Alternative Clean Energy Roundup: 5 April 2013

NY taps $146M for solar infrastructure

April 3, 2013 - As part of Governor Andrew Cuomo's NY-Sun Competitive PV Program, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) awarded $46 million of first round funding for new solar capacity.

A total of 28 recipients have received awards to finance 76 large-scale projects across 33 counties totaling 52 MW of new solar capacity at businesses, factories, municipal buildings and other larger commercial and industrial companies. The $46 million from New York State leverages $100 million in private investment, resulting in $146 million in infrastructure projects.

The program will quadruple the amount of customer-sited solar photovoltaic capacity added between 2011 and 2013 and is being extended through 2023. read more>>>

Why Solar Power is Pure ECO:nomics

March 26th, 2013 - How many of you have solar panels installed on your roof? This question was asked last week of an audience at the Wall St Journal’s annual ECO:nomics conference. The answer, from a room full of business executives and heads of state who are forging the road ahead for our energy future, was roughly 15 percent. Given that solar power accounts for less than one percent of total power generation in the U.S., it’s no surprise that the overwhelming majority of our nation’s homes and companies are not powered by the sun’s rays. Thus, most of the American public still thinks about solar power like they think of organic produce or electric vehicles – as something that is good for the world but sits on the shelf at a specialty store, around the corner from main street.

Yet for three days under Santa Barbara’s warm sunshine, industry leaders hailed solar’s arrival on the energy main stage. read more>>>

Sunjet 150 Solar Fountain Kit w/ 3 Different Heads (Google Affiliate Ad)

Call to turn city a model of ‘green construction’

03rd April 2013 - A call was made in the Assembly on Tuesday to turn the capital city a model for the government’s ‘green building’ initiatives.

Palode Ravi MLA said that since Thiruvananthapuram boasted of numerous historically significant heritage buildings, it should be made the model. PWD Minister V K Ebrahim Kunju said that the green building initiative will be implemented in Thiruvananthapuram in a manner that will enhance the heritage value of the city. read more>>>

Gift of Solar Unveiled at Austin Children's Shelter

Texas Representative Mark Strama joins Austin community leaders to highlight the positive impact of solar energy on the city and state at the Austin Children’s Shelter unveiling.

Circular Energy, a full-service solar design and installation firm, unveiled a custom solar energy system they donated to the Austin Children’s Shelter (ACS). The Austin-based firm installed the 10,000-watt solar PV array, consisting of 40 solar panels, on the roof of the ACS gymnasium. The gymnasium is the largest and has the highest energy usage of the campus’ eight buildings. The system gives ACS the opportunity to reinvest the savings into caring for the traumatized and neglected children the shelter serves. read more>>>

SolarPRO Above Ground Solar Pool Heaters (3) with Bypass Kit (Google Affiliate Ad)

SunPower Launches X-Series Family of Solar Panels with World-Record Efficiencies of 21.5 Percent

Apr. 3, 2013 - SunPower Corp. (NASDAQ: SPWR), a global solar energy and technology provider, today introduced its SunPower X-Series Solar Panels (X-Series), a new product line for the residential market that offers an unprecedented 21.5 percent efficiency. The X-Series delivers more energy, higher reliability and superior aesthetics than conventional solar panels. The new world-record efficiency of this product line has received third-party validation by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

The X-Series is made with SunPower's third-generation Maxeon® solar cells which are built on a solid copper foundation for high reliability and performance. This foundation makes them virtually impervious to the corrosion and cracking that typically degrade conventional panels. As a result, SunPower solar panels are backed by the industry's first combined 25-year product and power warranty. read more>>>

Gorgeous Solar-Powered Blue Empire Cottage Filters Equatorial Light in Kenya

04/03/13 - Claudio Modola designed the Blue Empire Cottage in Manda - the latest stop on our steamy Kenyan odyssey. Slightly elevated and constructed with locally-sourced African teak, this gorgeous holiday home for Italian physicians is so well integrated with its modest waterside plot that it's hard to know what is inside and what is out. All kinds of natural materials such as fossilized coral and driftwood are incorporated into the design, resulting in one of the most tasteful shrines to nature that we have ever seen, while intriguing cutouts in the facade create shadow play that infuses the home with a rich natural glow.

We traveled to the house by boat and were surprised to find it concealed from the shoreline, hidden as it is by a large acacia tree left intact by the designer. This complete adoration of nature is evident in all aspects of the Blue Empire cottage’s design. Wrapped around an indoor garden planted with local species, the teak panels feature geometric cutouts that allows natural light to trickle in. read more>>>

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Climate change making extreme events worse in Australia – report

2 April 2013 - Country faces more frequent and more severe weather events if it fails to make deep and swift cuts to carbon emissions

The extreme heatwaves, flooding and bush fires striking Australia have already been intensified by climate change and are set to get even worse in future, according to a new report. Only fast and deep cuts to carbon emissions can start to reverse the trend, say scientists from the Climate Commission, an independent advisory group set up by the Australian government. read more>>>

Twenty years on, corporate sustainability still lacking

April 03, 2013 - After 20 years of rating corporate sustainability efforts, German-based oekom research has found that global giants have not been doing nearly enough in their commitments to sustainability. In its most recent annual report, oekom found that only one in six -- 16.7 percent -- of the companies rated has a "good" level of commitment.

That so few companies are performing at all well -- none has been accorded oekom's highest rating -- is especially sobering given that 62 percent of companies now report that they pursue sustainability strategies, and almost two-thirds of those that do state that doing so has been profitable for them.

The industry sector with the highest sustainability performance rating was paper and forest, but that sector's rating was only 47.7 out of a possible 100.

"The very industry which, more than any other, stands for sustainable management has thus failed to achieve even half of the maximum possible score," Matthias Bönning of oekom said in a statement. read more>>>