Atlanta Solar Homes

One of oldest forms of energy used by humans — sunlight concentrated by mirrors — is poised to make an astonishing comeback. I believe it will be the most important form of carbon-free power in the 21st century. That’s because it’s the only form of clean electricity that can meet all the demanding requirements of this century.Certainly we will need many different technologies to stop global warming. They include electric cars and plug-in hybrids, wind turbines and solar photovoltaics, which use sunlight to make electricity from solid-state materials like silicon semiconductors. Yet after speaking with energy experts and seeing countless presentations on all forms of clean power, I believe the one technology closest to being a silver bullet for global warming is the other solar power: solar thermal electric, which concentrates the sun’s rays to heat a fluid that drives an electric generator. It is the best source of clean energy to replace coal and sustain economic development. I bet that it will deliver more power every year this century than coal with carbon capture and storage — for much less money and with far less environmental damage.

Continue reading this article @ salon.com…

Lexington, Mass. – March 27, 2008 – 1366 Technologies, a new MIT start-up aiming to make silicon solar cells competitive with coal, today announced it has secured $12.4 million in a first round of financing co-led by North Bridge Venture Partners and Polaris Venture Partners.

MIT Professor, 1366 founder and CTO, Ely Sachs, noted that 1366 Technologies will be combining innovations in silicon cell architecture with manufacturing process improvements to bring multi-crystalline silicon solar cells to cost parity with coal-based electricity.

Sachs added, “The science is understood, the raw materials are abundant and the products work. All that is left to do is innovate in manufacturing and scale up volume production, and that’s just what we intend to do.” The company has just taken space in Lexington to build its pilot solar cell manufacturing facility.

1366 Technologies’ roadmap includes a new cell architecture that uses innovative, low-cost fabrication methods to increase the efficiency of multi-crystalline solar cells.
This architecture, developed at MIT, improves surface texture and metallization to enhance silicon solar cell efficiency by 25% (from 15 - 19%) while lowering costs.
1366 Technologies will partner with solar companies and government agencies, licensing its technology to accelerate the ongoing global transition to solar. In addition, the company plans to build industrial, 100 megawatt plants around the world.

“Once the pilot plant has proven itself, we’ll work with governments and energy agencies worldwide to build a string of factories,” said Carmichael Roberts, general partner at North Bridge Venture Partners, who is joining 1366 Technologies board of directors as chairman.

Also joining the board is Bob Metcalfe, general partner at Polaris Venture Partners, who added, “By driving down the cost-per-watt of silicon solar cells, 1366 Technologies will drive continued development of the solar industry.
Solar electricity will be central long term to meeting the world’s accelerating needs for cheap and clean energy.”

Professor Sachs previously invented the String ribbon™ wafer technology being commercialized at Evergreen Solar, a leading developer of solar energy products.
Both a founder and investor in 1366 Technologies, Sachs is taking a leave of absence from MIT to help build the company based on research developed at and licensed from MIT.

Sachs is joined by 1366 Technologies co-founder and investor, Frank van Mierlo, who serves as the company’s president.
Harvard Business School professor Joseph Lassiter rounds out the board of directors, all of whom hold degrees from MIT.

A brewery is opening its doors to green energy with a recent install of a photovoltaic (PV) power system. Paradise Beverages will install a PV power system at its Oahu facility and has previously completed other installations at its Kailua-Kona, Lihue, and Kauai, facilities.

Paradise Beverages is the Hawaii distributor for Heineken, Coors and Miller products, and it consumes a significant amount of electricity to operate its refrigerated and temperature-controlled warehouses. Upon completion of the Oahu facility installation, the aggregate of all three PV power systems for Paradise Beverages includes 350 kilowatts of PV panels, which are expected to produce over 525,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity each year.

“The benefits of our PV power system installations on our Kailua-Kona and Lihue facilities were immediate. This made our decision for an installation on our Oahu facility with Hoku Solar an easy one,” said Gordon Usui, Chief Financial Officer for Paradise Beverages.

PV systems are a sensible way to utilize unused roof space to reduce energy costs and environmental impact. Atlanta Solar Homes also offers turnkey PV solutions for local Atlanta businesses, providing design, engineering, financing, and installation services. Call one of our representatives today to set up an initial consultation about your business’ green energy needs.

By now, most people are familiar with the concept of using wave power as an eco-friendly alternative to the burning of fossil fuels. What may be a new concept, though, is using the waves to power a boat. Billed as the most eco-friendly way to power a boat since the sail was invented, wave power is captured by flippers at the bow, and then serves to drive the vessel forward.

Kenichi Horie is a man quite familiar with solo sailing, as well as sailing with unconventional ships. In his 69 years, he’s navigated the ocean in solar- and wind-powered boats already and is now looking to set a new world record using his wave-powered ship, the Suntory Mermaid II. Horie will try to travel the 4,350 miles between Hawaii and Japan. Not only is his ship wave-powered, but it also is made from recycled aluminum and the ancillary electronics are powered by solar cells. We wish him well on his journey and will be tracking him on his official website here.

Source: EcoFuss

We’re currently available for contract at (404) 418-5021. Initial consoltation is always free of charge with no obligation to purchase. We’ll start you off with our starter kit which includes a questionnaire about your current energy needs, your physical location, and possible ways to reduce energy consumption day one.

Read the rest of this entry »