Ethosolar News

Ontario Power Authority: Progress report 2011

admin — Sat, 19 May 2012 10:15:22 +0000

As of the end of the third quarter 2011, the OPA had 20,936 megawatts (MW) of electricity supply capacity, based on average contract capacity, under contract. This includes 10,277 MW of renewable energy, 7,659 MW of clean energy, and 3,000 MW of nuclear energy.

Within this 20,936 of supply capacity, 4,717 MW were procured from existing generating facilities, which required minimal or no new capital investment. The remaining capacity, 16,219 MW, was procured from new development, expansion, redevelopment or refurbishment of existing facilities.

This represents more than $35.0 billion of new capital investment in generation in the Ontario electricity system since 2005.

View complete report;

http://www.powerauthority.on.ca/sites/default/files/OPA%20-%20A%20Progress%20report%20on%20Electricity%20Supply%202011%20Q3.pdf

Learn more about how Ethosolar can help you with all your solar needs. http://ethosolar.com/contact-us/index.php

It is a myth that switching to safe, renewable energy would mean an unreliable power supply.

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 10:22:03 +0000

WASHINGTON, D.C. – It is a myth that switching to safe, renewable energy would mean an unreliable U.S. power supply that also is too expensive to afford. That is the major conclusion of a new Synapse Energy Economics report prepared for the nonprofit Civil Society Institute (CSI) that details a future with more energy efficiency and renewable energy and less reliance on coal and nuclear power.

Key highlights of the new Synapse/CSI report include the following:

•	Due in part to a significantly increased emphasis on energy efficiency, power sector carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 2020 would fall 25 percent below 2010 levels; by 2050, such pollution would be 81 percent below 2010 levels. Under status quo trends, CO2 emissions would grow 28 percent from current levels by 2050.
•	The steep health and environmental (including water use) impacts of coal-fired electricity are dramatically reduced and, by 2050, eliminated altogether when all such facilities are retired. For example, over 50,000 premature deaths are avoided relative to status quo trends linked to pollution from coal-fired plants.
•	The construction and operation of the new power plants in the first decade would create roughly 3.1 million new job-years – the equivalent of 310,000 people employed for the entire decade.
•	Natural gas use in 2050 would be reduced 28 percent from projected levels for 2050.
•	By retiring about one quarter of the existing fleet of nuclear power reactors and not building any new ones, the risks associated with nuclear power generation and the nuclear fuel cycle are reduced considerably. READ MORE: http://www.civilsocietyinstitute.org/media/111611release.cfm

Source: CIVIL SOCIETY INSTITUTE

Source: Ethosolar.com

Solar Power use improves LIVES, in the best ways possible!

admin — Thu, 17 May 2012 10:47:25 +0000

*For instance, look at the efforts of one Brazilian entrepreneur Fabio Rosa. His donation of 560 solar panels (Built in Canada) to an impoverished villages in the Amazon that will soon receive reliable, solar power to help keep their water clean, their lights on and to refrigerate medicine and food! This is just one example of how Solar Power improves LIVES, in the best ways possible. This one small example demonstrates how Solar Power is helping to improve the lives of millions of people within our world! (*From Tyler Hamiltion, Green Living Network/GreenBreak)

A number of impoverished villages in Brazil’s Amazonia region will soon receive a life-changing present from Canada.

Once these made-in-Ontario panels arrive in Brazil, they will be transported to a handful of villages and, come spring 2012, installed atop schools, hospitals, and water-pumping stations. The power they produce will be used directly, or stored in golf-cart batteries so the energy from the sun can be used at night.”

This program was started by Brazilian entrepreneur Fabio Rosa, and Canadian investigative journalist Paul McKay, whose goal is to bring clean water, light, refrigeration, basic communications and, ultimately, better health and education to some of the poorest individuals of Brazil.

Solar Power improves life now and in the future!

“There are 20 million people in Brazil without access to electricity and they can’t afford the panels themselves,” explains McKay, who in “retirement” is now a green energy advocate running his own foundation that acts as a kind of North American ambassador to Rosa’s efforts.

“Most utilities there have been privatized and are not interested in going after tiny customers in remote places.”

Yet, something as simple as the use of Solar Panels gives these people the ability to pump water automatically for their cash crop operations, generating new income for the entire village.

From Ethosolar: Our hats are off to you, Mr. Fabio Rosa.

NOTE: If you represent a company that would like to help fund or contribute solar panels, batteries, LED lights, water pumps and/or power electronics to Rosa’s initiative, please contact us at ethosolar and we will put you in contact with the right people. Ethosolar.com

Source: Paul McKay at paul@paulmckay.com

Ethosolar Solar Panel News:

admin — Wed, 16 May 2012 10:05:04 +0000

Feed-in tariff, also known as “CLEAN Contracts.” Perhaps most famous for its successful implementation in Germany, a feed-in tariff is a policy tool that guarantees a fixed price at which renewable generators can sell the electricity they produce. http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2011/12/14/388988/feed-in-tariff-electric-rates/

Results of the FIT Program review now available…

admin — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:10:36 +0000

The OPA is pleased to move forward with the revised FIT Program, which incorporates the results of the two-year FIT Program review. The objective of the review was to ensure the long-term sustainability of the program.

Entire School District Energized by Solar Power!

admin — Thu, 10 May 2012 10:17:55 +0000

An entire school district will soon be using solar power to operate their many school buildings and electrical devices. They will be getting 90 percent of their electricity from solar panels and over the next 30 years will save an estimated $200 million.

Mount Diablo Unified School District will build the largest solar power system of all school districts around the country. They will have a 12-megawatt system, costing about $80 million. (For the sake of comparison, it has been estimated one megawatt of can power about 500 homes, depending on conditions.)

How they did it! Open ballot Vote: ”To support quality education and safety for local students, and reduce impacts of State budget cuts by improving science, career and technical education facilities; upgrading classroom instructional technology; repairing leaky roofs; improving safety; maximizing energy efficiency including adding solar panels and modern air conditioning; and repairing, replacing, equipping or modernizing other school facilities; shall Mt. Diablo Unified School District issue $348,000,000 of bonds at legal interest rates, with independent citizen oversight, audits, and no money for administrator salaries?”

This school district will now get its solar power system and save most of the $3.5 million utility bill it typically pays each year. Of course, having an almost entirely self-sufficient renewable energy system is a very good learning experience for all the students who attend the schools. By the time the current classes of students attending Mt. Diablo USD have their own families, renewable energy may be the most common form of power, at least in California where there are very few coal power plants.

Image Credit: Ethosolar

Source: Care2 Make a Difference http://www.care2.com

Solar Power Charging Stations for your electric car!

admin — Wed, 09 May 2012 10:05:35 +0000

With gas at more than three dollars a gallon and more people concerned about global warming, electric vehicles have found a new surge of popularity. The major hurdle for electric cars is that the infrastructure to support them doesn’t exist yet. CHARGING STATIONS!

Honda is one of the companies trying to change that, as they have begun trial testing an electric vehicle charging station that is powered by solar energy.

When car companies first began discussing electric vehicles, they planned to substitute one fossil fuel for another by using coal to generate electricity to power the vehicles, instead of gasoline. But using renewable energy to power electric vehicles will cut down on the carbon emissions created in the process.

These charging stations isn’t just for electric vehicles, but also plug-in hybrid vehicles, electric scooters, and electric carts. Honda will monitor how effective the charging station is at generating electricity, and ways to improve the convenience and usability of the charging station for customers.

Honda hopes to have electric vehicle charging stations in the United States, but it hasn’t released a timeline of when it hopes to do that by. For the sake of settling the question of which electric vehicle is better, the Nissan Leaf or the Chevy Volt, let’s hope this technology gets stateside soon.

Photo: Honda

Source: Discovery News http://news.discovery.com

Solar Cars? They’re on their way!

admin — Tue, 08 May 2012 10:00:32 +0000

The SolarWorld GT solar car landed in San Francisco as part of its round-the-world tour. A team of German students from Bochum University of Applied Sciences in Germany designed a two-seater electric car in collaboration with SolarWorld, a solar panel manufacturer, to compete in the 2011 World Solar Challenge in Australia. The vehicle works by collecting solar energy through photovoltaic panels on its roof, its solar generator can reach up to 823 watts and the vehicle has an average speed of 31 mph, with top speeds reaching 62 mph.

Source: Discovery News http://news.discovery.com

SOLAR-POWERED FABRIC!

admin — Mon, 07 May 2012 10:56:43 +0000

When every ounce on the trail counts, outdoor adventurers dream about ditching batteries. They might not have to wait. Designers at Colorado State University are developing solar-powered clothes from natural fibers that can charge a number of devices, including phones, tablets and GPS units.

Source: Discovery News http://news.discovery.com

Make Your Home Solar Ready

admin — Mon, 07 May 2012 10:47:17 +0000

Are you interested in using solar in your home for water heating but not quite ready to “take the plunge?” If you’re doing a major renovation or building a new house you can save hundreds of dollars later on by preparing your home now.

Learn more about Solar and PV Installation at http://ethosolar.com/