solar power
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The top 10 sources for energy
Jacobson the power-ful.stanford.eduI was disappointed when I discovered that the list of experts at last week’s Clean Energy Summit would not include Stanford University’s Mark Jacobson. Of course, no individual is indispensable at such a summit. But as the day went by I felt his absence more and more keenly. That’s because Jacobson is one […]
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Removing roadblocks to the growth of renewables
On Friday, the U.S. Energy Information Administration released new monthly statistics for renewable energy output as well as output of traditional forms of power. The good news is that renewable energy in May, the latest month for which statistics have been compiled, is at its all-time highest level, accounting for 13% of total power. The […]
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Solar wars
Note to utilities: solar is popular with your customers. Earlier in the month in Colorado, Xcel proposed a scheme to charge their customers who install a solar installation an extra fee. After 5 days of intense public outcry, they withdrew the plan. For now. And in New Mexico, Public Service of New Mexico (the largest […]
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Solar is getting cheap
Much of the rhetoric against energy legislation of any kind—and at any level—centers on cost. So advocates spend a lot of time explaining why continuing with the status quo is not a low cost option: clean(er) coal is not cheap, and nukes are really expensive. To say nothing of terraforming Mars. The other half of […]
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North American feed-in tariff policies take off
Gainesville’s feed-in tariff program is limited to 4 megawatts of solar PV each year. The program is already fully subscribed through 2015 — a 24-megawatt commitment.Photo courtesy U.S. NRELClean energy advocates in Europe have long considered the feed-in tariff as an antidote to the industrial world’s fossil fuel dependency. Now, the United States and Canada […]
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Heath Ledger harpoons whaling, and more
Photo: Howie Berlin via FlickrNo jokerOscar-worthy performances and a waltzing Matilda definitely make the list of 10 things we love about you, Heath Ledger. Now we’re adding your grimm music video and devotion to animal rights.
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eSolar launches power tower concentrated solar thermal plant – live video cast today, 1 pm EDT
Watch eSolar’s launch live here at 10 am PDT. CEO Bill Gross will be joined by David Meyers, Executive Director of The Wildlands Conservancy, and leading clean energy experts Dan Kammen of UC Berkeley and Google.org’s Dan Reicher (my boss from DOE days) . Below is a fascinating video from a recent episode of National […]
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Solar chargers, real and imagined
The real news of the day: there’s now a solar-powered charger for iPhones. The more entertaining news: At Comic-Con this weekend, Jimmy Fallon dressed up as a solar-powered superhero called “Recharger” and tried to sell his idea to, among others, Jon Favreau, Stan Lee, Joss Whedon, and that hot guy from Lost. This skit is […]
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Ask Umbra on solar pool heaters
Send your question to Umbra! Q. Dear Umbra, With all the rain we’ve had this year, the pool water doesn’t get a chance to warm up in between rainstorms. We are trying to design a passive heating system. We’ve thought about flexible one-inch black hose (if we can find it) attached to the filter and […]
