2nd Green Revolution

A number of companies, both solar manufacturers and producers, have tools to help consumers determine the feasibility of installing solar power systems on their homes. Sun Power Corporation provides a calculator to help homeowners ascertain their cost savings by installing a photovoltaic (pv) system. There are several variables that users can adjust in order to figure out their specific expense and payback. It is a powerful tool; similar to home mortgage calculators. In the same vein, there is a start-up company, Sungevity, in Northern California that is using satellite images to reduce the cost of estimating pv system installations. They currently do not serve locations outside the Bay Area, but hopefully will expand to more areas.

Lastly, to help consumers research the incentives and rebates, there are a few key resources that can help. Read the rest of this entry »

Wired Magazine has come up with a list of what it thinks were the top ten green-technology breakthroughs of last year. The list includes advances in solar power from companies such as BrightSource, Ausra, and Nanosolar; actual pilot projects involving Shai Agassi’s Better Place replaceable electric car battery idea; and a demonstration site for making cement from CO2 left over from power generation. Perhaps just as significant but less acknowledged (number four on Wired’s list) is the selection of Steven Chu, a Nobel-prize winning physicist (detailed autobiography here), to head the Department of Energy. While at Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory, Chu was focused on alternative-energy. In addition, he often speaks candidly about the dangers of climate change.

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by Kim Novick, Guest Author

“We will restore science to its rightful place.” – Barack Obama, January 20th 2009

Modern inaugural addresses haven’t been kind to science.  In the 80 years preceding Obama’s inauguration, only Richard Nixon has spoken kindly of the discipline.  FDR called science a “ruthless master of mankind.”  Eisenhower spoke of its “final gift…the power to erase human life from this planet,” and Kennedy its “dark powers of destruction.”  These are pretty harsh words for the branch of knowledge that brought us the combustion engine, penicillin, and a fair chunk of American economic development since WWII.  Obama’s praise for science and technology in his inaugural address drew much applause on the Mall, making it clear that a renewed focus on and appreciation for American scientific enterprise isn’t just music to scientists’ ears. Read the rest of this entry »