The New American Dream
Energy Independence
This website strives to be a solar energy information clearinghouse for American homeowners, business owners and investors. The founders of this site believe that there is a new "American Dream"...Energy Independence. Investing in and using Solar energy has become a matter of economics, a matter of pride, a matter of National Security, a matter of Readiness, a matter of Enviromental responsibility. To those ends our goal is to provide links to the rebates and tax credits homeowners and business owners can get for installing solar electric systems and solar hot water systems. This is a site focused on solar energy uses, solar powered products and investments in solar power industries.
IBM Research Breakthrough - "Liquid Metal" at the Center of IBM Innovation to Significantly Reduce Cost of Concentrator Photovoltaic Cells
ARMONK, NY - 15 May 2008 IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced a research breakthrough in photovoltaics technology that could significantly reduce the cost of harnessing the Sun's power for electricity.
By mimicking the antics of a child using a magnifying glass to burn a leaf or a camper to start a fire, IBM scientists are using a large lens to concentrate the SunÕs power, capturing a record 230 watts onto a centimeter square solar cell, in a technology known as concentrator photovoltaics, or CPV. That energy is then converted into 70 watts of usable electrical power, about five times the electrical power density generated by typical cells using CPV technology in solar farms. Complete Story...
March 27, 2008Southern California Edison plans to install 250 megawatts’ worth of solar panels on commercial rooftops, generating enough electricity to power 162,000 homes. It's an $875 million initiative. It’s a potentially game-changing move, one that could lower the cost of solar cells as manufacturers ramp up production to meet the utility’s schedule of installing a megawatt-a-week of arrays until it reaches the 250-megawatt target. That alone is more than United States’ entire production of solar cells in 2006 and will produce as much electricity as a small coal-fired power plant, albeit with no greenhouse gas emissions. “This project will turn two square miles of unused commercial rooftops into advanced solar generating stations,” said John Bryson, CEO of the utility’s parent company, Edison International (EIX), in a statement Wednesday night.
January 14, 2008-
Hawaii Plans for 34 Megawatts of Solar Power at State Sites
Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle has announced one of the largest
state government solar initiatives in the nation, which includes 12
large solar arrays in separate sites across the islands. Combined,
the installations could generate a total of 34 megawatts of
electricity and provide power for 9,000 homes per year.
January 15, 2008-
Solar Equipment Manufacturing Plant Announced for New
Mexico
A new plant that will manufacture photovoltaic modules and
receiver tubes for concentrating solar power generation will be built
near Albuquerque, New Mexico, this year. The new complex is
expected to bring approximately $100 million of foreign investment
to New Mexico.
January 9, 2008-
Most EERE Programs See Increased Funding in
Appropriations Bill
An appropriations act signed into effect in December has allocated
$1.536 billion in direct support of the DOE Office of Energy
Efficiency and Renewable Energy. The act increases the funding for
nearly all of the programs.
January 8, 2008-
Energy Efficiency in New Federal Buildings to Increase by 30%
Under new DOE regulations, most new federal buildings will be 30%
more energy efficient than the prevailing building codes, and 40%
more efficient than the standards in the current Code of Federal
Regulations.
January 2, 2008
New Energy Act Calls for Increased Renewable Energy
Research
The new energy act calls for accelerated research, development,
and deployment for solar energy, geothermal energy, and marine
and hydrokinetic energy. However, the new programs require the
backing of congressional appropriations to see the light of day.
Solar Products
There are exciting innovations out there and this website will be your spring board to knowing about them. There are new ways to save energy and add solar power to your life arriving on the scene every day. We'll try to keep up. Let us know if you hear of or have used a valuable solar product.
The Solar News
One of the main links on this site is "News". These news pages are fundamentally newsfeeds from (currently) 2 different services providing videos and headline links. These are dynamic feeds that are updated as news about solar energy arises. The services query multiple sources like the NY Times, CNN, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal. We will continue to refine these feeds to bring the most value, the best variety of news stories and hopefully to keep up with the innovations.
the Basics of Solar Energy
A perfect starting point is a solid, reliable list of the most important terms being used in the solar industry. We culled our list from sources like the U.S. Department of Energy which has an extensive glossary of energy related terms. Our pages bring you the Solar Glossary. Explore this section as it grows to learn what you need to be a smart consumer of solar equipment. We will continue to seek out articles of interest for this section.
Invest in Solar
We're convinced that the economy that was based on oil can thrive with less reliance on oil. Surely, to an "old school" mentality, this statement is madness because the transition away from oil dependence is lined with problems. Our confidence comes from an observation that the brilliance of entrepreneurs and scientists is engaged when there are problems to solve. We are fortunate to live in an age when we can learn about a new invention within minutes of it being announced. Now that alternative sources of energy - especially solar - are being funded and researched more seriously, "new school" mentality is taking over. Not only can we benefit from the inventions if we own them but we can be part of the transition by investing in the companies with the best ideas. The investment section of our site is also a way for you to stay abreast of the developments in the technology even though many small companies are not on any stock exchange. So it's a section for information about innovation as well as investment opportunities.