PVPower - Solar Powered Simplified

All Blog Posts (27)

More Solar Panel Manufacturing in the U.S. with new Kyocera Solar plant

There is a continued movement for solar panel manufacturers to launch manufacturing plants in the U.S. with the rapid growth in the industry. This is creating added efficiencies for the manufacturer and just as important, the end users of solar pv. Several of these foreign companies have received stimulus funds from the DOE as well, as these new plants will create jobs in the country.

Kyocera is a very credible solar panel provider with competitive pricing, so this is a very

… Continue

Added by Tim Carroll on March 4, 2010 at 9:42pm — No Comments

Illinois Leading the Way for Green Projects

A good article from Renewable Energy World about methods Illinois is looking at to finance green projects. March 2, 2010

Illinois' Green Energy Finance Initiative

A recent initiative from Illinois may serve as a model for other states that hope to attract green energy projects and stimulate economic development.

by Marnin Lebovits, Illinois Finance Authority

Oklahoma, United States [Renewable Energy World North America Magazine]

Ther… Continue

Added by Bryan Accra on March 4, 2010 at 1:30pm — No Comments

John Stewart on Climate Change

A funny clip from the Daily Show on climate change:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

… Continue

Added by Bryan Accra on March 1, 2010 at 1:00pm — No Comments

Solar Power Potential in Belize, Central America

I just returned from a week-long trip to Belize, Central America. Most of my time was spent on Caye Caulker, a very small island off the north east shore of Belize City, home to 30% of Belize's 300,000 residents. When I asked the locals, they estimated Caye Caulker to have a population of between one and two thousand. A small portion of the island has reliable electricity and utilities and not surprisingly, supports the tourism industry through guest houses, resorts, laundromats, dive shops, res… Continue

Added by Dan Kuthy on February 20, 2010 at 6:42pm — 1 Comment

President Obama Awards $2.3 Billion for New Clean-Tech Manufacturing Jobs

Big news from the Department of Energy as they continue to support alternative energy to stimulat job growth. It looks like nearly all the incentives are awarded to companies that are manufacturing products (see excel attached at bottom of blog for the companies awarded)

President Obama Awards $2.3… Continue

Added by Tim Carroll on January 12, 2010 at 11:13pm — No Comments

Renovation Nation Episode: Hawaii: Solar Army Base

Renovation Nation is a great show that covers the green home building movement. There is a recent episode about one of the largest solar communities to go up on a Hawaiian Army base. They ended up using "peel and stick photovoltaics" from Uni-Solar for the solar roofing:

Details on the show and all their airings are at:… Continue

Added by Tim Carroll on January 12, 2010 at 10:45pm — No Comments

The Basics of an Energy Audit

A great overview of what a home owner should expect from an energy audit from Chicago Energy Audit firm eZing.

Continue

Added by Nick Yecke on January 5, 2010 at 1:48pm — No Comments

Solar Power With Style: Fast Company article

Some nice looking solar products rolling out, especially by a company called Regen. Here is the beginning of the Fast Company article below, with the entire write up at: http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/140/star-powered.html Afte… Continue

Added by Tim Carroll on January 3, 2010 at 3:52pm — No Comments

Newspapers engaging readers around the 2010 Copenhagen Climate Summit

Courtesy of Yahoo Tech: PARIS (AFP) - Agence France-Presse and 10 other news agencies have formed a coalition seeking to engage readers around the world through blogs and Twitter messages during the Copenhagen climate summit which starts Monday. They will run a joint page on the Facebook social networking site that will give media consumers direct access to the journalists and editors covering the UN summit and reactions in key countries. The news agencies are seeking to use one of the most i… Continue

Added by Tim Carroll on December 2, 2009 at 10:15am — No Comments

Solar article in the Star Tribune: Smartening the Power Grid

Nice article in the Star Tribune about the federal investments in the smart grid and how some of the funds are getting distributed to the regional power companies:

Zach Boyden-Holmes, Getty Images President Obama stood in front of a field full of solar panels this week during a visit to the DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center in Arcadia, Fla. Th… Continue

Added by Tim Carroll on November 11, 2009 at 10:23am — No Comments

The Solar Bill of Rights

To secure a policy environment that allows solar energy to compete and empowers consumers to choose, Rhone Resch declared today, October 27, 2009, in the City of Anaheim, California, a Solar Bill of Rights:

"We declare these rights not on behalf of our companies, but on behalf of our customers and our country. We seek no more than the freedom to compete on equal terms and no more… Continue

Added by Nick Yecke on November 3, 2009 at 11:30am — No Comments

SEIA Statement on House Passage of H.R. 3585, the Solar Technology Roadmap

Washington, D.C. – Rhone Resch, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), released the following statement today after the House passed H.R. 3585, the Solar Technology Roadmap, by a vote of 310-106: “SEIA applauds the House for recognizing solar as an increasingly essential part of the U.S. energy portfolio. While solar technology is available and being deployed now in all 50 states, the Solar Technology Roadmap will help continue technological innovations and breakth… Continue

Added by Nick Yecke on October 22, 2009 at 6:09pm — No Comments

Solar Leaders Applaud New PV Cost Study that Shows Government Policies Reduce Installed Costs, Expand U.S. Solar Market

Washington, D.C. – Today researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab released “Tracking the Sun II: The Installed Cost of Photovoltaics in the U.S. from 1998–2008.” The new report found that the average cost of going solar in the U.S. declined by more than 30 percent from 1998 to 2008, a trend that can be largely attributed to the success of market-building policies at the state and local level. Findings also show that, after a three-year plateau, costs decreased by 3.6 percent from 2007 to 20… Continue

Added by Nick Yecke on October 22, 2009 at 5:59pm — No Comments

Conservation Measures and Solar Power Project Generate Results for Organic Produce Firm

http://www.vivatierra.com/storage/Press%20Release%20Electricity%2010-12-09.pdf Continue

Added by Tryg McInerny on October 19, 2009 at 1:41pm — No Comments

National Poll Shows More Than Nine Out of 10 Americans Want Solar Now

A fantastic survey and results released today by SEIA and SCHOTT Solar, enjoy... Highlights · 92% of Americans think it is important for the nation to develop and use solar energy. This was consistent across all political party affiliations. · 77% of Americans feel the Federal government should make solar power development a national priority, including the financial support needed. · Almost half (49%) of all Americans are currently pondering solar power options for their home or busines… Continue

Added by Nick Yecke on October 8, 2009 at 5:45pm — No Comments

Top 10 Solar Myths

A great write up from our friend @SolarFred on Twitter, find him @ twitter.com/SolarFred Read the full post: Top 10 Solar Myths Myth#1: Solar is too expensive. Myth#2: Even if it’s less expensive, I don’t have the upfront money. Myth#3: Solar will get cheaper, so I might as well wait. Myth#4: Making solar panels causes more pollution th… Continue

Added by Nick Yecke on October 6, 2009 at 1:00pm — No Comments

National Solar Tour - October 3rd

An update from our friends at the SEIA.org: October isn't national solar month, but it should be! Solar energy may be closer than you think. Two major events are coming up that will give every American the chance to see solar technology in action and find out more about how to go solar. This Saturday, October 3rd is the National Solar Tour, sponsored by the American Solar Energy Society. This event provides everyone the opportunity to tour buildings that use solar technology and learn more abo… Continue

Added by Tim Carroll on September 30, 2009 at 11:49pm — 1 Comment

"Sunny Flower" Portable Solar Charger

We came across this solar electronic charger which has a fantastic design. Called the Sunny Flower, you can apply this to a window, or anywhere with sunlight, which will then provide a signal when fully charged. It folds up into a pocket sized travel charging device from there. We are looking into how to get this in our store.

… Continue

Added by Tim Carroll on September 11, 2009 at 8:20am — No Comments

Solar Energy Articles: National Geographic Sept '09 Issue

"Plugging Into the Sun Sunlight bathes us in far more energy than we could ever need—if we could just catch enough."… Continue

Added by Tim Carroll on August 29, 2009 at 7:27pm — 1 Comment

Solar Sound Bluetooth Speakers

Devotec Industries has some very cool solar speakers that work with iPhones, MP3 players and computers. This has a 3.5mm audio jack and is also bluetooth enabled for certain devices. The built in battery provides up to 8 hours of music on a charge. Recharging takes a few hours with a plug in, or 12-24 hours with the solar panel.

… Continue

Added by Tim Carroll on August 17, 2009 at 11:48pm — No Comments