solar power

by

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.

by

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.

by

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.

 

by

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.

by

Solar Fun in the Sun

“Northern California Solar Regatta.” SMUD Community Solar. SMUD,

n.d.Web. 18 Feb. 2015.

 

https://www.smud.org/en/about-smud/environment/renewable-energy/solar-regatta.htm

 

This is a boat racing event where teams from different high schools and colleges compete to build the fastest boat. There is a twist however, these boats are powered by solar energy that they collect as they race, meaning that the efficiency of energy collection is what is really being tested. This competition is open to all schools north of Fresno and is held in the Rancho Seco Recreational Area. SMUD loans out the solar panels to schools, due to the large price tag that is still associated with these products.

 

This is an incredible thing for the future of solar power. It is undeniable that very often seeing is believing. Having a program where young people can work with solar panels and build a machine that they can use to compete with other schools allows them to see solar energy at work directly. This in turn cements the concept to them as not only feasible but as an immediate solution to the energy problems of the future. These young people will go on carrying these ideas into their adulthood, spreading the idea and in all likelihood being more likely to install solar panels of their own.

by

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.

 

by

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.

 

by

Rocky Mountain Institute

 

Greenville, J.( 2014, June 22). The Rocky Mountain Institute and Weaning Ourselves

off of Oil and Coal. Emagazine, Emagazine: EarthTalk, Retreved July 15, 2014,

from http://www.emagazine.com/earth-talk/the-rocky-mountain-institute-

and-weaning-ourselves-off-of-oil-and-coal

 

 

The think tank Rocky Mountain Institute has proposed a plan to wean the country off fossil fuels. Instead of organizing large renewable energy plants, though they support the creation of such plants, they want to encourage a more grass roots effort to reduce our oil and coal dependence. By convincing architects to build new buildings in an energy conscious way and get people to install solar panels in their homes to reduce the weight on the energy grid. RMI also intends to push for large-scale improvements in cities that already embrace green technologies so they can lead the way for less progressive areas. The group has the goal of eliminating oil and coal dependence in America by 2050.

 

I think the plan that the Rocky Mountain Institute is following is wise because it does not depend on large private interest and political groups spending large quantities of money on new technology. By trying to make it possible for individual homeowners to eliminate the need for outside power. The best part of this plan is the way it defuses the cost of building the solar installations. Instead of the government or corporations spending billions replacing existing power plants with new ones, this cost is the main reason that all energy does not come from solar power today. Hopefully the movement takes root and solar energy becomes more common in the coming years.

by

Growth of Solar Power

Hayes, D. (2014, April 22). As nuclear power dies, solar rises. CNN, Cable News

       Network: CNN Opinion. Retrieved July 12, 2014, from

http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/22/opinion/hayes-denman-solar-

       power/index.html?iref=story search

 

Solar energy is now massively outgrowing nuclear power. In the last year alone solar energy has grown by 4.2 gigawats in the United States and in that time nuclear energy has grown by only 1.2 gigawats worldwide. This trend has caused some to call this the “true dawn of the Solar Age”. With growth in solar power comes the demise of nuclear plants across the country.  Upgrades to reactors and new plants are being canceled and big players from the nuclear industry such as Warren Buffet have invested in solar technology, heralding an end to the nuclear age.

 

 

The surge in growth for the solar power industry is a promising start to what I can only hope is an environmental revolution. The technology to make efficient solar panels and to avoid the hazards that come with using nuclear technology is here. That we have a real chance to create a green society and to reduce the impact we have on our ecosystems is incredible. However the production of energy by solar power still does not come close to meeting the required levels needed to support our societies consumption of energy. This progress is great but only the beginning and the trend must continue for years before it makes a serious impact.

by

The Best of Solar Energy

“Automakers Power Up Operations on Solar – NBC News.” NBC News. N.p., 14 Aug. 2014.

Web. 16 Sept. 2014. Retrieved September 13, 2014, from http://www.nbcnews.com/business/autos/automakers-power-operations-solar-n180791

 

Solar Energy is a renewable resource that is being used worldwide for an alternative energy resource. Many companies are looking into and investing in Solar Energy. The reason why so many companies are using Solar Energy is because they wouldn’t have to spend on the energy bill. The way it works is that you buy solar panels and land to put those solar panels on; but you don’t want any land, you want land where there is sun. You see, the solar panels are absorbing the sun’s energy. So, big corporations such as General Motors, are using these alternatives to power up their new Chevrolet Volt Plug-In Hybrid; so they can be ready for the customers when purchased. Many automakers are looking at Chevrolet and wanting to do the same with their vehicles and begin to use solar energy as well.

This article shows how solar energy is effecting the car industry. Nowadays there are many vehicles that are energy generated. Meaning they don’t have to use gas or oil (fossil fuels) to power up the vehicle. This being, many automaker are looking into alternative ways to power up their hybrid vehicles; that being solar energy. Many automakers want to use beneficial ways to power up their new hybrid vehicles without harming the environment as much as they would. The author proposes ways companies can begin their new alternative resource, that being said, investing in solar energy panels and perhaps putting those panels on their factory acres the businesses own.