This month, AES Wind installed its first demonstration AES WindJet 5 turbine in Overland Park, Kansas. The twin-rotor turbine is rated at 5 kW and was designed to increase efficiency by up to 54% over existing designs. With a slow rotor speed, the turbine is quieter, more durable, and less likely to create problems with birds.
We've seen building integrated solar by separate companies for use with both asphalt shingles and standing seam roofing. Now SRS Energy and US Tile are preparing to unveil a new Solé Power Tile at Greenbuild. The barrel-style technology was designed for a clay tile curved roofing system. Using thin film solar, the Solé Power Tile integrates seamlessly with blue glaze or earthen tone tiles. SRS Energy and US Tile will launch the system first on the West Coast and roll it out nationally through 2010.
P4P Energy, LLC -- short for Power for the Planet -- recently completed the installation of its first, cable-suspended free span solar system in the parking lot of the headquarters building for REM Eyewear in Sun Valley, California. Designed and patented by P4P Energy and TenSol Power, the array spans 107 feet on low-cost cables and provides shade for cars parked below. It's expected to generate roughly 40,877 kWh of electricity per year.
Earlier this week, Green Wavelength LLC, a bio-inspired clean energy startup, unveiled their 19-foot, prototype, small wind turbine to crowds at The Perfect Pitch 2009 entrepreneur conference. Called XBee, the turbine – unlike any that you’ve probably ever seen – was designed with inspiration from the movement of bumblebees, hummingbirds, and dragonflies.
This week, Envision Solar announced the completion of a 130 kW installation of Solar Trees -- a Solar Grove -- at Dell's headquarters in Round Rock, Texas. General contractor McBride Electric partnered with Envision Solar, who teamed up with BP Solar and Weitz Company to design and build the Dell Solar Grove. The Solar Grove provides shade for roughly 50 parking spaces and provides clean energy, too.
Yesterday, Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) unveiled its new line of DOW POWERHOUSE Solar Shingle. The Solar Shingle was designed to be integrated into rooftops with standard asphalt shingle materials. Dow expects the shingle systems to be available in limited quantities by mid-2010 and more widely available in 2011. And although the company says the system will provide a low-cost solar option for homeowners, we have not received any specific pricing details at this time (see below).
Hocking College -- a two-year technical college in Nelsonville, Ohio -- has trained its students for jobs in Ohio's manufacturing sector since 1968. As these jobs began leaving the state, Hocking College saw the potential for growth in alternative energy jobs. The school launched the Energy Institute in 2002, with just three students to offer training in advanced energy and fuel cells. Enrollment has since increased to 125 students and the curriculum has also expanded to include hybrid and plug-in vehicle courses, as well as courses about wind and solar power.
The school's newly completed building, located in Hocking County, reflects Hocking College's commitment to participating in the new green economy. The 12,200 square-foot building is on track to become the first higher education building in Ohio to receive LEED Platinum certification.
The other day, Ready Solar announced the availability of this ground mount accessory for its modular Solar in a Box photovoltaic system. The ground mount is just one more accessory that fits well with Ready Solar's line of dead simple solar products. It bolts onto the integrated solar system and the tilt angle is established based on the distance between the front and back legs.
One hundred years ago, in 1909, architect Daniel Burnham and Edward Bennett completed a document called the "Plan of Chicago," which, to use the words of The New Yorker, "determined the shape of modern Chicago." Now, in an effort to build upon the work of Burnham and plan for the next 100 years, Big. Bold. Visionary: Chicago Considers the Next Century presents the work of nearly three dozen architects and planners with a vision for the windy city.
Every now and then, you see something just knocks your socks off. It’s either beautiful or creative or cutting-edge or all three. And that’s what happened when I read about these solar SunFlowers created by Mags Harries and Lajos Héder for Catellus Development Company in Austin, Texas. The permanent public art display was switched on in July and features 15 SunFlowers – photovoltaic solar collector panels on welded steel frames and stems.
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