Denver-based New Town Builders have created a net zero energy house that has been designed to save a lot of energy and help preserve precious resource. The Zero Energy Home will leave eco lovers in a state of complete amazement as it takes energy efficiency to an all new scale.
OneRoof Solar is offering a new twist on the solar lease: when you replace your roof, you can get integrated solar panels with no incremental cost.
The company today announced it raised a $50 million series A round led by the solar arm of Korean conglomerate Hanwha Group. The company also said it has secured the funding to finance solar installations at residential customers.
Solar leases, which are available in about 20 states now, have quickly become a popular way to have solar photovoltaic panels installed. Instead of purchasing the panels, homeowners pay a monthly fee and the solar installer or bank owns the panels. With the monthly fee and lower electricity bills from the solar panels’ production, consumers pay a lower amount than they were paying before panels were installed.
Solus4 recently proposed a design solution for the Busan Opera House competition that symbolizes the elements of culture and history of Korea. Alfonso Lopez, lead designer describes the origins of the design: “A very special characteristic of Korean heritage is the linked uniformity of the art, history, culture and language.
The Department of Energy today backed a deal to connect solar electric panels at 160,000 locations on military bases, a move which could double the number of residential solar installations in the U.S.
The DOE said it has provided a conditional commitment to guarantee a $344 million loan for the SolarStrong Project, which will help the military meet its renewable energy targets and bring solar power to a many states which now have little.
Economic woes have challenged California’s commitment to install 1 million solar power systems by 2016, but thanks to continuous advances in solar technology and financing options, as well as a variety of rebate and incentive programs, the state is getting back on track to achieving that goal. In California and across the nation, solar systems have never been more affordable.
Eco-minded Californians are realizing how important it is to assume leadership roles in the state’s quest to reduce carbon emissions, especially when it comes to alternative clean energy.
Toy maker Toys”R”Us Inc. (Wayne, New Jersey, U.S.) celebrated the completion of a 5.38 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant, the largest rooftop PV plant in the United States, at its Flanders, New Jersey distribution center.
The PV plant is comprised of 37,000 Uni-Solar amorphous silicon flexible thin-film PV modules, and will meet an estimated 72% of the electricity needs of the facility.
“At Toys“R”Us, we continually look for ways to diversify our energy portfolio and incorporate sustainable initiatives throughout our operations,” said Toys”R”Us Chairman and CEO Jerry Storch.
It seems like the ultimate in green technology for an emissions-savvy citizen of the 21st century: solar panels on your roof, providing carbon dioxide-free electricity whenever the sun is shining. But as huge utility-scale solar and wind projects continue to make news and the economy continues to struggle, the state of the residential solar sector in the United States remains decidedly mixed.
From the first quarter of 2010 to the fourth quarter, installations of U.S. residential solar systems rose from 62 megawatts to 74 megawatts (enough to power about 15,000 homes), and the Solar Energy Industries Association reports that the first quarter of 2011 saw similar gains over the same period in 2010. Considering that the total installed solar capacity in the U.S. — residential, commercial, and industrial-scale of all types included — still hasn’t cracked 3,000 megawatts (enough to power roughly 600,000 homes), this feels like progress.
Yet if you look at residential solar’s share of the total U.S. solar market, the picture is less bright. In 2009, 36 percent of all installed solar systems were on homes; this dropped to 30 percent in 2010, and some experts think that will continue to fall.
Solar in Los Angeles recently received another boost. After shutting down its solar incentive program in April, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the nation’s largest municipal utility, has announced that it will restart its solar incentive program once again.
LADWP initially shut down its solar program in April, as it was overwhelmed with applications with not enough money to go around. The LADWP program initially began with around $30 million to provide rebates to homeowners and businesses to install solar on their rooftops. However, the program was inundated with approximately $112 million in requests prompting the city to shut the program down.
The vegetation at Yosemite National park has run on solar energy for millions of years. Humans are finally following nature’s example and using solar panels to power their facilities.
The park installed a 672-kilowatt solar panel system just outside the park’s boundaries in El Portal, California. 8-by-12-foot solar panels fill almost every available space on rooftops and sides of buildings, as well as the roofs of carports and parking garages at Yosemite’s Administrative Complex.
For most sustainability-minded architects, a net zero energy building is the holy grail. But Elithis Tower, located in Dijon, France, has surpassed the net zero energy ideal to become the first energy positive office building – meaning it creates more power than it uses. The building, which was designed by Arte Charpentier Architects, also produces six times fewer greenhouse gas emissions than traditional office structures.
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