Mortenson Construction Big into Renewable Energy

Minnesota-based General Contractor, Mortenson Construction, announced recently that they are getting 1/4 of their revenue from renewable projects--primarily wind power and solar power.

To read the full article, click HERE.

Black Silicon May Transform Solar PV Manufacturing Market

The National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) announced a major feat in technological advancement.  NREL, in partnership with NJ-based Natcore, have uncovered "Black Silicon" as an efficient alternative for the solar photovoltaic material of choice.

Read the full article HERE.

BP Solar Keeps Australian Venture

In the wake of British Petroleum (BP) announcing their retrenchment in the global solar market, the company vows to maintain a venture in Australia.

See full article HERE.

Denver Receives High Marks on Energy Policy for National Green Cities Study

A recent study of 27 US municipalities by Siemens, notes that the energy policy in Denver, Colorado is one of the best in the country.

Way to go, Denver!

Siemens' Study Acknowledges San Francisco as US City Leader in Sustainability

International corporation, Siemens, conducted a survey of 27 cities to quantify and stratify green/sustainable cities.  Among the 31 objective factors that the study reviewed, San Francisco has risen among the group as the official municipal green leader.

Metrics reviewed for the study included: CO2/capita, water consumption, recycling/capita, LEED-certified buildings, and other key objective measures.

The full study can be found here.

wireless electric vehicle (ev) charging?

automobile innovators believe that the eventual future of electric vehicles (ev) will be a far cry from extension cords and finding an outlet.  the vision is for wireless inductive charging.  this method seems very plausible for market induction, as it would increase user convenience dramatically.  

i would be curious to learn more of cost of the technology, implementation/construction of the infrastructure, and energy loss as a result of the technology operations.

chevy volt declared greenest car in 2011 by kelly blue book

kelly blue book just announced their list of the top ten greenest cars in 2011.  not surprising, the chevy volt, weighing in at 93 miles per gallon took the pole position over number two, toyota prius.  nice work, chevy!

solar safety for firefighters--innovative workshop launched in denver by IECRM

Denver, CO, March 22, 2011 – Today, the non-profit association, Independent Electrical Contractors-Rocky Mountain (IECRM) launched a very important piece of the training puzzle for the solar photovoltaic (PV) industry:  how to make sure that firefighters stay safe on a fire call with a solar electric system.  IECRM rolled out a Solar PV Safety for Firefighters course at the North Washington Fire District in Thornton this morning.  The course was taught by PV expert, Andrew Truitt of Truitt Renewable Energy Consulting.

Solar PV systems on homes and businesses act like mini-power generating stations and operate via Direct Current (DC), which poses a unique set of challenges over electricity found in standard homes and businesses that have Alternating Current (AC) service from the electric utility.  DC creates potential safety risks to fire fighters that AC typically does not have.  With the dramatic increase of adoption of solar electric systems within the state of Colorado over the past few years and well into the future, emergency responders need to be educated on these unique concerns in order to ensure safety on fire calls.

“The solar overview provided us with a basic understanding on how the systems operate,” said North Washington Fire District Battalion Chief Stuart Sunderland, “and it provided us with the general information and safety concerns presented will definitely make us stop and think the next time we respond to a call to a building with a solar system.”  IECRM will be reaching out to other fire districts in the metro to make them aware of the cautions of PV systems and what their fire fighters should know about handling them.

IECRM is a 170-member strong non-profit association and Colorado’s largest electrical apprentice training school, educating hundreds of electrical and renewable energy professionals each year. For more information, www.IECRM.org.