Tag Archives: in focus
In Focus: Hydrogen-Fuel Cell Cars
Vehicles that are powered by alternative energy sources have been around for a while now, and they should eventually replace all the gasoline-powered vehicles and become a normal thing, instead of being something extraordinary that only the environmentally-aware or those who can afford it choose to buy. Most common alternative fuels include biofuels, natural gas, [...]
In Focus: Solar Sponges
As the news continues to get more depressing about the advance of climate change – hurtling forward toward worst case scenarios - we’re seeing beginning efforts to create technologies that will counter it. Not that we believe technology will fix this problem, but we do think it will help in significant ways, especially during the decades [...]
In Focus: Calculating Monthly Solar Savings
Solar Installers get a lot of calls from consumers who are unsure how to work out how much their solar power system is saving them. The most common mistake made by consumers is to open their power bill and assume that their system has only saved them the amount of the credit that is listed [...]
Net Metering: Why California Solar Needs It
For so many Californians who have chosen to install a solar electric system, the phrase Net Metering is simply a way of describing the way power from roof-top solar panels will reduce their own electric consumption and spin the meter backwards. But Net Metering also allows owners of solar systems to receive credit for clean [...]
The Internet’s Carbon Footprint
Please consider the environment before not printing this page. That request asking you to kindly not print your last email might have the best of intentions for our environment, but it fails to take into account a major factor which influences the “sustainability” of your decision; the internet. Advice related to paper and the environment [...]
In Focus: Super Cities
A metropolis is a large densely populated urban area that has a significant economic, political and cultural function to its inhabiting country or region. A city’s population has to exceed 1 million inhabitants to even be considered a metropolis in today’s context. Another term has been coined to describe cities with super densely populated urban [...]
In Focus: President Obama’s Next-Generation Energy System Plan
Tuesday’s State of the Union (SOTU) speech included much that was music to environmentalists’ ears. The headline, of course, is the commitment to take serious action to address the most significant challenge our generation faces – climate change. And, with it, the extreme weather and public health burdens that are already making life harder for [...]
In Focus: Obama’s SOTU Climate Change Remarks
Those who haven’t seen my writing elsewhere may be surprised to learn that I’m a self-described proud, Liberal progressive Democrat who enthusiastically supports President Obama. Last night’s speech had a lot in it that I liked–and I’m well aware that many of my readers will disagree. But like I say, it takes all kinds… He [...]
In Focus: Scaling Rooftop Solar
First the good news; in 2011 and 2010, total installed capacity of solar energy doubled, in 2012 there was more installed capacity through three quarters than all of 2011 combined. The average price of a solar panel has declined 58% since the beginning of 2011 and there are over 119,000 solar workers in the U.S., [...]
In Focus: Kid-Friendly Solar
Want to teach your kids about renewable energy in a way that’s relevant and interesting? If you’re installing a new solar power system for your home, it’s a perfect opportunity to talk about how it works, why it’s important for the environment, and if you’re really motivated, you can throw in some math lessons, too. [...]
In Focus: The LED Revolution
Initially just an innovative way to provide the lights on indicator lamps and remote controls, and then developed into an exciting way to add colour to interior design projects and modern venues, the light emitting diode is now wending its way through the lighting market on an eco-warriors mission to replace the standard incandescent bulb. [...]
In Focus: On-Grid Solar Panel Systems
An on-grid solar panel system, also known as grid tied or grid-interactive, feeds excess power to the utility grid and pulls electricity from the grid when energy demand is greater than energy generation. On-grid energy systems are straightforward in their installation since no battery back-ups are necessary. The difference between on-grid and off-grid systems is [...]