Green Technology

... "During recent months, the 600,000-square-foot Fontana, Calif., distribution warehouse roof selected as the first installation site has been fitted with 33,700 advanced thin-film solar panels making it the largest single rooftop solar photovoltaic array in California. The facility now generates enough power during peak output conditions to meet the needs of approximately 1,300 Inland Empire homes. " ...

Continue reading "Large California Rooftop Solar Installation" »

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Category: Solar

... "To do that you must become acutely aware of how resource consumption within the data center affects things like electricity usage and carbon emissions. Then you must transform the way you operate to make your data center more environmentally friendly. " ...

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Category: Green-Data-Center

"Santa Coloma de Gramanet, near Barcelona [Spain] , has placed 462 solar panels over its multi-storey mausoleums. ... the scheme was initially greeted with derision, but families who use the cemetery eventually supported the idea ... are now plans to erect more panels at the cemetery and triple the amount of electricity generated.

" ... installation cost 720,000 euros (£608,000) but will keep about 62 tonnes of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere every year, 

Via:  BBC News  Link

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Category: Solar

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Category: Education

While browsing through the Longwood Gardens (/www.longwoodgardens.com/ - Kennett Square, Pa) gift shop, I came across a neat product ... GreenPots, made by Ecosource.  GreenPots These are planters that are environmentally friendly.

" ... ecosource was born… to source products that are better for the planet ... in order to minimize our own impact on the earth ... to keep goods affordable and accessible to the average consumer ..."

" are made from rice hulls, a natural by-product of renewable and sustainable crops ... contain no harmful ... ingredients, ... deplete no natural resources, breakdown to easily decompose in landfills or into the earth ... 

Via:  Ecosource  Link

Continue reading "GreenPots - Planters made from RICE" »

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Category: Environmental Friendly Products

... "OPEL’s Mk-I HCPV panels concentrate the light from the sun more than 500 times and have conversion efficiencies up to twice that of conventional silicon solar panels and more than three times that of thin film solar panels. OPEL’s solar trackers can be used in conjunction with both concentrating panels, as well as with conventional silicon ones. When these trackers are used in conjunction with conventional silicon panels, the resulting electricity generation can be increased by as much as 40% with respect to conventional fixed panel installations. " ...

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Category: Photovoltaics

... "Yang Yang, a professor of materials science and engineering, and colleagues describe the design and synthesis of a new polymer, or plastic, for use in solar cells that has significantly greater sunlight absorption and conversion capabilities than previous polymers. The research team found that substituting a silicon atom for carbon atom in the backbone of the polymer markedly improved the material's photovoltaic properties. This silole-containing polymer can also be crystalline, giving it great potential as an ingredient for high-efficiency solar cells. " ...

Continue reading "Polymer Solar Cells Increase Sunlight Absorption" »

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Category: Solar

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Category: Green Building

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Category: Honda

... "In the next five years, solar energy will be an affordable option for you and your neighbors. Until now, the materials and the process of producing solar cells to convert into solar energy have been too costly for widespread adoption. But now this is changing with the creation of thin-film solar cells, a new type of cost-efficient solar cell that can be 100 times thinner than silicon-wafer cells and produced at a lower cost. These new thin-film solar cells can be printed and arranged on a flexible backing, suitable for not only the tops, but also the sides of buildings, tinted windows, cell phones, notebook computers, cars, and even clothing. " ...

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Category: IBM

... "An untreated silicon solar cell only absorbs 67.4 percent of sunlight shone upon it - meaning that nearly one-third of that sunlight is reflected away and thus unharvestable. From an economic and efficiency perspective, this unharvested light is wasted potential and a major barrier hampering the proliferation and widespread adoption of solar power. After a silicon surface was treated with Lin’s new nanoengineered reflective coating, however, the material absorbed 96.21 percent of sunlight shone upon it - meaning that only 3.79 percent of the sunlight was reflected and unharvested. " ...

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Category: Nanotechnology

The very popular Mini (by BMW) is set to come out in a plug in version.  Dubbed the Mini e ... the first 500 are planned for the greater LA area and NYC.

"introduced the MINI E electric vehicle at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show ... MINI E is a pure electric ... runs on lithium-ion batteries. ... "

" ... have set up a special website where you can put your name on the list. ... taking reservations until December 10, 2008 ..."

" ... the MINI E will be the first lithium-ion powered electric to hit the streets in any quantity. This is just the start of more electric happenings to come. "

Via: Examiner.com LINK

Continue reading "BMW MINI E (electric)" »

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Category: Electric Vehicle

Continue reading "Printing Solar Photovoltaics" »

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Category: Photovoltaics

... "Doubled its commitments for LEED buildings from $1 billion to $2 billion; Increased the number of LEED buildings it has financed by 125 percent; Expanded its reach from financing LEED-certified buildings in 11 states and the District of Columbia to 19 states; Increased the type of LEED buildings financed to include a cold storage facility, data center and community center, in addition to office, mixed-use, industrial, retail, schools, multifamily; " ...

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Category: Green Building

... "The study won’t involve construction of the solar equipment --- at least not yet --- but rather will examine the economics of using solar power to generate steam to spin turbines at Dynegy’s 578-megawatt Kingman, Ariz., plant. " ...

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Category: Solar

" ...the first solar panels have been installed on the Paul VI auditorium at the Vatican. ... BBC News reports Pope Benedict has become the first pontiff to harness solar power to provide energy for the Vatican."

"Roof tiles on the Paul VI auditorium, ...  are being replaced by 2,700 solar panels ... photovoltaic cells ... generating enough power to light, heat or cool the 6,000 seat hall ..."


" .... When ... not in use, the surplus energy produced will reportedly be fed into the Vatican's power network."

Via:  CathNews.com  Link

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Category: Solar

In addition to Federal tax credits, grants, loans, etc ... many states and or local utilities offer programs to help homeowners get into solar, wind or geothermal energy.

" ... Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency is an ongoing project of the North Carolina Solar Center and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) funded by the U.S. Department of Energy."

" IREC's mission is to accelerate the use of renewable energy sources and technologies in and through state and local government and community activities...."

>>> Federal Programs LINK

>>> State Programs  LINK

Via:  DESIRE  LINK

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Category: Incentives

... "Shai is also building the stations in Israel where batteries for cars can be recharged and is expanding this effort in countries around the world. We want to reduce our state’s and our nation’s dependence on foreign oil, and the advanced battery has the potential to do just that. " ...

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Category: Michigan

Many utilities are offering coupons with their bills for lower cost energy savings kits.  One from PECO (servers Philadelphia and region) with electricity and Natural Gas (ex-Philadelphia) includes 3 CFB, Energy Tips wheel, faucet aerators, and other goodies.

Via:  PECO  LINK

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Category: Energy Conservation

... "The Greensburg facility reflects Honda's growing reputation for flexible and efficient auto manufacturing. It is Honda's fifth U.S. plant designed as a zero waste-to-landfill facility and will be the first Honda facility to feature an on-site parts consolidation center that is helping increase efficiency while reducing vehicle emissions and costs related to transportation and parts handling. " ...

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Category: Waste Management

... "Because the Tesla never consumes petroleum while driving, the E.P.A.-required window sticker lists the energy consumed in kilowatt-hours of electricity. Translating the Roadster’s numbers --- 32 kilowatt hours per 100 miles in town and 33 on the highway ... " ...

Continue reading "Electric Vehicle Performance Metric" »

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Category: Electric Vehicle

According to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative - recycling is only part of the solution ... where the wood ultimately comes from is also important.

"  SFI Inc. is an independent, non-profit organization responsible for maintaining, overseeing and improving a sustainable forestry certification program that is internationally recognized ..."

" ... SFI 2005-2009 Standard is based on principles and measures that promote sustainable forest management and consider all forest values. ... SFI certification also extends to the market. When they see the SFI label on a product, consumers can be confident they are buying wood or paper from well-managed, legal sources – whether it is reams of paper, packaging or two-by-fours."

Via:  Sustainable Forestry Initiative  LINK

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Category: sustainable-design

Citizens Bank will reward customers who GO GREEN - up to $120 / year by making paperless payments.

Read on for more  >>> 

"Green$ense is simple ... it's free. Enroll ... and we'll pay you 10 cents for every paperless payment you make with us - that's 10 cents every time you use your debit card (whether you sign or enter your PIN), make a payment using online bill pay, or have an automatic payment charged to your checking account or debit card. You can earn up to $120 a year!"

" ... even receive a new Green$ense debit card made from recycled plastic."

Via:  Citizens Bank LINK

Continue reading "Bank Rewards those who Go Green" »

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Category: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

... "CASE participants will explore the use of natural dehumidifying materials, the naturally cooling properties of terra cotta walls and ways in which a structure can be modified to harness wind energy. " ...

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Category: Green Building

... "Boeing, Air New Zealand and UOP have worked diligently with growers and project developer Terasol Energy to identify sustainable jatropha in adequate quantities to conduct thorough preflight testing. Using proprietary UOP fuel processing technology, the jatropha crude oil was successfully converted to biojet fuel, marking the world's first large-scale production run of a commercially viable and sustainable biofuel for aviation use. As part of the fuel verification process, UK-based engine maker Rolls-Royce's technical team conducted extensive laboratory testing to ensure compatibility with today's jet engine components and to validate the fuel meets stringent performance criteria for aviation fuel. To process the jatropha crude, the team relied on UOP's green jet fuel processing technology based on hydroprocessing methodologies that are commonly used to produce transportation fuels. During processing, hydrogen is added to remove oxygen from the biomass, resulting in a bio-derived jet fuel that can be used as a petroleum replacement for commercial aviation. " ...

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Category: Biofuels

... "SAP’s approach to sustainability is to holistically manage social, environmental and economic risks and opportunities for enhanced profitability, reputation and compliance. The report issued today tracks SAP’s footprint in areas such as facilities management, business travel, water use and waste management. " ...

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Category: Sustainability

See what BNSF is doing to develop a Greener inter modal freight port ... 

"BNSF’s SCIG, will be a state-of-the-art, environmentally friendly, near-dock intermodal facility that will have 90 percent less emissions than traditional intermodal yards. ... eliminate millions of truck miles annually from the 710 and other local freeways, reducing traffic congestion and improving air quality, but it will bring hundreds of new, and good paying jobs to the local community.

 Check out this You Tube Video Link

Via:  BNSF Link

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Category: Energy Conservation