Author: Green Tech

Dupont sees photovoltaic sales improve ahead of expectations and bumps up its near term revenue objective.  …

… "DuPont now expects its sales into photovoltaics to exceed $1 billion in 2011, which is a year ahead of plan, and has set a new goal to exceed $2 billion in sales by 2014.

In 2009, DuPont sales to the photovoltaic market exceeded $550 million – an increase of over 25 percent from the previous year – and outperformed the broader industry, which experienced significantly lower growth, estimated to be 10 percent or less. DuPont’s growth is supported by new innovations that improve module efficiency and lifetime, and enable new photovoltaic technologies and applications, which ultimately accelerate the industry’s drive to bring costs down in line with other forms of energy.
DuPont materials and technology solutions are designed to help increase the efficiency and lifetime of crystalline silicon and thin film photovoltaic solar modules, while reducing total systems cost and enabling the photovoltaic industry to reach grid parity faster. " …

Via Dupont: Photovoltaic Sales Growth

Texas A&M Aggies win EPA competition for their solution that harvests daylight. …

… "Utilizing an outdoor light collector, the apparatus, dubbed Horizontal Hybrid Solar Light Pipe: An Integrated System of Daylight and Electric Light, funnels sunlight from the collector through a pipe of highly reflective material into a simulated office space built within a rail car container. " …

Via Texas A&M University: Sustainability Competition

Tokyo employs multiple strategies to green the city and emerge as a sustainability leader. …

… "Those include toughened environmental building standards, cash incentives for residents to install solar panels and a plan for greening the city, including planting half a million trees and converting a 217-acre landfill in Tokyo Bay into a wooded sea forest park. " …

Via University of Arizona: Tokyo Eco-Friendly Goal

Starbucks implements LED lighting conversion in stores.  …

We did this by reaching out to GE, who developed a highly energy-efficient LED bulb that complements Starbucks store design approach and fits existing fixtures.

Via Starbucks: Energy-efficient LED Lighting coming to a Starbucks near You

Hoboken business owner eats his own dog food by installing solar energy on his house.  …

… "Fahmie, founder of Jersey City-based renewable energy company Solevis, chose his home as the site for his company’s first small-scale project, 3.15 kilowatt solar energy system … " …

Via NJ.com: Hoboken Brownstone

GE partners with Nissan to advance the understanding and state of technology for enabling the electric vehicle infrastructure.  …

… "there are a number of potential issues that must be studied and quantified, such as whether clusters of electric vehicles will tax the local electrical distribution system, including transformers. " …

Via GE: Electric car smart charging

Green researchers use biology to better understand solar energy conversion. …

… "Plants use solar energy to split water molecules into their component hydrogen and oxygen atoms. Scientists dream of efficiently replicating that process, then storing the resulting gases for later use in fuel cells or liquid fuels. " …

Via Calvin College: Mimic plant energy use

Sustainability shifts into its next phase as communities embrace climate change actions, creative enablers become easy to adopt, and collaboration spans organizational boundaries. …

… “where the government has been slow to increase renewables in the energy mix, there’s been strong interest in community-owned renewable energy. ” …

Via Advertising Age: Sustainability 2.0

UCSD on Sustainability 2.0: “sustainability comes alive in education, research, and campus operations.”

Internationally known artist and landscape architect Walter Hood, Oakland, California, wins the art competition to design the University at Buffalo megawatt solar array. …

… “When complete, the UB solar installation’s 5,000 photovoltaic (PV) panels will generate solar energy for 735 student apartments at UB, reducing the university’s carbon emissions by more than 500 metric tons per year. The project will serve as a cornerstone of NYPA’s $21 million statewide renewable energy program. ” …

Via The University at Buffalo: Solar Array on UB Campus

Walter Hood via abc7news: “Walter Hood is Professor and former Chair of Landscape Architecture at the University of California, Berkeley, and principal of Hood Design in Oakland, CA. ”

PG&E develops a solar home initiative based on a portfolio of smaller size projects to accelerate the creation of five hundred megawatts of solar power generation capacity. …

… “The program, once complete, will generate up to 500 megawatts (MW) of clean energy, enough to meet the needs of about 150,000 homes in PG&E’s Northern and Central California service area. ” …

Via PG&E: Major Solar Energy Initiative

PG&E Power Mix.

How did Earth Day get its start? Here’s a historical perspective. …

… “In November of 1969, Nelson announced that the National Teach-In on the Crisis of the Environment would take place on April 22, 1970. The date was selected because it rested between spring break and final exams for most college students. In January of 1970, the event was renamed Earth Day. ” …

Via Penn Current: Earth Day still going strong

Princeton Review recognizes colleges for their green practices through research that will guide applicants that are seeking a sustainable school practicing what they preach. …

… “Other highlights include Appalachian’s 2009 installation of the largest wind turbine in the state, a commitment to LEED certification for all new construction, and renovations or retrofitting of current buildings. Appalachian’s commitment to sustainability also includes projects funded through the student initiated Renewable Energy Imitative, a $5 a semester fee that has funded installation of photovoltaic and solar thermal panels on several campus buildings, and provided half the cost of installing the wind turbine located near the Broyhill Inn and Conference Center. ” …

Via Appalachian State University: Green colleges

Exemplary green schools:

• The Princeton Review Guide to 286 Green Colleges: “This is a guide to 286 U.S. colleges and universities that have demonstrated an exemplary commitment to sustainability. “
• Green Guide to Colleges: “The Princeton Review noted that another unique aspect of the Guide is that it provides important information on schools that have dedicated environmental studies curriculums. “

and discussed by folks with various perspectives … David Hochschild, Solaria Corp, sees improving pricing environment for accelerating solar adoption in California. …

… “In just the last year, the average price of solar panels dropped by 40 percent, and more price reductions are expected in the year ahead. ” …

Via New York Times: California Solar Scorecard

according to update by the American Chemistry Council. …

… “The report, prepared by Moore Recycling Associates Inc., Sonoma, Calif., found that in 2008, more than 361 million pounds of post-consumer rigid plastics were collected for recycling nationwide, an 11 percent increase from the previous year. The report also found that in North American markets, much of the recycled material was used to make products such as pallets, crates, composite lumber and gardening items. ” …

Via Recycling Today: Rigid Plastics Recycling

Legislation drives chemical industry to increase transparency, prioritize risks, and consider green chemistry strategies for alternatives to more toxic materials. …

… “EPA would be instructed to create a public database containing information about each chemical and EPA actions on that chemical, and the legislation would restrict which data can be claimed by industry to be confidential. The bill also seeks to promote green chemistry by establishing a program to develop incentives for companies to make and use safer alternatives to some chemicals. ” …

Via New York Times: Chemicals Reform Bill

Safe Chemicals Legislation (PDF).