The launch of new “plug-n-play” solar panels has generated buzz in recent weeks. The manufacturer, Colorado-based Onyx Service & Solutions Inc., introduced the product earlier this month.

The new 330-W system will offer homeowners the option of purchasing a complete, pre-packaged solar PV system that can be set up at low cost with relative ease and connected with a standard plug or extension cord. With its “point and shoot” ability, the new system alleviates typical wiring and installation requirements. And the solar panels have a standard power outlet plug that allows the owner to simply plug an extension cord into the panel and use the cord like any outlet in the home.

This product certainly isn’t the first to feature plug-n-play convenience and affordability. In fact, many all-in-one residential solar packages have been introduced in recent years. However, none have been marketed specifically to the do-it-yourself market with the ability to generate plug-in power on the spot.

A Bright Future
Due to the relatively low levels of energy generation (about enough energy to run your computer), as well as it inability to connect to the grid, this kind of system does not qualify for Xcel Energy’s Solar*Rewards incentive program. However, it does represent a great step toward achieving a more cost-effective, more sustainable future. And if nothing else, it represents a unique option for home-owners looking for alternative energy sources.

Hopefully this new product will be a springboard to new, improved tools in the months and years to come.

Article by Tim Laughlin, appearing courtesy Xcel Energy Blog.

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One village in Germany is producing more energy than it needs. Best of all, it’s alternative energy sourced from clean sources.

Wildpoldsried, located in the southern German region known as Bavaria and where 2,600 people live, produces 321 per cent more energy than it needs. As a result, it can make money out of this energy surplus by selling back into the grid for a cool 4 million Euro, or US$5.7 million (that’s US$2,192 per person) per year.

The green initiative started in 1997 when the local council set out to create new jobs, attract new industries and keep it all local at the same time. Since then, Wildpoldsried has equipped nine new community buildings with solar panels, built four biogas digesters and installed seven wind mills. 190 private households have solar panels and the district benefits from small hydroplants, ecological flood control and a natural waste water system. The village is so successful that it has created a mission statement called WIR-2020, or Wildpoldsried Innovative Leadership, to inspire others.

The local community has received several awards for its conservation and alternative energy groundbreaking work and they visit other village councils to show them their climate protection (‘klimaschutz’) initiative. Mayor Zengerle even has been traveling abroad to inspire other communities to go green and make money at the same time.

And what is the main lesson we can learn from the citizens of Wildpoldsried? “The mitigation of climate change in practice can only be implemented with the citizens and with the Village Council behind them 100 per cent of the way. This model cannot be forced from only one side,” Zengerle told Biocycle.

Article by Antonio Pasolini, a Brazilian writer and video art curator based in London, UK. He holds a BA in journalism and an MA in film and television.

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A new report from ExxonMobil predicts that nearly half of the world’s cars will either be hybrids or powered by alternative fuels by 2040.

While hybrids now account for just about 1 percent of all vehicles worldwide, the oil giant forecasts that hybrids and alternative energy vehicles will move to the mainstream as governments increasingly push for better fuel efficiency.

The ExxonMobil report, “The Outlook for Energy: A View to 2040,” predicts that overall energy demand will remain flat in developed nations over the next three decades, but demand in developing nations such as China and India will increase nearly 60 percent from 2010 to 2040.

The report also predicts a worldwide boom in shale gas production and forecasts that 30 percent of the world’s electricity will be produced from natural gas, while demand for coal will peak before seeing “its first long-term decline in modern history.”

Article appearing courtesy Yale Environment 360.

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The internet really is a territory of limitless possibilities. Almost on a daily basis we can find something that amazes and inspires us.

Springwise, a website dedicated to spreading the word on new entrepreneurial ideas, has an article on Do The Bright Thing, which certainly has amazed me.

The Dutch website invests 10 per cent of every purchase customers make through it in solar energy. Users need to sign up with the website before going on to choose from more than one million products sourced from more than 500 online retailers.

Do The Bright Thing calculates how much energy each product required for production, which is listed next to the product’s price. With this information in hand, the website can then invest in solar panels, using a combination of affiliate marketing revenue and bank loans, to produce an amount of solar energy that matches the creation of the product being bought.

The products do not cost more because of that, so shoppers can invest in alternative energy without spending an extra cent. 60 days later they will get an email informing them the details of the investment. The money also goes to developing countries through the Fair Climate Fund (five per cent of the total).

The video below gives more details about Do The Bright Thing’s concept.

Article by Antonio Pasolini, a Brazilian writer and video art curator based in London, UK. He holds a BA in journalism and an MA in film and television.

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If you own a clean energy business in the Midwest of the United States, or currently studies a related subject, you have until December 5th to enter the Clean Energy Challenge. The main objective of the initiative is to help businesses brings their innovations to the marketplace.

Applicants can compete in either the Early Stage Business track or the Student Challenge. Each track will give grand prizes of $100,000. The Clean Energy Trust, who organizes the competition, said last year’s Early Stage winners have gone to receive significant venture funding. They are now headed toward being sustainable alternative energy businesses.

As to Student Challenge competitors, they may be getting an opportunity to compete in the U.S. Department of Energy’s first-ever national business competition for university students.

Good luck!

Article by Antonio Pasolini, a Brazilian writer and video art curator based in London, UK. He holds a BA in journalism and an MA in film and television.

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Last week New Energy Technologies went on the road to try out its MotionPower-Express system, which it calls the world’s first electricity-generating rumble strip. The test took place in the City of Roanoke, Virginia.

The demonstration took place at the Roanoke Civic Center, attracting nearly 6000 visitors and over 580 vehicles. When drivers slowed down or stopped their vehicles, their tires depressed small rumble strip-like treadles, which allowed for the capture of kinetic energy. The captured energy was then converted electricity that was used to power a series of brightly illuminated lights displayed for drivers.

New Energy estimates that an optimized and installed MotionPower system experiencing a traffic pattern similar to the event at the Civic Center could produce enough alternative energy to power lights for the average American home for an entire day. In commercial applications, the same electricity could power a 150 square foot sports-venue electronic billboard or marquee for an entire day.

The company added that the system can be designed for a range of speeds based on traffic pattern and the amount of energy required for a specific application. Sport and entertainment venues, solid waste transfer stations, fleet vehicle maintenance facilities, transportation depots, airports (passenger arrival and departure areas), parking lots, border crossings, exit ramps, neighborhoods with traffic calming zones, rest areas, toll booths, and travel plazas are some of the examples the company gives as possible contexts to which apply its technology.

“MotionPower can offset the city’s cost of operating traffic control devices, such as traffic signals and street lights,” said Mark Jamison, City of Roanoke Manager of Transportation. “This innovative partnership with New Energy Technologies has the potential to provide a more sustainable environment, while simultaneously conserving strained budgets of cities across the nation.”

Article by Antonio Pasolini, a Brazilian writer and video art curator based in London, UK. He holds a BA in journalism and an MA in film and television.

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ConocoPhillips Company is an American-based multinational energy corporation that has their headquarters in Houston, Texas. It is the fifth largest private sector energy corporation around the globe. ConocoPhillips is found in over 40 countries and employs over 25,000 people worldwide. In 2007, ConocoPhillips was the first major United States oil company to join the U.S. Climate Action Partnership. Also in 2007, ConocoPhillips stated that it would spend $150 on research and development for new energy sources and technologies. Since then, ConocoPhillips has been doing a lot within the clean technology sector, especially when it comes to renewable energy and future environmental sustainability.

1 ) ConocoPhillips Increases Spending on New Energy Technologies. ConocoPhillips is looking to make itself more than just an oil company by increasing their overall technology budget that will go toward innovations in the clean energy technology sector. In 2008, ConocoPhillips expanded their budget to $500 million which would be used toward a number of new technologies, such as new exploration technologies used for the detection of undersea oil and gas deposits while minimizing environmental impact, new breakthroughs in lithium-ion battery technologies, carbon capture and storage technologies, and coal-to-gas technologies. Stephen Brand, the senior vice president for technology said, “With our emphasis on research and development, alternatives like solar, geothermal, clean coal and battery technology are where we put our efforts, in addition to moving forward on renewable like biodiesel and cellulosic ethanol.”

2 ) ConocoPhillips Joins GE and NRG in 2011 for $300 Million Alternative Energy Alliance. In the early months of 2011, ConocoPhillips partnered with GE and NRG to invest over $300 million into a number of alternative energy emerging technologies. Known as Energy Technology Ventures, this investment will fund around 30 growth-stage and venture businesses throughout the next four years. A number of investments include non-food based biofuels and solar photovoltaic technologies. Aside from investing in these companies, Energy Technology Ventures will offer opportunities for commercial collaboration in a number of sectors across North America, Europe, as well as Israel, including biofuels, water, emissions control, energy efficient, renewable power generation, and smart grid technology.

3 ) Partner with Virginia Tech to Have Town Hall Meeting. In July of 1007, ConocoPhillips and Virginia Tech got together to host a town hall meeting in Richmond, Virginia to discuss growing energy needs. ConocoPhillips was there to provide views on a number of topics that could help the area, including alternative energy sources, renewable fuels, energy conservation, and energy efficiency.

4 ) ConocoPhillips Builds Global Research and Development and Training Center. In February of 2008, ConocoPhillips announced plans that it would be building a Global Technology and Corporate Learning Center in Louisville, Colorado. Upon establishment, the center was designed to become a central location for the research and development of creating liquid fuels from sources of renewable energy. The adjacent learning center will be a location where thousands of employees can get together and be trained on new energy technology applications. The campus is said to be completed by 2012.

5 ) ConocoPhillips and NEED Create Renewable Energy Workshops. In February of 2008, ConocoPhillips and the National Energy Education Develop (NEED) planned to host together 26 energy education workshops over an 11 month time span. The goal is to help school teachers in American become much more aware of energy efficiency and conservation. Teachers that attend the workshops will then share the knowledge gained with their students. In the last few years, these two companies have offered training and resources to around 3,000 teachers.

6 ) ConocoPhillips Works with Tyson Foods to Produce Next Generation Renewable Diesel. In April of 2007, ConocoPhillips and Tyson Foods, Inc. created a strategic alliance to produce as well as market the next generation in renewable diesel fuel. In the partnership, they plan to utilize poultry, pork, and beef by-product fat to create a new form of transportation fuel that could increase America’s energy security and address concerns regarding climate change. Animal fats are to be processed with hydrocarbon feedstocks to produce diesel fuel that will meet federal standards. The animal fat will also improve ignition properties of fuel.

7 ) ConocoPhillips, NREL, and Iowa State University Partner for Biofuels Research. In April of 2008, ConocoPhillips joined a memorandum of understanding with Iowa State University and National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to look for cellulosic biomass conversion technologies for short and long term capabilities. Through this collaboration, the goal is to look for cost-effective and efficient techniques to create liquid transportation fuels from plants. “ConocoPhillips is committed to the development of technologies that will convert sustainable non-food feedstocks into transportation fuels that will be critical to the nation’s energy security,” said Stephen Brand, ConocoPhillips senior vice president, Technology. “We are hopeful that this collaboration will expand the knowledge base and speed the development of these environmental technologies.”

8 ) ConocoPhillips Signs on to Algae Research Agreement. ConocoPhillips signed a $5 million multi-year research agreement with C2B2 – the Colorado Center for Biorefining and Biofuels – a joint venture with the NREL, Colorado School of Mines, Colorado State University, and the University of Colorado and Boulder. This project looks to locate new ways to convert biomass into low-carbon transportation fuels. The first part of this project focuses on creating renewable fuel from sources of algae.

9 ) ConocoPhillips Gives $3.5 million to University of Colorado’s Biotech Building. ConocoPhillips recently gifted the Jennie Smoly Caruthers Biotechnology Building at the University of Colorado at Boulder with $3.5 million to assist in bringing together top class scientists as well as engineers to create new viable solutions using biotechnology. “The Jennie Smoly Caruthers Biotechnology Building creates a Front Range anchor for the biosciences with the help of partners like ConocoPhillips,” said CU-Boulder Chancellor Philip P. DiStefano. “With interdisciplinary research, the possibilities for energy innovation are limitless, and ConocoPhillips is providing the foundation for this vital work.”

10 ) ConocoPhillips Invests in Israeli Wastewater Startup. In June of 2011, ConocoPhillips made an investment into Emefcy, an Israeli start-up company specializing in the generation of electricity from wastewater treatment. This was the first investment outside the United States and the money will be used to assist the company in scaling its technology for industrial and municipal applications.

Article by Shawn Lesser, Co-founder & Managing Partner of Atlanta-based Watershed Capital Group – an investment bank assisting sustainable fund and companies raise capital, perform acquisitions, and in other strategic financial decisions. He is also a Co-founder of the GCCA Global Cleantech Cluster Association ”The Global Voice of Cleantech”. He writes for various cleantech publications and is known as the David Letterman of Cleantech for his “Top 10″ series. He can be reached at shawn@watershedcapital.com

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Anyone vaguely interested in international news is probably aware of Greece’s economic crisis. But despite that, or perhaps because of that, the country’s Energy Minister has big plans for solar power.

According to a report on Bloomberg, Minister George Papaconstantinou said he expects that an agreement for a US$27bn solar power project will be finalized by the end of the year. The hope is to avert the possibility of a 5 per cent economic shrink in 2011, which will happen if government needs to default on its bonds.

The project in question is called Helios and it would see the installation of 10 GW worth of solar panels in the country. The country hopes to increase the share of alternative energy in its mix from the current 7 per cent to 18 per cent, including the introduction of feed-in tariffs.

Most of the funding will come from the EU, although the solar industry will be able to contribute 5 per cent of the total sum needed, said Solarworld CEO Frank Asbeck.

Bloomberg expects Greece may add 600 MW of solar capacity this year, or four times more than in 2010.

Article by Antonio Pasolini, a Brazilian writer and video art curator based in London, UK. He holds a BA in journalism and an MA in film and television.

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With all kinds of new data out there demonstrating U.S. solar growth (here, here and here), we wanted to offer our insights into how these successes are playing out in one of our key campaign states: Pennsylvania.

Over the past couple years, Pennsylvania has become a real solar powerplayer. Having developed over 100 MW of solar PV, PA is a leader in terms of installed solar and the jobs it creates. In fact, last year’s Solar Jobs Census ranked the state second in the nation behind California for number of solar jobs. We eagerly await the 2011 results.

Pennsylvania’s remarkable solar growth can be attributed to the widely successful rebate and grant programs enabled under the Governor Rendell administration. These programs gave the state the jumpstart needed to successfully establish a nascent energy industry by attracting project development and investment. However, these programs were designed to be short term and are quickly coming to an end.

Going forward, Pennsylvania will transition its solar support to a longer-term mechanism: the state’s Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard (AEPS). Requiring utilities and electric suppliers to procure at least 0.5% of their electricity generation from solar resources by 2021, the AEPS will result in nearly 800 MW of solar.

And here’s where Pennsylvania has a problem. The AEPS is a strong policy tool; however, existing solar installations—those that are grant funded—have already met the near term AEPS requirements. That means there is no remaining appetite for new solar projects. Without a sustained market driver, the once-thriving PA solar industry will wither, and the state’s momentum in building economies of scale, expanding its solar workforce and lowering prices will be lost.

Pennsylvania needs a strategy to ensure that its solar market can smoothly transition from the successful programs of the past to the long-term, sustainable opportunities of the future.

House Bill 1580 offers that transition. Announced this past spring by Representative Chris Ross (R-Chester), HB 1580 would support this transition by increasing the near-term solar goals under the AEPS. In addition to stimulating continued solar development, HB 1580 makes use of an industry ready to build more solar power today making the aggressive AEPS requirements of tomorrow more achievable. Its passage would drive Pennsylvania solar development at a time when global costs are dramatically declining, the U.S. industry is surging, and Pennsylvania desperately needs new economic opportunities.

Specifically, HB 1580 would:

1. Increase the solar requirements beneath the AEPS for the next three years. This will keep the market robust as Pennsylvania transitions to a market-based solar program.
2. Require that systems must be connected to the distribution grid serving PA to be eligible for AEPS incentives. This will ensure that solar projects maximize value and benefits to the local grid and the local economy.

With the legislature in session through mid-December, we have a limited window of opportunity to advance HB 1580. With over 90 co-sponsors already signed on, the bill is well-positioned for success. Nonetheless, Harrisburg politics being what they are, the path to HB 1580’s passage is hardly a clear shot. In the coming weeks, we hope you’ll join us in supporting this crucial piece of legislation and keeping PA’s solar growth on track.

Vote Solar is a non-profit grassroots organization working to fight climate change and foster economic opportunity by bringing solar energy into the mainstream.

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Biofuels remain the orphan child of western energy interests – like adopting children, everyone agrees that it’s a good idea, but not many want an alien rugrat in the house.

Now China, arguably the world’s most influential and dynamic economy, is beginning to eye renewables as a partial solution to its voracious and growing energy needs. If Beijing determines that biofuels represent the future, expect to see the current modest western investment field to change dramatically.

As yet, China’s involvement is modest. According to a PetroChina company official, the firm intends to increase its production of biofuels by 2015 to 1.1 million tons and import and additional 470,000 tons. PetroChina, a traditional hydrocarbon company, is clearly thinking outside the box to increase its alternative energy portfolio.

According to PetroChina’s Petrochemical Research Institute deputy chief engineer Fu Xingguo, China is looking at generating 933,000 tons annually of fuel ethanol and 165,000 tons of biodiesel.

According to Fu, China is looking to import biofuel from countries such as Brazil, the world’s largest producer of ethanol, which will then be blended with regular hydrocarbon-derived traditional fuels and sold to southern Chinese provinces.

Looking towards the future, Fu added that some PetroChina Jet A-1 civilian aviation biofuel will be used in a test flight next month, but gave no further details, such as the feedstock used to produce the fuel.

Finally, Fu noted that China has around 1.52 million tons of fuel ethanol capacity, which mainly use grains as feedstocks.

In those accustomed to reading between the lines, Petrochemical Research Institute deputy chief engineer’s last comment is the most significant.

Grains as feedstocks.

The United States now devours approximately one-third of its corn output to produce ethanol, thanks in large part to a bloated bureaucracy and an influential farm lobby sucking down subsidies.

China has no such luxury to shift agricultural land from food production to renewables, as its arable land is needed to support the appetites of approximately 1.3 billion people.

Chinese indigenous production of domestic biofuel will accordingly remain marginal at best.

That said, should China determine that renewable biofuels are an important future component of the country’s diversified energy portfolio, the fiscal resources that it could throw at the issue would completely transform global biofuel production, particularly in the Third World.

A number of issues are blunting the introduction of increased biofuel production in developed countries.

First and foremost is that no one has yet figured out how to produce biofuel on an industrial scale that could compete with oil prices, even at $100 a barrel. Like solar and its kilowatt issues, biofuels at present remain a more expensive option.

Secondly, particularly in the United States, the biofuel market has been captured by the ethanol lobby, which provides farmers not only with subsidies, but crop insurance as well.

Last but hardly least is the fact that no single potential biofuel feedstock has emerged as a clear winner, although camelina seems to moving increasingly into first place.

That said, even in the U.S., a slow groundswell of support for renewable biofuel production is emerging, with both the Carlyle Group and Goldman Sachs selectively investing in various projects. Neither firm is overly adventurous in risk-taking, which indicates that eventually biofuels will receive the funding which it currently lacks.

Should China exercise its immense fiscal clout, particularly in the developing world where it has spent decades cultivating governments and contacts, the picture could change quickly. A major focus of Chinese investment over the past decade has been Africa, and if Beijing decides that biofuel is the way to go to diversify is energy portfolio, given the land constraints within China itself, expect to see a major drive to produce renwables on the Dark Continent.

Furthermore, expect to see China completely ignore environmentalists’ concerns about shifting land from food production to biofuel.

Amongst China’s many economic accomplishments, an overriding signal concern for human rights, either in China or in the countries it invests in, is notable by its absence.

Article by John C.K. Daly, appearing courtesy OilPrice.com

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