Spread out the cost of your solar photovoltaic system over time! Afterall, very few people buy a car or house outright. The state of solar energy has long been a lose-win situation. Spend a lot of money (lose) in the beginning and slowly break even over the course of the … [continued]
Aesthetic. Original. Functional. Who knew solar panels could make a statement? Apparently Peter Richardson knew when he submitted a winning solar design to the International Design Awards. His idea is to turn disused water ways into functional space by populating them with solar panels shaped like water lilies. Aiming to … [continued]
Xtreme Concentrated Solar Power: if a magnifying glass is like lightning to ants, this would be their atomic bomb. We already know that concentrated solar power (CSP) is shaking things up in the solar industry. A subset within the industry is turning up the heat. “Extreme” Concentrated solar magnifies intense … [continued]
There are a lot of cool gadgets out there, but there’s a fine line between what’s cool and what’s useful. This is a green list of gadgets that are useful, but boast the extra-cool factor of using renewable energy. No batteries required! 10. The Ship has Landed The lightship is … [continued]
Well, Billboard beat me too it. It’s probably better that way–because they focused on a few bands I didn’t even know existed. I was going to do a piece on Jack Johnson and his ability to create music from a studio powered by the solar panels that cover the roof, … [continued]
[social_buttons]Buying a solar system is similar to going to Cosco and buying a 30 year supply of a staple. It will have a large upfront cost, but will result in long-term savings in states with good solar energy potential. What if you could lease a solar system and have the … [continued]
Not long ago I was visiting my old hometown of Chicago, walking through the streets of Bucktown on my way to my favorite bar (Map Room) when I noticed a cool house on Milwaukee Avenue near Hoyne. This “cool” house had a garden and two wind turbines on the roof … [continued]
Maybe it’s because this national renewable energy company is based out of St. Louis that makes them so appealing to this St. Louisan. Maybe it’s the fact that I used to blog for these guys on their project blog and know that the folks behind the curtain are good people. … [continued]
Despite all the talk about solar energy, it only generates a measly .1% of electricity in the US. Meanwhile, national demand for electricity is growing by 2% annually. Considering that solar technology has been in use for decades, why is it not more widespread? Cheap Fossil Fuels Even though sunlight … [continued]
If solar panels cost $1/watt, you can sell them (installation included) for $2/watt. Coal (installation included) costs $2.10/watt. To date, solar is still reaching to compete with coal, but the margins are closing. To (over)simplify how this works, you need to ignore issues like subsidies, qualitative costs, or kinks in … [continued]
