APES

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California Solar Initiative

“California Solar Initiative (CSI) – Go Solar California.” California Solar

         Initiative (CSI) – Go Solar California. State of California, n.d. Web.

1 Mar. 2015.

http://www.gosolarcalifornia.ca.gov/csi/index.php

 

The state of California is offering money to families that want to start using solar power in their homes. To qualify you need to get an energy audit and replace old and wasteful appliances and systems with newer more energy efficient systems. Your roof also needs to have a minimum level of sunlight daily hitting it in order to qualify for this offer. However the cost of the changes you have to make is almost always paid back many times over by energy cost reductions and the government money.

 

This is of huge importance to many for whom the up front payment is far too large to be conceivably payable. Many people know that in the long run their solar panels will pay for themselves in time but a twenty year turnover is too daunting for many people. Now with the slowly falling prices of solar panels and this and other similar programs that problem is slowly being resolved. With ever decreasing prices it may soon become easier to solely rely on solar energy than any other source.

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Apple Solar Deal

Farr, Christina, and Nichola Groom. “Apple Investing $850 Million in

California Solar farm.” Fortune Apple Investing 850 Million in

         California Solarfarm Comments. Fortune, 10 Feb. 2015. Web. 20

Feb. 2015.

http://fortune.com/2015/02/10/apple-investing-850-million-in-california-solar-farm/

 

Apple stocks toped out over 700 billion for the first time ever; this momentous moment came with an impressive green energy statement as well. With the announcement that Apple would be receiving power for its new Head Quarters and for its other operations in California. This is an impressive benchmark, both for the sustainability of Apple’s system and for their company. The solar power station with be using solar panels built primarily in Arizona. The plant will also supply about 60,000 homes with solar power. This project will cost Apple 850,000,000 to complete and will cover approximately 2900 acres.

 

Thai is a huge step for Apple and California, Apple still no doubt uses highly polluting methods in their factories in China however and their actions could be seen as a smoke screen to try to divert attention from this fact. Whatever their reason this will hopefully encourage other large corporations to fund other projects similar to this one. Because even if they do not change the system by themselves they are, for all intents and purposes funding further development of solar technology. This is hugely important considering the need for funding that solar technology companies always have. If this investment spurs others to invest similarly then it is far and away one of the best things that could happen to the industry.

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Subway on wheels transports millions

Subway on wheels transports millions. (2014, September 22). Retrieved February 27, 2015, from CNN News website: http://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2014/09/22/spc-future-cities-brazil-curitiba-transportation.cnn

 

In the Brazilian city of Curitiba, the subway on wheels is the most iconic way of public transportation. Curitiba’s bus system serves up to 2 million people per day and has transformed city travel. They have created bus systems that combine three buses in one to maximize the number of passengers it can hold (up to 250 people). The problem this city is facing is that the working class cannot access the buses because they cannot afford to live in the city and the upper class tends to lean towards owning private cars. The mayor of Curitiba has identified the issue of transportation and has vowed to improve the system for many years to come. He has also implemented a bicycle lane along side the car lanes to encourage people to use more environmentally helpful means of transportation.

 

This video relates to environmental science because it shows how bustling cities such as Curitiba, are pushing for more green, environmentally friendly ways of public transportation by offering an advanced bus system, and bicycle friendly lanes. This is most definitely a step in the right direction. This advanced bus system has increased the number of people using public transportation. The mayor of Curitiba is trying to improve and think of new ideas to offer his citizens.

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Worlds Largest Solar Plant

Roth, Sammy. “World’s Largest Solar Plant Opens in California Desert.”

USA Today. Gannett, 10 Feb. 2015. Web. 17 Feb. 2015.

 

 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/02/10/worlds-largest-solar-plant-california-riverside-county/23159235/

 

 

the worlds larges solar plant has officially opened now in California. This not only marks the hopeful beginning to a new burst in growth in the solar industry but also a clear signal that the state loans program is both profitable for the state and hugely beneficial for the solar industry. This program, long derided by the conservative section of society as a loss of taxpayer money on risky endeavors. The completion of this project marks the fifth such plant that has been supported by the loans program, and the returns for the loans have so far kept to every single condition that they were given. This will hopefully mean that in the future more people can get these loans to build more such plants.

 

There is very little more important than finding ways to make funding Solar palatable to the conservative side of politics. As long as there is a clear green bottom line this goes a long way towards making it so. If funding solar becomes profitable there will soon be more and more companies that want to get in on the new business. This project is just one part of a larger series of such plants that are hopefully the budding start to a surge in solar energy production. Many green energy sources are growing exponentially, wind for example has been doubling globally each year. If this trend holds true for solar energy as it has for wind we could expect to see a sizable portion of our power generated by solar and that is not even considering the other energy sources.

 

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Are gondolas the next big thing in urban transport?

Macguire, E. (2014, September 18). Skypods: Are gondolas the next big thing in urban transport? Retrieved February 27, 2015, from CNN News website: http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/13/business/skypods-gondolas-urban-transport/index.html#em0

 

In cities such as Bolivia’s capital, La Paz, “servicing the people with reliable transit service has long proven difficult.” La Paz is one of the highest cities in the world with “bus journeys that are only a few miles long, but take up to an hour during busy periods.” Yet a $235 million system of mass transportation is being set into place consisting of “three separate service lines stretching across a combined 10.7 kilometer area of the city.” This will be considerably less expensive than building a railway or subway, take up less space, and cause the least amount of chaos. This gondola system will reduce the time spent traveling from city to city, reduce pollution, and increase efficiency.

This article relates to environmental science because it shows how transportation in urban areas is developing to increase mobility and efficiency from place to place. For metropolis cities like La Paz, this new system of public transportation, gondolas, is cost efficient for the city and citizens, saves people half the regular travel time during periods of high traffic, and will have tremendous results in saving the environment. I think this gondola system will have dramatic effects for the citizens living in La Paz, and will benefit the city in so many ways.

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Solar Map

“Welcome to the San FranciscoSolar Map!” San Francisco Solar Map.

City of San Francisco, n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2015.

 

http://sfenergymap.org (check it out!)

 

The city of San Francisco has created a Google maps page that outlines all the solar energy collection in the city. This “solar census” allows anyone to see the spread of solar energy collection in the city. It provides both a concentration map of the solar collection as well as an installation-by-installation map of the entire city. This allows anyone to see what businesses and city structures are producing clean energy. This knowledge can let people know what organizations are being environmentally conscious, and what organizations are being reckless in their energy consumption.

 

An educated populace is the first step toward green energy, if people don’t know about an issue they can’t get involved and make things happen. Knowledge is power, if this is indeed true then this Google Map, no doubt the product of a few tens of hours of work can provide a sweeping understanding of the clean energy situation in the city. If people become aware of which companies use solar energy and react to this by using their purchasing power accordingly it will suddenly become economically sensible to transition to solar power and more businesses will begin to switch over to solar.

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Going green has benefits beyond being good for you and the planet

Click Green (Ed.). (2014, December 22). Going green has benefits beyond being good for you and the planet. Retrieved February 27, 2015, from Environmental News Network website: http://www.enn.com/agriculture/article/48119

 

The number of accidents due to everyday distractions is increasing and according to distraction.gov, statistics reveal that phones, radios, food, and sleepiness are causing them. Public transportation is proven to be significantly less dangerous and also helps the environment, such as biking, walking, or taking a bus or train. By taking a greener approach to everyday travel, it saves money, and can “also play a key role in reducing accidents” and the number of people on the road.

 

This article relates to environmental science because is shows how transportation is trying to go green, and reduce the amount of pollution from cars and overall safety of people on the road. According to this article it is statistically proven that there are less accidents with public transportation than by driving alone. With these odds I find it less comforting to know that the technological distractions of radios and phones are causing so many accidents. On top of saving the environment, it also saves money in the long run. I think it is imperative that people consider public transportation as their everyday means of travel.

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Missing MH370: New plane tracking will be trialed after Malaysia plane mystery

The Associated Press (Ed.). (2015, February 28). Missing MH370: New plane tracking will be trialed after Malaysia plane mystery. Retrieved February 28, 2015, from NBC News website: http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/missing-jet/missing-mh370-new-plane-tracking-will-be-trialed-after-malaysia-n314981

 

The disappearance of the Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 last year catapulted a wide range of technological advances concerning the safety of planes. Since Flight 370 “vanished last year on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board,” Malaysia, Indonesia, and Australia have begun a trial to “enhance the tracking of aircraft over remote oceans, allowing planes to be more easily found.” This new system of tracking will increase the rate at which planes are tracked from every 40 minutes, to every 15 minutes. The new technology will use “satellite-based positioning” onboard aircrafts to transmit the current position.

 

This article relates to environmental science because it shows how transportation is evolving to better the safety of people. In this case, Australia, Malaysia, and Indonesia are fighting for another solution to better track planes to prevent another plane disappearance losing a large number of people. It’s about time that someone has stepped up to the plate and tried to come up with a plausible solution for increasing the safety of our planes. There should be stricter air safety regulations to extensively track planes from air traffic controllers and I think this is a step in the right direction.

 

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Corporate Accountability

 

unknown.(August 26, 2014). Verizon On Track to Be No. 1 Solar-Power Producer

Among U.S. Communications Companies, Environmental News Network:

Energy, Retrieved September 18, 2014, from

http://www.enn.com/business/article/47756

 

 

Telecommunications company, Verizon, is set up to become the industries leader in solar energy. With the installation of eight new solar power systems and eight of their facilities Verizon will install 10.2 megawatts of solar. This added on to the already impressive 15 megawatts of solar power will make them the national leader in their industry with 25 megawatts of green energy produced. To reach this point Verizon has already invested $140 in the project and will now be spending $40 million more to finish the project. With the completion of the new installations Verizon will be one of the top ten competitors for most solar energy produced.

 

It is important to remember that in our country the heavyweights in economic maters are the corporations and conglomerates. Without the assistance of these groups our nation will never be powered by green energy. That said it is rare, though as we see here it does happen, that large companies pay attention to the growing concern for environmental damage. The few times this does happen I think it is important that we recognize and reward the company for doing it so that other try to emulate their success and in turn aid in saving the environment. This is something that I think we all need to do personally when we see a company, or any group, doing something that we approve of.

 

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Solar Islands

 

Major, Jon.(2014, September 15). Japan: ‘solar islands’ replace nuclear power,

Environmental News Network: Energy, Retrieved September 18, 2014, from

http://www.enn.com/business/article/47833

 

Following the disaster at Hiroshima the Japanese public has lost much of its trust in nuclear power. Once seen as the clean energy future the risks the nuclear power plants pose in an earthquake heavy region have become very clear. The response to this has been a surge in interest in alternative clean energy solutions. Unfortunately the Island nation of Japan has little space to put large solar fields unlike America with its large lightly populated territory. To circumvent this problem Two large Japanese corporations have worked together to design and launch the first of thirty “solar islands”. The floating barges produce electricity via solar panels and this energy is transmitted by sunken cable to the mainland.  The best part of the idea is that it takes up space that was not already being used.

 

This is one of those ideas that makes you sit back and realize that the crazy sci-fi future might not be too far off. If we start making barges that produce their own electricity then the time of floating cities and towns might not be that far off. That aside this technology is just one more promising story of crazy new innovation that has taken hold of the energy industry of late. While this might not be the most practical solution for America this idea and others like it are part of this promising new wave of innovation that is going to define this coming era.