The best damn iOS podcast on the net returns tonight to talk all the latest news, how-tos, and app and accessory reviews. Come join us!
Want to go full screen? Head to iMore.com/live. Want to watch via iPhone or iPad? Grab the Ustream app and search for “mobilenations”!
 |  |
First Solar's (FSLR) fiscal 4Q11 and 2011 results came with a couple of unexpected surprises — including a big nasty one related to performance issues — and industry watchers are raising voices for what could be a radical shift in the company's business.
One of the best wind resources in the world will soon be home to a massive new wind project.
Some of California's utilities are trying to dismantle an important policy that empowers energy consumers to generate their own clean, reliable electricity from the sun.
Commonly known as the policy that allows your electric meter to spin backwards when you go solar, "net metering" is one of the most important tools we have for helping residents, businesses and other organizations invest in solar power. And it's working! To date, net metering has supported over 1,000 megawatts of rooftop installations in our state (that's equivalent to TWO fossil power plants!), helped our cash-strapped public agencies and schools save $2.5 billion, and built a local solar industry that employs 25,000 Californians.
In the face of that success, major utilities are now shopping several bills around the state Capitol that would cripple net metering. With your help we can stop these bills and keep California solar momentum on track.
Here are a few ways you can help defend net metering:
Source: Vote Solar
The city of Sacramento is the capital of the state of California. It is the sixth largest city in the state and houses the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state. Sacramento is also one of the most racially and ethnically integrated cities in the United States. Sacramento quickly rose to fame during the Gold Rush era as it was a primary distribution point. Today, the city is known for its agriculture, commercial business, and its growing culture, including food, music, and art. The city is also known for the large number of clean technology highlights, including energy efficiency and renewable energy. Here are ten of the biggest highlights for the city of Sacramento, California.
1 ) Numerous Solar Energy Companies. As the top solar energy providing state in the United States, it is quite normal that Sacramento would house a number of solar energy companies that aid homes and businesses. REC Solar is one of the main solar installation companies, specializing in grid-tied solar electric designs and installations utilizing the latest technology, equipment, and financing opportunities for both residential and commercial customers. Another company is Aztec Solar Inc. which provides solar energy solutions as well for residential and commercial clients. Aztec offers some of the best solar technologies and products on the market, including solar electric, solar pool heating, and solar water heating.
2 ) Sacramento Increases Number of ChargePoint Charging Stations for Electric Vehicles. in 2010, Coulomb Technologies announced the installation of ChargePoint network electric vehicle charging stations throughout the city of Sacramento as part of its ChargePoint America Program. "My vision is to make Sacramento the Emerald Valley – the greenest region in the country and the hub of green technology. A networked infrastructure that supports electric vehicles is essential to this vision. Not only will these ChargePoint stations achieve this goal but will provide employment to this region for the installation. I'd like to commend Priority Parking for their commitment to being green, and thank them for helping to bring the ChargePoint America program to Sacramento," said Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson. According to Richard Lowenthal, CEO of Coulomb Technologies, Sacramento is where standards for air quality, transportation and infrastructure are set not only for Calfornia, but the nation…It is only fitting that Sacramento will be a model EV-ready city as major automakers introduce exciting new electric vehicles. I'm proud to add that this is creating new economy jobs and that these products are designed in California, manufactured in California, and installed by Californians."
3 ) Energy Commission Awards Sacramento with EV Planning Grant. In February of 2012, the California Energy Commission granted $200,000 to Sacramento to continue the promotion of the utilization of plug-in electric vehicles. This grant will go toward assisting local planners in deciding where to add charging stations throughout the county, as well as streamline the process of getting permits as well as installation and inspection of charging stations. Prior to the grant money, there were long wait times for inspections to approve residential chargers as well as a lack of coordinated planning when it came to commercial property installations. The grant will go toward created the Capital Area Plug-in Electric Vehicle Coordination Council to speed up the processes.
4 ) Sacramento LEED Buildings. The city of Sacramento, California currently has more than 40 LEED certified buildings that meet the standards of the United States Green Building Council. A majority of these buildings have received Gold or Silver Certification for LEED New Construction Certified or LEED Existing Building Certified. A few buildings have received LEED for Commercial Interiors. Three buildings have received Platinum Certification – CalEPA, Central Utility Plant, and the Department of Education Capitol Area East End Complex.
5 ) Sustainable Sacramento. Sustainable Sacramento is part of the City of Sacramento's Department of general Services. This is a primary location for residents and businesses in Sacramento to learn all about all the sustainability projects and initiatives going on within the city. Program areas where individuals can learn more information include water conservation, green building programs, climate action plan, renewable energy, recycling and composting, as well as parks.
6 ) Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technologies. The Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technologies is located in Sacramento, California. It is a partnership of some of the top environmental groups as well as clean energy companies from the private sector. Established in 1990, this nonprofit organization carries out "technical, policy-making, and policy-implementing work through advocacy programs that focus on key renewable energy development issues." Programs the Center for Energy Efficient and Renewable Technologies is active in include distributed generation, state climate policies, smart grid programs, renewables transmission planning and development, reduced coal use, solar and wind power development, as well as cleaner transportation and alternate fuels.
7 ) Federal Government Awards Sacramento with Millions for Alternative Energy. In January of 2010, the federal government awarded Sacramento with $5 million in stimulus funding for a number of alternative energy projects, including the first solar highway in the state. This highway will be a system of numerous solar photovoltaic panels along the freeway. Other projects include the building of facilities for sustainable biogas energy production from food as well as dairy animal waste.
8 ) Largest Solar Project gets Built in the City. In April of 2011, a number of state, city, and public utility officials came together to start the construction of the largest private solar power installation in all of Sacramento. This three megawatt project will provide electricity to Depot Park, a three million square foot industrial and commercial complex in the southern part of the city. It is a 12,600 panel array producing enough electricity to meet around 40 percent of the annual electricity demand for the entire Depot Park. It is also one of the largest ground mounted tracking solar projects in the entire state of California. The project is going to save over 3,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year, equivalent to removing 696 vehicles from the road.
9 ) SolarCity Builds Large Operations Facility in Sacramento. In January of 2011, SolarCity announced that it would be building a new operations center in the city of Sacramento and would be also offering energy efficiency services to all area homeowners. Homeowners will be able to buy a home energy efficiency package, which includes a home energy audit, duct and air sealing, efficient light bulbs, programmable thermostat, and pipe insulation. "Since 2007, we've undertaken more than 700 solar projects in the Sacramento area, ranging from major manufacturing facilities and retail outlets, to hundreds of residential projects," said SolarCity regional director Dennis Cox. "Sacramento is an ideal market for energy efficiency – homeowners have access to some of the best rebates and incentives, and have an opportunity to reduce their electric bill in more ways than one."
10 ) Sacramento Installs Energy Efficient Lighting in Parking Garages. In August of 2011, Sacramento began the installation process of LED lights in five of eight public parking garages throughout the city. In total, this project will save more than $1 million over the course of 11 years. This project will also reduce electricity usage by over 50 percent.
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 is also author of The 2012 Cleantech Directory. He can be reached at shawn@watershedcapital.com.
Original: CleanTechies Blog - CleanTechies.com
![Incipio SILICRYLIC Case for iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 only $17.95 [Daily deal]](http://cdn.tipb.com/images/stories//2012/02/7070.jpg "Incipio SILICRYLIC Case for iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 only $17.95 [Daily deal]")
For today only, the iMore iPhone Accessory Store has the Incipio SILICRYLIC Case for iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 on sale for only $17.95! That’s a whopping 40% off!
Shop Incipio SILICRYLIC Case for iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 now!
The SILICRYLIC by Incipio is an innovative 2 part carrying case; a high quality Silicone Rubber interior wrapped in a shock absorbing hard Polycarbonate plastic exterior. The SILICRYLIC offers optimal protection, unparalleled comfort as well as easy access to all your iPhone 4S, AT&T iPhone 4, or Verizon iPhone 4 features.
Features:
| |
Honduras has become home to Central America's largest wind farm. The 102 MW Cerro de Hula facility, which started commercial operation in December 2011, is also Honduras’ first wind farm. Cerro de Hula will produce more than 360 GWh/year, which is enough to supply power to 150,000 Honduran households using clean and renewable energy.
The project was implemented by Globeleq Mesoamerica Energy (GME) which is 70% owned by Globeleq and 30% owned by Mesoamerica Power, a group of Central American investors managed by Mesoamerica. Globeleq is owned by Actis, a private equity firm.
The inauguration was a high-profile affair, having been attended by the Honduran President Porfirio Lobo, embassy officials from the UK, US, Spain, Costa Rica and Guatemala, key government officials, executive management from international and local organizations involved in the project, contractors, employees and members of the local community in the project area.
Located 15 miles south of the capital, the wind farm supplies the national utility, Empresa Nacional de Energia Electrica (ENEE) through a 100 MW, 20-year power purchase agreement.
"Adding clean and renewable wind energy has reduced the country's reliance on expensive fossil fuels for electricity generation. The environmental and economic benefits are realized immediately, continuing to reinforce Globeleq's commitment to sustainable development and lower greenhouse gas emissions," said Mikael Karlsson, Globeleq's CEO.
Cerro de Hula is in the final stages of its submission as a Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) under the Kyoto Protocol which will enable it to earn carbon credits to sell into the international carbon trading markets. The farm will be the first of wind CDM project in Honduras.
The wind farm was constructed in less than one year and within budget. Jay Gallegos, managing director for Globeleq Mesoamerica Energy, said that despite significant logistical and geographical challenges, timely completion of the wind farm was due to incredible team work, dedication and commitment by all partners involved in the project. "The successful commissioning of this project would not have been possible without the strong support and cooperation we've received from our contractors, the local communities, ENEE and key members of the government of Honduras," he said.
The farm comprises 51 x Gamesa G87 2.0 MW turbines over a project area of 6,500 hectares. 650 additional jobs were created during construction. Besides, the local communities and municipalities will receive a package of benefits valued at more than $20 million over the lifetime of the farm due to construction and operation permits and lease agreements with landowners.
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.
If you’ve ever been to London, its insane number of pretty, red, double-decker buses are probably forever ingrained in your mind, and it’s probably not unusual for you think about them when thinking about the city. Now, the good news is, those pretty red buses are getting twice as fuel-efficient.
Iconic Routemaster Buses
New Red Bus for London Is Super Green
Yesterday, the first such buses started running on route 38, a busy route between Victoria and Hackney (in case you know the city and are curious). The hybrid bus is based off of the design of the historic Routemaster. It is reportedly 15% more efficient that traditional hybrid buses and 40% more efficient than conventional diesel-fueled double deckers.
“In tests at Millbrook Proving Ground, the engineering test vehicle emitted only 640 grams per kilometre (g/km) of carbon dioxide (CO2) and 3.96 g/km of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) – less than half of the CO2 emitted by a current diesel bus (1295g/km) and under half of the NOx emitted by a current diesel bus (9.3g/km),” Transport for London (TfL) notes.
“In testing, fuel economy was also better than twice that of a standard diesel bus at 11.6mpg.”
Rolling Out on London’s Streets
Interestingly, TfL notes that it’s the “first bus to be designed specifically for Capital’s streets in more than 50 years.”
Other than the demo line mentioned above, 7 more buses are set to start running soon. “This first bus will be quickly joined by a further seven prototypes at a rate of one every couple of weeks as they roll off the Wrightbus production line where a team of 25 engineers and a 40-strong production team have built the prototype buses.” By the end of May, these initial 8 should all be running.
“From today Londoners will have the chance to jump aboard this stunning piece of automotive architecture on which every feature is tailored to the London passenger,” London Mayor Boris Johnson said.
“It represents the very best in British design, engineering and manufacture and is a demonstration of what can be done given imagination and determination.”
Suffice it to say, this is the greenest/cleanest such bus around.
Woops.. Price is Not Right
While all of its above good qualities are true, the price for all of that is a bit higher than the price of an average double-decker bus, £1.4 million compared to about £190,000.
“Riding this bus is surely the most expensive bus ticket in history,” Labour MP for Tottenham David Lammy wrote in an open letter to Mayor Boris. “With 62 seats at a cost of £1.4m, the cost per seat is £22,580. At £22,695, you can buy a brand new 3 Series BMW.”
Aside from the Labour party, members of the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party have also criticized Mayor Boris. Green Party London mayoral candidate Jenny Jones slammed the Mayor for not sticking to his pledge of making all new London buses hybrids from 2012 on. 800 new buses are set to roll out in 2012/13, and only 52 are to be hybrids. Hmm… not good. It looks like Mayor Boris has turned to flash rather than practicality,.. or he and his crew thought these new buses were going to be a whole lot cheaper.
Much more info on the new buses is available on Transport for London’s site.
Connect with me on Google+, Twitter, or the little-known social networking site referred to as ‘Facebook‘.
Iconic Routemaster Buses via Gene Hunt.
Related posts:
Source: CleanTechnica
