GreenGeezer

Get Solar Makes Finding a Solar Contractor Easier

Get Solar is a new website providing great information on solar energy, the different types of solar energy, and  how to locate a solar contractor in your area.  It also provides a lot of good information on the benefits of solar on its Why Solar? page.  I appreciate its coverage of green building information, including how the Prefab industry is embracing green technology.  Good to see quality information sources springing up to help people find their way in the solar energy consumer marketplace.

New Technology Offers Small-Scale Solar-Powered Air Conditioning

TreeHugger features an article about a small-scale solar powered air conditioner -- one of the long-awaited technologies in the solar arena.   The fact that the hottest days are usually the sunniest days has not escaped the folks at Rotartica,  a Spanish company.   The units are powered by evacuated tube solar collectors.

Chapel Hill Development Employs Cradle-to-Cradle Principles

There is a new development planned for Chapel Hill, NC that fulfills our passion for green building and our love of the college town. It is also gratifying to see the development arise in town, where it will rejuvenate an area that needs it.  (At least that's what I read between the lines of the copy on their website.)   Note to developers who want their projects to be approved by town planning boards:  the local community loves this development.  The company vision of Greenbridge Developments is an inspiration, but should be a requirement for anyone planning to build dwellings for human beings:

"Greenbridge Developments aims to develop a new kind of community in existing neighborhoods that promotes human and ecological health. A community that restores the air, water, and soil on which life depends, and contributes to the quality, diversity, vitality, and prosperity of its neighbors. An essential component to this will be to embrace new construction methods, innovative renewable building materials, and forward-thinking renewable energy strategies capable of restoring our relationship to the planet."

California's First Solar-Powered Apartment Community

Solara, California's first solar-powered apartment community, is affordable, energy-efficient, water-conserving, and solar-powered.  Not to mention beautiful.

Solar Powered Cabin in Colorado

We have been following with interest our friends in Colorado as they build their solar-powered log cabin.  Here is an update:

"Well... our solar powered log home is finally finished.  The electric company called Aquila (in Colorado) offered up to a 50% rebate depending on the direct angle to the south exposure.  They came out and inspected it to determine how much of a rebate that we qualified for. We fortunately qualified for the full 50% rebate.  We are on-grid though so we are able to sell back electricity to Aquila that we don't need to operate the house on a monthly basis.  We installed 18 solar panels, mainly because we couldn't afford any more than that even with the rebate.  FYI- $30,000 before the rebate.  (I will send you the two photos I have as soon as I download them from my camera)
Just for future info to those considering using solar panels:  If possible, plan ahead by angling your home to take advantage of the full rebate amount."

Solar Hot Water Ramping Up Production in California

Another wave of California envy set in when we read this article in Renewable Energy Access :

"California has launched solar thermal, the use of solar energy to heat water, into the next level with its passage of AB 1470.   Production will ramp up in the state due to the state's offering $250 million in tax rebates for consumers who install the technologies over the next ten years.    'The goal of the program is to install 200,000 hot water systems on businesses and homes throughout the state of California, see reductions in price and ....create a mainstream market for solar water heating technologies as well,' says Bernadette del Chiaro, Clean Energy Advocate, Environment California."

This schematic from local Chicago-area installer Solar Service, Inc. shows how it works. 

National Solar Tour Coming to Your Town?

This Saturday, check out local sites that may be part of the National Solar Tour.    Go to the American Solar Energy site and find out who in your area is opening their home to show you how their solar heating and electric systems work.  Surveys show that once people see how they work, they want one, too.

National Solar Tour Scheduled for October 6

Mark your calendars now for the National Solar Tour on Saturday, October 6.   

"The ASES National Solar Tour is the largest sustainable energy event in the U.S.  Now in its 12^th year, some 100,000 people across the nation will see how neighbors are using clean sources of energy to save on energy bills and protect the environment. Through a series of open-houses and informative tours participants learn about renewable energy options, energy efficient design, real-world costs, current rebates available, and other valuable insights." --American Solar Energy Society

Solar Panels Becoming More Efficient and Affordable

USA Today (8/28/07) reports that solar panels are getting more efficient which means that market growth will rise as solar panels become more affordable. 

"A few dozen companies say advances in technology will let them halve the price of solar-panel installations in as little as three years. By 2014, solar-system prices will be competitive with conventional electricity when energy savings are figured in, Deutsche Bank (DB) says. And that's without government incentives.  If that happens, solar panels would become common home and business appliances, says Brandon Owens of Cambridge Energy Research Associates."

SolCool Solar Air Conditioner is So Cool

Inhabitat has the latest on the SolCool Millennia 4.0 Solar Air Conditioner. This is an encouraging sign that the HVAC industry is waking up to the possibilities of using the power of the sun at one of the times it is needed most: in hot houses on hot summer days.  Love this technology, but it would also be nice if builders would design houses that don't need to be cooled...