Solar Power International 2008: North America’s Largest Solar Event

Solar Power International 2008, October 13-16, San Diego Convention Center.

Top vendors presenting the state-of-the-art in solar energy technologies and services; 60+ conference sessions and workshops; world-renowned CEO Panel plenary session; extensive exhibits and industry networking opportunities including manufacturers, project developers and contractors, electric utilities, and large buyers such as big box stores.

Solar Power 2008 will encompass the full range of solar energy technologies, including photovoltaics, concentrating photovoltaics, concentrating solar power, and solar hot water and space heating and cooling. Last year’s event sold out in advance, so organizers encourage early registration.

For more information visit: www.SolarPowerConference.com.

Offshore drilling is not the answer to high gas prices

There have been a lot of discussions about the high gas prices in USA the past months and what exactly should be done to curb this trend. Some politicians, like McCain, Bush, and Gingrich, are taking advantage of the situation and tries to push for the ending of a 27-year moratorium on offshore drilling along the coastlines of USA.

But offshore drilling is not a “quick fix” and it won’t help to lower the gas prices. The only ones that will profit from this are Bush and McCain’s friends in the oil industry. While people are suffering from the high gas prices the oil companies are reporting record profits after record profits.

Greenpeace has listed a bunch of reasons why offshore drilling is not the answer to high gas prices at the pump:

“The United States burns 24 percent of the world’s oil, yet we only have 3 percent of the world’s oil reserves. Even if we drilled every drop of oil the U.S. has on shore or off its coasts, we will never be able to drill our way to lower oil prices or energy security. We simply burn more than we could ever drill.”

“Offshore oil drilling is not a short-term fix. It would take at least a decade to bring new leases into production. And, it will be years before exploration could begin and years after that before production would start. If any effect were to be felt on gas prices (most likely only a few pennies per gallon), that effect is decades away.”

“Offering up more of our coastline for drilling won’t lower gas prices. Since President Bush took office in 2000, the number of wells in federally leased areas has increased exponentially, yet gas prices have doubled during that same time. Yet, this type of evidence is never mentioned in the media or by proponents for offshore drilling.”

“Another reason that drilling for more oil in the U.S. won’t result in lower gas prices is because oil prices are set on the global oil market. What this means is that all oil produced around the world is sold all at the same price. There is no guarantee that we would even be using the oil that was drilled here in the U.S. And, we certainly wouldn’t get a discount just because we drilled for it on U.S. soil. We would pay the same rate as the rest of the world.”

The only things that will lower the fuel prices, create more jobs, solve the climate crisis and fix this fragile economy is to invest in clean renewable energy sources, setting strict mpg standards for all automobiles and transform our current society to a sustainable one.

Top 10 Alternative Energy Lobbying Groups in 2008

As alternative energy becomes a hot button issue on the campaign trail, trade groups and individual companies in the sector are fighting to have their voices heard on the Hill — and money talks. Up until June 30, 2008, companies that make up the alternative energy production and services sector spent $11.39 million on lobbying, according to the Center for Responsive Politics — a little more than a fifth of what the traditional oil and gas industries spent for the same period at $52.21 million. Still, at that pace, the sector will overtake its lobbying efforts from last year, which totaled $16 million for the year.

The Top 10 alternative energy lobbying groups are largely biofuel, solar and wind trade groups, though the biggest contributor by far is the “American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity,” which is made up by companies that depend on coal to produce power. We guess it’s not surprising that the group with some of the most established and well-funded companies is investing the highest amount in lobbying, but that doesn’t make it less disturbing, as the group is likely trying to maintain its dominant power-producing position. So far this year, the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity gave more than double the amount of the next highest lobbying group.

To us, one of the most surprising on the list is that smart grid “startup” GridPoint has spent $172,061 on lobbying efforts. We know the company has been backed by millions from Goldman Sachs and other investors, but that is a lot of money for a young firm. Wondering what they’re up to? Send over your educated guesses.

Here’s the list:

1. American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity: $1.87M
2. National Biodiesel Board: $679,913
3. Solar Energy Industries Association: $535,000
4. Clean Energy Group: $492,500
5. American Wind Energy Assocation: $460,379
6. Poet: $360,000
7. Rentech: $250,000
8. Green Hunter: $220,000
9. Noble Environmental Power: $200,000
10. GridPoint: $172,061

Kites Could Become Major Source Of Wind Power

The idea to use kites for wind power is nothing new, but a development at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands reminds us that we haven’t even begun to tap the potential of these flying contraptions.

A recent experiment performed by a team at the university used kites to create 10 kW of energy—enough to power 10 homes. This is a not a major breakthrough in and of itself, but the researchers plan to build a larger version of the project called “Laddermill” that would create 50 kW of energy. They eventually want to build a 100 MW version of their project. If successful, the expanded project would create enough power for 100,000 homes.

The kites are attached to a generator by a string. Power is created when the string is pulled and the generator turns as winds lift it into the sky.

According to Laddermill project leader Wubbo Ockels, kites are a cheap way to use energy higher up in the air, where winds carry more power due to high speeds (7 meters/sec). In contrast, turbines harvest energy closer to the ground, where wind speed is slower (5 meters/sec).

Unfortunately, Ockels predicts that the technology might not be brought to the market for a long time unless a large amount of money is made available. But if the kite generators do make it out of the lab, they may silence critics who complain about wind power’s detrimental effects on birds and scenery.

The new solar powered cases cure the power problem for iphone 3G

Unfortunately the iphone 3G is considered inefficient when it comes to long battery life. The battery on this particular phone drains more quickly in a typical day of use than the battery on the original iPhone. To combat this power problem and to protect the phone from everyday scratches and knocks, the new solar powered case is launched. It is Compatible with all iPhones, including the new iPhone 3G. In direct sunlight, these chargers can provide functional power levels in less than 3 hours, or a full charge in 10.

Built with 1500 mAh battery this can provide one full charge for your iPhone and will recharge itself through the solar panel mounted to the front of the case, or via Mini USB if you’re in a badly lit area. These solar chargers come in both black and white in genuine leather casing.

You Can Recycle Concrete?

Experienced flipper and eco-enthusiast, Domonique Levesque, shows Greenovate viewers how to really green up the neighborhood. He works his renovation magic using energy efficient appliances and sustainable materials. One one episode, Domonique even installs a recycled concrete countertop! Didn't know you could recycle concrete? Yes, you can!

If you thought only aluminum cans and newspapers could be recycled, you may be missing out on some key greening initiatives. While some are figuring out where we can keep all the country’s garbage, others are investigating how we can reuse it.

Concrete is among the many items that create huge problems for landfills. Typically it arrives in extremely large quantities and has a tremendous lifespan. Now, environmentally savvy builders are taking perfectly good concrete out of the refuse system. The process is quite simple and in many cases the recycling starts at the demolition site.

First, the concrete is removed from the area. Demolition workers must be careful to keep it separated from other items because concrete with wood or metal imbedded in it cannot be recycled. Next, the concrete is put into a machine which crunches it into much smaller pieces. Sometimes large chunks must enter the system twice. The finished product can be used as gravel bases for roadways or to produce brand new blocks of concrete.

If you're in the process of demolishing a structure and want to save some cash, contact area contractors who specialize in recycling concrete. The process will significantly decrease the amount you'll have to pay to transport and dispose of concrete slabs. Plus, you'll be keeping perfectly useful material out of the waste system.

WORLD FIRST ECO PEDAL HELPS REDUCE FUEL CONSUMPTION BY NISSAN

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., today unveiled the ECO Pedal – a world first technology – designed to assist drivers to become more fuel-efficient. When the eco-pedal system is on, each time the driver steps on the accelarator, a counter push-back control mechanism is activated if the system detects excess pressure, helping to inform the driver that they could be using more fuel than required. An eco-driving indicator integrated into the instrument panel feeds the driver with real-time fuel consumption levels to help improve his/her driving behavior. The ECO Pedal system can be turned on or off according to the driver’s preference.

Nissan plans to commercialize the ECO Pedal during 2009. Research conducted by Nissan has shown that by using the ECO Pedal drive system, drivers can improve fuel efficiency by 5-10%*, depending on driving conditions.

The ECO Pedal system is fed data on the rate of fuel consumption and transmission efficiency during acceleration and cruising, and then calculates the optimum acceleration rate. When the driver exerts excess pressure on the accelerator, the system counteracts with the pedal push-back control mechanism.

At the same time, the eco-driving indicator incorporated on the instrument panel indicates the optimal level for fuel-efficient driving. Driving within the optimal fuel consumption range, the indicator is green. It begins to flash when it detects increased acceleration before reaching the fuel consumption threshold and finally turns amber to advise the driver of their driving behavior.

In order to achieve reduction in CO2 emissions, Nissan takes a “triple-layer” solution that encompasses vehicle technologies, driving behavior and traffic conditions. The ECO Pedal supports the second-layer addressing driving behavior and is among a range of eco-friendly technologies being pursued under the Nissan Green Program 2010. The company’s environmental roadmap aims at developing new technologies, products and services that can lead to real-world reductions in vehicle CO2 emissions, cleaner emissions, and recycling of resources.