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- Does LEED Have Solar Standards? December 15 2008
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Posted on December 16, 2008 by Dean Dowd
LEED standards, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, have become the flagship for green building design and construction. Any architect or designer wishing to gain recognition in sustainable building must factor in LEED recommendations.
A huge part of sustainable building is sustainable energy. In other words, a LEED-certified structure will almost definitely have some renewable energy elements (i.e., geothermal heat pumps, solar thermal, or electric systems). So when it comes to solar systems in green building, does the USGBC have LEED standards specifically for solar?
The answer for now seems to be No. Yet while there are ...
- The Great Solar Land Rush of 2008December 8 2008
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Posted on December 8, 2008 by Dean Dowd
In 1849 there was the Gold Rush. Now, in 2008, it is the Solar Rush. The stage for the future of solar power has been set and aspiring actors are clamoring for the lead spot. That is, growing demand and renewed solar tax credits are driving the push for land leases in the wide open desert Southwest.
Since the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) opened up public lands to leases for solar power plants, speculators and financiers have shown keen interest. Until recently, most of the attention was on California where utilities must meet ambitious renewable standards.
But land in ...
- Wind Turbines for the CityDecember 4 2008
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Posted on December 5, 2008 by Kristen Lee
For wind power, there has long been a challenge to place turbines closer to the areas that use their energy. A company called Quietrevolution seems to making progress, however, as they have designed turbines to be quieter and more attractive for urban use- atop city buildings. How's that for a shorter gridline?
Boasting a recent installation of eight turbines atop a building in London, the company has lots to talk about. Their designs are nearly silent and complement buildings. In addition, various sizes are available.
Check out the article for further details:
- The US energy savings potential and who pays for it!December 2 2008
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Posted on December 2, 2008 by Sergio Ferreira
Leonardo ENERGY is hosting this webinar on the 5th Dec at 15:00 (GMT +1). Registrations here.
By Inês Lima de Azevedo, from the Carnegie Mellon University.
Several recent studies use bottom-up models to assess the potential for energy efficiency (or avoided emissions from greenhouse gases) and the costs of implementing such energy efficiency measure, representing these two dimensions in an energy efficiency supply curve. However, energy savings estimates are generally overly optimistic suggesting that the costs to achieve the energy efficiency potential are very low. We revisit the energy efficiency supply curve approach, developing a model that accounts ...
- European Scientists Look To Globalize Solar Energy GridDecember 1 2008
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Posted on December 1, 2008 by Dean Dowd
A global solar energy grid? That seems a bit farfetched, or is it? Based on current nanotechnology and expected improvements and innovations, European scientists are seriously considering that very possibility. This confidence and forward-thinking, which found expression at the recent European Science Foundation conference, stems from the promise of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) and biomimetics.
DSCs commonly use a natural or synthetic dye and titanium dioxide to capture and convert solar energy into usable electricity. These third-generation solar cells are biomimetic because they essentially mimic the natural process of photosynthesis. Despite recent breakthroughs in efficiency and longevity, DSCs are still ...