Bloom Box 60 Minutes Segment

Bloom Energy, a California startup with big financial backing, is about to launch (tomorrow) their Bloom Box, a fuel cell device that they hope to see in the home of every American in the next 5 to 10 years. Holding up two tiny boxes, K.R. Sridhar of Bloom Energy told Lesley Stahl in a recent 60 Minutes interview that they were enough to power a single American home (incidentally, the same number of boxes could power 4 Asian homes, and UK homes require just one).

Many, however, are skeptical that these Bloom Boxes will be able to deliver on their power-saving promises. Michael Kanellos, editors of Greentech Media, has doubts. His concerns are twofold. First, big firms such as GE already have patents for fuel cells but have not yet begun to sell them, primarily because they cost too much to be competitive. Second, well-funded projects like this one with a protracted product development stage—Bloom Energy has been working on its fuel cells for about 10 years and has already received more than $400 million in funding—tend to fall flat when they finally “go live.”

But Bloom Energy already has several clients that have been using the Bloom Box for 9+ months with a lot of success. The installation on the eBay lawn has been running for about that much time and apparently has already saved the company more than $100,000 in electricity costs, providing about 15% of the building’s energy. Their system produces about five times more energy than their acres of solar panels, too!

What remains to be seen is whether the Bloom Box will be affordable for the average consumer looking to save energy at home. Sridhar promises that it will be affordable for Americans, and even for communities in developing countries. We’ll find out tomorrow!

Fido Fashion LED Dog Leash

There seems to be no end of interesting and innovative renewably-powered gadgets coming on the market these days, some more affordable and useful than others. But they all have one thing in common: making it easier for you to power-up your various portable electronic devices on the go with clean energy, like solar energy, kinetic energy, and even doggie-powered energy!

Take the Scosche solBAT II for instance. It’s a solar charger that hooks up to most portable devices using a USB connection. It has a 1500mAh capacity battery with a 5-volt output. You can hook it to your backpack, hang it from your car window with a suction mount, or just put it on your desk. Wherever you put it, just be sure to leave it where it will get direct sunlight. You can charge up the onboard battery within about five hours (after an initial charge that takes 4-5 days). And the best part is that it is only $30.

Then there’s the new Neon Green solar bag. Now, we know that there are a ton of solar bags around these days, but this company has put together a wide range of styles and shapes so that there’s something for almost any renewable energy enthusiast looking for a new bag. From the Piggy Back Soular Back-Up Pack (attach it to your existing backpack), to the full-sized Centurian backpack, to the Big Piggy (for powering up gadgets), they’ve got all kinds of options.

And finally, check out Fido Fashions’ doggie-powered LED leash. It works by gathering energy as the leash coils and uncoils inside of the device. The energy gathered is then used to power three high-intensity LED lights that shine down to light-up your way as you walk your pooch. There’s also an LED light that projects upwards to illuminate your car or front door so that you don’t have to fumble with the keys. And for added convenience, the leash casing has a compartment for doggie waste bags. So check out these new power-saving gadgets and let us know what you think!

Neon Green Piggy Back Solar Back-up Pack

Scosche solBAT II USB power device

InCharge Battery Station

The Greener Gadgets Design Competition is on in anticipation of Greener Gadgets Conference to be held in New York City on February 25. You can make your voice heard by voting for the gadget you find more eco-friendly.

Consider, for instance, the BuLogics Smart Grid Home Controller. It’s billed as the world’s first smart grid-compatible wireless controller. By installing the Z-Wave HAN in your home, you can automatically shut down appliances and electronics that are not being used during peak electricity demand times. This occurs when your local utility grid sends a demand change request and allows you to reduce your monthly power costs. You can also monitor how much you’re using and saving using a wireless computer or cell phone. It’s a great way to really get a handle on when and how much energy you use in order to save power as much as possible.

Another option is the InCharge Battery Station by Pensa. We all know that using rechargeable batteries is not only cost-effective, it’s more environmentally-friendly than disposable batteries. But it can be a pain to plug in the charger and hook up the batteries. With the InCharge Battery Station, simply drop the batteries into the base—it automatically sorts them and begins charging. The LED light indicates the relative charge in each individual battery, holding charged batteries until you need them so that you always have batteries at the ready.

And if you want to produce your own power to charge your electronic devices, check out the RollerGen. As you cycle, the RollerGen will automatically charge two devices—cell phone, mp3 player, and so on—simultaneously. In fact, a 2-mile ride can charge a smartphone!

Or how about the Turbine Light? It’s a renewable energy harvesting device that doubles as a renewable energy system. As the wind turns the turbine, energy is created, which can be used to power the lighting at night. The wind is generated by weather or by passing vehicles.

So don’t miss out on your opportunity to vote for the greenest gadget (deadline February 25)!

RollerGen bicycle powering device

Turbine Light

Mast Humidifier - a beautiful and energy-saving alternative

This time of year can be incredibly dry for those people living in interior regions of the country. Without the warm, moist air of the ocean to humidify the air, it can get really dry, indoors and outdoors. And it’s not just those in winter regions, either. Desert areas like Nevada are also prone to these incredibly dry conditions.

And with really dry air comes all kinds of other problems not least of which is itchy, dry, irritated skin. Who wants that? To fix it, the best solution for most people is to plug in a power-hungry humidifier that adds a relatively big load to our electric bills.

So to save energy, why not try a non-electric humidifying solution? This beautiful Mast Humidifer is a great alternative to conventional plug-in humidifiers. It’s designed with a carved Japanese Cypress base that’s pretty to look at. It’s then fitted with thin pieces of wood that are creatively folded over upon themselves in loops.

This is even better than just putting a bucket of water out to evaporate and moisturize the air. Because of the larger surface area, the humidifier evaporates water about six times as fast as a glass of water would. And because of the type of wood, it emits a lovely, lemon scent. And it does all of this without the use of electricity. It’s a great energy saving option for us dry-skinned power savers. It’s available for purchase (in Japanese) at Masuza.

Installing a Water Heater Insulation Blanket Via Flickr - greenforall.org

The cold that many of us are facing these days has us turning inwards, sipping tea, wearing more layers, and huddling under blankets to stay warm. Hopefully you’ve already taken a look at your heating system to determine how efficient it is so that you’re saving on your monthly energy bills (be they electric, natural gas, pellets, wood, or heating oil).

But many of us also like to warm up by taking a nice long, hot bath or standing for a few extra minutes under the shower. And so here’s another place you can save energy during the cold months. Water heaters are responsible for a relatively large portion of our monthly utility bills, accounting for up to 25% of your average monthly bill! That’s a good chunk of energy, and provides a lot of room for improvement.

According to the US Department of Energy, adding an insulation blanket to your water heater can help to reduce your water-heating related energy costs by as much as 9%. An insulation blanket that you wrap around your water heater can save you around $15 every year in energy bills. These jackets (which are often pre-cut to fit water heaters), cost between $10 and $20 and are very easy to install, so they’re one of the simplest and cheapest things you can do to reduce your energy use. US DOE’s Energy Savers site has a guide to installing an insulation blanket to make it dead simple.

Another really, really simple (and free!) way to reduce your monthly water heating bill is to lower the temperature on your hot water tank from 140ºF to 120ºF or lower. Not only does this reduce the amount of energy you use to keep your water warm without sacrificing comfort, it cuts the mineral build-up in your hot water tank, lengthening its life and cutting your long-term costs, too.

Water Heater Insulation Blanket

Sanyo Eneloop electric bike YouTube video from CES 2010

For the summertime commute or for year-round transportation for those living in balmy climes, the Eneloop Bike by Sanyo could just be one of the biggest money and energy-saving devices you could ever buy. Forget about trading in your SUV for a hybrid vehicle! If you’re interested in truly low-cost driving, then check out this electric bike.

The Sanyo Eneloop electric bicycle is a very low-energy, cost effective means of getting from point A to point B, with little in the way of greenhouse gas emissions along the way. With a rack on the back, you can carry your work bag, groceries, or your child as you run errands, head to the office, or make a trip to a friend’s house. Plus you have the advantage of getting fresh air in the meantime!

When you pedal, it goes—the faster you pedal, the faster you move, up to 15 miles per hour. And by adjusting the built-in Power-Up mode, the bike automatically gives you assistance from the motor while you pedal so that you can ride comfortably uphill with very little energy (they state that it will increase your riding distance by 1.8 times).

Using “Loop charging” the bike circulates energy, charging the battery while you ride. When you apply the brakes, the rear brake acts like a generator that charges the battery. It can also be plugged in to charge it in 3 hours and 30 minutes.

It is available at a variety of retailers for about $2,300, including Best Buy (limited distribution) in their Personal Transportation department.  It’s only available in the white color and one size, but they believe the frame fits about 80% of the people in the market. The seat is adjustable up and down. You can also customize the graphics package for the bicycle (much like your iPhone), so you can personalize your vehicle for an extra charge.

Sanyo Eneloop electric bike

Concord Keystone solar-powered handbag helps you save power on the go

Concord Keystone Trading LLC, an interesting little company, has recently produced a new solar-powered tote bag that’s stylish as much as it is an energy-saver. Unlike many other solar-powered backpacks, briefcases, and handbags that are so not trendy or chic in the least, the 4U2ReUSE (for you to reuse) Solar Sling actually has some good style sense.

But more than that, the bag provides renewable energy while exposed to solar energy during the daytime. Using G24i’s solar panel technology, which is a thin-film variety form of photovoltaics that is capable of charging even when the sun hides behind the clouds, the on-board battery stores the energy from the panels and then can dole it out to small electronics via USB connector. It can charge anything from a cell phone or smart phone to digital cameras and iPods. When in full sun, the system should be fully charged within approximately five hours, according to Concord.

To add to the bag’s eco-credibility, it is made from recycled PET plastic bottles and of course can be used in place of disposable plastic bags handed out at a variety of vendors—from your local grocer to fashion retail outlet.

The bag’s other features include a compartment for a laptop, a key clip, and spacious pockets. It will be available in four color combinations and comes with the battery pack.

Concord Keystone featured this new product at CES, the consumer electronics tradeshow that took place in Las Vegas, Nevada. It has yet to be priced, though is expected to come on the market soon.

Wattvision YouTube video shows you how you can save energy by monitoring your power consumption

If you want a stupid simple way to see how much energy you use and what appliances are costing the most on your utility bills, then here’s a very user-friendly solution. Wattvision’s Sensor is a really easy system you can install yourself (no electrician required) to monitor the energy you use at home, at your school, or in your business. Once the system is installed, you’ll get a whole-house or whole-building energy-use report (with 15-second intervals) that can be read on a computer or your iPhone.

Many great features make this system incredibly practical. First, you can view how much energy you’ve saved (or used) over the history of your Wattvision system, down to the minute. So you can track trends by hour, day, week, or time of year. Additionally, with 15-second updates, as soon as you turn the system on you can test to see which appliances and electronics in your home are using the most energy. Unplug the fridge and watch the energy use diminish or plug in the kettle to see how much energy it takes to boil some water. With this system, you can pinpoint which energy-using devices need to be recycled or replaced so that you can begin to really make changes that count.

Wattvision saves you energy by showing you where you use the most

You can get started with your very own Wattvision Sensor by going to their site, telling them where you are (approximately) and what type of energy meter you have, and then ordering the right sensor for your home or building for $149 (with code wvbetablog; they’re regularly priced at $199). To see a Wattvision in action, check out their live demo.

Bring your power bills down in 2010 with energy-saving ideas - image via Flickr - Tanis Fox

In the spirit of the New Year, we thought it would be a good idea to make some suggestions as to how you might make 2010 greener than 2009. After all, according to a new nationwide survey conducted by Tiller Research LLC, more than 50% of all Americans are likely to get into the green spirit of things in the New Year, which is an increased interest in green compared to years past. In fact, 85% of all Americans are somewhat likely to reduce their household energy use this year, which is great news for the environment and those looking to save money on utility bills.

So here are some great resolutions you may want to try in your quest for saving power:

-          Make a big green impact on your energy consumption by choosing to take fewer flights this year. Since air travel has a significantly bigger footprint than driving or taking the train, this one energy-saving option can have a huge impact on your carbon footprint. Just one fewer cross-country flight can reduce your carbon emissions by 4 tons.

-          Get a power monitor like the Black & Decker Power Monitor (for less than $100) to find out where you’re wasting the most energy in your home. You can then take action to put a stop to energy waste.

-          Tune up your heating and cooling systems with a programmable thermostat and other energy-saving techniques.

-          Drive less by taking public transit, carpooling with co-workers and friends, walking, running, or cycling, or working from home. You’ll reduce wear on your vehicle and save fuel money, too.

For many more power-saving tips and tricks to inspire your New Year’s resolutions, check out our other SavingPower Tips section!

A programmable thermostat can significantly reduce your cooling and heating bills - image via Flickr - Mick Wright

Use alternative modes of transportation for your daily commute - image via Flickr - Richard Drdul

Take fewer flights to shrink your carbon footprint in 2010 - image via Flickr - america.gov

Lucet LED Solar Window Lamp

Not yet something you can purchase at a boxing week sale, but this new solar-powered LED lamp has some great features that, if it ever hits the market, could make it much easier to light up your home with renewable energy. Designed as a concept lamp by industrial designer Rui Palma, the Lucet, as it is called is a lamp that runs on solar energy, collecting it as it sticks to your window. A great energy-saving device in the making.

Although this isn’t the first-ever solar lamp to stick to the window, it does have some great practical features. First, it uses AAA batteries, and while we’d like to see a way to get rid of batteries all together someday, for now, this makes it accessible to the average consumer. And since they’d have to be rechargeable batteries, they’ll at least have a longer life than conventional one-use batteries. As long as the consumer recycles them in the end, this is a pretty green solution.

Second, the lamp can be moved and positioned as needed. In fact, by combining several lamps together, the user could create some nifty designs to suit the room. Third, because it uses LED bulbs, it can provide light for much less energy consumption. Combined, you can control the amount of light provided depending on the illumination needed (more lamps equals a brighter indoor space). Unfortunately, the light may not be overly bright, but in time, as LED technology improves, this won’t likely pose much of a problem.

Great access to solar energy means great efficiency for indoor lighting. Plus, it looks kinda cool, too.

Lucet Lamps sticks to window

Gas bills often spike during winter months (image via Flickr - Editor B)

Christmas Day is nearly upon us, and so we offer you this gift—easy, effective ideas for saving energy in your home, for year-round lower utility bills. Now that’s a gift that keeps on giving!

• Turn down hot water heater: This one is ultra-easy. Sure, you want the heat of a nice shower to warm you in the morning, but if you turn down the thermostat on your hot water tank to 120F rather than 140F, your appliance will have to work less to keep you water warm. This could drain 6% to 10% from your water heating bill monthly.
• Get a programmable thermostat: They can cost as little as $30 but could save you upwards of $180 in heating costs every year. They take the hassle out of turning down the heat when you leave the house or at night, ensuring that you’re not heating empty rooms. Just set it and forget it!
• Prepare A/C unit for winter: If you haven’t already, get your a/c ready to save you money throughout the winter First, if yours is a window a/c unit, be sure to remove it from the window and store it away so that you’re not losing heat. Regardless, you should also drain any pipes and hoses and store them away, while ensuring that the outdoor shutoff valve is closed.
• Clean furnace and replace filter: Like any other appliance, your furnace requires regular maintenance to stay in efficient-shape. But one of the simplest, least-expensive up-keep tasks is to regularly clean and/or replace your furnace’s filter so that air can move freely and efficiently through the system. If you have a disposable filter, check it monthly for dust and debris, replacing it as necessary. But you can save even more with a replaceable filter. Though you’ll have to put out some money to buy the investment, they trap between 48% and 78% more debris and can be used over and over again for years. These need regular (monthly) cleaning (vacuum it of dust and debris). Mark your calendar and don’t forget.
• Stop up drafts: You could be letting dollars (from heat loss) walk out your front door if you’ve got air leaks around windows, electrical outlets, and doors. Do something to stop the drafts around your doors by making your own draft snake (use fabric scraps or leftover yarn; lots of free and fun patterns are available online). Seal up leaks around windows and other outlets by getting a tube or two of caulking and some weatherstripping. Similarly, seal-up ducts for heating and cooling to cut $140 from utility bills. According to the US Department of Energy, these measures could reduce heat loss in your home between 5% and 30%.
• Wear more: Finally put that ugly Christmas sweater to use by layering to stay warm without cranking up your home’s thermostat.

Bundle up with multiple layers so that you can turn your thermostat down (image via Flickr - Vato Bob)

Making your own draft stopper is an inexpensive way to save energy and make your home more comfortable (image via Flickr - BitchBuzz)

Changing your furnace's filter can help reduce heating bills (via Flickr - Collin Anderson)

DIY solar is now a reality with solar systems available at Lowe's via Flickr - OregonDOT

Starting now, you can purchase easy-to-install solar photovoltaics from Lowe’s, carrying them home and installing them yourself, if you so desire. This first-ever, off-the-shelf option was recently announced by Akeena Solar Inc and is a way for DIY consumers to get the renewable energy system they want.

Akeena Solar is a manufacturer and installer of solar power systems and has hooked up with 21 Lowe’s home improvement stores in California to offer these plug-and-play solar panels to the general public.  Packages include racking, wiring, grounding, and all of the other parts needed to produce your own energy. Plus they have built-in inverters so they output AC power, which means no high-voltage wiring is required. These simple systems are supposedly to be installed easily by experienced do-it-yourselfers as well as electricians and HVAC contractors.

Barry Cinnamon, CEO of Akeena Solar, had this to say:

“The PC revolution in the computer industry occurred when new technology made PCs easy to use and affordable. Likewise, with panels becoming plug-and-play appliances, the solar revolution has started. The availability of solar panels in Lowe’s stores makes it easy for homeowners to go solar and is a big step toward getting solar on every sunny rooftop.”

The award-winning solar panels will be in Lowe’s Energy Centers where customers, using an interactive information kiosk, create their own unique energy plan according to their budget and energy goals. Additional energy-saving products will also be available in the Energy Centers.

The good news is that Lowe’s Energy Centers will be added to more stores throughout the US and Canada during 2010.

Lowes Home Improvement Energy Centers now carry solar systems (in California) via Flickr - doortoriver

Akeena Solar has teamed up with Lowe's to provide a DIY solar option for consumers

Obama administration recently announced a new clean energy REDI program

The Obama administration announced a new program on December 14: The Renewables and Efficiency Deployment Initiative (REDI), which will offer $350 million in funds to accelerate the development of clean energy technologies. As both a domestic and global initiative, some of the funds ($85 million) will go into a joint coffer (supported by other countries such as Australia, Norway, Switzerland, Netherlands, the UK, and France) to be used to develop and deploy clean energy tech around the world.

The program will operate in several industries, including advanced vehicles, bioenergy, building and industrial efficiencies, smart grid technologies, carbon capture, high-efficiency coal,  and of course, solar, wind, and marine energy. The official REDI website outlines the following programs that will receive this funding:

• The Solar and LED Energy Access Program will accelerate deployment of affordable solar home systems and LED lanterns to those without access to electricity.  This program will yield immediate economic and public health benefits by providing households with low-cost and quality-assured solar alternatives to expensive and polluting kerosene.
• The Super-efficient Equipment and Appliance Deployment Program will harness the market and convening power of MEF countries to improve efficiency for appliances traded throughout the world.  A number of MEF countries have implemented, or are exploring, incentive programs for energy-efficient appliances. Coordinating incentives, standards and labeling systems can create unprecedented economies of scale for these appliances.

• The Clean Energy Information Platform will establish an online platform for MEF countries to exchange technical resources, policy experience and the infrastructure to coordinate various activities in deploying clean energy technologies, and share this information with the world.

• The Scaling-up Renewable Energy Program (S-REP), under the World Bank’s Strategic Climate Fund, will provide policy support and technical assistance to low-income countries developing national renewable energy strategies and underwrite additional capital costs associated with renewable energy investments.  Funding through Climate REDI will accelerate the launch of S-REP.

Further, it states that REDI will use the following tools to disseminate the new technologies:

1. Quality assurance to guard developing country consumers against sub-standard renewable energy products;
2. Minimum efficiency standards to remove the lowest efficiency appliances from the market;
3. Labeling to guide consumers to quality-assured and high-efficiency products;
4. Financing for scale up of early-stage low-carbon products, to bring down costs and remove barriers to deployment and to catalyze investment by the private sector;
5. Information sharing that enables all energy stakeholders to access state-of-the art information on technology and best practices.

Solarmer Energy's organic photovoltaic technology

There have been some interesting developments in the world of solar this month and two in particular seemed share-worthy. First, ShadePlex, purportedly the leader in solar-electric flexible-use architectural fabrics, is now offering color-coordinated solar products! Their energy-producing fabric frames come in a variety of colors (red, yellow, green, or bright blue) so that you can match them to various surfaces.

While the fabrics themselves don’t product energy, the thin-film, flexible solar material is bonded to architectural fabrics to form a flexible, framed solar panel. They can be used to cover walkways and canopies, as tents, and in other flexible structures. And because of their lightweight materials, they require little to no reinforcement. Interesting concept!

Second, Solarmer Energy Inc has recently boosted the efficiency of their flexible plastic solar panels (organic photovoltaic technology or OPV) from the 7.6% efficiency they achieved earlier this year to 7.9%, a number that has been confirmed by the US Department of Energy. Though that may not seem like a huge bump in efficiency, it is still movement. And since Solarmer aims to reach 10% efficiency by the end of 2010, every bit counts. Here’s what they said regarding the breakthrough:

“First, low-cost plastic is used as the active materials to convert solar energy into electricity. Thanks to the extraordinary light absorption capability of the plastics, the active plastics layer is extremely thin – only a few tenth of micrometer thick, i.e. less than 1/1000 of silicon cell. This material cost is significantly lower.

Second, very low cost printing techniques can and will be used to manufacture plastic solar cells (just thinking of the newspaper). The combination gives much lower cost of equivalent energy (only ~10 – 20% that of silicon technology). In addition, the fabrication process is both low temperature and environmentally friendly, significantly reduces the amount of energy consumption in the manufacturing process.”

ShadePlex color-coordinated solar panels

Solarmer Energy's building-integrated solar photovoltaics

COP15 America.gov Daily Video - check it out!

The day has finally arrived: today is the first day of the Copenhagen climate change talks begin. The COP15 (15^th Conference of the Parties as it is known) hopes to put together a global agreement that would work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to within safe levels – an agreement that would take over from the Kyoto Protocol which expires in 2012. It’s an audacious goal, but a worthy one. It’s a task we should not shrink from.

But there’s a lot to accomplish before truly binding agreements can be put in place. Perhaps the most contentious issue is that of how to regulate emissions in rich versus poor countries, with the poor nations demanding aid before they commit to targets, and rich nations requiring climate commitments before they send aid.

And there is also widespread disagreement as to the appropriate size of carbon reductions. While Obama has committed that the US will reduce its emissions by 17% below 2005 in the next few years, most scientists and global leaders contend that this is far too little.

Yet there is growing momentum behind the movement. Countries that could perhaps have the biggest impact on climate change in the near future – India, China, and Brazil being chief among them – have made public commitments to support the climate talks (here’s hoping they don’t walk out part-way through the proceedings as some have threatened to do). So there is hope.

Want to get involved? If you haven’t already, please do! Here are some resources for educating yourself and then digging in to make a difference during these important talks:

• Find up-to-the-minute information on the talks through the common editorial being put together by 56 newspapers in 45 countries.

• For a really quick primer, check out COP15: What’s at Stake in Under 5 Minutes.

• Then get active by signing petitions and encouraging others to do the same. Get involved by speaking up on Facebook or Twitter, sign up with the Tck Tck Tck and 350.org campaign or Hopenhagen, or get involved in civil protests (find one near you through Beyond Talk). You CAN make a difference.

COP15 Editorial Collage Via Flickr - Me.blogger

COP15 Maldives Demonstration Via Flickr – jasonwhat

Solar Cookers International

If you’re looking for a meaningful way for you to symbolically save power this holiday season, why not consider sponsoring a solar cooker through Solar Cookers International? In fact, sponsoring a solar cooker through this organization could make a very good gift. Making donations to nonprofit organizations in someone else’s name rather than purchasing something they neither need or want is a great way to support a good cause, reduce your consumption and waste, and help perpetuate a more sustainable future.

Of course, there are many great options for nonprofit gift giving but this is certainly a great one. Solar cookers come with many benefits for fighting climate change. Not only do they require no dirty energy, their use helps to protect forests and human health.

Traditionally, people in developing countries cook over open fires by burning things like wood and animal manure. The resulting air pollution leads to millions of respiratory problems and many deaths. It is estimated that as many as 2 million children die from health problems caused by the black carbon smoke emitted by cooking fires. And this black carbon is said to be the second more significant global warming pollutant in the world! Solar cookers create none of this air pollution and are therefore healthier for people to use. Of course, when forests are protected, they are able to help sequester carbon, too.

And instead of spending time to forage for firewood with the potential for depleting local forests, women who cook with solar cookers can do so without harming their community’s natural resources and have more time for other endeavors, such as entrepreneurial work or caring for their children.

The Solar Cooker International’s kit comes with the solar cooker and a pot along with tips and hints on how to use them. What’s even better is that a water indicator is included. This makes it possible for women to measure whether harmful microbes have been killed in the water so that they know whether it’s safe to drink.

So make a difference this holiday season—donate a $50 solar cooker to someone in a developing nation to change a life and offset emissions in the process. Of course, you could also purchase one for yourself or a family member or friend to get into the renewable-cooking movement yourself!

Electronics

• Use your computer’s power management features to ensure it shuts down when not in use to save between $40 and $80 annually in electricity.
• If you’re in the market for a new computer, choose a laptop to save $25 in electricity yearly.
• Buy an ENERGY STAR television to save 30 percent in energy costs.
• Choose ENERGY STAR for your entire computer system (monitor, computer, printer, and fax) to save $115 in energy costs over the lifetime of your equipment.
• Look for the ENERGY STAR logo on all battery-powered devices you’re considering buying, whether it’s a power tool, a new electronic device, or a household appliance. These will come with battery charging systems that are 35 percent more efficient than standard models.
• Install a power strip to completely power-down all electronics, including televisions, computers, monitors, DVDs, VCRs, and set top boxes when they’re not in use. Although it’s difficult to estimate how much this will save one home since it depends on the quantity and efficiency of your electronics and the price of your power, as a nation, this could cut $750 million from our annual electricity bill.
• Choose an energy efficient television model to save $30+ every year on energy costs.
• If you’re television uses 130 watts, and your cable box 35 watts, and your electricity costs about $0.08 per kWh, one hour of television watching might cost $1.42. Save money by encouraging your kids to have one Green Hour every day away from the television and pocket the energy savings.
• LCD televisions are generally more efficient than plasma TVs, so choose a more efficient option to save up to $60 every year in power consumption.
• Choose a television with an energy-saving standby feature (and make sure it’s activated!) to save between $10 and $40 every year in electricity costs.

Appliances

• Use cold water for washing laundry to save up to $63 every year in energy costs.
• Choose an ENERGY STAR washing machine the next time you need to replace your old one to save $145+ every year on utility bills. If your washer is 10+ years old, it’s time to replace.
• Look for the ENERGY STAR label on a new dehumidifier to save $20/year or $250 over the life of the unit.
• ENERGY STAR dishwashers cut energy costs by $30 over other models yearly.
• A front loading washing machine uses less energy for spinning than top-loaders and could save you up to $100 annually in electricity costs. Front-loaders also use less water and less detergent, saving you even more.
• Close to 90 percent of the energy used for washing laundry is for heating the water, so wash your laundry in cold water to reduce energy consumption for that load by 50 percent.
• Hang your laundry to dry instead of running the clothes dryer to save $135 in energy yearly.
• Choose a dryer with a temperature sensing control (rather than just a time-drying mechanism) to save 10 percent on drying costs. A moisture-sensing dryer will save 15 percent.
• Empty the lint screen on your dryer to save 30 percent or more on drying energy.
• Choose a gas dryer for your laundry; gas dryers cost between 15 and 20 cents per load, whereas an electric dryer costs between 30 and 40 cents per load.
• Water costs energy, and hand washing requires more water—using your dishwasher could cut your water use by 37 percent.
• Choose the “air-dry” rather than the “heat-dry” setting on your dishwasher to save 15 to 50 percent off the energy used for a load of dishes. Save even more by just propping your dishwasher open to avoid drying altogether.
• When buying a new dishwasher, choose one that comes with a booster heater for warming the incoming water from 120F to 140F. This allows you to reduce your water heater’s temperature to 120F without compromising on your dishwasher’s cleaning ability, and could save 10 percent in dishwashing energy costs.
• Don’t use the “rinse hold” feature on your dishwasher as this uses 3 to 7 more gallons of hot water each cycle it runs.
• Use your microwave to re-heat or cook food to save on cooking energy costs by 50 to 65 percent.
• Do small baking jobs in your toaster oven rather than an electric oven to cut your energy from 2.0 kWh to 0.9 kWh and save 50 percent in energy costs.
• A crockpot uses less than half the energy than an electric oven, and just over half of the energy of an electric convention oven.

Lighting

• Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), which use 65 to 80 percent less energy and last 8-10 times longer. CFLs are a bit more expensive up front, but by replacing the five most-used bulbs in your home with CFLs, you will save $60 yearly.
• Choose light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to cut lighting energy use in both outdoor and indoor fixtures by 75+ percent. These bulbs last 22+ years and because they use solid-state technology, they’re virtually indestructible.
• Obtain the ENERGY STAR Advanced Lighting Package (ALP) designation for lighting throughout your home and save $65/year or 75 percent in energy costs.
• Use ENERGY STAR qualified strings of light-emitting diode (LED) decorative lights for your holiday decorating. These strings cost more up-front, but will use 75 percent less energy than conventional strands and last 10 times longer (they’re unbreakable!).
• Install light timers or motion sensors in rooms like your bathrooms, closets, the garage, or even hallways to save on lighting energy costs by between 35 and 45 percent for those fixtures.

Heating/Cooling

• Adjusting the shades on your windows can help to reduce heat transfer. Keep the shades raised during daylight hours in winter months to allow the sun’s heat into your home, and lower the shades during the day in summer months to keep solar heat out. This could cut your heating and cooling bills between $10 and $100 annually depending on your local climate, efficiency of your windows and shades, and direction your home faces.
• Seal air leaks around your windows and doors, recessed lighting fixtures, ducts, plumbing and utility access points, water and furnace flues, electrical outlets and switches, and chimney flashing with caulking, weather stripping, and other weatherizing products. Energy savings will vary, but can be estimated with the Home Energy Saver Calculator.
• Install an ENERGY STAR programmable thermostat to save $180 in heating and cooling costs every month. These devices regulate your home’s temperature for you on a pre-set schedule.
• Replace old heating and cooling equipment with ENERGY STAR models to reduce your heating/cooling costs by $200 annually.
• Install a geothermal heat pump to heat and cool your home and save $600 in heating/cooling costs over the 20-year life of the system.
• Purchase an ENERGY STAR ceiling fan to reduce your energy costs by 50 percent and save more than $15/year on each cooling unit.
• Save up to 50 percent on energy bills by upgrading your old air conditioner with a new, more efficient model.
• If your heating ducts travel through uninsulated or unheated spaces like an attic or crawlspace, you could be losing energy. Improve your home’s efficiency by as much as 60 percent by insulating these ducts.
• Incorporate passive solar designs—large insulated windows on south-facing walls, thermal mass materials for absorbing heat, etc—and you could lower your heating costs by more than 50 percent.

Hot water

• Add an insulation wrap to your hot water tank for about $20. This investment will pay for itself in a couple of months, and will then continue to save you money for years to come.
• Install a tankless (also called on-demand) water heating to save between $160 and $200 annually.
• Taking a shorter shower will reduce the amount of hot water you consumer on a monthly basis. And since it takes energy to heat and store your hot water, a shower timer can reduce your family’s utility costs by $25 for every minute less each person takes to get clean.
• Install four faucet aerators and two low-flow showerheads to save $255 every year.
• Hot water used for showering adds to your monthly water heating bill, so using less water to shower will reduce that utility expense. A low-flow showerhead can cost between $8 and $50 and will save you around $200/year depending on your water and energy costs.

Whole house

• Replace old windows with ENERGY STAR qualified, high-efficiency, double- or triple-pane windows to cut heating and cooling costs by $125 to $340 yearly.
• Replace household equipment with ENERGY STAR models to save $450 every year in energy costs.
• According to The Carbon Buster’s Home Energy Handbook, a $150 tune-up can save the average homeowner 12 percent in heating costs, and save on average $385 every year.
• Add storm windows to your home to reduce heat loss during the winter by 25-50 percent.
• Buy a green-certified home to reduce your overall energy consumption from an average of 16,000 GJ to 6,400 GJ.

POWER-SAVING TIPS – LIFESTYLE

Transportation

• Remove weighty items from your trunk to improve your mileage by 1-2 percent for every 100 pounds removed.
• Take public transit instead of driving to work and you could cut your transportation costs by $8,000 annually.
• Opt to carpool with a fellow co-worker one day every week to shave $339 from your commute every year.
• Driving on underinflated tires will subtract 0.4 percent from your overall vehicle fuel efficiency. Doing a monthly check of your tires can save you 7 cents/gallon.
• For every 5 miles per hour you slow down on the highway, you’ll improve fuel consumption by 7 -23 percent and cut fuel costs by $0.17-$0.56/gallon.
• Stop idling your car and save $0.01/gallon for every two minutes your car is shut off.
• When looking for a new vehicle, purchase the most fuel-efficient in the class you’re interested in to save $300-$700 every year in fuel costs.
• Join a car share program and realize up to $6,500 in savings every year over owning and maintaining your own vehicle.
• Choose to telecommute to work just one day every week to reduce your gasoline costs by $1,000 every year.
• Choose a more vehicle that gets 30 mpg rather than 20 mpg to cut fuel costs by $3,050 in five years!
• Drive less aggressively (foot lightly on the pedals) and you’ll raise your gas mileage by as much as 33 percent, saving you between $0.12 and $0.81 per gallon.
• Maintain your vehicle by having it tuned-up regularly to improve fuel economy by 4 percent, which will save you $0.10/gallon.
• Reduce the total number of miles you drive each month by combining trips or choosing alternative forms of transportation (walking or public transit, for instance). Reduce the total miles by 5 percent to save up to $65 yearly on gas costs.
• Remove your unused roof rack or carrier to improve fuel economy by 5 percent.
• During your next oil change, make sure you get the recommended grade of motor oil to improve fuel efficiency by 1-2 percent.
• Your car’s a/c unit will use the most energy when on the maximum setting. Turn it down to improve fuel efficiency by 5-25 percent.

Outdoors

• Plant three trees in optimum shading locations around your home to save between $100 and $250 every year in heating and cooling costs.
• Replace your old pool pump with a more efficient, and properly -sized model to reduce energy consumption by about $100.
• Run your pump for less than 3 hours per day (which will still maintain healthy water quality) to cut this energy consumption by up to 60 percent.
• Install a solar pool water heater for between $2,000 and $4,000. You could receive a return on this investment (compared to a traditional fossil fuel heater) in as little as 1.5 years.
• Install a high-quality pool cover to reduce your pool heating costs by up to 90 percent, which will also cut your water loss to evaporation by 70 percent.
• If you use a portable spa that’s used once a week, decrease the temperature three degrees when not in use to save 5-10 percent in heating costs.

Consumables

• Shop online. Even if your product is shipped via air transport, this can reduce the fuel expended to get the item to you by 40 percent.
• Take books out from your local library rather than buying new books. You’ll pay $20 every year in taxes to support your library and could easily see a return on that investment by borrowing one or two books instead of buying brand new.
• Rent outdoor gear for your next hiking or camping trip. This will cost you much less than purchasing new gear and will save the energy cost of producing new gear that may only get used once or twice each season.
• Growing your own food requires less energy for transporting it to the store and then transporting it home. A $3 package of tomato seeds can grow $60 worth of tomatoes and cut your gas bill, too.
• Manufacturing disposable plastic water bottles requires significant infusions of energy. Choosing to carry water in a reusable water is cost effective and energy-saving, and could reduce your drinking water bill annually by upwards of $1,400.
• Although you’ll have to pay to power-up rechargeable batteries, and they cost more up-front to purchase, overall they will save on energy (it takes more energy to produce disposable batteries). An $80 charger and a $35 package of four rechargeable batteries could save you $670 in replacement costs over disposable batteries.
• Ruminating animals (cows, sheep, goats, etc) add significantly to climate change by emitting a powerful greenhouse gas: methane. Eat one less pound of beef weekly to save $109 yearly in food costs.
• Smoking adds pollutants to the atmosphere and your own body. Quit and you could save almost $1,500 every year.
• Instead of buying take-out food for lunch, bag your own lunch in reusable containers and save between $5 and $6 daily.
• The average American receives 41 pounds of unsolicited mail every year—on paper that requires the removal of trees and the use of energy to produce. Disposing of this unwanted mail costs our country $320 million every year. Cut your aggravation and paper-related energy use by contacting the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) to have your name added to the “do not mail” list.
• Buying and trashing thousands of diapers per child adds a significant energy burden to the environment. The average baby will go through $2,000-$3,000 worth of disposable diapers, whereas a three-year supply of cloth diapers will cost anywhere between $300 and $800.

POWER-SAVING TIPS – BUSINESS

Lighting

• Convert your exit signs to use light-emitting diode (LEDs) bulbs. A typical incandescent exit sign will cost $28/year to run, whereas a compact fluorescent exit sign will cost $11/year and an LED exit sign, by far the most efficient, will cost only $4/year. Plus, they last 10 or more years, which will significantly reduce maintenance costs as well.
• LEDs (light-emitting diodes) can be used in a variety of light fixtures—from display lighting to task lighting to outdoor lighting. These bulbs produce no heat (so they reduce cooling costs), are unbreakable, last 35 to 50 times longer than conventional bulbs, and save upwards of 75 percent on electricity costs.
• Install light timers or motion sensors in various rooms throughout your building to garner energy savings: 65percent in locker rooms, 55 percent in large work rooms, 50 percent in rest rooms, 45 percent in file rooms, and 40 percent in small work rooms.
• Replace T12 lamps and magnetic ballasts with T8 lamps to reduce your lighting energy needs by 17-48 percent.
• Choose metal halide lamps (HID) that have pulse start options to reduce energy consumption by 20-30 percent.
• Install dimmable lights combined with daylighting designs to ensure electric illumination is only on when outdoor light is insufficient. This could reduce your lighting energy costs by 22 percent, and cut cooling demand by $1.13 per square foot.

Electronics

• Purchase an energy efficient copier that has a power-saving “sleep” mode enabled to save $170+ in lifetime energy costs.
• ENERGY STAR copiers are 25 percent more efficient than standard models and could save American businesses $3 billion in energy costs over the next five years. That’s similar to taking 4 million cars off the road.
• Choose a duplexing copier to save on paper and energy costs. Lifetime paper cost savings could be up to $920 per copier.
• ENERGY STAR computers use much less energy when they’re in standby and when their active than standard models. If all computers purchased in the US were ENERGY STAR, we’d save $2 billion every year in electricity costs, which would be like taking 2 million cars off highways.
• If you’re looking for a new digital duplicator for your business, opt for an ENERGY STAR model to cut energy consumption by 25 percent.
• If your business manages its one servers, go for ENERGY STAR models to cut energy use by 30 percent.  These models can save as much as 1,000 kWh or $500 over a five-year period per server.
• External power adapters used to power small electronics like laptops can suck huge quantities of energy. An ENERGY STAR model uses 30 percent less energy.
• Your mail room’s mailing machine may be costing you energy unnecessarily. Choose an ENERGY STAR model that’s 25 percent more efficient than standard models.
• Equip each workstation with ENERGY STAR systems, including monitor, computer, printer, and fax machine to save $115 in energy costs over the lifetime of each system.
• Small business owners and big corporate headquarters alike can benefit from purchasing all-in-one printer-scanner-fax machines with the ENERGY STAR label. These use 25 percent less energy and save $115 in energy costs over the course of their lives.
• Cell phone and PDA chargers turn nearly 90 percent of the energy they draw into heat. Have employees unplug them while they’re not in use. If just 10 percent of all cell phone chargers in the world were unplugged, we’d save enough energy to power 60,000 European homes every year.

Appliances

• An ENERGY STAR commercial dishwasher will save your food service department 25 percent in energy and 25 in water costs every year. On average, that saves companies $850 and $200 for electricity and water respectively per unit.
• Restaurant-owners take heed: ENERGY STAR commercial fryers are 15 percent more energy-efficient than standard models, saving most owners $600/year for gas fryers and $80/year for electric fryers.
• Cook with less energy by choosing an ENERGY STAR griddle. An electric version could save you up to $190/year in utility costs, whereas a gas model will save $175/year.
• Cut energy consumption for food warming by 60 percent with an ENERGY STAR commercial hot food holding cabinet. These appliances save the average user $430/year in energy costs.
• Put the chill on your energy consumption by choosing an ENERGY START commercial ice machine to save 15 percent on energy consumption (about $100 annually) and 10 percent on water consumption (about $10 annually).
• ENERGY STAR commercial ovens are 20 percent more efficient than standard models, saving most kitchens $190 every year in energy costs.
• Commercial kitchen owners can cut energy consumption and save money with ENERGY STAR commercial refrigerators and freezers. An ES freezer will put $120 back on the books every year and a refrigerator $170 annually.
• Get a big return on your investment by choosing an ENERGY STAR commercial steam cooker to save 50 percent in energy costs or about $550 every year.
• Make the chatter around the water cooler more sustainable with an ENERGY STAR water cooler. These use about 50 percent less energy compared to standard models.

Heating/Cooling

• If you’re installing a new HVAC system for your business, you’ll definitely want to explore ENERGY STAR light commercial equipment, which use 7-10 percent less energy. These could save a 12,000 square foot building between $36,000 and $48,000 over the life of the equipment.
• Install a cool reflective roof that’s ENERGY STAR qualified to reduce the temperature of your lower roof surface by up to 100F and cut your peak cooling demand by 10-15 percent.

Whole building

• Get your building or plant the ENERGY STAR stamp of approval to really get your energy savings into high gear.
• Green roofs absorb stormwater, provide natural habitat for wildlife and recreational space for employees, and can reduce heat gain by up to 95 percent, which reduces cooling costs dramatically.
• Recycling aluminum is 95 percent more efficient than mining new; recycling plastics uses 70 percent less energy than making new plastic products; making paper from post-consumer waste requires 40 percent less energy. So save energy throughout your building by starting a build-wide recycling program.
• Hospitals that opt for reusable products can cut costs and reduce medical waste by 70 percent. When the Staten Island University Hospital adopted this practice, they started saving $1,200,000 in waste management and close to $750,000 in disposable supplies.
• Get a building energy audit and implement the suggested changes to achieve upwards of 50 percent better efficiency of energy use. Buildings that achieve this level may qualify for tax incentives.
• Energy is used for pumping and cleaning water supplies. You can reduce your impact by installing efficient, low-flow faucet aerators throughout your washrooms. They cost between 50 cents and $10 and generally pay for themselves in two months.
• It takes about $400-700 to maintain one acre of lawn. Choosing a low-mow turf variety to reduce the amount of money you spend cutting your building’s lawn dramatically.
• Use an air filter to improve the indoor air quality in your building, which in turn will boost employee efficiency and productivity. An ENERGY STAR air filter will cut energy use by 50 percent and could save $16 or more in energy costs compared to standard models.

Waste and Recycling

• Significantly reduce costs for water at your next conference by offering water in pitchers rather than individual bottles. One MeetGreen conference saved $87,000 with this tip.
• Choosing to purchase milk and cream in bulk rather than in individual packets will cut costs for these products by 62 percent and 50 percent respectively.
• Switch from disposable paper plates and plastic cups to reusable dishes and flatware to cut your meeting and conference costs. The Ford Foundation did so and now saves $10,500 every year.
• Collect and recycle your waste to save on disposal costs and save energy that would otherwise have been used to manufacture something from new resources. The Oakland Coliseum and Arena now collects beverage containers, compostable materials, and garbage saving themselves $80,000 in disposal costs in the first two years.
• All water requires energy for purification and pumping. Reduce the amount your building uses by installing waterless urinals which could save you anywhere from $800 to $40,000 over the lifetime of each unit (depending on how much it’s used).

Travel

• Have your employees stay at Green Seal Certified hotels to ensure your company supports hotels that opt for products are in the top 25 percent in terms of efficiency.
• Both car and air travel are heavy polluting activities for getting to meetings and conferences. Choose to teleconference and you could cut your air travel significantly. Vodafone now requires that all employees justify their travel, a move that has saved the company 20 percent in just one year.
• Help employees carpool to work by offering incentives to those who do. This will save you money, too, since it costs between $2,000 and $5,000 to build a single-surface parking spot, and $10,000-$12,000 to build one spot in a three-story structure. Reducing the number of spots you need by encouraging carpooling can cut these expenses significantly.
• Parking stalls must be maintained at a cost of about 1.5 percent of the initial investment. Reduce the number of parking stalls you need and your maintenance costs, too by offering facilities to employees who bike, walk, or run to work. Divert five parking stalls from cars to facilities for bikers, a company could save anywhere between $10,000 and $60,000 annually.

Residential Wind Turbines and Solar Panels - greenforall.org

Good news via a study out of Yale, Berkley, and the University of Illinois. The study, entitled Clean Energy and Climate Policy for U.S. Growth and Job Creation outlines some very positive statistics on where we’ll be after the implementation of a climate bill in the US. According to the analysis by these folks, a climate bill will have exceptionally-positive benefits for both job creation and the economy: it could potentially boost the bottom line by $111 billion by 2020 as well as add 2 million jobs at the same time.

These numbers depend on a few key factors being present in any bill passed in the US. For instance, it requires that targets for emissions reductions be at least 17% nationwide by 2020, and then 83% by 2050. Additionally, utilities will need to get their electricity from renewables at a rate of 20% or greater.

According to the report’s summary, the key findings are as follows:

“All 50 states can gain economically from strong federal energy and climate policy, despite the diversity of their economies and energy mixes.

“Contrary to what is commonly assumed, comprehensive national climate policy does not benefit the coasts at the expense of the heartland states.

“The country as a whole can gain 918,000 to 1.9 million jobs, and household income can grow by $488 to $1,176, by 2020 under comprehensive energy and climate policy.”

The report even offers a state-by-state analysis of what effects a climate bill will have on local economies. This is all very good news for a skeptical and fearful society convinced that dealing with climate change will cost too much.

Center for American Progress Action Fund - 2009 National Clean Energy Jobs Tour

• Introduction

2. How Solar Desalination Works

• Energy saving in water desalination techniques

3. How solar space heating works

1. How Solar Energy Works

Part 1- How photovoltaic works

Introduction

The ways to utilize solar energy are categorized into active solar and passive solar. Passive solar systems employ natural processes to transfer the collected solar energy into consumptive targets while active solar systems are equipped to appropriate devices and instruments in order to collect, convert, store and control solar energy for generation of either electricity or heat.

Photovoltaic systems

Photovoltaic modules installed on the roof of a traditional building in the Middle East

Some systems convert the solar irradiation directly into electricity. Photovoltaic (PV) system is the most popular among them with the widest application and fastest annual growth rate (48% per year during the last 8 years) between all energy technologies. The main core of each Photovoltaic system is the PV module which in turn consists of several solar cells that are mounted in a frame. Every PV system employs one or more PV module relevant to its size and power capacity.

A solar cell comprises a light sensitive chip, a transparent cover, a conduction grid, a conductive support sheet and an insulator support. Every light sensitive chip is made from a special category of materials named as semi-conductors. The most popular semi-conductor applied in solar cells is silicon (Si). Silicon atom has 14 electrons spinning in three electron shells around the nucleus. The outer shell has two pairs of electron while there are 4 places for electron pairs from which, two places are empty for another four electrons. Therefore, a silicon atom shares these free places with another four neighbor atoms to make electron bonds in order to form a crystalline structure.

Orbital model of silicon (Si) atom

In order to create conductivity in a crystalline silicon, adding specific impurities is carried on that is called also “doping process”. Silicon doping with phosphorous leaves surplus electrons behind in the crystalline structure because phosphorous atom has five electrons in its outer shell. This kind of doped silicon is called as negative or N-type silicon. Vice versa, doping with boron (B) which has only three electrons in outer shell creates free holes in silicon and makes it as positive of P-type silicon. Inducing external energy such as heat or light into doped silicon can release some free electrons to move around and search for free holes to settle down.
When a N-type and a P-type silicon are joined, an electric field is created at the junction because electrons and holes mix and form a barrier that allows electrons to move from  P-side to N-side only. Electron-hole pairs are released by hitting of light photons (in other words, the energy of radiation) into a thin wafer of bipolar silicon junction. The electrical field sends free electrons to the N-side and free holes to the P-side. Hence, an external conduction path will enable electrons to return to their original place (P-side). The flow of electrons in this path creates the electrical current and the electrical field supplies a voltage. Current and voltage create power together which provides us the electrical energy. Arranging a number of solar cells (usually 36) in series and parallel within a supportive frame makes a PV module with appropriate voltage and current.

General structure of a solar PV cell

Every PV module has its own electrical attribution in the form of voltage-current diagram and consequently has a nominal peak power.

Silicon in solar cells is available in the form of mono crystalline or poly crystalline that is cheaper than mono crystalline but has lower efficiency. The recent efforts have succeeded to produce Solar cells from amorphous silicon which has even lower cost. Beyond silicon, some other types of materials are applied in manufacturing of solar cells such as Cadmium-telluride, Galium-arsenid-phosphid.

A comprehensive PV system consists of the following essential items: A) PV modules, B) batteries, C) battery charger, and optional items such as inverter (for conversion of direct current to alternative current ) and solar tracker for adjustment of PV modules in optimal directions to the sun to receive most solar radiations during the different hours of the day and times of the year.

2. How Solar Desalination Works

• Energy saving in water desalination techniques 

Further to photovoltaic desalination technologies there are solar thermal assisted alternatives to utilize energy from sunshine in order to exploit fresh water from brackish or seawater.

The simplest method is utilization of solar energy in a evaporation-condensation cycle that is also called humidification-dehumidification (HDH) technique through which, solar energy heats the brackish water and makes the water molecules evaporated. The water vapor is consecutively condensed on surfaces with lower temperature such as the internal walls of a transparent collector box where condensate droplets are channeled into a freshwater collector as shown in the image below.

A pilot of HDH solar desalinator at the Solar Institute Jülich, Germany

In order to better recovery of solar energy, a more sophisticated technology has been innovated that is known as multi-effect humidification (MEH) technique in which, multiple evaporation-condensation stages are applied at different temperature levels. This technology provides more efficiency in solar energy consumption. As shown in the picture below, brackish water or sea water is passed through a coil by the help of a pump. The pump can also be driven by power from a solar PV system. This coil acts as a heat exchanger and absorbs the thermal energy from water vapor produced from evaporation of heated saline water. The water that has been partly warmed through the heat exchanger coil enters another heat exchanger in a solar collector system that converts the energy of sunshine into the effective heat. The hot saline water is sprayed then into a chamber in which hot water drips evaporate. As mentioned before, the water vapor exchanges its energy to the heat exchanger coil and consequently converts into salt-free water droplet on the external surface of the heat exchanger that is called also condenser. The condensed water droplets are collected from condenser surfaces properly and channeled into a fresh water storage tank. The un-vaporized brine water is in-turn disposed to the sea or another disposal area.

The highly heat absorbent and corrosion protected materials are key parameter in the efficiency and good performance of this system.

Schematic diagram of MEH technology

Commercial systems of MEH solar desalination units have successfully supplied in various capacities from 500 to 10,000 liters per day around the world by MAGE-TiNox advanced technology.  As a case example, the MAGE Midi-SAL system supplies 5000 L/d drinking water for Jeddah Aviation Club in Saudi Arabia using an array of solar collectors by total surface of 140m² as shown in below picture. More detailed information about these systems is available in www.tinox-watermanagement.de

The solar MEH water desalination system in Jeddah (photo courtesy of MAGE Water Management)

A sate of the art technology of water desalination has recently examined at the pilot scale in Bahrain, named as natural vacuum desalination (NVD) that utilizes renewable energy resources such as solar energy, wind power, energy from wastes or waste heat from industries. In this technology water is evaporated in a vacuum circumstance with much lower energy consumption than conventional distillation techniques. The NVD system comprises a ∏ shape tube in which, one of the vertical parts acts as evaporator, the other as condenser and the horizontal part acts as the water vapor transfer chamber. The elevation difference between free water level and water level inside the evaporation/condensation columns is 10.33m (equal to 1 atm.). Ayhan, Al-Madani and Midilli who developed prototype design and operated the pilot plant, have proposed a renewable energy assisted desalination system for installation in Bahrain on the shore of Persian Gulf where a plenty of annual solar hours and solar irradiation is available. They obtained a distilled water production rate of 0.1798 liter per minute by a tube with a diameter of 1.0 meter.

The schematic principle of the system is shown in the following figure. The sea water is heated by a variety of techniques such as solar collectors, electricity from wind turbine or heat from wastes. It will consequently be boiled in the vacuum evaporation column at much lower temperature than 100°C. The steam will be transferred via a convection fan to the condensation column which is cooled by circulation of cool sea water. Finally the distilled water is transferred to a storage chamber. The details of this system are available at their academic articles mentioned as references below.

Schematic drawing of marine natural vacuum desalination system

References

T. Ayhan, H. Al Madani / “Feasibility study of renewable energy powered seawater desalination technology using natural vacuum technique”- Journal of Renewable Energy 35 (2010) 506–514

A. MIDILLI and T. AYHAN – “Natural vacuum distillation technique, part II: Experimental investigations”- Int. Journal of Energy Research 2004; 28:373–389

3. How solar space heating works

Passive solar space heating systems employ windows, thermal masses, openings and ducts to conduct heat from sunlight and lead warm air into the indoor space of buildings. We can use solar energy for our residential spaces in a couple of passive ways. The simplest way is design and installation of appropriate windows and shadings which prepare shadows during hot summer days and conduct sunlight inside the rooms during winter days. Passive solar space heating systems can be classified into five categories.

1-     Direct gain

2-     Thermal storage walls

3-     Thermal storage roofs

4-     Attached sunspaces

5-     Convective loops

Direct gain is carried out through an architectural design of windows and openings and shadings for allowing the sunlight to enter the living space during winter sunny days while avoiding sunshine entrance into indoor space on hot summer days.

Solar space heating by thermal storage wall employs a chamber with an absorptive thermal mass wall and openings in the back wall. The sunlight irradiates on the surface of front wall which is dark-colored, made from radiance absorptive materials and have a glass cover in front for insulation and reduction of reflective irradiation. The front wall becomes warm against the sunlight and stores heat while in turn warms the air behind itself in the chamber. The warm air is allowed to flow inside the room through the openings. The roof and external walls of the building should be well insulated in order to minimize the heat loss. A schematic of this system has been shown in figure 1. A good manual for design and selection of thermal storage walls has been written by Alex Wilson that is available at the following link: http://nmsea.org/lib/ThermalStorageWallDesignManual.pdf

A thermal storage wall may be built by concrete or masonry materials (brick or rock and mortar) with black or dark colored face against the sunshine. Besides thermal storage wall we can also employ thermal storage masses such as rock bin, water container or brick platform.

Figure 1.                       Simple model of passive solar system with a storage mass wall

Sunspaces are structural elements to capture the solar energy in a passive way. They comprise large surface of glass as well as large area of heat storage mass (concrete stab, brick wall or water container) that are painted in dark colors. Sunspaces should be built in southern side of buildings facing the sunlight (in northern hemisphere). The thermal storage masses exchange their stored heat to the interior space of building gradually via conduction and convection. A better performance in a sunspace can be achieved by double glazing transparent coverage as well as a horizontal reflector for winter days.

Figure 2.                       A typical illustration of attached sunspace for a building

Solar energy can be utilized in a combinative air and water heating system as shown in figure 3. In this system solar collectors are installed on the southern roof of building. Air can either move through the collector to be pre-heated or warmed in a heat-exchanging chamber in which, coils containing hot thermal fluid coming from solar collector have been embedded. Another coil in a hot water tank is connected also to heating fluid circuit of solar collector. Secondary heat exchanger will be inserted in hot water tank supplying the heat from an auxiliary device such as electrical water heater or fuel burner. The warm air after heating by heat exchanger coils will flow to living spaces either by fans or natural convection. The hot water will also be supplied from hot water tank.

Figure 3.                       A typical solar space/water heating system

More useful details on solar space heating are available through the following links

http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/SolarHomes/PasSolEnergyBk/PSEbook.htm

http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/SpaceHeating/SolarHeatingIntro15772.pdf

The ReVerb comes with nifty feedback icons

If you’re looking for the perfect gift for the techie in your life, look no further. Regen, a company that specializes in making solar-powered gadgets, most notably of which is their ReNu which powers any of their other devices such as the iPod Dock, Audio Dock, and Side Light.

But the most recent addition to the Regen family of solar gadgets is the ReVerb, a high-quality speaker with an integrated photovoltaic solar panel that generates enough energy to power the speaker for up to 12 hours at normal volume (to get it fully charged takes about 20 hours). Simply plug in your iPod Touch or iPhone to access digitally-stored media files and away you go.  It also comes equipped with 2x USB ports, 1x USB input for charging the unit, as well as a nice little LCD display (about four inches).

Though the speaker can also be powered by a regular AC adapter, it is meant to be run with solar power. And it provides some very nice quality sound, according to reviews. The Earthtechling reports that:

“It generates sound equal to that of a regular 60-watt speaker and sports stereo drivers and a sub-woofer.”

You can also use the speaker to control your audio device, whether you want to play/pause, increase/decrease volume, or select a different track. And one of the best parts is that it actually gives you feedback about how you’re using it. For instance, if you’re running low on power because of a lengthy playback session, it’ll let you know that it’s dissatisfied by displaying an unhappy face. Now that’s a full-service speaker!

But it doesn’t come cheap: about $2,300 each! And they won’t be available until April 2010.

The ReVerb in full view

With iPhone for perspective on size

• Wangari Maathai

• Perhaps one of the most influential environmentalists in Africa, Wangari Maathai is a fearless leader, working to improve human health, foster vibrant communities, and encourage women to become economically independent, all with a green angle. She was the first woman from Africa to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and started the Green Belt Movement.

• Despite the recent smear campaign against Van Jones, he is a leader in the environmental community worth watching. He has a knack for linking good jobs to social justice and environmentalism, skilfully connecting the dots and coming up with ambitious and innovative solutions for today’s greatest environmental problems.

• Founder of Better Place, Shai Agassi has a vision to make electric vehicles affordable and mainstream in short order. His solution is to provide battery swap stations that are powered by renewable energy, making personal vehicle ownership virtually emissions-free.

• Founder of Patagonia, a leading-edge, eco-friendly outdoors company, Yvon Chouinard has been experimenting with green concepts for over fifty years.
• Main character in An Inconvenient Truth and advocate for audacious climate goals, Al Gore is naturally one of the most well-recognized faces in the fight against global warming.
• An environmental hero in Canada and beyond, David Suzuki has been talking and writing and filming about the environmental challenges of our time for decades.
• If you’re looking for a humorous slant on the environmental movement, check out Isabella Rossellini’s Green Porno for a quirky twist on the issues.
• Bringing the green to Hollywood, Ed Begley Jr. has been talkin’ up eco-friendly living for decades, too. He’s even got his own show, Living with Ed.

Georgia Tech - close-up of 3-D solar cells

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It just makes sense that solar cells be exposed to as much sunlight as possible, right? Not with Dr. Zhong Lin Wang’s new nanostructure optical fiber “hidden” photovoltaic cells. This Georgia Institute of Technology professor, along with a team of researchers, recently developed a new way to create renewable energy, and it could spell a major change in the roof-top solar panel dominated industry—and in fact may take solar collectors underground. According to Wang:

“Optical fiber could conduct sunlight into a building’s walls where the nanostructures would convert it to electricity. This is truly a three dimensional solar cell.”

These solar collectors are made by modifying common optical fibers used in the telecommunications industry for data transport, applying zinc oxide (think lifeguard nose protection) as a conductive coating, and then adding nanowires as well. Then a dye-sensitized material is added that uses a photochemical system to produce energy. These are cheap to make, are highly durable and flexible, and very versatile. In fact, they could be installed into walls, roofs, and other building materials without any visual disturbance, making the collection of energy possible on nearly any surface.

“This will really provide some new options for photovoltaic systems,” Wang said. “We could eliminate the aesthetic issues of PV arrays on building. We can also envision PV systems for providing energy to parked vehicles, and for charging mobile military equipment where traditional arrays aren’t practical or you wouldn’t want to use them.”

One drawback is efficiency. Unlike traditional silicon-based solar cells which get about 12% efficiency, these currently only about 3.3%, but with diverse applications in which this technology could be used, the trade-off may just be worth it. And they hope to increase efficiencies to about 8% in the near future.

Georgia Tech - working on new hidden solar cells

Georgia Tech - Dr. Wang with zinc oxide solar cells

Taking a vacation or getting away for a holiday is the reward for hard work and a well-deserved break from regular life. Making your holiday one that helps the planet rather than harming it is increasingly challenging in a culture that values traveling afar. But there are ways for you to cut your vacation’s impact…

• If you’re able-bodied and looking for an active getaway, why not try an eco-volunteer vacation? They’ll put you to work cleaning-up the planet so you can leave feeling good about your holiday. Many require you to “rough it” a little, which often means lower vacation costs. Search online for “eco-friendly volunteer vacations” to find options near you.
• Whether you’re going off for a long weekend or are going to be away for a month, you can reduce your travel footprint by saving energy at home while you’re away. Turning down the air conditioning or heating, making sure lights are switched off, lowering the temperature on your hot water heater—these are all great ways to reduce energy consumption and save a bit of money while you’re out of the house.
• Instead of flying to your destination, look into taking the train or traveling via motor coach (bus). These options produce significantly fewer greenhouse gas emissions than flying and depending on your destination, may just be more affordable, as well.

If you’re open to new possibilities, why not explore a sustainable vacation with a tour provider that’s got the planet’s best interest in mind. While these aren’t always less expensive than traditional options, good deals can often be found. Try out: Green Globe, Sustainable Travel International, or Rainforest Alliance’s Sustainable Tourism for unique and earth-benefiting getaways.

Chinese renewable energy Via Flickr - drs2biz

All eyes were on the Chinese-US talks the last week as Obama met with key leaders in the Asian country. With clean energy being one of the biggest issues on the table for the first time in a really public manner, we were all holding our collective breath to see whether anything would get done. And it seems that there is reason to hope!

The US and China, knowing the joint sway they will hold over the Copenhagen talks in January, were eager (or so it appeared) to see how they could influence the talks for good by developing a renewable energy agreement. These the two biggest emitters were able to agree on a broad plan that would help to bring about serious advances in clean energy.

The seven-point plan included the following:

• They US and China will establish a Clean Energy Research Center to facilitate joint research and development of renewable energy technologies. The center will receive both public and private funding to the tune of $150 million over the next five years.
• A joint US-Chinese Electric Vehicles Initiative was announced that will see joint vehicle standards, public education, demonstration projects, and more.
• Together, China and the US will work on an Energy Efficiency Action Plan for buildings, consumer products like appliances, as well as industrial facilities.
• A new US-China Renewable Energy Partnership was launched that will help to support renewable energy deployment and regional partnerships for sharing expertise and best practices.
• “Clean” coal was part of the overall strategy—21^st Century Coal. The two Presidents will work together to develop large-scale carbon capture and storage projects for coal-fired plants.
• Working together, the two countries will explore Shale Gas Resources within China using the experience gained on US soil.
• A new Energy Cooperation Program between China and the US will also be established to leverage private sector resources that will support smart grids, green buildings, combined heat/power, renewable energy, clean coal, and more.