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The only problem is that the real costs of that power are no longer so inexpensive in dollars or other impacts. If we are to reap the potential of the smart grid, we need to fight against a century-plus of momentum that continues to favor central over distributed, or local, resources. A future smart grid can only bring fundamental change if we recognize the true value of distributed resources and get smarter about how efficient we are in our use of energy more generally.
Bringing Energy Closer to Home: Why Distributed Generation Works
A Solar Junction wafer of high-efficiency solar cells. Each individual chip can produce about 20 watts. (Credit: Solar Junction) Solar Junction's solar cell is like a tiny layer cake able to crank out more power per inch than most cells. The 4-year-old company yesterday said it expects to start production of its high-efficiency solar cells by early next year in its home town of San Jose, Calif.
Multi-layered solar cell boosts efficiency | Green Tech
Installing solar panels is one of the best ways to increase the value of your home. A report released by the California Energy Commission revealed that: 91% of Californians see energy efficiency as an important factor when considering the purchase of a new home 70% said the cost of the monthly electric bill was an important factor in their decision to buy a new home 81% believe that a home solar system allows homeowners to start saving on monthly living costs immediately In today’s economy, most people are looking for more bang for their buck when purchasing a new home. And according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, homes with solar “sell at up to twice the rate of their conventional counterparts.”
Does Solar Increase Home Value? | The Solar Company
January 24, 2011 | By Timothy B. Wheeler, The Baltimore Sun A California-based solar energy company announced Monday it is expanding to Maryland, where it plans to offer homeowners and businesses the option to lease rather than buy photovoltaic systems. SolarCity, headquartered in San Mateo, has acquired Clean Currents Solar, the solar installation division of Clean Currents, an independent green energy company based in Rockville that now markets solar and wind power in the mid-Atlantic region. <p style="text-align:right;color:#A8A8A8"></p>
California firm to begin offering solar leases in Maryland - baltimoresun.com
The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has upgraded its green building standards, requiring LEED Gold certification for all new federal construction and major renovations. GSA previously required LEED Silver for all federal facilities; the new requirement applies to all projects that are currently in design as well as all future projects. For newly constructed properties that GSA leases, the agency has maintained a LEED Silver requirement for new construction projects over 10,000 ft 2 (1,000 m 2 ).
LEED Gold Now Required for Federal Buildings - EBN: 19:12
SES
UPDATE: The Prescott Solar Facility Solar Variability Study is now available. View the final report . The mission of the Institute for Sustainable Energy Solutions (ISES) is to provide society with broadly educated energy experts and new technologies, as well as to help shape energy decision-making in both the private and public sectors while increasing the public's energy literacy. For more information on ISES please look at the following: Wind ISES is a regional and national leader in wind energy research, with projects that reach internationally.
Transparency for Global Development
Posted by Jeremy Weinstein and Robynn Sturm on December 16, 2010 at 11:05 AM EDT Today the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) launched Version 1.0 of the Foreign Assistance Dashboard , a new platform devoted to making it easier than ever for policymakers, civil society, and the public to understand U.S. investments and their impact around the globe. Do you want to know how much the U.S. invested in education in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2009? The Foreign Assistance Dashboard makes it easy to see and compare investments across sectors and countries at a glance. Civic-minded developers and researchers can download any and all of the Dashboard’s data in a machine-readable format to mash, visualize, and analyze U.S. budget data in new ways.
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In the search for new ways to efficiently use renewable energy, USF researchers introduced a new solar energy device Thursday. The device, Solar Window, was created by a team of researchers from the Department of Physics at USF. Lead researcher Xiaomei Jiang and a team of six USF students created an electricity generating see-thru glass window with the help of a created organic photovoltaic solar cell, — solar cells that produce a voltage when exposed to radiant energy, especially light.Update: It's Official -- Obama Signs Extension of Tax Grant Program
Update: Last night the U.S. House of Representatives joined the Senate in passing an extension of the Department of Treasury Section 1603 tax grant program -- a boon for the U.S.solar and wind industries. It was signed by President Obama this afternoon. To take advantage of the extended deadline, eligible renewable projects must begin construction by December 31, 2011. The extension was part of the $858 billion Middle Class Tax Cut Act of 2010 which extended the Bush-era tax cuts and other expiring business tax credits.
If You Want A Solar Farm On Your Empty Land Now You Have A Place To Start.
Recent Articles Most Effective Strategies To Help You Decide For The Right Modeling Agency In Atlanta In the past, many individuals believed that modeling is exclusive for women only. Fortunately, even men these days are beginning to gain recognition through having a modeling career. When we talk about becoming a professional model, it is very important to determine the best modeling agency out there. Exactly How Safe Porcelain Ceramic Cookware Is?
Kickstarter , a relatively unknown startup that helps creators raise money for independent projects , will generate over $5,000 in revenue today, implying an annualized rate of close to $2 million. We took a look at all of the Kickstarter projects closing within the next 24 hours. Even if none of them raises any more money today, those projects will raise over $100,000. Kickstarter takes a 5% cut of the funds it raises.
New York Startup Kickstarter Generating Close To $2 Million Per Year, Judging By Today's Haul
This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum , where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business. When you think of online destinations for professional purposes, social networking sites tailored toward business users — like LinkedIn — probably come to mind. Savvy small business professionals will find, however, that a crop of new startups offer them access to fresh technologies that help with professional networking, research, influence and community building. While you've likely never heard of the startups listed below, each is gaining traction from early adopter audiences and is building consumer-facing products easily applied to common small business tasks.