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The Top 10 Solar States
New Jersey is the nation’s second largest solar market behind California thanks to the state government’s commitment to increase the amount of electricity derived from renewable energy sources over the next decade.
But where are the other leaders in solar energy?
Here, courtesy of the Solar Energy Industries Association, is a Top 10 list for cumulative installed solar capacity in the United States as of 2010.
1. California: 47 percent with 971 megawatts
2. New Jersey: 14 percent with 293 MW
3. Colorado: 5 percent with 108 MW
4. Arizona: 5 percent with 101 MW
5. Nevada: 5 percent with 97 MW
6. Florida: 4 percent with 73 MW
7. New York: 3 percent with 54 MW
8. Pennsylvania: 3 percent with 54 MW
9. New Mexico: 2 percent with 45 MW
10. North Carolina: 2 percent with 42 MW
Mitsubishi iMiEV Will Be Cheapest EV in U.S.
The popular Japanese EV, the Mitusbishi iMiEV, is finally coming to the U.S. next January and at $27,990 before incentives, it will be the cheapest plug-in car on the market.
The tiny all-electric will be eligible for some major incentives: a $7,500 Federal tax credit, thousands more in state credits (California offers $5,000, Colorado $6,000, etc.), regional and local credits like the $3,000 rebate for residents of the San Joaquin Valley and some companies like Sony Pictures are offering up another $5,000 to employees.
In fact, if you are among the handful of Sony Pictures employees who reside in the San Joaquin Valley, you can get the iMiEV for about $8,000 after all the incentives are cashed in. Pretty incredible.
Even if you’re not among that small group, you can expect to take at least $10,000 off the top, which puts this car in the range of something like the Honda Fit. For an additional $2,790, it comes with a DC fast-charge port that delivers an 80 percent battery charge in only 30 minutes.
Interested buyers can register to pre-order the vehicle starting today.
RV Parks Act as EV Charging Hot Spots
Image via Wikipedia
RV parks have found themselves at the forefront of the EV charging market. With a ready supply of 50 amp, 240-volt charging stations meant for powering parked RVs, the campgrounds have become a beacon to EV drivers looking for a boost.
A few parks around DC and one in California have begun reaching out to the new customer demographic, some even installing dedicated EV charging stations to keep the existing plugs open for their RV customers. The park owners have appreciated the new business. In the four hours it takes to charge an EV at their stations, the drivers buy snacks and utilize the campground, creating more revenue for the parks.
The National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds will soon launch a website that maps which of its members welcome EVs and hopes that more parks will embrace this new business venture.
Wind Turbine Makers Working on Giant Offshore Turbines
Most offshore wind turbines currently in use are 5 MW and under, but that won’t be the case for long. Many of the major wind turbine makers are trying to go bigger, bigger, bigger.
Turbine company Vestas recently revealed a 7 MW offshore wind turbine design called the V164 that has three 80-meter-long blades and is 187 meters tall. The sweep area of the turbine will be 21,124 square meters. The V164 will generate 30 percent more energy per ton than current turbines and the power needed to produce the turbines themselves will be paid back in 10 months of use. The V164 could be built sometime next year.
California-based turbine company Clipper is working on a 10 MW turbine called the Britannia, which they plan to unveil in 2012, while Norwegian company Sway is working on a floating turbine of the same size.
One of the advantages to these super-sized turbines is construction costs. A large part of the cost of an offshore wind farm comes from the underwater foundations that support the turbines, so if you can generate more power from a single turbine, then you reduce the amount of foundations you need. Also, it allows for an easier scaling up of wind farm energy output by adding a few larger turbines rather than a lot of smaller ones.
California remains United States’ green energy leader
Image via Wikipedia
In as much as policies can drive the growth of renewable energy in every state, it takes time before their effects can be felt. Using a time-lag analysis, the United States National Renewable Energy Laboratory identified how states’ policies in 2005 generated more renewable energy only in 2007.
In its report State of the States 2009: Renewable Energy Development and the Role of Policy, the laboratory also stressed the impact of contextual factors in renewable energy development – sociological, economic, political and geographic.
Despite these factors, though, the United States has shown growth in green development, with several states asserting dominance in certain sectors.
Since hydroelectricity accounts for more than half of the renewables that the United States produced in 2007, setting it aside will be helpful in analyzing how states fared in other sectors.
California dominated green energy production, excluding hydroelectric, in terms of megawatt hours generated. The state, which led the country in biomass, geothermal and distributed solar megawatt-hours generated, chalked up nearly 25 million MWh of green energy produced. The figure surpasses by more than half what Texas generated at more than 10 million MWh.
Case Study Houses as were pictured by photographer Julius Shulman
Case Study Houses was a residential experiment sponsored by the Arts & Architecture magazine, introducing the modern movement ideas for affordable and efficient housing during the post-war years in the US. Because of that, amazing houses by Richard Neutra, Raphael Soriano, Craig Ellwood, Charles and Ray Eames, Pierre Koenig and Eero Saarinen, built between 1945-1966 mostly in LA.
Incredible photos were taken and registered these houses, reflecting more than just pure architecture, a lifestyle during that time. Julius Shulman, was a great phtotographer who passed away last year and he was the man behind all these impressive photos taken and presented below.
Eco Magnificent 