Category Archives: Cooler Planet
Throwdown: Solar Leases vs. PPA’s
Going solar can be a costly investment, but it doesn’t have to be. Solar system leasing and PPA’s are making solar more accessible than ever, with little to no money down and reasonable monthly payment plans. But what are you getting yourself into? Typical residential solar leases range from 10 to 20 years. A solar [...]
California Solar Installs Pass 1GW Milestone
The California Solar Initiative (CSI) announced the State of California has officially surpassed one gigawatt, (GW) or 1,000 megawatts (MW) of solar energy generation during the month of December. The CSI installed 1,066 MW by the end of 2012, and one gigawatt of solar electricity can power over 200,000 households. “California has the most customer-side [...]
In Focus: Summer vs. Winter Electrical Usage
Winter months are often an energy consumption and budget strain. On an annual basis, the average usage is about 600 kWh per month for a household. The summer average is about 500 kWh, while the winter average is over 700 kWh. The average winter bill is usually over $100. There are things you can do [...]
Solar is Hot in the Middle East
Plans are underway in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, to build the Middle East’s largest solar power plant of its kind. The Shams 1 Solar Project, will be a 100-megawatt, concentrated solar power plant capable of powering 20,000 homes. Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber, the UAE’s Special Envoy for Energy and Climate Change and the chief executive [...]
Going Somewhere? Consider these Green Options
Bounce Your Way to Work: We’ll start from the ground up, with the perhaps most fun form of transportation: a trampoline road. Estonian architecture studio, Salto, has built an inventive solution to the boredom of the morning commute—a 51 meter (170 foot-long) trampoline, that can be used to bounce to your destination. The trampoline, dubbed [...]
MIT Engineers Develop Solar Funneling Technology
MIT engineers have created a model which solar energy can be more efficient and effective by using a funnel before it’s captured. This new concept places highly specialized materials under “elastic strain,” which allows the materials to first capture the sunlight and then collect it at the center. Ju Li, a professor at MIT and [...]
Could Solar Have Helped NYC After Hurricane Sandy?
With millions still left without electricity a week after Hurricane Sandy hit the Northeastern United States, many are left wondering how this aftermath could have been alleviated in some way. Solar is a relatively safe form of energy, a feature that may be overlooked in a state of crisis such as superstorm Sandy that disabled [...]
The Green Grand Canyon
If you have been lucky enough to gaze upon the wonders of the Grand Canyon National Park, you likely remember admiring the varying shades of red, orange, yellow, brown, and even dark purple complementing the meandering Colorado River. But you probably didn’t notice that the Grand Canyon is turning green! Well, in the park’s practices [...]
On-Grid vs. Off-Grid Solar Power Systems
Many times, when people want a solar power system installed, there is a misunderstanding of what it means to be on-grid versus off-grid. A lot of times we hear people say they want to be “off the grid” thinking that is what it means to go solar. What they really mean is that they want [...]