Grist | Topics | 158 Results

RESULTS		Results 101 – 125 of 158
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Headline	Author	Published	Section
Let's kill this meme Why we gotta knock solar?	John McGrath	05 Jun 2007	Gristmill
Can we please, once and for all, stop decrying solar energy for being too area-intensive? See, for example, the oft-cited statistic that to power its economy, the U.S. would need "10 billion meters, squared, of land." America isn't exactly short on square meters, and awfully sunny ones at that. But 10 billion square meters sounds a lot bigger than it really is. 10,000 square kilometers (100km x 100km) form a square you could drive around entirely, at legal ...
Topics: energy, hydropower, solar voltaic power (all these topics)

Solar Pope	David Roberts	30 May 2007	Gristmill
The name of my new rock band? Nope.
Topics: energy, solar voltaic power, Vatican City (all these topics)

On the non-inevitability of solar Regulatory infrastructure will be crucial	Adam Browning	23 May 2007	Gristmill
I was traveling last week and missed 'solar's inevitable dominance.' I disagree. There is nothing at all inevitable about solar. Sure, the technological potential exists. But the problem is not technology. The technology works great. The problem is policy. Right now, if solar panels were free -- handed out on street corners -- you still would not see market uptake anywhere near the technical potential. Why? Because we do not yet have the right regulatory infrast ...
Topics: Arizona, energy, solar voltaic power (all these topics)

More fuel for the wind versus solar debate Solar is making boats go now -- take that, wind!	Adam Browning	22 May 2007	Gristmill
Wind, you think you are so badass. I tell you, solar is creeping up on you where you least expect it:
Topics: energy, solar voltaic power, wind power (all these topics)

Solar's inevitable dominance Don't fight it	David Roberts	16 May 2007	Gristmill
Energy wonk Robert McLeod has long post filled with statistics and graphs, arguing a simple point: if historical trends continue, solar power is going to dominate. Soon. (You'll recognize this as substantially similar to the argument made by solar booster Travis Bradford.) If you're into statistics and graphs, read the whole thing. If not, here are some good excerpts: Photovoltaic cells are not like any other method humanity uses to collect and use energy. Exis ...
Topics: energy, renewable energy, solar voltaic power (all these topics)

Feed-in tariffs: feeding hope for survival Making a market for solar in Eugene, Oregon	JMG	15 May 2007	Gristmill
Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) offers to buy solar power produced by customers at 15 cents/kWh.
Topics: energy, Oregon, solar voltaic power (all these topics)

Solar: such a tease It could be fantastic, but nobody's built any	David Roberts	14 May 2007	Gristmill
CNET's summary of its own story perfectly captures the highs and lows of solar thermal: Bottom line: A large-scale solar power plant with a large energy-storage system that is close to other solar-power systems and the customers they serve could produce electricity for about the same cost as that from standard utility plants. Such a system has yet to be built, however. And in other tauntingly suggestive solar news:A new mechanism for focusing light on small areas of ...
Topics: placemaking, energy, solar voltaic power, solar thermal power (all these topics)

I wear my solar panels at night Solar that doesn't need direct sunlight	David Roberts	14 May 2007	Gristmill
Solar that doesn't require direct sunlight: [G24i] uses nano-sized titanium crystals, which turn sunlight into electricity in a process similar to photosynthesis (the method plants use to store the energy from sunlight in sugars). Because G24i's technology is more powerful than other solar cells, it does not need direct sunlight to generate electricity and can work even in rainy Wales. The use of nanotechnology also makes the cells lighter, more powerful and mor ...
Topics: climate, energy, solar voltaic power, climate change mitigation (all these topics)

Amish solar The Amish dig it	David Roberts	14 May 2007	Gristmill
The Amish affinity for solar says something essential about the difference between fossil and renewable fuels. Not quite sure I know how to put it into words, though.
Topics: renewable energy, energy, solar voltaic power (all these topics)

Our main resource shortages: Wisdom and kindness Population is not the short-term problem	Gar Lipow	10 May 2007	Gristmill
Now and again some commentator will claim that we lack to resources to support our population sustainably -- either today or in the near future. But the fact is, even with current technology we have plenty of sustainable resources for our ~7 billion population and for the ~10 billion we expect in the future. What prevents this is not scarcity but folly and cruelty. What are the constraints usually cited? There is soil and sustainable food production. But as I recently d ...
Topics: energy, population, solar thermal power, solar voltaic power, water conflicts (all these topics)

Appropriate technology is just so much more ... appropriate! A story from Tanzania	JMG	08 May 2007	Gristmill
Interesting story on a Michigan State University project to help test and improve locally made solar cookers in Tanzania:MSU students' re-engineered ovens help impoverished in Tanzania When Judy Martin worked as a teacher in Tanzania in the 1960s, living conditions for many people were harsh. Impoverished women there walked long distances in search of firewood or spent precious money on inefficient charcoal for cooking. They prepared family meals over open fires. Mar ...
Topics: energy, solar voltaic power, Tanzania (all these topics)

The sun in Spain falls mainly on the concentrated-solar plant in Seville Man, that's the worst headline ever	David Roberts	04 May 2007	Gristmill
Here's a short but fascinating BBC story about a ginormous (11MW, with plans for expansion) concentrated-solar power plant in Seville, Spain -- the first commercial concentrated-solar plant in Europe. Hundreds of mirrors reflect sunlight at a single point at the top of a tower, where the heat boils water for stream that drives a generator. I'd only quibble with one thing: Is it true that this power is three times more expensive than power from conventional sources ...
Topics: energy, renewable energy, solar voltaic power, Spain (all these topics)

Kossacks Goin' new school	Adam Browning	02 May 2007	Gristmill
Old school Cossacks: thundered off the steppes in bloodthirsty hordes, fearsome warriors, rumored to tuck ears of enemies under saddleblankets in lieu of provisions during raids. New-school Kossacks: more tippety-tap than thundering, not so much with the ear eating, fearsome and effective in rallying support for renewable energy. HR 550 is the largest, most important piece of solar legislation ever introduced in the U.S. Here is a story about how they are making ...
Topics: energy, legislation, politics, renewable energy, solar voltaic power (all these topics)

What's Produced Here Stays Here Air Force, Nevada go all crazy with the solar energy		19 Apr 2007	Daily Grist
What's Produced Here Stays Here Air Force, Nevada go all crazy with the solar energy The largest solar photovoltaic plant in North America is coming soon to an Air Force base near you -- if you live in Nevada. Nellis Air Force Base will install 140 acres of solar panels, powering 30 percent of its electricity needs and reducing electric bills by some $1 million a year. "It allows the Ai ...
Topics: energy, Nevada, news, solar thermal power, solar voltaic power (all these topics)

Hybrid power plant	David Roberts	16 Apr 2007	Gristmill
I guess as a blogger in good standing I should have some kind of instant opinion on this, but I don't: California approves the first "hybrid power plant" -- 90% natural gas, 10% solar. So why did Inland Energy decide to make solar a relatively small part of its plant rather than the main power producer? Reliability, says Barnett. 'We really didn't like that idea because we wanted the ability to provide a baseload plant.' What do y'all think? Update ...
Topics: energy, hybrids, solar voltaic power (all these topics)

Maryland: Solar victory Ahh, democracy	Adam Browning	10 Apr 2007	Gristmill
Last night the Maryland legislature passed a world-class solar program -- 1,400 MW of solar on rooftops over the next 15 years, putting Maryland in the upper echelon of solar-supporting states. Kudos, congrats, and thanks to the Maryland advocates that made this happen. That this passed is a good thing. But how it passed is a lesson that bears wider dissemination. After the bill passed out of both the House and Senate by commanding majorities (Senate 30-17, and H ...
Topics: energy, Maryland, solar voltaic power (all these topics)

Texas solar opportunity Act nowor forever hold your pleas	Adam Browning	07 Apr 2007	Gristmill
The battle over the TXU coal plants has been well chronicled on these pages. As an elegant companion to the efforts to shut down coal, there's a proposal in the Texas Legislature -- sitting in committee right now -- that would develop a world-class solar energy program for Texas. The TexSUN solar program (House Bill 2226 and Senate Bill 1357) would remove some of the regulatory barriers standing in the way of a robust solar market, and provide incentives to home ...
Topics: energy, solar voltaic power, Texas (all these topics)

Solar going mainstream -- for the realz this time All signs are positive	David Roberts	02 Apr 2007	Gristmill
Solar power is going mainstream! So they have said, anyway, for about 30 years now. This time, however, there are good reasons to believe the hype. As Adam keeps reminding us, solar is incredibly popular -- huge majorities favor it, and favor gov't incentives to support it. Prices have been falling for years, orders are up, politicians on both sides of the aisle sing its praises, and the California Solar Initiative promises to kickstart economies of scale. All of thi ...
Topics: energy, solar voltaic power (all these topics)

Wasserman gets it right But does he have to use the word 'solartopia'?	David Roberts	29 Mar 2007	Gristmill
This short piece from Harvey Wasserman gets pretty much everything right -- and by "right" I mean, "in agreement with me." My only quibble is that he spends too much time bashing nukes, and bashing them for the wrong reasons (wrong effective-messaging-wise, not necessarily substance-wise). I'd prefer he bash them because they're more expensive and less flexible than R&E, not for the well-hashed-over waste issue. But that's a quibble. Here's t ...
Topics: Congress, energy, nuclear power, renewable energy, solar voltaic power (all these topics)

Maryland: Huge solar opportunity You can help	Adam Browning	20 Mar 2007	Gristmill
If you live in Maryland and you care about solar energy, well, you are in luck. We've got an opportunity for you to make a difference. Today, a huge solar bill passed out of the Senate Finance Committee and the House Economic Committee in the Maryland legislature. It now faces a floor vote. You can help it become reality. HB 1016/SB 595 would amend the state's renewable portfolio standard to add a 1,800 MW solar program. That would put it in the top tier of solar ...
Topics: energy, Maryland, solar voltaic power (all these topics)

Ted Again Cable magnate Ted Turner forms solar-energy business partnership		12 Jan 2007	Daily Grist
Ted Again Cable magnate Ted Turner forms solar-energy business partnership Remember Ted Turner? Tall fellow, gray hair, owned a lotta cable TV and a lotta land and was married to Jane Fonda? Yeah, that one. Well, he's back, and he's sinking some of his legendary wealth into solar technology. Partnering with four-year-old, New Jersey-based Dome-Tech Solar, the skillionaire will focus on ...
Topics: business, California, celebrity, energy, news, solar voltaic power (all these topics)

Top ten breakthroughs that could help cool the greenhouse Read and be dazzled by the techno-futurism	Gar Lipow	12 Dec 2006	Gristmill
David asked contributors for end-of-year lists. Since I normally focus on conservative assumptions, I thought I'd use it as an excuse to look at future breakthroughs and cost improvements. I was going to weasel by calling these "possibilities," but instead I decided to use the time-tested technique of public psychics: I'll call them predictions, crow over any that come true, and pretend the rest never happened. 1. Power storage that will make electric cars ...
Topics: cars, climate change adaptation, electric vehicles, energy, energy efficiency, hybrids, solar voltaic power, wind power (all these topics)

The Revolution Will Be Solarized An interview with Travis Bradford, author of Solar Revolution	David Roberts	30 Nov 2006	Main Dish
Solar power has been the Next Big Thing for decades now, yet it remains a niche player in the energy world. The problem of intermittency is unsolved, up-front capital costs remain high, and surging demand for polysilicon, a key component of solar panels, has recently outstripped supply, stifling production. Travis Bradford. So when someone claims that within decades solar ...
Topics: biofuels, coal, energy, interview, natural gas, solar voltaic power (all these topics)

The Best Damn Solar Show, Period U.S. renewable advocates say their power is bigger and better		01 Nov 2006	Daily Grist
The Best Damn Solar Show, Period U.S. renewable advocates say their power is bigger and better If America has to resort to renewables, we're gonna do it in butt-kickin' style. Yesterday, Arizona approved rules that would require a 15 percent renewable-energy mix by 2025, pending certification from its attorney general. "Move over California," said utility commissioner Kris Mayes. &qu ...
Topics: Arizona, energy, news, renewable energy, solar voltaic power (all these topics)

Turn Around, Brightfield Hard-knock New England city welcomes region's largest solar installation	Mark Baard	27 Oct 2006	Main Dish
Brockton, Mass., is championing solar power. Photos: SCHOTT Solar This city was once the shoemaking capital of the Northeast, and over the years it was home to boxers Rocky Marciano and Marvin Hagler, earning it the nickname "City of Champions." Today, however, Brockton, Mass., holds the dubious honor of being one of the region's trash capitals, because of its hig ...
Topics: energy, Massachusetts, renewable energy, solar voltaic power (all these topics)

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