[social_buttons] The more affordable solar power becomes, the more people are going to use it. This is simple. Poll after poll has shown that people like solar energy and think we need to use it more, but many people are turned off by high, initial capital costs (even if they’ll get their money back on… Read More…
THIN FILM SOLAR PANELS
Thin Film Solar Panels Are Here
Renewable Energy Production Increased 8.3% & Coal Consumption Dropped 16.3% Last Year in Europe
Posted in August 24th, 2010
The newest eurostat report on energy production and usage in Europe shows that renewable energy production increased 8.3% and coal consumption dropped 16.3% last year. In total, renewable energy accounted for 18.4% of energy production and coal accounted for 9.6%.
As I reported earlier this year, the European Union (EU) is expected to exceed its target of producing 20% of its energy from renewable energy sources by 2020. These figures are a clear sign that they are on that path.
France Launches €1.35 Billion Clean Energy Program
Posted in August 19th, 2010
by Zachary Shahan in Biofuels, biofuel, carbon capture and storage, clean energy, energy, energy industry, france, geothermal energy, marine energy, nuclear, nuclear energy, nuclear power, policy, renewable energy, smart grid, solar energy, transport, wave energy
The French government announced a huge investment package for renewable energy last week, totaling €1.35 billion ($1.73 billion). The money is to be invested over the next 4 years.
France Launches €1.35 Billion Clean Energy Program
Posted in August 19th, 2010
by Zachary Shahan in Biofuels, biofuel, carbon capture and storage, clean energy, energy, energy industry, france, geothermal energy, marine energy, nuclear, nuclear energy, nuclear power, policy, renewable energy, smart grid, solar energy, transport, wave energy
The French government announced a huge investment package for renewable energy last week, totaling €1.35 billion ($173 billion). The money is to be invested over the next 4 years.
World’s Largest Tidal Turbine, in Scotland
Posted in August 19th, 2010
by Zachary Shahan in clean energy, energy, energy industry, europe, marine energy, renewable energy, scotland, wave energy
The world’s largest tidal turbine was unveiled last week in Invergordon, Scotland. The AK1000, as it is called, developed by Atlantis Resources Corporation, will be installed on the sea bed and connected to the grid later this summer.
India’s Largest Oil-marketing Firm to Invest $430 Million in Clean Energy
Posted in August 14th, 2010
by Mridul Chadha in Feed-in tariffs, alternative fuels, clean energy, india, policy, renewable energy, solar energy, wind energy
Indian Oil Corporation is looking to diversify into renewable and nuclear energy sectors and has earmarked $430 million for investment in the next five years.
The move comes as no surprise as several other government-owned oil companies have showed interest in investing into renewable energy infrastructure. IOC is looking to develop wind energy, solar energy and tidal energy for commercial sale of power. Additionally, it is also looking to form a joint venture with the Nuclear Power Corporation of India to take full advantage of investment opportunities resulting from the Indo-US nuclear deal.
The company already generates power from wind energy for captive use but intends to foray into power generation for commercial sale, either to the power exchanges or to the grid itself. The company is looking for sites in Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu for setting up solar and wind energy plants; both these states have significant wind and solar energy resources. The company has also registered for roof-top solar installations implying that it could look into small-scale installations coupled with feed-in tariff schemes that ensure higher revenue due to higher tariff rates.
Solar Bus Shelter in Corona, California
Posted in August 9th, 2010
Combining two technologies that can help us to address global warming, air pollution, and water pollution, the City of Corona recently took an innovative step forward by installing solar panels on a bus shelter.
US Continues to Lead World in Cumulative Wind Power, China Overtakes US in Annual Additions
Posted in August 5th, 2010
by Zachary Shahan in DOE, Wind, Wind Power, clean energy, department of energy, green jobs, renewable energy, wind energy
A new report out by the Department of Energy (DOE) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the 2009 Wind Technologies Market Report [PDF], provides us with a few new insights into the national and worldwide wind energy market and growth.
Solar Power Transforms Parking Lots into Green Job Generators
Posted in August 3rd, 2010
While fossil fuel companies in the U.S. are busily wrecking vast sections of the country’s natural heritage, a new energy resource has been quietly emerging from an unlikely source: parking lots. More parking lots are being converted into solar energy farms that create clean, renewable power while also creating more green jobs in solar cell manufacturing, installation, and sales.
One relatively new player in the U.S. solar parking lot field is EEPro, an offshoot of the German company EEPro GmbH, which started up operations in North Carolina last year. Its main product consists of photovoltaic units mounted on steel frames, which dovetails neatly with support for renewable energy by the United Steelworkers and other labor groups that see a rich trove of new green jobs in the emerging green economy.