April 22, 2008

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Doing Their "Solar" Part for Earth Day!

April 22, 2008 in Earth Day, Sharp, Solar | No comments


The "nitty gritty" of why we celebrate Earth Day resonates strongly in the smiles of our children. The installation of solar power systems on every roof on the planet (best case scenario!), is one part of a complex set of solutions. Still, the why of "saving the Planet" is still "saving it for our kids, and our neighbors' children, and the children in other states, countries and all their children to come."

These kindergarteners sang their hearts out at a recent Earth Day dedication for the Hebrew Academy solar power system. The celebration took place at their Huntington Beach, CA campus.

For these children, some pretty special adults made the system happen for the school. "Green" visionary Rabbi Yitchak Newman is the dean of the school. From left to right in the "ribbon cutting" photo above are donors Charles Karp and Peter Shapiro, HelioPower's Steve LoRusso, Adrian Taylor of Sharp amd Mayor Debbie Cook. Sharp Solar Energy Solutions Group worked with integration firm, HelioPower, to insure the system was perfect! Huntington Beach Mayor Debbie Cook, an avid "green" supporter, came out and helped dedicate the system. You can see the performance of their solar electricity system by clicking here for the online monitoring portal.
It takes all of us working together to insure Earth Day can continue to be celebrated for decades to come!

"Sweet Spot for Solar" – GE calls for cheaper, cleaner energy

April 22, 2008 in Green Collar Jobs, Green Energy, Solar Energy | No comments

In today's headlines, NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Jeff Immelt, chairman and CEO of General Electric, said Monday much of the technology to make energy generation cleaner and more efficient is available now. The challenge, however, is deploying it and making it cheaper.

CNNMoney.com staff writer, Steve Hargreaves, reports from an industry meeting sponsored by the Edison Electric Institute, a utility trade group.

Immelt said GE is investing in a wide range of energy technologies. He specifically mentioned solar as one that has great potential.
The cost of solar power should fall from 30 cents a kilowatt hour today to under 15 cents "in a relatively short time," he said. "That should open up a sweet spot for solar."
By comparison, American consumers currently pay about 10 cents an hour on average for electricity, according to the Energy Information Administration.
The U.S. utility industry will likely be a recipient of clean technologies developed outside the U.S., Immelt added, whether it be cleaner coal processes fine-tuned in China or renewable technology pioneered in Europe.
But he encouraged the industry and U.S. government to take the lead in capping greenhouse gas emissions and developing clean sources of energy.
"The time to act is now," he said. "When you lead in clean energy, you create jobs. This is a place the U.S. could lead."