Category: BUSINESS

A new solar powered iPhone dock, the Eton Soulra XL Solar Dock

The new arrival in the iPhone market is the accessory Eton Soulra XL Solar Dock.

This one uses a retractable solar panel which powers on the dock’s speakers, allowing for 5 hours of playback on a full charge.

This is a perfect way to have fun with you iPhone either the pool or camping.

It has a 72 sq inch solar panel that soaks in enough sunrays to power on the speakers that boast an output of 22W.

Your gadget will work so long as the sun shines bright.

You can buy the Eton Soulra XL Solar Dock for just $300.

Boeing goes green with solar panels

Boeing has entered a partnership with South Carolina Electric & Gas (SCE&G) to provide 100% renewable energy at the production site for the Boeing 787 airplane.

Airplane makers, Boeing, have decided to go green with 100% renewable energy!

20% of this energy will be generated from thin-film solar laminate panels owned, installed and maintained by SCE&G.

The installation will be located on the roof of the facility and it’ll be the sixth largest of its kind in the United States.

Boeing 787 will be designed to consume less fuel and produce fewer emissions.

The solar installation will provide up to 2.6 megawatts of electrical power for the facility, enough to light up 250 average homes.

The site will also have point-of-use containers as well as recycling centers.

Rightly placed turbines may increase efficiency

Properly placed wind turbines can generate more energy.

South Australia’s University of Adelaide computer science research succeeded to understand where best these wind turbines may be placed to increase wind power.

Senior lecturer Dr Frank Neumann from the School of Computer Science has developed a step-by-step approach called “evolutionary algorithms”.

Dr Neumann has come to the University of Adelaide this year from Germany where he worked at the Max Planck Institute and now is working on wind turbine placement optimization in collaboration with researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

“Renewable energy is playing an increasing role in the supply of energy worldwide and will help mitigate climate change,” says Dr Neumann.

Factors that will influence this development are size of land, wake effects, wind as a whole, wind turbines – their aerodynamics and the resulting complexities of the same.

According to Dr Neumann current approaches to solving this placement optimization can only deal with a small number of turbines.

China’s goal is 50 GW of solar power by 2020

China, the world’s largest polluter will make more investments in renewable energy.

China has some of the globe’s worst air and water quality but has an economy growing.

China doubled its target for solar power capacity to 50 gigawatts for 2020 because his power requirement is one of the highest in the world.

China vast experience in building solar panels will help her in building the necessary infrastructure for its own solar power needs.

Beijing has ordered safety inspections of the country’s nuclear plants and “temporarily” suspended approval of new and proposed projects following the disasters in Japan, but has said it will continue to develop the technology.

China hopes its installed solar power capacity will reach 10 gigawatts by 2015 and 50 gigawatts by the end of the decade.

Green Home made by Victoria University students

The architecture students designed a home, located at the Wellington waterfront which  packs 28 solar panels, 48 water-collecting tubes on the roof for a solar-powered hot water system, triple glazing and wool insulation.

This house cost 500.000$ to be built.

“We had what must have been two-and-a-half thousand people through, even though the weather was pretty blustery and cold.
The line was stretching back about 30 or 40 metres, and [on Saturday] even though it was pouring with rain, we still had up to 60 people inside the house at a time” said Nick Officer one of the architecture students behind the project.

Now this eco-house is in Frank Kitts Park till May 24 after which it will be dismantled, packed up and moved to Washington DC.

Britain raises support for renewable heat

A lot of Britain’s available energy is used to heat homes and buildings.

The British government plans to provide incentives for renewable energy.

The focus on renewable electricity has tended to sideline renewable heat.

But now finally, the Coalition government has specified the regulations of the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI).

The regulations will be approved by Parliament in summer 2011.

These subsidies will be for a wide range of technologies including solar thermal, biomass, heat-pumps and biogas.

RHI program is a vital step towards ensuring that British homes and businesses  take greater  control of their energy while also reducing carbon emissions.

Clean energy collaboration between Moscow and Stockholm

Russia and Sweden will cooperate on energy efficiency and international trade; the government ministers from Russia and Sweden have signed a memorandum of understanding.

In a joint press conference with Swedish Prime Minister Frederick Reinfeldt on 28 April 2011, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin did add one detail – the planned creation of a joint research facility.

“We are interested in developing close cooperation in energy efficiency and renewable energy sources and we have agreed to work through our energy agencies and draft a project for a Russian-Swedish centre on innovation and energy efficiency,” Putin said.

Italy will add 7000 MW by June

Since 2007 Italy has targeted legislative incentives to make a transition to clean energy sources.

2010 was a record for Italy with 4000 MW, but 2011 will be a mega because by mid-year total installed capacity is expected to reach 7 GW of solar power on the grid.

“Some 200 MW out of these 4,000 MW became operative in December, and I believe that at least another 3,000 MW will be connected by the end of June,” Gerardo Montanino, director of the state services agency told Reuters.

How far Italy has exceeded that required EU standards by the Kyoto agreement, the government wants to suspend subsidies.

This forces companies and investors to review their business strategies for Italy.

You can decreases electricity bills and pollutes less by charging EVs at night

How you can do this?

Researchers said that lower electricity rates aren’t the only reason to charge your electric car at night and they come with a theory that finds the fact that using electricity to charge your car at night pollutes a lot less.

Here’s how it happens.

According to this theory less ozone is emitted during nighttime charging. In the chemical reaction between hydrocarbons & nitrogen oxides will result lighter quantities of the byproduct in the air, because of the lack of sunlight.

Sunlight is the the main catalyst behind this reaction.

Yet the night seems to be the best time to recharge electric vehicles, less pollution and lower bills.


CanWEA’s 27th Annual Conference and Exhibition

CanWEA’s 27th Annual Conference and Exhibition will be held October 3-6, 2011 in Vancouver, BC. This premier wind energy event will bring together over 2,500 experts from all over the world to discuss the opportunities and latest developments in the Canadian wind energy industry. The exhibition hall will feature over 250 exhibiting companies and will provide companies with an exclusive opportunity to network and generate new business leads.

Source: www.canwea2011.ca