The companies like Solar Botanic are making great headway by combining piezovoltaic, nanophotovoltaic,and nanothermovoltaic receptors in the leaves of artificial trees that catch, heat, light, and wind to create electricity for communities in the United States and the world.

Stated simply: Rather than creating solar panels that are flat, only taking in light from one direction; developers feel that trees with leaves take in more light because trees have a spiral design aimed in more directions. Tree leaves are exposed to more light on every angle. The hard math supports this concept.

Trees also are more vulnerable to wind pressures due to there smallish size. The spiral shape of the tree follows the path of least resistance. The tree can take a glancing blow, rather than a direct blow. Just like a boxer rolling with a punch, just enough and not too much.

The shape of trees seems to be able to absorb more of the winds force than previous human models of wind turbines.

The motion of the trees petiole, twigs, and branches being moved about creates energy.

For the space taken up by current human design models for solar panels, and wind mills; biomimicry of trees can collect three sources of energy, much more efficiently in any of the categories in the same space than current human designs can alone.

We will get into Facilitated Transport a little further on. Briefly: It is an amazing aspect of biomimicry that is part of the nanoleaf synergistic model. Facilitated Transport does not produce electricity, it produces and puts out clean air; and removes carbon dioxide from the air.

Looking at the technology behind green energy biomimicry:

Clear of the inherent recurring theme of spirals in every aspect of nature; one fractal course of practical logic leads us to, for the sake of explanation of the next process in how this biomimicry is put to everyday use, is the ways in which nanoleaves acting together as a whole, true to shape energy tree, captures power.

The nanoleaf works with three types of energy conversion: Thermal, wind, and solar: Then air purification.

• Nanophotovoltaic: The only spectrumof light that is not absorbed according to the developers is the reflected green spectrum.

Absolutely every other spectrum, both visible and invisible is absorbed by the nanophotovoltaic receptors of the nanoleaf. Yes this means infrared radiation is completely converted.

• Nanothermovoltaic: Converting this warm radiation is where the nanothermalvoltaic receptors in the nanoleaf/ nanoleaves are the function of this technology. This infrared radiation permeates the air, warming it.

Hours after the sun has set, the nanothermovoltaic component of each nanoleaf is still absorbing radiation (heat) in the infrared spectrum. The rest of the radiating spectrum, not just this side shy of the duo tone can be plausibly utilized in the design of the tree.

Longwave radiation and shortwave radiation are also absorbed.

• Piezovoltaic: When hundreds or thousands of nanoleaves are blow by the wind. This moves piezo-electric elements built into the petioles that connect leaves to twigs and branches. In affect acting as a windfarm as the leaves flutter back and forth.

The developers of this concept say, on their website,that in the average biomimiced tree branch, piezo-electric system produces millions upon millions of Pico watts; when thousands of nanoleaves flutter blown in a small wind.

The amazing effects of stronger winds generating wattage (from greater flap frequency) in this system are exponentially quantifiable and accounted for.

• Facilitated Transport: This system uses a fixed agent that bonds with CO₂. This keeps CO₂ from being breathed back out of the leaves.

This process was created by creating a tangent process from a technology process developed and discovered originally by a Norwegian team of researchers.

The original Norwegian discovery modeled the breathing process after the human lung.

The model has room in the concept design for absorbing heat from evaporation and advection from the ground.

It is reasonable to picture how geothermal radiation reception can be added to absorb efficiently through a spiraling root system.

The current is transmitted from the petiole down to the base.

The base of the tree sends out all the DC current that had been created in different ways by converters located in the branches of the tree.

These trees are designed to beautify the landscape of Americas here and there: Through biomimicry by means of the nanoleaf, on through the piezovoltaic conversion of solar light, solar thermal, and wind energy. All this,while clearing the air of CO_2; sending electricity to our homes, businesses, and community resources both near and far.

This audio book is great for the do it yourselfer who needs to learn on the run; or those of us who are sight impaired, and prefer to listen to books at our own leisure.

The book covers the basics of what anyone needs to know to put together a solar system for there home.

From beginning to the end of the audio tape, the auditory listener will find this lecture series helpful on completing a project they have set out to install as a functioning part of there home.

Solar Panels: How to Build Your Own audio book is making photovoltaic information accessible to people on a tight schedule, those who drive for a living, those who can speak English but cannot read it yet, or otherwise cannot stop working to read, people who already have a host of other books on their reading lists, and the visually impaired Do It Yourselfers across this great country.

The Photovoltaics Design and Installation how to manual for do-it-yourselfers puts the information in the hands of everyday people.

Photovoltaics Design and Installation Manual teaches the reader how to design, install and maintain a solar powered electrical energy producing PV system.

This manual goes into detail about controllers, converters, inverters, and of course PV modules.

The National Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) recognizes the certification of SEI. This industry recognition of the authoring authority of Photovoltaics: Design and Installation Manual sees SEI as devoted autonomous source of PV training.

The programs provided by SEI (the abbreviation for Solar Energy International in this case) may be used toward attaining PV certification with NABCEP.

This book Photovoltaics Design and Installation Manual written by the Solar EnergyInternational accredited PV training institution brings to the written page the same high quality of information for the do-it-yourself community that this institution has become recognized for providing in the class room context.

This book covers the basics of solar electricity. This is why the Photovoltaics: Design and Installation Manual is a great read for people who are wanting to make a solar installation project quick, easy, and simple.

Photovoltaics: Design and Installation Manual also covers:

• System Components

• PV Applications

• Mounting

• Site Analysis

• PV Generator System Sizing

• Stand Alone Sizing

• Systems That Interact Between PV and Utilities

• Budgeting

• Case Studies

• Safety Issues

Photovoltaics: Design and Installation Manual is a practical how to publication. It has been produced by one of the most respected community advisory think tanks in the grass roots organization of transitioning every home: In order to make the best of some form of solar power usage in America.

The loss of Albedo (reflection) has caused less sunlight to be reflected away from the Earth. Now more sunlight is being absorbed worldwide. This makes everything hotter. Can rooftop reflection increase a reversal in the loss of reflection know as the albedo effect? One young Scientist thinks that it can.

According to Ryan (an under aged writer) for the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), citing the scientist Wei-Chyung Wang, Albedo is defined as incident radiation divided by reflected radiation. Wang calls this the feedback effect.

Green house gases have caused the polar ice and snow to melt away itself, rather than refract light away.

As this feedback effect diminishes, more albedo is lost, even more ice and snow melts away, into a cascading environmental catastrophic disaster.

NASA Video: Loss of the sea ice

According to Ryan’s young naturalist report to AMNH the EPA says that he temperature in urban areas is 2-6^o C hotter than in non-urban areas.

Deflecting some of the daylight away by 0.08% in L.A. could reduce this temperature by 1.5^o C, according to Ryans research for the AMNH.

Ryan points out with annotation that research has shown that a building with a white roof top deflects 22% of the suns ill effect.

Ryan continues to point out the US Environmental Protection Agency wants to see a switch to higher albedo producing rooftops as people re-roof their homes, after the old roof needs to be replaced.

The albedo of an object like snow absorbs 90% where a surface like a forest canopy that is dark is very low. That is on a scale set from 0% to 100% absorbency. This is according to Lawrence Livermore/Carnegie Institution study on weather agriculture has increase the albedo in some regions through the clear cutting of forests.

The Lawrence Livermore/Carnegie Institution study found that forest are 1.3% more efficient at cooling the entire Earth that the more light absorbent surfaces below them. This due to the process by which leaves convert, inhale and exhale gas from pours on the underside of leaves called stomata. This water producing process is called transpiration. It accounts for 10% of the Earths water according to the report.

So what about Ryans point that the EPA suggests we make a switch to albedo producing surfaces. Would solar panels remove the radiant heat and deflect? Or what effect would roves made of solar windows; that is roves made mostly of glass treated with light absorbing dye? What about the proportion of moisture produced if tax credit and carbon stock is issues for converting to ecoroves?

Ryans study applied to asphalt shingles painted with a highly reflective coating; silver corrugated tin; black asphalt shingles; tin painted with a highly reflective coating. Ryans study is valid. People are not yet ready to all convert to eco-rooftops.

However the among the list of roof types the study did need to include solar paneling. Adding an eco-roof that provides a statistical basis for large-scale urbanized eco roofing would be an interesting study for Ryan to as a follow-up to his first study. Building an ecoroof is much more time consuming. It also requires a heavier investment, just like solar panels or dyed solar absorbent glass.

Ryans study on the albedo increase from the various surfaces he did have proved that white shingles worked best at keeping the dog house cooler.

His research into rooftop reflection albedo reversal is being recognized nationally as a possible solution to ambient city heat.

Some of the materials used in manufacturing solar panels are dangerous. Imagine the political ramifications if a single solar panel manufacturer caused environmental contamination of any sort; it would taint the green image a bit.

First Solar has a solar cell recycling program, where new cells can be made from old cells.

There are instructions on how to do this kind of project all over the web. But for those who don’t want to do this, throwing away the broken panel parts is not good for the environment.

The CdTe cells have materials so bad for the environment that the manufacturer will take them back at their own expense for recycling. Its a win-win situation for everyone.

One of the manufacturers incentives to recycle is that by taking in old solar panels, the market for homemade solar cells would drop, as the potential market to give the consumer base creative ideas would then be less, as their needs are taken care of.

The company that recycles also saves money not having to create new cells.

The cost of purchasing old/broken/used panels from the recycling consumer is less than the cost of manufacturing new cells.

Recycling solar panels is also much less than the cost of dump sight clean up decades or centuries down the road.

Recycling keeps both consumers and recyclers happy and anyone recycling their old solar panels is still a potential consumer of the products these cells go into.

That is the bright side to buying American made photovoltaic equipment.

According to an article in Solid State magazine and the Washington Post, a photovoltaic cell manufacturing company in China was caught dumping tetrachloride in a field adjacent to the factory.

Dumping, is not the kind of behavior that does the solar industrys image any good.

Recycling old, used and broken solar panels however, IS.

In the United States manufacturers are self-regulating to keep the solar power industrys green image intact. Recycling photovoltaic solar cells through manufacturers that are staying green is key to the immerging industrys continued support from public opinion.

Solar power grants are money given to an individual, company, or nonprofit group, be it from the government, a company, an individual, or a philanthropic non-profit organization; with the specific intension of promoting the use of solar power by offsetting the cost of installation or research with a monetary incentive (a grant).

As an incentive solar power grants can be in the form of currency, or the shape of a tax break. Either one helps everybody change from one energy infrastructure to the next.

An infrastructure like oil-based electricity is the most common system being abandoned, while some places are changing from having no power, to being able to have power through solar power grants.

Disconnecting from electrical and oil dependence can be expensive. Solar power grants bring money into play that is given, as a grant, because the needs of this energy use change, will benefit society as a whole.

The Federal Energy Policy Act of 2005 offers tax credits for solar power systems and solar thermal (hot water) systems.

Home owners, commercial business buildings, municipality facilities, schools, religious institutional facilities all need to shift from standard wire and coal based electrical systems to renewable energy systems such as solar photovoltaic electricity, wind generated electricity, radio scopic electricity and others.

The grants help homeowners increase the value of their home, and cut utility bills by fifty percent.

This money cuts down the cost of redesigning and refitting the buildings infrastructure.

Changing heating, cooling, and electrical sources, modes of distribution in the home or facility, foundational support for the new equipment, converting it to fit the current of machines and appliances that are not going to be replaced requires skilled professionals.

While people to handle skilled and tedious or time consuming labor, licensing, building inspection for fire-flood-earth quake and health are all important projects that need workers and skilled workers who deserve to make a comfortable living doing their job.

Solar grant money makes these necessary steps accessible and keeps the journeymen involved paid.

Solar power grants help everyone live in a greener society. They make sure that the worker on the front line of transitioning our nation and world, into a greener ecofriendly producer, still gets paid.

The solar power grant makes sure that the people changing their building or structure into a green structure is not only motivated to do so, but also avoid any crushing financial burdens that were unexpected during the process of transitioning from an oil based electrical system to a photovoltaic system.

For those looking for a grant: Determine what kind of solar power one will be working with. For example, heating and cooling with solar power is much different from photovoltaic PV solar power; photovoltaic PV is the type that generates electricity while passive thermal solar will heat and cool water and environments.

Finding government and political support is different now than it once was in the past; the idea of individuals getting free electricity in the past was not thought well of in the capitalist society of the past.

JP Morgan said that he would not sponsor the Tesla coil because it would not make him money, for example, however JP Morgan obviously could not see how a greener planet might benefit him and his descendants.

Rather than corporate greed, and governments turning a blind eye: Both government and private institutions are now pouring money into saving the planet and our own economy as well as our own environment through solar power grants.

The paradigm shift between the thought processes of JP Morgans day, and that of today are overt.

Now both governments and corporations are putting a large amount of time and resources into helping people achieve free power for their homes.

Google is putting up ten million in grants to support renewable energy research. The U.S. Federal Government is offering up to twenty thousand dollars in rebates to homeowners choose to benefit themselves and the country by switching to solar power.

Due to the rise in heating prices this year has been record year for people in Maryland taking advantage of state grants aimed at helping them install solar and geothermal heating systems in their homes.

Last year the grants were so low that it made no sense for people to take advantage of them. This year the price of nonrenewable energy rose. The state government raised the grant amount as well. People flocked to benefit from the grant process. In less that two months into the summer, the $500K plus allotted for solar and thermal grants had been exhausted.

We are facing a global environmental crisis at present and it is good that there are rebates from our tax dollars that are helping us absorb more of the initial costs.

Solar Power Grants cut down on carbon oil output from grid-derived electricity; making money by selling the excess back to the grid company, saving on electrical costs, on the monthly bill and conversion construction costs.

Solar power grants can be very helpful in offsetting the initial cost of implementing renewable energy projects that help our society make the transition to a more sustainable energy producing culture free of oil-based energy generation.

Using only the filter pump that already exists in the pool, the pool itself as the energy storage unit and thermoplastic pool heating panels, Solar Swim has been specialized in swimming pool heating and comfort in since 1990; serving New York, New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania.

SolarSwim pool heating systems are low maintenance, come with responsible advantages that are good for the environment, economically sound and make for an intelligent choice in states where its unacceptably cold to swim outdoors for anywhere between 7-11 months out of the year.

SolarSwim uses free and renewable energy from the sun for a more self-reliant and sustainable living style.

Serving DC, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey, SolaDesign will help your home, school or business recieve awards, partner with other green providers, recieve payback on initial investment, increase productivity, evaluate a buildings systems for more efficient control and reduce overall energy costs.

SolaDesign comes with a proven track record for success, easy low-cost installation, optimal flexibility for your lighting system, highest quality of florescent lighting, significant reduction to your utility bill and automatic adjusting electronic ballast with daylight harvesting.

SolaDesign is an owner operated company with a multidisciplinary team of installation, supply and design experts in daylight harvesting lighting control systems that bring daylight indoors in a more sustainable way that improves quality of life for everyone, be they residents, employees or customers.

Required rebates, processing, paperwork, inspection, incentive, permits, installation and all the ins and outs of solar energy generation, in an affordable manner; Sea Bright Solar helps you choose the best solar-powered system for your situation,design it and install it.

Sea Bright Solar is dedicated to helping the home or business owners break free of monthly electric bills from the grid, with turnkey sustainable solar energy, enabling clean, safe and cost-effective, renewable power through exceptional design and installation services for both commercial and residential uses, in New Jersey, California or New York.

Citizenre REnU will own, install, maintain, check-up and procure all the documentation that goes into having solar electricity in your home, charging nothing more than a monthly rental fee that comes out of what you would be saving on the current bill you get from the local power company.

The biggest benefit to Citizenre REnU is that the owner will no longer have to worry about sky-rocketing electricity bills over the next 25 years, nor the cost of replacement parts, maintenance fees or anything except the rental, which is fixed and well within their current budget.

Citizenre REnU Solar is solar power for those concerned about high-risk investment, skyrocketing energy bills from the grid and looking to add that feel of renewable energy to their own home, for a more sustainable quality of life, that makes sense.

Not too many people understand the concept of entropy, but those of us who do, realize that we must conserve as much available energy as possible and condense the jobs done by each and ever last particle of thermal energy.

This is a book that takes that concept one beyond, into the realm of the designing of buildings to be thermally efficient, year round.

People know what it means to stay dry and warm all year round, just as much as they know what it means to burn up in the summer, which is why this concept must be taken farther than just providing a house full of skylights and sealing all windows and doors; the walls need to be taken into consideration and the materials they are made from.

When people finally realize the importance of conserving thermal energy in the home, and making the proper use of it, the right way, the market will flood with demand, will you be that professional who knows the answers to the markets demand?

This 296-page hardcover, written by A.K. Athienitis and Mat Santamouris, was published by Earthscan in November of 2002, measuring 9.3 x 6 x 0.8 and ships at 1.6 pounds.

For scientists, physicists, building engineers or the hardcore sustainable designer, this book takes you through each step of thermal analysis and design of passive solar buildings for a more comfortable quality of life that is ecologically correct as well as efficient.

This passive solar home video shows good basic design and low cost building:

The solar energy plants eSolar makes are based on 25 MW units, and can lay out to over 500 MW as necessary to meet electrical power generation needs.

eSolar Inc. can develop custom solutions that make sense with an edge on solar thermal technology that is reliable, durable, quickly installed, stable, low profile and most importantly; cost effective, due to the mass production of small heliostats (which work like mirrors).

The solar arrays designed by eSolar Inc. use a parabolic solution, directing the full spectrum of solar light onto a single collection point like a satellite dish, working as a passive tracker, able to harness the full potential of the suns rays in any given plot of land.

Multiple arrays allow for a morestable solution in the event that one plant goes off-line, the others continue functioning; this is the perfect thing for hippie communities looking to build an Oasis in the middle of the South Western Mexican-American desert regions, as well as industries and factories.

This is a great idea for utility companies looking to invest in solar power quickly and cheaply, or cities looking to reach emissions standards on time.

But what makes eSolar Inc. so special, is going against the traditional bigger is better idea of most energy generation facilities (including renewable energy), using an array of smaller heliostatsthat are mass produced and placed geometrically into a parabolic fashion, onsite.

These smaller heliostats make production, transportation, and onsite installation faster and far more energy efficient than any other form of solar thermal energy that has yet to appear, eSolar Inc. is producing the next revolution in solar thermal energy plants.

Investing in renewable energy that is cheaper than fossil fuels is more than an objective for eSolar, it is their passion, creating a revolution that will show the world what RE can really do for a cleaner and greener tomorrow, starting today.

eSolar Inc.
130 West Union Street
Pasadena, CA 91103
Phone: 626.585.6900

These can range from two wheels, three wheels or even four wheels if not more depending on their use (there are even velomobiles used as moving pubs!), but until now the most popular velomobiles have been three wheeled recumbents, while solar power continues to be only an option among those interested in electric assist, solar power has still been gainingrecognition outside the area of cycling.

The expectation among sustainable engineers in the area such as Frederik van de Walle (who wrote “The Velomobile as a Vehicle for more Sustainable Transportation“) is that by launching more efficient and cost-effective velomobiles with electric assist, targeting people going to and from school or work everyday in their cars that both public awareness on sustainability and public health will increase immensely.

By offering the single-seat recumbent tricycle style velomobile that works efficiently, with thin-film solar cells used as a skin over the existing body and an electric assist motor, with powerful lithium batteries at an affordable price, and in abundance to the general population for short commutes, a whole new world of sustainable transportation could open up that would greatly impact our worlds current CO2 footprint not to mention reduce traffic jams and cases of road rage.

Solar powered velomobiles are as of yet still only a design concept; those that possess them are usually slapping them together on their own, by simply equipping their existing velomobile with an onboard solar array, but as of yet, the cases of these are few and only for the more hardcore velomobilists.

What could change all of that and cause a real rift in the way we see cars and traffic would be if this stuff got out into the mainstream.

Today in the US, the two more recently commercially available thin-film solar cells and the more potent lithium batteries, are the technologies that make this kind of a change possible.

Without those, this technology would still be in the dark ages, but most importantly, the price needs to come down to something reasonably acceptable and affordable to those who commute everyday in the city.

It has even been suggested that the type of materials used in the frame also be made of renewable materials like wood instead of metal alloys that have been melded and shaped to an exhausting degree.

The short commute vehicle that uses self-reliant energy generation, develops the owners health, manages to reduce traffic jams and road rage and is readily available to everyone not so sports inclined both financially as well as athletically, will quickly dominate the scene across the cities of our great nation, only time and lack of awareness impede the market now.

With solar powered electric assist, tricycle recumbent design and protection from the elements, this is more than just a solar bike; a well-priced solar powered velomobile could be the wave of the future.

Transparent solar cells are the big secret these two eco-friendly global business partners are looking to get on the market by next year, through thin-film modules of silicon that conduct energy in an architecturally versatile way.

What makes these solar cells transparent is the use of TCO (Transparent Conductive Oxide) smashed between two panes of solid transparent materials used in construction and architecture, such as flexible plastic or rigid glass.

Thin-film solar cells can be semi-transparent to virtually black, because of the use of colored die that is usually baked onto the internal surface of one of the external transparent plates, thereby reaching into the visual light spectrum of conductivity.

A transparent solar cell works much like a leaf during photosynthesis in this respect, generating electricity in an astonishingly productive manner.

A serious, quality control, end-to-end, turnkey operation style plant, with experimental TCO technology that has as of yet, only been available to the academic community for more than 15 years; is now finally going to be available to the consumer.

The Oerlikon-CMC contract also includes upgrade production for the Oerlikon next-generation of Micromorph Tandem thin-films. Tandem Cells carry a higher bandgap, thus absorbing more of the visible spectrum from solar light and less of the infrared.

Oerlikon and CMC are working together to bring thin-film solar energy and transparent solar cell solutions to the global community at a price that is both reasonable and productive, launching a new era of architecture to those who enjoy the beauty thin-film technology.

Related:
Holographic Solar Technologies

Press Release:
Oerlikon Solar lands another major order

Between a ranch and a home there are a lot of special differences, as many as perhaps between George Bush and Al Gore on political beliefs, but the two seem to be really going passive on the issue of renewable energy, and in a proactive way.

Al Gores home in Belle Meade, Tennessee finally managed to thwart out of date building codes that didnt allow generators anywhere but on the ground, for fire hazard reasons.

As a solar panel is technically a generator, the zoning board in Gores neighborhood had to rule initially against it, until only recently this year the legislature was changed allowing solar panels on roofs as long as they dont get in the public eye.

Maybe because it was Al Gore, maybe it was the US department of Energys Mark Ginsberg, but whatever the reason, zero energy homes, buildings and commerce are now the latest Trend among Americans and Bush is in the lead.

While Al Gores home is still under renovation to install a geothermal system, upgrading windows, ductwork, energy-efficient light bulbs, rainwater collection systems for irrigation and water management as of the 12^th of June 2007, Bushs ranch is already finished.

Al Gore has been trying to meet the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, standards established by the U.S. Green Building Council, and just got his solar roof approved by city council, while Bush has already been done for some time now.

Architect David Heymann of UTA designed the Bush Prairie Chapel Ranch to be a passive 4,000 square foot honeys colored native limestone single story four-bedroom home with a ten-foot limestone porch.

Media:
Maximize the Energy Value of Your Homes – by Mark Ginsberg (adobe PDF file)

Through independent research and tough-minded advocacy, Environment California is winning concrete results for clean air, clean water and open spaces that rebuke even the most powerful interests that stand in the way of environmental progress.

By focusing on solar thermal, the group believes that California could save up to 1.2 billion therms of natural gas a year. That is 24% of all the natural gas used in Californian homes at present.

Historically, California has used solar water heating since as early as the 1800′s and as a reliable and renewable fountain of free water heating, solar thermal energy really is the best alternative available in California even today.

If this really gets off the ground in California, the chances are, passive water heating will also catch on throughout the continental US, Hawaii and even Alaska! Perhaps even the world…

From California, to all of America, solar water heating becomes a streamline idea for the nation and world we have come to love know; solar water heating could cut natural gas use everywhere.

Environment California’s April 2007 report on solar hot water heating could spearhead a movement the world over.

Solar Water Heating: How California Can Reduce Its Dependence on Natural Gas:
Environment California’s April 2007 report

While the rebates on the buy-back program go down more and more every year, the race is on to make this technology as affordable as possible, as fast as possible, and SolarCity has come up with a Co-Op program for the Bay Area that makes solar an immediate and available alternative for everybody, right now.

By calculating all the factors in a systems potential performance (sun hours, tilt and shading), SunCity can provide the exact cost of investment to each private owner, but it doesnt stop there.

SunCity has contacts with GreenBanks that will finance (100%) solar energy for residential spaces with nothing but fax information within 24hrs.

SunCity will float rebates from companies such as PGE immediately (while PGE will take four months to pay SunCity back).

In the end; you will pay monthly, not a penny more than what you are paying right now for energy from your current electric company in the Bay Area, but instead of paying PGE, you pay the GreenBank back for as little as 8 years.

After that, its free for as long as the solar panels last (given the life expectancy of the most reliable solar panels; 20-30yrs).

At the moment, SolarCity is aiming for at least 175kW of residential power to more than fifty homes in all of Mountain View, Los Altos, Menlo Park and Woodside communities at once, because the economy and efficiency comes from doing installations all at once.

An army of electricians with discipline and skill, all coordinated in a clock-work fashion to install these highly efficient residential solar panelswith precision and technique at one single moment will ensure everyone in the neighborhood gets the best service/price possible; by simply using the collective-buy to SolarCity advantage.

Google Tech Talks has a one hour seminar on exactly all the highlights and financial details for those people living in the Mountain View Area, but even if your address isnt Mountain View, as long as you are within SolarCity reach (Bay Area), they are sure to give you the BEST price available on the market to day!

While The SunCity Co-Op with Mountain View California is to be the largest residential solar purchase of its kind to date (April 2007), it is also one of the most honest and accessible so far!

Solar City trusts in you for a better tomorrow, starting today.

Watch via Google Video:
SolarCity and the Mountain View Solar CO-OP

SolarMission Technologies Inc. is dedicated to finding places in desert regions the world over to implement this revolutionary technology, that costs only 800U$ million dollars each.

One such effort was the licensing of EnvironMission Ltd. in Australia to publicly trade shares of this new tech, for the very first large-scale plant.

SolarMission Technologies Inc owns 35% of EnviroMission stock and uses EM achievements to help show the world how really incredible this new technology can be and not just for generating electricity, but also as a new wonder of the world, taking us further and further towards becoming a solar village.

SolarMission is currently working on disseminating the idea of this technology in the continental united states, such as the South West desert regions that suffer from ongoing power shortagesand with the growing population in that region of our country, a Solar Tower power generation plant just might make a difference.

SolarMission Technologies Inc. bases the whole solar tower concept on what used to be referred to in academic circles as a solar chimney, such as the pilot project in Spain just outside of Madrid where Dom Quixote first set out on his quest.

Traditional chimneys usually burn some kind of natural resource such as wood, coal or oil and therein release CO2, a gas that is highly enjoyed by greenhouse plants, which is what makes this Solar Chimney so fantastic for environmentalists, it consumes CO2 and generates energy!

This Solar Tower technology is taking us ever closer to a cleaner world, the pilot project in Spain for example actually produces a green house of native plants underneath its solar catchment plastic.

Solar Tower technology was not designed to be a green house, it was designed to be an efficiently clean and renewable source of sustainable energy generation, but the larger the radius of the transparent plastic material (only one millimeter thick) and the taller the chimney, the more energy this technology can potentially produce.

Infrared gets through the plastic, but not ultraviolet, and plants just love the moist conditions that occur at night, thriving to create in this manner an O2 producer, CO2 consumer
SolarMission Technologies Inc. does not propose a solution to recovering our atmosphere, but it does show our global community the founding principles of sustainable energy consumption practices here on earth.

Solar Mission Technologies would hope that one day, we could reclaim the earth of 150 years ago, with knowledge that takes us one step closer to a sustainable solar village.

Solar Laundry is an important concept for the future of Laundromats because of the incredible amounts of energy used to produce hot water and air conditioning; with prices just going up every year.

Hot water uses on the average something like 70% of all the energy consumed in a residential home, including the laundry, and if we use solar water heating instead of oil electric or natural gas, we would be using a clean, renewable and self-reliant system that makes a difference both for the environment as well as the people that live on this planet.

Dry cleaners and Laundromats the nation-over are beginning to feel the impact of a growing electron slinging consumer population by losing money every month with skyrocketing energy prices, that just seem to go up.

The more the talk of being self-reliant and sustainability start getting into the media, the more expressions like solar laundry turn into common household words.

By changing over to solar heated water systems and thermal air-cooling, a solar laundry will pay a fixed (reasonable) price every year, between 4-6 years for a system that is expected to last for at least 20 years.

Solar Laundry is a self-sustainable system that needs no maintenance or looking after as the electronics of the system monitor temperatures and solar levels 24 hours a day to optimize and regulate activity without human intervention.

So why more laundries going solar? Because the small business man who knows that within three years or so he will be selling this enterprise to take on another, is never interested in making a deal for the long-term.

And that is what a solar laundry really is for the businessperson, a long-term investment for at least 6 to 20 years.

Long-term investments are the ones that last, the ones that show commitment and the ones that are most interested in solar laundry, thus since 1977, only dry cleaners with progressive thinking have invested in this.

Once paid for, the system is absolutely free! And its the same in anyplace that one might be interested in opting for solar water heating; the initial cost may take a few years to pay, but those increasing energy bills will be a thing of the past!

Solar Laundry is the next stage in dry cleaning evolution and thanks to companies such as Solar Service Inc. that implement even enormous investments such as the 150,000 U$ system at the Worlds Largest Laundromat which saved the owner from going out of business.

Solar Laundry is a way to make do-it-yourself dry cleaners and Laundromats self-reliant within just 6 years, after that, its yours

Related:
Solar Laundry (Adobe PDF)
Video Example

Usually used in conjunction with structures already linked to the grid, PVL technology is an easy way to make efficient use of any roofing or walled surface, such as a house, barn or skyscraper.

Much like shingles, photovoltaic laminates will hold up for years against the wear and tear of wind, rain, sleet and snow, while harnessing the fabulous energies of our sun on a daily basis.

Between 64W and 136W, this is a virtually unbreakable material that you can easily peel and stick upon metal plating, such as a metal plated roof.

Schools, municipalities, institutions, renovation and new constructions can all find money savings in this versatile technology that has been around for years, but rarely as widespread as now.

The idea that we live in a global community is now spreading widely, and the concepts of sustainability divulged with priority among nation-states; photovoltaic laminates are one more step in that direction, making capturing and harvesting the suns energy an easy and efficient step to be done locally.

Photovoltaic Laminates are taking our communities ever closer to the sustainable concept of solar villages, one sheet at a time.

Related:
Uni-solar Interior
Laminate Installation Video

Once known in academic circles as a solar chimney, the market frowns upon the usage of the term chimneyas it conjures up evil connotations that remind people of pollution and nothing could be farther from the truth with a solar chimney (now known as a solar tower) as they are 100% environmentally friendly.

The first solar tower to be built was the prototype in Manzanares Spain, a small-scale project that operated between 1982 and 1989 (50kW), proving the system worked.

Now the first large-scale Solar Tower to be built is budgeted to cost 800U$ million dollars in the Buronga district of the Wentworth Shire in New South Whales, 25km north east of Mildura in Victoria.

The rights to build solar tower technology in Australia are owned by EnviroMission Ltd, who plans to build the first of five of these 1000-meter high towers by 2008, legislature and financial incentives should make this possible.

The Solar Tower was first put into field tests, largely by the passion of German structural engineer Professor Jörg Schlaich.

Professor Jörg Schlaich is one of the founding partners of the structural engineering firm Schlaich Bergermann and Partner.

In the US, Solar Mission Inc. is the company developing this ideal energy generating technology for the south-western regions, to sustain our ongoing energy needs.

Together, in a solar village we call the earth, the world is becoming ever more conscious of what cleaner, healthier lifestyles truly mean and the consequences of our current behaviors; this is what will disseminate Solar Tower technology.

Solar Tower high-tech large-scale power generation is the future of our planet, hopefully providing a healthier solar village by 2010.

With hybrid solar lighting, the light of the sun hits down on a 48 inch parabolic mirror, focuses that light against a mirror that filters UV and IR light and is concentrated through over a 120 fiber optic cables that finally spit through a single spread-light fixture integrated directly into the traditional light fixture (florescent or incandescent) as an additional light (bulb).

Both incandescent lights and fluorescent light fixtures can be modified to usehybrid solar lighting technology. But in either case, the additional fiber optic luminescent is aesthetically pleasing and virtually unnoticeable to the human eye, unless inspected up close.

But the real advantages are in how the two systems play off ofone another; if it is just dawn for example, that reddish hue from the first rays of morning light will penetrate the parabolic system and this will illuminate the fiber optic cables with those exact same hues, color-code per color-code, everything except the UV and IR spectrums (which can be harmful to humans).

During the first morning hours, when the lights are turned on, the electrical lighting system will remain turned up to a low enough level that this natural lighting from the earths sun, can do its job with our biological clocks and wake us up as the saying goes, but still provide ample indoor lighting.

When the sun begins to rise during the day the levels of electrical light being consumed gradually go down, and from the zenith on toward dawn the electrical grid begins to pick up once again, without ever compromising those natural hues that are so essential to our human health.

By the end of the day, those hues of sunset remind those working inside what time it is, and that bedtime is close at hand, thereby creating a more humancycle biologically that is far closer to what Mother Nature originally intended for our species millions of years ago.

This conservation of electrical energy, through hybrid solar lighting would be fascinatingly important for retail stores, as tests have shown that this system can improve sales to up to 40%, while businesses that installed the system noted a 20% increase in employee productivity.

Overall, the United States would find that if everyone switched over to a hybrid solar lighting system, the consumption of electricity could be virtually reduced by 30%!

By the end of 2007, Sunlight Direct expects to have a working consumer model of this elite technology available to the public at large for a reasonable price and guaranteed for at least twenty years.

Hybrid Solar Lighting is making the future of our world a whole lot healthier and bringing the open sky back into our human lives.

RenU program allows homeowners tired of rising prices to rent solar panels to generate a more sustainable energy source, rather than pay the rising metering prices on the grid; paying only for what they consume.

For you, the solution just might be to rent solar panels instead of buying your own, because Citizenré Company does all the legwork for you; buying the solar panels, installations, repairs, operations and maintenance.

The company owns the solar panels and the homeowner just rents them out for as long as needed for no more than the price of your current electric bill.

By 2007, almost two thirds of the continental US states had net metering, and a little less than half of those states had net metering everywhere in the state; while the other half had metered locations in only certain areas, the last third still did not offer net metering.

In a little less than one third of the states in the continental US, net metering was still not available for the states of South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee, West Virginia, Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina and Alaska.

The US states that offered full net metering services included: Washington, Oregon, Wyoming, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Georgia, Virginia, Delaware, District of Colombia, Maryland, New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and Hawaii.

All other states only offered net metering in certain areas; to see if you live in an area that the RenU program caters to, has full details, including a calculator and educational information for those interested in going solar.

Citizenré RenU program just might be what you were looking for, especially with rising electricity bills, energy is precious and sustainable practices are coming to the rescue.

To rent solar panels today, just might make our tomorrow that much more environmentally friendly.

Solar Integrated also offers portable solar solutions.

Solar Integrated clients included Boeing, Coca-Cola, Frito-Lay, GE, ProLogis, US Air Force and Wal-Mart.

Solar Integrated
1837 East Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd
Los Angeles, California, 90058
USA

Tel: +1.323.231.0411 (USA)
From outside the United States: 011.1.323.231.0411

Email: info@solarintegrated.com

Twenty First Century Leadership pdf
Wal-Mart’s Solar Energy Vision by Joe Makower

Walmart has a big opportunity here, let’s see how they do.

Covering a total of six roofs, four of which are main buildings of the Googleplex alone, and even a few solar panels on support structures among the parking lots.

Generating enough energy to power around 1,000 Californian homes, approximately thirty percent of the peak consumption in several Mountain View office facilities will be sustained on these arrays.

Clean, sustainable and renewable energy sources are part of a project to reduce the environmental impact Google has, as a company.

Improving environmental practices according to Google, is part of their corporate responsibility as corporate citizens, as well as healthy business planning and Google Solar is a practical beginning.

This project will be a large investment in renewable energies, one that Google expects to prove as profitable.

The Solar Electric Power Association has more information on the subject, but the Google Solar commitment to efficient and renewable power generation technologies is an investment in the future that promises bright results.

Read More about GPEC technology.

Global Photonic Energy Corporation
Princeton Crossroads Corporate Center
375 Phillips Boulevard
Ewing, New Jersey 08618
Phone: 609-434-0002

Wholly owned by Energy Conversion Devices (ECD Ovonics), Uni-Solar manufactures and markets peel-and-stick solar laminates that can be used on the sides of buildings as well as easily integrated with roofs as solar shingles, using new thin film technologies.

Any installation that uses Uni-Solar products can achieve between 60 to 80 percent of its energy needs, thereby reducing energy costs with an environmentally friendly technology that is now affordable for industries, commerce and homeowners alike.

Uni-Solar is a worldwide supplier, that produces annually some 25 Megawatts currently, enough solar modules for powering on the average around 10,000 homes per year.

Company Information:
United Solar Ovonic
3800 Lapeer Road
Auburn Hills, MI 48326
Phone: (800) 843-3892

AES has two main BIPV (Building Integrated Photovoltaic) products, Sunslates (solar shingles), Custom PV Glazing.

AES also makes Solar Street Lamp Generators, that add dramatically to neighborhood, commercial or residential safety at night, without adding to the light bill.

Atlantis Energy Systems manufactures and installs professionally modern solar shingles called Sunslates which can easily produce up to 60 to 80 percent of a homes energy consumption.

Sunslates are both a durable and useful roofs that protects the home from the elements as well as performing reliably as an energy generation plant.

Custom PV Glazing is a more diverse service available to those who have more creative needs. System design, system integration, training and even project coordination are all included in Atlantis Energy Systems PhotoVoltaic Laminating service.

Atlantis Energy is working for the here and now of sustainable solutions for everyone, both in the United States and Europe.

Company Information:
Atlantis Energy Systems
9275 Beatty Dr. Suite B
Sacramento, CA 95820
Phone: 916-438-2930

Producing energy with conventional photovoltaics means placing solar cells above the roof. In the case of solar shingles, the cells have been adapted to take on the function of conventional asphalt shingles as well as being efficient energy generators.

Atlantis Energy Systems offers a photovoltaic solar shingle that produces some 13 watts of electricity while United Solar-Ovonic (at Uni-Solar.com) shingles produce around 17 watts.

Both products withstand wind and rain of up to 80 mph and can be implemented either completely or partially on any conventional asphalt shingle roof.

PV shingles are made with a special thin film technology, making them far more durable than the conventional solar PV which would normally be protected with glass.

Solar technology is advancing and now the homeowner has access to a cleaner and more efficient way to power the home that formerly was reserved to only commercial and industrial buildings.

But at present the demand for these solar shingles is so high, and the supply so limited, that currently these solar shingles cost around U$ 12.00 per watt, making a full PV shingle roof a little too expensive for most US residents.

Technically these are just one more building material and legislation has not yet been modified to provide a wide spread national incentive in this area, so the homeowner or business owner are the ones who still have to put in the initial investment.

Solar shingles have the same warranties as other solar panel products which is five years and having an expected life span of at least 20 years.

However high cost aside, they may not take so long to pay for themselves at current US energy costs, which for the common household could be perhaps between five to seven years.

Every year, prices go up, and although a solar shingle roof, may not completely take a person off the citys electrical grid for 20 years, it will create a far more stable electricity bill by generating more energy than needed in the home during summer months, and all the energy needed during the daylight hours in winter months.

Any extra energy produced by a home with todays current legislature is most commonly redirected back to the grid and discounts are given for future usage later in that year, for both private and commercial buildings alike.

This term may confuse the novice in solar energy, but generally speaking a solar array is any order or group of solar panels that may be of one single or mixed types with the intent to capture and transform sunlight into some other form of energy. View a few systems here to visualize and get an idea what we are talking about.

The word array comes from the Old French word areer to put in order. Perhaps even further back, the meaning to ready is more appropriate as this is the task of any solar array, to put in order or to ready solar energy into something we humans can use directly or indirectly in order to be more sustainable.

The solar array chosen will depend on what the need is. Someone looking for enough electrical energy to power an entire house, strictly on solar energy, and that includes electrically heating their water, will need a totally different solar array than one that heats their water directly with solar energy.

There are two more traditional styles of solar energy panels used in residential, commercial and industrial areas today. The two most popular are photovoltaic energy and photothermal energy. Most solar arrays to date have been a mixture of these two viable systems.

Heating water can be pretty expensive for those who use electrical water heaters, either centralized or directly on the showerhead, such as in countries where the climate is usually very hot and people rarely need a hot bath.

In those places where taking a hot bath is more important year round, the house will usually be completely prepared for both hot and cold water on all spouts, but there is a central water heater that is once again either electric, gas, or even oil powered.

But for do-it-yourselfers that are trying to get partially off the grid, these seem to be the most cost effective approaches as they are relatively low-tech.

Most solar water heater arrays are nothing more than a folded tin box made in shop class with a hack saw and a vice, a piping of squiggling copper inside the box and a glass face, everything painted black.

In the northern hemisphere it can be propped up at a 45 degree angle on the roof and water going through the copper pipe comes out scalding steam on the other end.

For centrally planned water heating, solar water heaters are the best alternative in brighter months leaving something to be desired in darker months such as winter when most needed.

So different strategies are needed for different times of the year, different locations or different weather conditions all together. Mobile homes and sailboats must be the most versatile as they suffer the most inconsistencies with long-term climate predictions.

So what does one need to keep in mind when choosing their solar array?

• Placement – The solar array must be placed at an angle that will best capture the most direct sunlight.

• Direct Sunlight – Both active and passive solar trackers can help the solar array become more efficient for a longer period during the day.

• System Needs – Every solar array needs to comply with the needs of the system and its consumers for worse case scenarios.

• Shade – Any shade or light obstructions will inhibit the solar arrays effectiveness.

• Technology – Possible solar arrays may include such diverse mixtures as photovoltaic, photothermal, photosynthetic, holographic photovoltaics, PV-TV or any single one alone depending on the systems needs.

Ultimately, water heating is the biggest concern for those who are thinking about a residential system and want to get away from the use of fossil fuels, natural gas, grid electricity or any-other resource that must be collected from outside the solar array alone.

Holographic photovoltaics are an interesting alternative for their low-cost, neat look and especially passive tracking optics system. Not to mention they use 85% less silicon than traditional photovoltaics and are much cooler panels with semi-transparent plating for additional indoor natural lighting as a skylight or window.

For the pure production of electricity the time proven alternative for solar arrays is definitely any of the different generations of traditional photovoltaic solar cells. Some are cheaper than others and some are more efficient than others.

There are so many that there isnt space to cover each one in this article, but they do the job and are consumer tested. They may take anywhere from 5 to 20 years to pay for themselves, making them a mid range consumer cost.

If money is no object and the design is everything, then photosynthetic mosaic canvases or even PV-TV arrays can be used as a skin for commercial buildings or residential mansions. These translucent windows can be flexible plastic or solid and unbreakable sleet proof glass; they are quiet powerful and cut electricity bills completely adding to the energy on the grid. Some used as two-way mirrors can be doubly used as low light billboards or theater screens. These are the solar arrays for serious big business consumers.

In the end, there are many ways to build or use a solar array, either commercially or buying the parts and doing it ones self. But what goes into a solar array is an orderly arrangement, to best ready the harnessing of sunlight for sustainable needs. A solar array is a way to catch a beam of light from the earths sun and transform that heavenly power into a useable fuel that is clean and renewing, for the further growth and well-being of human civilization.

Related:
Bob’s Homemade Solar Array

Currently the total production of solar cells in the United States will only produce slightly over one hundred and fifty megawatts of power. In comparison the new Nanosolar plant alone will be able to produce close to three times that amount.

This is a huge leap forward for solar technology in a couple of important ways. The first is that the founders of Google funded Nanosolar. This type of availability of capital and worldwide exposure will greatly help Nanosolar gear up rapidly.

The second key factor is that Nanosolar solar cells are built differently then current solar cells. The majority of current solar cells contain silicon crystals. When sunlight hits the cells the electrons in the crystals are excited and energy is produced. This process is very expensive and the demand for the silicon crystals far exceeds the supply, which further increases prices. For example the growth rate of solar cell usage increased over fifty percent between 2004 and 2005. This expenditure on solar cells is predicted to increase to over fifty one billion dollars by the year 2015.

So how does Nanosolar solve this problem? By producing a solar cell based on a copper alloy versus silicon crystals. This copper alloy is one-fifth the price of silicon crystals. The flexibility of the alloy also allows for cells to be mass-produced in sheets. These paper-thin sheets can then be cut and used for individual applications. The U.S. Army is experimenting with this product to help power certain field equipment such as radios and field phone systems.

When the new plant is finished it will be the largest solar cell producing plant in the world. Both investors, and environmentalists are excited about the huge positive impact this technology could have on the world. In the not to distant future you will literally be able to wear your laptop power supply. Not only does this technology make sense from a financial standpoint but it can also be the catalyst, which will make solar power attractive and affordable for the masses.

Related:
Mercury News Article
Google Finance Data

Company Info:
Nanosolar, Inc.
2440 Embarcadero Way
Palo Alto, CA 94303-3313
650.565.8891 Phone
650.565.8894 Fax
info@nanosolar.com

Israel’s big deserts such as the Mojave where solar energy plants have been built to harness the power of the sun will be used as models for the Negev in Israel. An amazing half of the countries needs within the next 15 years and they will still have power left over to help Jordan, coming to more than 80% of their needs in 30 years.

Small US based organizations began in recent years with low budgets to implement phase one and this year phase two is already under way. Government funding is used in small doses to produce sustainable villages such as the Bedouin village of Derijat.

Seeing how Derijat is not linked to the grid, their conventional lighting comes through portable fossil fuel generators, with new solar sustainability; Derijat becomes a valuable source of non-pollution as well as energy generation.

Many energy companies, even international ones are in on this project. The Solar Electric Generating System (or SEGS) in California is a Solel system:

The largest new project in which Solel may participate is the building of a new large-scale solar power plant in the Israeli Negev desert. Like the Mojave Desert, the Negev is a large area, mostly uninhabited and has ample sunlight all year round. – Isracast.com

With major political figures heading these projects such as Amos Yaron, engineer Dov Raviv (MST), Vice Premier Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Jordans King Abdullah, this project could potentially provide 80% of Jordans energy at the end of 30 years according to IsraelNationalNews.com.

Starting small with little villages such as Derijat in the initial wave the project will grow. After implementing and educating the population on maintenance and repair, the plan is to build larger solar plants that once built, will provide jobs for local residents and a source of power so intense, over half the power in Israel will come from the Negev region.

Image credit: Isracast.com

Globes: Under the contract, Solel Solar Systems will be the sole technology contractor, supplying FPL Energy with 48,000 solar third-generation thermosolar collectors and heat transport units, which the company says convert solar energy 30% more efficiently than existing units. The company’s units generate non-polluting electricity for a greater number of residences at lower operating costs.

Solel Solar Systems CEO Avi Branmiller said, “The present contract strengthens our 10-year collaboration with FPL Energy. Our market is expected to grow significantly in the coming years, and Solel is well positioned to exploit new opportunities that arise.”

Since the beginning of 2006, Solel Solar System has announced contracts worth an aggregate $80 million to supply thermosolar units to power stations in the US and Spain. The company also announced the completion of development of its new “Solel 6” parabolic trough, with over 50% improved solar energy collection and power generation performance, compared with existing systems. The company will begin marking the Solel 6 during the second half of 2006.

Israel keeps a watchful eye on these events because of their interest in building the world’s largest solar energy plant in the Mojave desert.

The first thing we have to do is determine if it is possible. Will our environment allow the use of solar, wind or hydropower? To check on suitability of solar power usage you can check out this solar estimator.

In most locations solar power is a viable option.

Lets try out the solar estimator. We will use Clifton Park NY zip 12065 as an example.

The first step is to select our state and then our county, which is Saratoga. We then select utility and the type of location, which is a business. Our type of solar system will be electric.

Lets see what we get. Ok great news, the location is suitable and we get a good solar rating of: 4.198 kWh/sq-m/day

Do not worry about all the numbers the estimator will do all the work.

In our next step we estimate our monthly usage, for simplicity I will use the monthly option and enter $100.00. This is a low number but a major part of the future process will be making sure we maximize electric and hot water usage.

Lets see what we get. First thing we do is change the percentage of use to 100% our goal is to live 100% of the grid.

Wow very detailed information, everything from cost to number of years to break even. One of the wonderful things about solar power is that you qualify for a large number of tax credits and rebates. The estimator even calculates in some of these into your total cost.

It estimates I need 700 square feet of solar panels, with a monthly payment of $137.00 if I financed it over 30 years.

But wait what about the property value appreciation? In fact it should take me less then two years to break even factoring in property value appreciation.

We now know it is financially feasible so lets find a qualified Solar Contractor. I click on “Find a Prescreened Solar Contractor” and am very pleased to see seven companies in the area.

There is company within ten miles of the local I entered, which has over ten years experience and two thousand commercial and residential installations.

Some keys to finding a good solar contractor are:

1. References – Get references from past clients.
2. Better Business Bureau – Check with the Better Business Bureau to see if any complaints have been filed.
3. Local Government – Check with the local government to make sure they are licensed and or certified.
4. Certification – Licensing is very important because in order to qualify for some tax incentives your solar contractor must be licensed by the state. Each state varies so do your research first.

Choose your solar contractor carefully. This is an investment that should last at least twenty-five years.

Finally, be prepared to jump through some hoops just like when you build any other structure. There will be questions about code and building permits and an experienced solar contractor will be able to answer these for you.

Via DelwareOnline:

General Electric said Thursday it would lay off 85 workers from its Glasgow solar-cell factory by June 1, as the company cuts back on manufacturing its own electric-generating cells in favor of buying from outside vendors.

Prism Solar Technologies is breaking former paradigms about solar technology, and best yet, Holographic photovoltaic solar works for the end user!

What is so special about this infant company that seems to have emerged over night from early 2005 till now? Low cost that end users will be able to afford and innovative solutions to earlier challenges for architects and do it yourself home remodelers.

When venture capitalists take the time to research an area or a field of investment, they always have their minds set on profit and a good sense of what will be a breakthrough in on the futures market. And Clean Energy Investment in the world of venture is no exception.

Prism Solar Technologies is a subdivision of Direct Global Power Inc., an investing group. PST has many other investors as well as internal employees that all come through contacts with clean energy investing and make this company soar to new heights.

What makes PSTs product so interesting is not just the fact that they managed to cut the cost on traditional photovoltaic solar cells by 85%, but also the fact that they managed to cut out some 85% of the traditional opac silicon cell area, leaving only 15% of the surface area striped with photovoltaic.

So what happens to the rest of the surfacearea? Transparent! You can see right through it. To some degree that is, as it is really a series of holographic optical redirections of light. The clear area is filled with special refractive elements smashed between two pieces of glass that redirect the most efficient rainbow spectrums directly into the photovoltaic cells increasing their efficiency immensely.

In easy to understand language, this means that the cells are far cooler than traditional models, more practical for use as say windows or skylights, more eye appealing and especially cheaper.

One fact that the world is facing is the every faster consumption of silicon, a product that gets more and more expensive by the year. While almost as abundant as oxygen, silicon is still far too costlyin solar energy cells for the end consumer to be able to buy.

PSTs solution is to simply cut down the use of silicon by 85%, thereby cutting costs to a revolutionary price range that becomes accessible to those who formerly could not afford solar panel technology and creates a competitive boom in the market, unlike anything seen before in the area.

Holographic photovoltaic solar energy is making a run through the market that is incredible. Every month a new investor appears, with something interesting to offer PST, and usually this happens at conventions where people in the know go to find the best of the very best.

These holographic photovoltaics do much more than simply redirect light coming from one single direction, as their nature makes them passive solar trackers. It doesnt matter from which direction the sun hits the plate; only the best colors get directed to the solar cells.

A new second-generation design is already underway with the development of a special bilateral solar cell, that can take light from both sides and direct it into (or even back into) electricity.

The people at PST are also worth mentioning, as some of them have been pioneering in this field of optics for more than twenty years. Specialists from the US government and evenGeneral Electric among others, are just some of the places these professionals have tried their ideas.

But now the world is ready to listen, the team is the best of the best and the product is promising in every way. Holographic photovoltaic solar energy cells are making a revolution.

“Microsoft is committed to being a responsible environmental citizen locally and globally,” said John Matheny, site manager for the SVC and general manager of Microsoft® TV Services at Microsoft. “Implementing the latest practices and technologies to protect the environment is good for the community and good for our business.”

This is a great step to build awareness, read more here.

As of yet few quantum physicists have actually written philosophical papers on the political implications of photochemical solar cells. While they remain in the laboratories, predictions have been set that within three to five years, they will become a more aesthetic approach to solar energy generation with the same, if not better conductivity levels as current photovoltaics. Basically, its high-tech competition.

So what is a photosynthetic solar energy cell, how does it compete with the photovoltaic market and what kind of implications would that have on our society? Good question, but not so easy to answer. Photosynthesis is every outdoor school kids most important discovery, and as early as the sixth grade people get the idea about converting sunlight into sugars, but how can chlorophyll be synthesized and conductive to electrons, thereby creating a usable current? By using photosynthetic proteins to convert light into electricity.

Academic research in the US on this subject has been top secret for years including such names as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, and the University of Tennessee. By taking spinach leaf molecules or photosynthetic bacteria to convert light into energy, a whole new kind of solar panel is now available to architects. Even better, it works and as Dr. Frankenstein once screamed in scientific delight, Its alive!

One of the most important researchers on this concept outside the U.S. wrote a paper called Supramolecular Photochemistry and Solar Cells which pretty much details all the legwork done so far on the subatomic level with microbiology and photochemistry. The world renown Chemistry professor and researcher at the University in São Paulo, Brazil Dr. Neyde Yukie Murakami Iha shows how some of her teams most outstanding studies have been fairing over the last decade or so, and keep on going non-stop.

Although Neyde herself would not be interested in commercializing this stuff to all of us, some of her peers in Japan have already taken the commercial risks. The so called PV-TV used as a skyscraper skin developed in 2003 for commercial use by the Tokyo-based MSK Corporation together with Kaneka Chemicals and Taiyo Industries for architecture, is a transparent solar panel that works, is cost effective, pays for itself and just may create a revolution in the European market sometime soon.

These panels are 980mm long and 950 mm wide, with a standard depth of 10-13mm thick. Both flexible or strengthened-glass options are available making it a transparent skin of virtually any pain-glass color you might be looking for with certain scientific restrictions thus far. Which colors exactly are less efficient still remains unclear, but the ones sold so far can act as a three-in-one glazing element, solar energy panel and video display screen.

Taiyo Industries has already been putting this skyscraper skin on buildings in Japan and in London since July of 2004. While the languagebarrier may be a little restrictive, the product itself offers enough advantages for the buyer that it becomes more than worth it. At $45 a square foot, the skin actually pays for itself after some years of usage, and helps get zero energy buildings farther along in the realm of practical, no-nonsense business.

For urbanism and architecture students, this is a thing to be looking into very soon. Not only is this skin economical and multi-functional, but creativity is one of its biggest advantages. Want a skylight that will hold up to heavy rain, hail or even snow and still serve as a generator in the sunlight and impede ultraviolet rays? Sound good? What about a skin that can be both, a window and a outdoor bulletin board system at night, while still holding out the intense summer heat, illuminating the offices, hallways, meeting rooms and still acting as a mirror during the day?

So why worry about conventional roofing, when a photosynthetic solar panel can offer natural lighting, keep heat out in the summer and warm air in during the colder months while still acting as a natural form of skylight? Talk about sustainability! Just one thing is to be said, Its alive!

While looking for viable solutions to energy consumption and ongoing company costs, DuPont, one of the worlds leading companies in electronics and technology, has decided to look no further than its own products, enter Dupont Photovoltaics

Solar energy has been around for years, but recently, DuPont has made it a commercial goal by the year 2010 to satisfy at least 10% of the company’s ongoing electricity bills with renewable energy sources, among which solar energy is a big one.

Since March 2nd of 2006 the Chestnut Run DuPont facility in Delaware has been running roughly 10% of its own energy consumption off of a solar powered system that produces some 40 kilowatts of electricity alone.

Chestnut Run is one of DuPont’s R&D buildings, 178,000 square feet of office in Delaware using enough energy to power 80 homes. This would be a very large monthly expenditure for Delaware’s Energy Office.

The cost of the recently installed solar energy panels was $500,000 of which the DEO will grant DuPont with $250,000 to help cover about half the cost. In the end, the DEO saves money on expensive plants that they might have to build otherwise to cover the growing consumption in Delaware.

DuPont’s entrepreneurial spirit, to invest in renewable energy, is part of a corporate strategy to help make products like solar energy more commercially viable to the everyday consumer.

Of the annual $28.5 billion in revenue that DuPont makes currently, one third comes strictly from products less than five years old, their goal by 2010, however bold it may seem, is to make 35% of yearly revenue come from products less than four years old.

By capitalizing on such issues as “energy hikes” at strategic moments, like the one in Delaware, which will go from 8 cents per kilowatt-hour to 15 cents on May 1st, DuPont is able to make a statement in the market.

DuPont doesn’t just make an appearance in the commercial market with this, as both the industry and in the State Department’s Office begin to see the potential for renewable alternatives every time something like this happens.

Currently, DuPont worldwide gets 5% of its energy from renewable sources such as solar energy and has put down a budget of $100 million over the next two years to take that to 10% like the Chestnut Run office in Delaware. All willing, they will pave the way for common folks who have the will, but not the money for solar energy.

Since the first oil embargo 30 years ago, Jim Sargent has been custom building homes to be consistently more efficient in terms of energy consumption with every new house he has built. When Sargent came together with Barley + Pfeiffer Architects from Austin to promote sustainable off the grid efficient homes in northern Texas, a whole new concept in Zero Energy Homes was just starting to become famous.

Energy efficiency in a home is not just making sure the house is built of all recyclable materials;it has to be efficient throughout its entire lifespan as well. And just as important as using as little energy as possible from the grid, the house has to be comfortable and have at least some level of reasonable interior design. That is what goes intoa Zero Energy Home; everything everyone else has in their new home, but without the costs of traditional energy bills that can sometimes even go over $200 dollars a month.

The secret to Zero Energy Homes is to cut the future home owners yearly costs during the construction phase.

In order to make a house produce more energy than it actually spends, means using special new solar technology that is getting cheaper and cheaper the more these houses are being produced and people see the practicality of it all. “Spectrally selective” windows for example block the overdose of sunlight in summer, while keeping the warmth inside the house during the cold months.

For indoor lighting, both natural and artificial are used, but artificial lights are fluorescent bulbs that use 70 percent less energy than the traditional incandescents do. Instead of installing a traditional water heater tank, the ZEH can use a suitcase-size gas powered heater that automatically heats water as it is consumed.

Who could imagine that a house actually produces energy? Some studies by the US department of Energy have estimated that on the average, American homes use some 1,400 US$ worth of energy throughout the year. ZEHs however consume on the average 70% less than that average and individuals who are firm believers in zero input from the grid actually produce enough energy, that they actually crank energy back out to the grid, like a generator.

Those people that produce more than they spend in their ZEH, dont pay a cent at the end of the month.

In California, those who live in zero energy homes, benefit from peak hours by not consuming the energy their neighbors consume and thus actually producing energy for the grid rather than consuming energy. Every house that is producing its own energy is another power plant that the state doesnt have to build. In the end, making a new home ZEH efficient, means adding some $25,000 dollars to the final price of the house. But it is more than worth the money, especially when money is short later on.

Premier Gardens in the California Sacramento area for example built all Zero Energy Homes, managing to pull that price down to as low as $18,000 per home. Some places like California, lower Nevada, Arizona, Texas, Florida and basically anywhere there is a lot of sunlight throughout the year, are places where the potential for a ZEH will pay for itself within 12 years time.

If the home owner is paying the grid for using electricity, they are just going to eventually see that money disappear, poof, like rent. But by buying and investing in Zero Energy Homes, those twelve years are a time of investment. Money the owner makes for themselves and the future generations that will live in the house.

There is enough energy coming from the sun for everyone, Zero Energy Homes just help the home owner, rather than work for the energy, they make that energy work for the home owner. Zero Energy Homes are the future.

More on ZEM’s here

Artists Richard Lester Swain and Adam Walkden along with a team of engineers, designers, astronomers and planners have combined art with technology to build the worlds largest solar pyramid. The giant sun dial is supposed to represent time, space and solar energy. The artists were inspired by a sundial set in the wall of the ancient St. Mary’s Church at the top of the 199 steps in Whitby. Here are a quote from the Whitby Gazette.

Mr Swain said: “I was inspired by a sundial set in the wall of St Mary’s Church at the top of the 199 steps in Whitby” and “On it is inscribed ‘Our lives pass like a shadow’. That gave me the idea of a timepiece worked by the sun that would be the world’s largest.”

The XOF1 Solar Car needs a country to register it so it can traverse the 10,000 mile “Sea to Sea to Sea” route from North America to Canada and back again. Marcelo da Luz was having trouble getting permission from the governments of Ontario and Newfoundland Canada but he discovered an international traffic treaty called the Multilateral Road Traffic Convention of 1949 which will allow his dreams to come true. XOF1 just needs a hosting nation to register his cold temperature cruising solar powered car. Learn how to build a mini solar car on the XOF1 website.

Solar energy is the popular term for now days, anything that is renewable energy. The concept of solar energy was but the spark that has since ignited a revolution. Solar revolves around getting the most out of thermal dynamics, by spending the least amount of energy possible. “Sol” is Latin for sun, and “solar” is that which is of the sun. From elementary school we learn the importance of the sun in our lives, and somewhere along the line everyone that stays in school ends up learning how valuable to every living organism on this planet the sun really is. Solar power, solar energy, solar panels, solar light, solar living, solar this, solar that… The list of terms and technologies that thrive in the scientific and yet not so scientific solar community are living examples of a revolutionary concept in how energy works and how it is used.

Solar energy is coined as the conversion of solar light into electricity. This seems to be the popular notion of solar. But solar is far more than just electricity or hot water heating. The sun creates energy by burning Hydrogen. The explosions are what produce the absurd amounts of “energy”, or solar light. Solar light hits the earth’s atmosphere and causes lots of things to happen, but the more important effects are when solar light hits the surface and helps plants and animals grow, develop and breathe correctly. What one organism breaths another exhales and vice-versa. Depending on how much solar light hits the planet in any given direction, will determine the temperature, which in turn will determine the kinds of animals and plants that inhabit the region.

The first solar panels that existed were photovoltaic which means they capture the suns energy and convert it into voltaic energy. But there is more than one kind of solar panel. The photosynthetic solar panel (for example) is probably most likely the next solar generation, because it works in the same way as chlorophyll. The photosynthetic solar panel is transparent with a colored liquid that acts as a conducting agent when solar light penetrates the transparent and flexible plastic surface hitting the artificial chlorophyll (stimulating the molecules to agitate) and thereby causing an electrical current. As far as solar panels go however, most manufacturers are still dealing with photovoltaic cells and rechargeable solar batteries, photosynthetic can be very hard to come by. Photosynthetic solar panels can be used as mosaics, windows, sky lights…etc. Architecturally speaking, photosynthetic solar panels are versatile and aesthetic, but for the moment, almost not an option for consumers as they appear (in University Teachers eyes) to be a prototype solar technology.

While definitely a market niche, photosynthetic solar panels have too little investment at the moment to really get any pragmatic tests done. Solar water heating is very efficient and widely used to conserve energy bills. And that is probably the key to understanding the entire economical and political structure of urban sustainability. Energy distribution. Electricity in our country is dependant on a network that is dependent on one source, the local hydro-electric power generators. Solar philosophies try to set up less dependant structures and create more independent structures. Solar living would introduce alternative, renewable and sustainable energy resources, for automobiles, heating, lighting, communication, food, water and waste management. Solar communities can reap the greatest rewards from the solar sun that is the nucleus of our solar system and still maintain both quality of life as well as maintain itself in harmony with Nature. All we need to do is try to “Think Solar”.