Clean Energy Transition

SolFocus, a company spun off from Xerox's Palo Alto Research Park, is building arrays of solar panels around this honeycomb design. Each dish magnifies the light 500 times and focuses it on very high-efficiency cells.

A week after a slew of popular Web sites were knocked offline temporarily by a power outage in San Francisco, the data center for the Web sites has finally disclosed what went wrong. Basically, backup generators made by a Dutch company called Hitec failed to work, according to an update posted to the Web site of data center 365 Main. Here's what happened: transformer breakers at a San Francisco Pacific Gas & Electric power station unexpectedly opened, causing a power surge that cut off electricity to a portion of the city. (PG&E does not know why the breakers opened.) Three out of 10 of 365 Main's 2.1-megawatt backup generators failed to start up, cutting power to equipment of more than 40 percent of the data center's customers for up to 45 minutes.

A small team of engineers based in Cornwall, England, have made a breakthrough with the development of a turbine that they claim could solve the commercial viability of tidal power. Known as the Osprey turbine, the technology can be used to create electricity offshore at sea -- or in tidal rivers and inland waterways. The Osprey turbine is a vertical axis free flow device which produces power independently or as part of a larger system. Power output is expected to be from 1 kW up to 5 MW in a multiple system.

Honda's natural gas Civic GX, which debuted in 2006 in California but is now becoming available in other parts of the country, just may be the cleanest mainstream car on the road. At least the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) thinks so. The nonprofit group . . . put the Civic GX at the top of its 2007 environmentally friendly car list, edging out Toyota's hybrid Prius. The natural gas-fueled Civic scored slightly better than the Prius on fuel economy and reduced emissions in ACEEE's battery of tests. It also scored better in terms of the pollution generated in the manufacturing processes.

While cable music channels urge their viewers to unplug their cellphone chargers and businesses strive to understand how big their carbon footprint is and how to reduce it, many authorities, city business districts, industrial sites and campuses are already turning to robust, tried and true solutions without waiting for magic-wand policies or revolutionary technologies. This explains why we're seeing renewed interest in district heating and cooling systems around the world.

A new vision to reduce greenhouse gas emissions gains national attention & support Press Release from American Solar Energy Society Boulder, Colorado, USA

A new vision?

SunPower Corp., a Silicon Valley-based manufacturer of high-efficiency solar cells, solar panels and solar systems, inaugurated its second solar cell fabrication facility, referred to as cell Fab 2, in the Philippines earlier this week.

Two new solar communities with 20 homes combined are due to be completed in Gilroy, California by the end of the year each outfitted with a BP Solar solar electric system. "We all need to do our part to meet the California Solar Initiative, and this is definitely a step in the right direction. I'm glad to see the residents of Gilroy have solar available in the most economic way, which is having it installed during construction, rather than later as an add-on." Al Pinheiro, Mayor of Gilroy

British Gas launched what it calls Britain's "greenest" available energy tariff today. It will cost gas and electricity customers on average £84 per year more than the firm's standard dual fuel deal. The launch reflects high customer demand which is pushing green energy tariffs into the mainstream, according to British Gas. Energy regulator Ofgem last month put forward plans for a star-rating system to help customers understand the array of green tariffs on offer.

The Green Building Exchange [Its a shop!] held its grand opening Saturday in Redwood City, Calif. It is the first shopping and meeting center of its kind serving home buyers, builders and nonprofit groups. Products on display include solar panels, recycled renovation materials and low-toxic furniture.

WTC, a Munich, Germany-based consulting company, has tracked down more than 130 international manufacturers which are involved in the thin-film solar cell production process-from the cutting edge pilot lines to the major manufacturing plants-and has created a solar cells database listing.

Shell WindEnergy Inc. and TXU Corp. subsidiary Luminant announced on July 27 a joint development agreement for a 3,000 megawatt (MW) wind project in the Texas Panhandle

Companies investing in renewable energy may begin asking a familiar question following FPL Group Inc.'s second-quarter results: What happens when the wind doesn't blow or the sun doesn't shine?

When it comes to climate change, Bangladesh--with 140 million mostly poor residents and low-lying coastal geography--is among the most vulnerable nations on Earth. As part of the country's effort to prepare and adapt, Bangladesh government agencies are attempting to take global projections of climate change and turn them into highly local predictions.

It rains year round in Germany. Clouds cover the skies for about two-thirds of all daylight hours. Yet the country has managed to become the world's leading solar power generator.