Blogs & Ecology

Concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) technology is one of the newest players on the solar energy scene. These systems are unique because sunlight is concentrated through a lens onto high performance solar cells, thus increasing the electricity generated. Panels are mounted on tracking systems to maximize the benefit of each ray of sunlight.

SolFocus, a solar startup based in California has designed a promising CPV panel for medium to utility-scale applications. Let's explore some of the impressive characteristics of SolFocus' 1100S:

Tomorrow morning, the gym will be quite crowded with new members hoping to start the year off right. It is one of the most common new year's resolutions of all time, and also one that sounds good in theory...but in practice, rarely lives up to expectations.

It sounds iffy; running your company's network on a WiFi connection that is entirely powered by solar energy. But a Mountainview, CA firm says it provides a 100% uptime solution. And it reports a mad dash for its products by companies in the range of 50 to 200 employees.

Mesh WiFi firm Meraki started shipping its Meraki Solar December 4th, after a year long delay because it needed to improve its battery technology.

So it looks like a copy of Barack Obama's inauguration speech has been leaked.

Here's an excerpt...

I've been receiving a lot of questions lately about how the Obama administration's energy policies will affect the renewable energy sector. After all, the President-elect has been very vocal about insisting on the need to develop new, cleaner forms of energy, stating in very clear terms that the future of our economy and national security is inextricably linked to the challenge of energy.

Alternative energy schemes are going to be making important inroads around the globe. But the social implications of this should not be underestimated. A recent study by the Energy Savings Trust in the UK outlines how the scenario is likely to unfold in Britain.

The German solar panel company SolarWorld has installed solar panels on the roofs of the Vatican. The Pope switched to the system earlier this week and is expected to announce drastic plans to expand on the project. The solar panels are placed on top of the massive roof of the Vatican's Nervi Hall, where the pope receives general audiences.

With all of the time and energy we expend using computers, it makes sense that developing energy efficient alternatives should be a high priority for technology companies. And who better to grab the reins and innovate this category than Apple, reinforcing their commitment to bringing leading edge solutions to the forefront, and elevating the green 'cool factor' in the process.

Electronics giants have various options to produce devices that are less damaging for the environment. Among the easier options is to design products that are less energy consuming. But the companies are increasingly devoting their talent and know how to the creation of proprietary power generating systems for their own manufacturing plants to run on wind or solar energy.

The Europeans are serious about nanotechnology to wean countries off using fossil fuels in the next century. There´s considerable interest in setting up a solar grid that is global because the sun consistently shines on some part of the planet.

The technologies European scientists say are going to dominate the sustainable energy sector include Dye Sensitized solar Cells (DSCs) and biomimetics. These two technologies are popular because they show great promise for capturing or storing solar energy. At the same time, nanocatalysis already has begun to churn out efficient methods for energy-saving industrial processes convincingly.

As part of Blog Action Day, we introduced you to the public purpose investment company, E+Co. To recap, E+Co is a non-profit that provides local energy entrepreneurs in developing countries with business development services as well as investment capital. Active in 28 countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, it has fostered the growth of 180 enterprises, offering an additional 4.3 million people access to clean energy, and offsetting 3 million tons of carbon.

In honor of Blog Action Day, Triple Pundit is pleased to highlight E+Co. A public purpose investment company (read: non-profit investment co), E+Co goes beyond microfinance by providing local energy entrepreneurs in developing countries with business development services as well as investment capitol. Using their enterprise centered business model E+Co investees provide clean, affordable energy to homes, businesses, and communities around the world. As E+Co works to fight poverty and climate change, they are creating a new energy finance paradigm, building off best practices from the philanthropic and venture capital sectors.

I just finished reading this post on Grist about the credit crisis slowing clean energy development, and I’ve gotta say – I’m pretty hoppin’ mad. Reading this N.Y. Times expose last weekend about how the Bush Administration's financial oversight people were asleep at the wheel these past few years, exhibiting a level of negligence that has to be criminal, didn’t exactly help me feel better.

Despite the recent economic downturn, in the last two weeks both New Jersey and Rhode Island have chosen to move ahead with plans to construct offshore wind farms, announcing their selected energy developers. Only a few months ago, Delaware publicized a contract for a similar project.