Solar
Is Solar Technology at the End of the Line? Or Just the Beginning?
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image media=”101960″ media_width_percent=”100″ shape=”img-round” uncode_shortcode_id=”126908″][vc_column_text] The decline of U.S. solar manufacturing in the past few years has all but scuttled dreams of a new Solar Valley that could create good domestic jobs and bring the same kind of innovation to the cleantech sector that Silicon Valley brought to the computer industry. Could it be the…
Read MoreCutting Down To Size
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image media=”102008″ media_width_percent=”100″ shape=”img-round” uncode_shortcode_id=”463932″][vc_column_text] The best strategy for sustainability isn’t better renewable energy or a miracle technology. The best strategy for sustainability is to simply curb consumption. The challenge lies in reducing consumption in a way that does not reduce comfort or hinder daily activities: Cutting Down To Size When it comes to housing, sometimes…
Read MoreSheltering New Solar at Texas Humane Heroes with Green Mountain Energy™ Sun Club™
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image media=”102010″ media_width_percent=”100″ shape=”img-round” uncode_shortcode_id=”134864″][vc_column_text] Solar array dedication event at Texas Humane Heroes Panels installed with $50,000 donation from Green Mountain Energy™ Sun Club™ Sheltering New Solar at Texas Humane Heroes with Green Mountain Energy™ Sun Club™ $50,000 donation funds solar array installation at Texas Humane Heroes Native was selected for this solar array installation…
Read MoreThe Fracking Problem
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image media=”102025″ media_width_percent=”100″ uncode_shortcode_id=”211577″][vc_column_text] Proponents of the oil and natural gas industry point to new developments in extraction technology, namely “fracking”, as the solution to America’s energy woes. While natural gas may be the best bet for the time being, there are some issues, namely fracking, that warrant discussion. As a nation, and as a…
Read MoreThe 3 Types of Solar
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image media=”102027″ media_width_percent=”100″ shape=”img-round” uncode_shortcode_id=”145106″][vc_column_text] Solar photovoltaic panels get all the press, with good reason too. They’re shiny. They look the part of a renewable energy technology of the future. That’s great, but people tend to get a little sun-struck and forget that photovoltaic technology is only one way to get clean energy from the…
Read MoreSuper Bowl: Lights, Camera, …Nothing?
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image media=”102035″ media_width_percent=”100″ uncode_shortcode_id=”435814″][vc_column_text] The widely-speculated power outage in this year’s Super Bowl XLVII may just be a sign of things to come. Granted, the game in Mercedes-Benz Superdome was an extraordinary event demanding extraordinary resources, especially in regards to electrical power. Nonetheless, the underlying problem remains: too many people, not enough juice, and a host of…
Read MorePower to People: Part 1
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image media=”102046″ media_width_percent=”100″ uncode_shortcode_id=”204125″][vc_column_text] The development of cellular phones, digital control systems and information communication networks can provide a road-map for a more flexible, resilient and democratic energy infrastructure. Very few people own land-lines anymore, with good reason. They are not mobile or particularly useful for actually reaching busy people, and they certainly cannot text.…
Read MoreThinking Outside the Box
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image media=”102050″ media_width_percent=”100″ uncode_shortcode_id=”680156″][vc_column_text]From desegregation to the rise of the Internet, much has changed in the past 100 years. But our homes haven’t. Why old-fashioned thinking in regards to how we occupy spaces is bad for our wallets, the environment, and our overall wellbeing. Anywhere, USA Let’s paint a picture of the typical American home. First,…
Read MoreEnergy Democracy
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image media=”102058″ media_width_percent=”100″ uncode_shortcode_id=”860634″][vc_column_text] The development of smart grids, distributed solar energy, time-of-day pricing, and functional electric vehicles offer a vision of a less centralized energy system tied to the one-fuel dictatorship of fossil fuels. One day, individual households and communities, operating their own power sources, may shape the electric grid by how they decide to consume…
Read MoreGridlock – Part 2
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image media=”102060″ media_width_percent=”100″ shape=”img-round” uncode_shortcode_id=”205367″][vc_column_text] A major component of our energy woes today is the grid itself. A solution could be distributed, onsite generation with renewables. Beginnings of the Behemoth Centralized power generation evolved to address the realities of industrialization, including economies of scale and the fact the people simply didn’t want to work, live,…
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