Light Cue 23

Solar Sunday is my weekly roundup of renewable energy and energy efficiency news from around the web.

Solar is so Political

The world of solar energy has been tumultuous of late in the United States: the BLM essentially bans solar power projects on public lands, then reverses its decision because of public outcry. Not to mention the inaction in the Senate on one set of renewable energy legislation, and the action in the House on another. Here’s another twist in the road of clean energy promotion.

Ten Million Solar Roofs In Ten Years
U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has introduced a new bill into the Senate to help ease the cost for homeowners wanting to install solar panels. The 10 Million Solar Roofs Act of 2008 will offer rebates for up to half the installation costs of solar photovoltaic systems, and would be in place for the next ten years. In addition to private homes and businesses, non-profit organizations, and state and local governments would be eligible for the rebates.

TV Goes Solar

For the 1.6 billion people living in areas without utility-supplied electricity, Sharp has designed a TV that can get 100% of its power from the sun. The company plans to exhibit the 26-inch LCD prototype at the Hokkaido Toyako Summit, or G8 Summit, in Hokkaido, Japan, on July 7-9.

The TV uses about one-fourth the power and has about one-third the annual energy consumption of a conventional CRT TV with the same screen size. Compared to today´s LCD TVs, the low-power prototype uses about one-third the power, and about one-half the annual energy consumption.

This extremely low power consumption allows the TV to be powered from one of Sharp´s triple-junction thin-film solar cell modules, with a surface area of about the same size as the LCD screen. The company plans to market the TV and solar energy system as a combination pair.

Solar Sails – The Future is Now

IT’S an idea that has been plagued by misfortune. Now, proponents of technology that seeks to propel spacecraft using the pressure exerted by photons from the sun on thin “solar sails” look set for another chance to get their idea off the ground.

Missions by the US non-profit Planetary Society to test solar sail technology failed in 2001 and 2005, because the rockets needed to get them into space malfunctioned. Now they look set for a comeback as early as 29 July, when a tiny NASA spacecraft called NanoSail-D is scheduled to go into Earth orbit.

The aim is to demonstrate the feasibility of deploying sails in orbit. The spacecraft will unfurl four 3-metre-wide sails made of plastic film coated with aluminium. In addition to feeling pressure from sunlight, it is hoped that the sails will experience a slight drag from Earth’s outer atmosphere. Similar sails could one day be used to bring normal satellites back to Earth after their missions, reducing orbital clutter.

The Sexiest Car EVER

Solar Power, good sense and good cents

Solar energy is clean energy’s rising star, leading the pack in renewable energy investments last year. The Solar Energy Industries Association ( SEIA) reports that 254 megawatts of photovoltaic and concentrating solar power were installed in 2007. The solar energy sector has grown substantially over the past 25 years. At the same time, some investors have also seen substantial growth in their solar-related investments.

Visit the Prospectus Ordering Center”Solar energy equipment can be deployed to create power in several ways, thus one can diversify investment within the sector,” said Monique Hanis, director of communications at SEIA.

Solar is experiencing growing support from the local, state, and federal governments. New Jersey, Florida, Maryland, New York, Nevada, North Carolina, Washington, and New Mexico have all increased their solar energy incentive programs. Other states have passed laws dictating that more energy be from renewable sources. California has mandated that utilities generate 20% of their energy from renewables by 2010 with that figure rising to 33% by 2017.

Tags: futrism, solar power, solar sunday, transportation

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 6th, 2008 at 13:43 and is filed under solar sunday. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.