home meets green standards.

Some architects and builders voice concerns that LEED for Homes — a relatively new expansion of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design brand, which has largely been concerned with commercial buildings — is expensive and involves too much paperwork.

Local programs, they say, are cheaper and sometimes better suited to regional needs.

Click here to read the whole article.

With Higher Electricity Costs, Can Solar Power Help?

BY Adam Wasch, Energy Outreach Consultant at CCHRC
Energy Focus: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner October 30th, 2008, Section A3

This is the first of a series of columns exploring how solar energy can be used at home to reduce your energy costs.

Science guys and green types have been using miniature solar panels to animate Legos and twirl dream catchers for years, but has solar power technology advanced to the point where an average homeowner can save money. Is solar power practical? Continue reading →

Home solar systems sales heating up

From the Chicago Tribune on Sunday, October 26, 2008:

With all eyes on the money crisis, homeowners and builders may find it hard to believe the words of Little Orphan Annie—the sun will come out tomorrow.

But one segment of the housing industry that continues to grow by banking on that idea is the residential solar-energy business.

Even in these tough financial times, real estate experts say homes with solar technology and other efficiency upgrades continue to appraise higher and attract buyers, and those buyers may even come with special financing set aside for high-efficiency homes.

Click here to read the whole article.

Tool for choosing efficient windows

Created by researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and University of Minnesota, “The Efficient Windows Collaborative” website offers “unbiased information on the benefits of energy-efficient windows, descriptions of how they work, and recommendations for their selection and use.”

Click here for the website.

New solar photovoltaic system could collect more energy

From nytimes.com, posted on Monday, September 29, 2008:

One of the limitations of solar photovoltaic systems is that, at the current state of the technology, no more than a quarter of the energy from the sun is converted to electric current. Most of the rest of the energy is lost as waste heat.

But Vinod Khosla, the founder of Sun Microsystems and now a technology entrepreneur and alternative-energy venture capitalist, says he’s found a solution that doubles or even triples the energy yield — a gargantuan leap in a field where engineers exult over the most incremental gains.

Click here to read the rest of the article.

Database of state incentives for renewable and energy efficiency

Established in 1995, the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency is an ongoing project of the North Carolina Solar Center and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.

To find out what incentives your state utilities and/or government offers businesses and individuals who use renewable power or increase their energy efficiency, click here.

California adopts major long term energy plan

On September 18, 2008, the California Public Utilities Commission adopted the first Long Term Energy Efficiency Plan, which

… advances a solid framework that incorporates energy efficiency into the standard for operating in California—for utilities, businesses, and consumers.

It includes four “Big Bold strategies” strategies for significant energy-savings:

  • All new residential construction in California will be zero net energy by 2020;
  • All new commercial construction in California will be zero net energy by 2030;
  • The Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) industry will be reshaped to ensure optimal equipment performance; and
  • All eligible low-income homes will be energy-efficient by 2020
Click here to read the plan.

A greener home

The first of a two-part series, “A Greener Future”, from the LA Times, September 14, 2008:

Innovations in designing green chemicals are emerging in nearly every U.S. industry, from plastics and pesticides to toys and nail polish. Some manufacturers of cosmetics, household cleaners and other consumer products are leading the charge, while others are lagging behind.

For decades, many manufacturers used the most powerful weapons in their chemical arsenals, with scant attention to where they wound up or what they might have been doing to people or the planet.

Click here to read the whole article.