Alternative Clean Energy Roundup: 9 September 2013

Construction Industry Growing Tired of Anti-LEED Lobbying

September 1st, 2013 - As the need to transition to a renewable energy economy becomes more apparent, those financially entrenched in the old way of doing things have become increasingly irrational. Recently, there have been a rash of anti-LEED policies proposed at the state level, most notably in Kansas, North Carolina, and Mississippi.

Those in the chemical and plastics industry object to new LEED V4 regulations, which discourages the use of their products in green building designs. Ever the friend of large and typically destructive corporations, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has joined in the chorus against LEED certification, and as a result international construction giant Skanska USA has terminated its membership. read more>>>

‘Green building is an economic necessity’

09/02/2013 - Regardless of whether the world’s construction entrepreneurs personally espouse an environmental vision, they are more and more choosing to go green purely due to economic considerations, an international expert said at a Tel Aviv conference on Monday morning.

“We dreamed of changing the world and making it better through green,” said David Gottfried, founder of the US and World Green Building councils and CEO of the firm Regenerative Ventures. “But the essence of green building is money.” read more>>>

Almost 40,000 U.S. Green Jobs Created During Second Quarter Of 2013

09/02/2013 - Close to 40,000 new “green jobs” were created in the United States in the second quarter of 2013, a new green jobs report from Environmental Entrepreneurs has found.

Environmental Entrepreneurs monitors job announcements in the relevant sectors in order to track growth. The organization found that almost 60 new projects were announced and launched across 27 states in the second quarter of this year. These 60 projects will generate 38,600 new green jobs, which is 1,200 more than the same period last year. For the whole of 2012, a total of 111,000 green jobs were created, and 2013 is set to exceed that total. read more>>>

CEC grants helping CA meet clean energy goals

September 3, 2013 - Several research and development grants from the California Energy Commission (CEC) are helping the state's reach its clean energy goals. As part of the Energy Commission's Energy Innovations Small Grant (EISG) Program, 13 companies will receive grants worth $1.2 million to conduct research on proof-of-concept technologies.

"Research is the science of innovation," said Energy Commission Chair Robert B. Weisenmiller. "For more than a decade, the Energy Commission has invested in R&D projects that support the state's clean energy goals and grow our economy. read more>>>

Belarusian industrial group to build massive solar plant in Rechitsa district

29 August 2013 - In the face of declining oil extraction, solar PV will become an alternative business avenue for the company as it moves to meet the national energy demand

The Gomel Oblast Executive Committee in Belarus has decided to allocate two plots of land with a total area of over 110 hectares for the construction of a photovoltaic power plant by Belorussian energy group Belorusneft. The group will rent the land, which is located in Rechitsa District, close to the company’s operational base, for 50 years and the plant is expected to generate 50MW once its designed capacity has been reached. read more>>>

Innotech Solar modules replace traditional greenhouse roofs

27 August 2013 - Innotech Solar AS is touting the their modules' ability to maintain their performance level even in high ambient temperature situations by using them to replace the traditional glass roofs on commercial greenhouses.

By constructing the roof with solar modules instead of glass green power can be generated as well as improving the light and temperature conditions for plants, without the need for additional shading systems, the company says. read more>>>

Report finds solar farms have little impact on UK agriculture

27 August 2013 - Generation of 22GW of solar electricity by solar farms would require less than 0.29 percent of agricultural land research by Lightsource Renewable Energy has found

In order for the UK to meet its solar power targets, generating 22GW of solar electricity from solar farms, less than 0.29 percent of agricultural land would have to be used, according to research conducted by Lightsource Renewable Energy. read more>>>

SolarWorld Breaks Ground on More Than 500 Kilowatts of Solar Carports at Four California Parks

Sep 3, 2013 - SolarWorld, the largest U.S. solar manufacturer for more than 35 years, announced today that it has begun constructing solar carports totaling 537 kilowatts of power-generation capacity at four public parks in Thousand Oaks, Calif. The four carports are expected to generate a total of 17,300,000 kilowatt-hours in renewable energy, saving the Conejo Recreation and Parks District (CRPD), the local government unit that owns and operates the parks, millions of dollars over 25 years.

The project resulted from a partnership between CRPD, SolarWorld and Sustainable Power Group (sPower), a renewable-energy development firm. read more>>>

China Sunergy's High-Efficient Mono Cells Achieves Certified New Conversion Efficiency Record of 20.26%

Sept. 3, 2013 - China Sunergy Co., Ltd. (NASDAQ: CSUN) ("China Sunergy" or "the Company"), a specialized solar cell and module manufacturer, today announced that its new generation of high-efficient mono-crystalline solar cells have reached 20.26% conversion efficiency in the pilot research and development ("R&D") line, and have received certification recently from the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE ("Fraunhofer ISE"), the largest solar energy research institute in Europe.

The new generation of high-efficient mono-crystalline solar cells combines the Company's Waratah and QSAR cell technology in a new design structure that enables it to achieve high conversion efficiency using normal wafers. read more>>>

Solar Cell Performance Improves With Ion-Conducting Polymer

Sep. 3, 2013 — Researchers at Stockholm's KTH Royal Institute of Technology have found a way to make dye-sensitized solar cells more energy-efficient and longer-lasting.

Drawing their inspiration from photosynthesis, dye-sensitized solar cells offer the promise of low-cost solar photovoltaics and -- when coupled with catalysts -- even the possibility of generating hydrogen and oxygen, just like plants. A study published in August could lead to more efficient and longer-lasting dye-sensitized solar cells, says one of the researchers from KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. read more>>>