germany solar industry still growing

despite germany cutting feed-in-tarriffs (FITs), their solar PV market continues to remain strong.  this outcome may be a surprise to a number of market critics that forecasted otherwise.

expanded article here.

solar PV technology improvement to cut cost

san jose, ca-based twin creeks technologies has developed a new process for ultra-thin solar photovoltaic wafers.  this innovative technology is purported to reduce cost, which may assist in driving down panel price.

read the full release here. 

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.

renewable transmission...more visionary leadership needed

as the renewable industry worldwide continues to grow, issues with the infrastructure of energy transmission will grow alongside the emerging markets.  distributed energy and large-scale transmission will be hot-button topics that requires a wealth of visionary leadership from our governing agencies, utilities, and regulators.  

europe is leading part of this charge and you can read more about the transmission issues and possible solutions in this forward-thinking article.

solar study identifies market penetration

a boston consulting group released a recent study that identifies trajectory of solar market share to challenge conventional fossil fuel energy sources.

the study highlights a market equilibrium and economy of scale to hit the solar pv market in next 5-10 years in regions of pronounced solar resource.

with continued demand for solar products increasing along with advancements in the technology-- efficiency increase and resulting cost per unit decrease--the longterm outlook for the photovoltaic industry seems to be very promising.

diplomatic adventures navigating renewable energy in japan

meeting with iwate-ken governor and senior advisors to discuss renewable energy initiatives in northern japan.

getting further detail from industry development director for iwate-ken.  a number of strong take-aways thus far:

• city of morioka –green initiatives
• iwate prefecture –dedication to advancing green technologies
• kowai closed-loop biomass facility–creating energy from organic matter discards
• city of ninohe –green initiatives and solar installations
• iwate hospital –energy efficiency, green roof, and solar initiative
• kashiwadai hydro-electric power station –in-line small hydro facility generating 13,100kw in the three stations, interesting to note: facility on national park land and strong efforts to keep visual impairment of facilities from public eye
• green power kuzumaki –wind farm in kuzumaki, energy self-sufficient town of 8,000 people by renewables
• kashiwadai kougen –biomass energy production for kougen facilities

closed-loop biomass energy generation (no, don't yawn--this is cool)

a major player in the organic/natural foods industry in japan, koiwai farms, has developed a zero-waste, methane capture energy generation system on their main growing facility in northeastern japan.  the biomass and composting facility is a closed-loop system--taking the organic debris from the agricultural production and integrating it into a fuel source--biomass for biofuel.

the biofuel is created using an active process of methane acceleration and capture.  the methane is then utilized to generate electricity and heat for the farm operations.  the residual bio-products following the methane capture process are nutrient-rich matter that can be further composted and, in a total closed-loop process, be directly applied back into the soil of the farm itself, as rich fertilizer.

the japanese are making some headway on a few model program installations such as this, in the biofuel realm.  very interesting and could be raised to large scale to create larger impact.

photovoltaic performance in heavy japanese snow

well, we toured a city facility with 50kW of solar pv in ninohe, japan on a day with 100% cloud cover and 1" snow accumulation per hour.  needless to say, we experienced the painful example of the intermittence in generation that photovoltaics are subject to.  fortunately, on such days the tendency of wind is in greater likelihood and, therefore, can serve as a secondary generation source.

there are a number of large wind generators in iwate prefecture that provide self-sufficiency for their demand area and surplus consumption.  this surplus is sold back to conventional energy producers via the grid and is mandated by the japanese government to be paid to the renewable energy generator at 2x the going kilowatt hour rate.  in this case, a typical japanese kwh goes for roughly .20cents.  surplus renewable energy (re) generation is purchased by a utility company from the re owner at .40cents per kwh.  not bad, eh?  it incentivizes larger systems beyond self-sufficiency for a homeowner or business to install--helping to leverage a fledgling renewable energy tidal wave to the conventional power generation on the grid.  we'll see what happens...
 

greening the city of baltimore, sustainably...

featured as this week's expert essayist with an audacious idea, www.audaciousideas.org, to create a true model of green industry creation and sustainability in baltimore, maryland.

baltimore has a ripe opportunity to foster green industry growth that will not only be environmentally beneficial, but will also elevate the financial and physical health of the community through green job-creation and generating substantial profit.  this triple-bottom line approach, i call green3.

electric vehicles--what policies do we need to stimulate the industry?

new report released on policy needs and industry drivers (no pun intended) to build electric vehicle (ev) market in the us.

specifically looks at midwestern us states and makes direct recommendations to advancing the industries to foster this emerging market.

simple actions to save money and gain efficiency

a solid article in the new york times on the small investments in energy efficiency to gain huge return on investment and cost savings. an arra stimulus program that works in many ways.

what are your rebates and incentives for energy efficiency and renewables

a comprehensive list of all currently available rebates and financial incentives, broken down by each state in an easy to navigate map.

a solid base of information to help you to the tipping point of how you are going to make your home more comfortable, energy efficient, and save money.

30% decline in cost of solar photovoltaics (pv) in past decade

ten year trends in the solar photovoltaic (pv) sales have shown drastic decline in cost, making solar technologies much more affordable to you and i. the average cost of pv technologies was $12.30 per watt in 1998 compared to $8.50 per watt in 2008. over this period, the average annual reduction was $0.40 per watt. pretty astounding and encouraging.