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1. Memo to the U.S.: There's an "Energy Tsunami" Coming
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2. Intersolar: Germany's 40MW Solar PV Project More Than Halfway Done
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3. Riverwired.com: On the Go? Charge Your Devices with a Solar-Powered Briefcase
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4. Riverwired.com: Reasons Why Anyone Can Go Solar
Memo to the U.S.: There's an "Energy Tsunami" Coming
Craig Rubens - Policy
So goes the warning in an open letter sent today to the White House, Congress, 50 governors and the campaigns of both presidential hopefuls, and picked up by the Associated Press.
The letter was signed by 27 elder statesmen, including former Secretaries of State Colin Powell and Henry Kissinger and former CIA Director-turned-VC James Woolsey, as well as six other former Secretaries of State or Defense, senators and senior White House advisers and Cabinet officers for past presidents, both Republican and Democrat.
“Technology is the cornerstone of a new energy policy,” the letter reads. It lists 13 steps that must be undertaken now to ensure our energy security in the future, including a gamut of clean energy technologies ranging from energy efficiency to renewables to nuclear to clean coal. Current efforts, the letter asserts, are not enough:
“The United States is currently spending 50 percent less on energy research and development than during the 1970s' oil embargo. We spend less than four billion dollars a year on clean energy R&D, which is less than we spend in three days on imported oil today.”
And the current energy crisis is so great that Marine General James Jones, the President of the Institute for 21st Century Energy, which drafted the letter, told the AP that the coming problem is an “energy tsunami,” that we “better get on top of” or we’ll “get crushed.” If you’d like to add your own esteemed name to the letter, sign up on the institute’s web site.
Intersolar: Germany's 40MW Solar PV Project More Than Halfway Done
Katie Fehrenbacher - Energy
Martin gave the update about the PV project called Waldpolenz at the solar conference Intersolar on Wednesday. The massive project is being built at a military airfield in Leipzig, Germany, and will consist of 550,000 thin-film modules made by First Solar. Martin also says the company has other projects of equal size in its pipeline.
While not well known in the U.S., the 12-year-old, privately held builder of solar, wind and biogas projects is already bringing in sizable revenues — around 200 million euros ($317 million) in 2007, says Martin. For the same period, its subsidiary Juwi Solar delivered 100 million euros in revenue. Both are based in Mainz, Germany.
The company also has a North American subsidiary, Juwi Solar Inc., which it hopes will help it expand considerably in the U.S. market. So will we get bigger PV projects now that the German solar builders with years of experience are moving in? Likely, though interestingly, Juwi’s big partner in Germany, First Solar, is looking to build its own thin-film PV projects in the U.S. with the acquisition of installer Turner Renewable Energy.
Riverwired.com: On the Go? Charge Your Devices with a Solar-Powered...
jplatt - business ideas
Road warriors, are you always looking for a wall outlet to charge your cell phone, GPS, MP3 player or PDA? Well seek no further, my friends, because the outlet you need could soon be hanging from your shoulder.
The new Juice Bag ProFolio from Reware is the latest in a growing line of solar-powered bags that you can use to charge your portable devices. The ProFolio is about the same size as the briefcase you've got now, but it comes with a nice one-foot-square array of solar panels that add just half a pound of weight to what you're already carrying.
That extra weight can take some pressure off of you and make it easier to charge your devices on the go. Just plug your devices into the bag when you're in the car, on the plane, or in a meeting, and they'll be fully charged in 2-4 hours.
Sadly, the ProFolio doesn't pack enough juice (pun intended) to charge a laptop, although it is big enough to carry one. Maybe the next generation of bags will do better.
But until then, the ProFolio could be a flexible and affordable alternative for charging your devices. It's just $299 right now, although that introductory price will soon jump to $399.99.
Oh, BTW, the ProFolio is made out of recycled materials. Just in case that little bit of green information helps you make your buying decision.
Riverwired.com: Reasons Why Anyone Can Go Solar
jchait - earth-friendly homes
One of my favorite books, The Solar Living Sourcebook, notes that too often people sort of whine about locating the perfect plot of land for a solar powered home, when really solar can work for every location, just to varying degrees.
They make a good point.
Obviously, there's more sun on a mountain in New Mexico then in a valley in Northern Oregon. However, there's still sun everywhere, and if you have sun, you have solar potential. Basically any amount of solar power your home can use is a good deal for the environment. Any amount you can use is just that much less used from non-renewable sources, and that much money saved.
The Solar Living Sourcebook notes the following ideas:
- Anyone can utilize solar power to a degree. You have to use what you have, make the most of what's available, and use super smart before building planning.
- Work with nature, not against it.
- You don't have to accomplish great strides all at once. Simply working hard to reduce your dependency on your heater and AC is a good start. Learning to use less is a key point. Sure your plot may not produce enough solar power to have your electricity running 24/7, but should it? No one needs their lights or TV on all day.
Learn more about solar power:
- Super Slick Solar Home Lighting Design
- Passive Solar Home Building
- Awesome Solar and Wind System for Greener Building
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