Solar Numbers in San Diego

"Solar provides a futures contract for electric power at a fixed price for 30 years."

FC Note: Hedging their fuel costs with futures contracts has been a very effective strategy for Southwest Airlines, now a leader in their industry.

With no price at the source and by eliminating all the steps in between, directly accessing the sun's unlimited amount of energy takes the hedging concept to a whole new level as the costs of producing, refining and transporting energy from fossil resources continues to climb.

We cannot produce our own gasoline, but we can take control of a major part of our energy costs by producing our own electricity, courtesy of the sun.

Solar energy along with its obvious environmental benefits equals Financial Conservation thus economic empowerment -- particularly for the individual.

Smart. Direct. Simple.

For a breakdown of the numbers specific to the area, visit one of San Diego's local solar providers @ Home Energy Systems

Solar Highway in Germany

Solar Energy Industry Growth 50% in First 9 Months of 2012

"According to the Federal Network Agency, the solar energy industry in Germany grew by more than 50% in the first 9 months of 2012. Energy production from solar installations rose from 4.1% or 6.1% during this time. Germany now acquires more than 26% of its energy from renewable sources, including solar, wind, biomass, and hydrogen fuel. The country is currently on track to throw more support behind solar energy and thereby increase the rate of growth the solar energy industry has been experiencing in recent months."

The Fuel of Tomorrow Reported Today!

Renewable Energy: The Top 5 Nations

"Solar, wind, tidal and geothermal energy made up only 1.3 percent of total global energy use in 2011, but that's up 15.5 percent from the previous year. This is increasing due to policy and private investment, as well as commitments to reduce environmental impact and dependence on foreign energy sources. Here are the top five countries which are making use of renewable energy."

The Christian Science Monitor

England: The World's Largest Community-Owned Solar Park

"The Westmill Solar Cooperative announced Nov. 1 the launch of the world’s largest community-owned solar project in the south of England near Oxford. The 5 MW 30-acre Westmill solar park consists of 20,260 solar photovoltaic (PV) panels and is designed to generate 4.8 GWhr per year, which the cooperative says is equivalent to a year’s electricity consumption for 1,500 homes and enough to prevent 2,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually. The park was built by an initial group of private investors with the intention of selling it to a community-owned cooperative."

Inhabitat - Design Will Serve the World

Top 10 Solar Myths

Myth 1: Solar will get more efficient, so I should wait.

Myth 2: Solar doesn't work in cool, cloudy, or foggy climates.

Myth 3: I will store the excess energy I generate in batteries.

Myth 4: Solar panels require maintenance.

Myth 5 : Solar panels will cause my roof to leak, deteriorate, or collapse.

Myth 6: Solar is still so expensive that it will never be able to pay for itself (just like hybrid cars).

Myth 7: When the power goes out, my home is still powered

Myth 8: Solar will look ugly on my roof.

Myth 9: Installing solar panels will increase my property tax.

Myth 10: Solar panels require a tracking system to follow the angle of the sun

.For the Answers, visit One Block Off the Grid

Apple Goes Solar in a Big Way

The first of two 20 MW solar farms being built next to Apple's data center in North Carolina.

Gigaom.com

Five Reasons Why California Cities Will Build One Million Solar Roofs and 12 Distributed GW by 2020

Keep your cars cool while producing a lot of clean energy.

"At the end of 2011 there were approximately 100,000 installations and 1GW of solar PV in California (1).  The state has dual goals of one million solar roofs by 2018 and 12 GW of distributed generation by 2020.  Can California cities scale their clean energy infrastructure by an order of magnitude over the next six to eight years while attracting investments and generating local jobs?

The math says yes and the answer to the future of clean distributed energy in California may be found in Sonoma County."

Forbes

California's Solar Cities 2012

      

Top 50 Cities by Installation

See Full Report (PDF)

A Conservative Argument for Solar Power

"I believe that solar technology is not inherently liberal; it’s the way in which it is implemented that marks solar programs as liberal or conservative.

From my perspective, solar energy should be evaluated on its own merits as a source of safe and reliable electricity at competitive prices. For energy independence and lower rates, solar can be part of a diversified energy portfolio if the price is right."

Atlanta Business Journal

PG&E Solar Schools

The Solar School Initiative

The Foundation for Environmental Education is partnering with Pacific Gas and Electric Company to bring renewable energy education into under-served communities through highly-visible solar installation systems.

Whether it be a 1 kW solar panel on a pole, or a roof-mounted system on a non-profit building, each is hooked up to an online data monitoring system so that the community can view the energy production of the system and learn about the environmental impact of that system.

This year we are working with PG&E to create a new grant program for 2012. We are testing several different grant models during 2011 and check back with us later this year to find out what we are planning for 2012. 

Our mission is to not only inspire our communities to learn more about the future of renewable energy, but to teach them how to conserve, produce and respect , this very precious resource we call energy.

California Solar Schools

Solar Vino

Our Long Road to Solar Power: The American Way

A Double Harvest
 Smart. Direct. Simple.

"Prior to installing the new solar arrays we unveiled here last week, Jordan chose to focus our efforts on a six-year program to reduce our energy consumption to the lowest possible level before going solar. I felt strongly about reducing our energy use before converting to solar power. In the rush to get off the grid, many businesses have been ‘solarizing’ their inefficiencies—using the sun to power their overconsumption of energy. We too were tempted by the rebates and the desire to make our imprint on the Earth as small as possible, as fast as possible. But I’m glad we waited. Reduce use first: that’s been our guiding principle."

Visit Jordan Winery

Powering EVs with Solar Energy

“One complaint about electric vehicles is that if you plug them in for a charge from the local power grid, you’re still using fossil fuel to power your car. Many owners of EVs are installing solar panels to charge their cars, homes and businesses, and giving surplus back to the grid. General Electric also entered the game with a solar-powered carport.”

alttransport

SCI-Arc/Caltech 2013 Solar Decathlon

"Around this time next year, several students from Caltech and SCI-Arc will be having what seems to be an average day in their shared house: they'll be doing laundry, inviting neighbors over for dinner, watching TV, playing video games, doing homework. But monitors will stop by to weigh the towels the students launder. The neighbors will judge the dinner party. Every kilowatt that passes through the TV and computers will be noted. And all of this will happen in a house that has yet to exist. "

Houses That Build People

Generated by the 99%

"California is the first state to pass the 1 gigawatt (GW) mark in solar that's generated from the 99% - average homeowners and businesses that have solar on their rooftops.

1.255 GW of solar is being generated by over 122,000 rooftops, and the growth is largely attributable to a big pick-up by low-income and middle-income homeowners.

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) reports that middle-income projects made possible by the California Solar Initiative (CSI) grew 445% between 2007 and 2011. Those projects represent the majority of applications submitted last year."

SustainableBusiness.com News

A Whole Different Kind of Innovation

The Wall Street Journal: 

New business models may not be as sexy as new technology. But their impact could be just as great.