In a press release issued today, SunPower Corp., a Silicon Valley-based manufacturer of high-efficiency solar cells, solar panels and solar systems, announced that it has produced a full-scale solar cell with a sunlight to electricity conversion efficiency of 24.2 percent at its manufacturing plant in the Philippines.
New World Record: This is a new world record, confirmed by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL), for large area silicon wafers.
"This new world record demonstrates SunPower's ability to extend our lead in manufacturing the world's highest efficiency solar cells," said Bill Mulligan, vice president of technology and development for SunPower. "Our patented and proprietary, high-efficiency solar cell technology drives down the cost of solar energy by increasing the energy production from each solar panel."
Improved cell efficiency reduces the levelized cost of energy by increasing the energy production from each wafer manufactured into a SunPower solar cell. For the same reason, increased efficiency reduces the cost per watt and cost per kilowatt-hour for feedstock and materials, depreciation and other manufacturing expenses, installation time, land and system operations, and related maintenance.
"As we celebrate SunPower's 25th anniversary this year, I am thrilled to see the company achieve technology milestones that were inconceivable only a few years ago," said Dr. Richard Swanson, SunPower founder and chief technology officer. "SunPower's research and development and engineering teams have increased cell efficiency by a full four percentage points over the last five years while radically driving down manufacturing costs. We are extremely proud of their continued success."
Great work and congratulations to all the people working at SunPower. You guys are creating a new way to define solar energy, energy innovation and green jobs in the process! Keep it up.
There are many alternative fuel ideas, renewable fuels and alternative fuels programs that exist.
It is becoming more important everyday to move from using gasoline in our vehicles to using an alternative fuels programs. You will see this year the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt electric cars hit the US market and there will continue to be electric, hydrogen and other alternative fuel ideas that get introduced.
One area, that does not usually get a lot of attention is using Algae as renewable fuels. There have been hundreds of millions of dollars invested in using algae as an alternative fuel source.
Many top scientists and Venture Capitalists are betting on algae as a replacement to oil. There a video airing on our main site, that talks about and shows the process of using algae as renewable fuels for our vehicles, and in our products.
Check out the video below titled: Renewable Biodiesel Algae
Upcoming posts will focus on alternative fuel ideas, the use of renewable fuels, green jobs, best green companies and the future of green energy.
A company named Rapanui, makes it easier for people to see where clothing comes from and how it is made so you can make informed choices. This process is called Traceability.
Rapanui lets their customers track, using Google Maps, where each one of their garments comes from. They make clothing from natural organic fabrics, in a Fairwear Foundation audited, wind powered factory, but really what they're about is communication. It's not that people don't care about child labor, the environment, our climate, it's just they don't know.
Cool Facts on the Company
Rapanui was set up by brothers Mart and Rob Drake-Knight in early 2008 and they are now aged 23 and 25
Rapanui won the 2010 Sustainable Business Award and employs 10 full time staff in its office in Bembridge.
Rapanui won a runners-up place at the 2010 Enterprising Young Brits Awards.
Rob and Martin Drake-Knight are listed on the Future 100 List of Top young Ethical Entrepreneurs.
Green Energy TV is giving Rapanui the Two Green Thumbs Up Award for being one the Best Green Companies, their Eco friendly Products and a cool new green business to watch and inspire others!
For more information on their eco friendly products and Traceability in Textiles using Google Maps, visithttp://www.rapanuiclothing.com/
Feel free to also watch the video below where Mart Drake-Knight explains Rapanui's thinking on ethical fashion
There's a lot behind the science and technology that goes into generating energy from wind.
A video airing on our main site Green Energy TV gives you a look at wind power technology and the engineers who are behind the creation of this renewable energy source.
The video features Engineers at Vestas and their process of designing, creating, testing and installing wind turbines.
It is important that even before you start doing vermicomposting, you are already familiar with the different types of composting worms. By doing so, you will have an idea on the worms that you will be using as you go along the process. This knowledge is also important as this will determine how effective your worm composting will be.
To start, there are famous composting worms which include Red http://www.gardenworms.com/ Red Wiggler worms(Eisenia Fetida), European Night Crawlers (Eisenia hortensis) and Canadian Nightcrawler (Lumbricus rubellus). Among the four, Red Wiggler worms are the most recommended type of composting worms because of their tested and proven special characteristics.
They are able to burrow up to 2 inches giving the soil enough air and they are also literally heavy eaters of organic materials. According to study, Red worms are able to eat as much as their body weight paving way for more organic fertilizers. The end product of the Red Wiggler worms is also outstanding because their wastes are filled with nutrients essential for the plants.
Meanwhile, European Night Crawlers, though effective in worm composting are more recommended as fishing baits. Their large size makes them function better as baits rather than composting worms. Canadian Night Crawlers on the other hand are also soil dwellers though Red Wiggler worms seem to have shown more special attributes.
If you plan to start vermicomposting at home, your choice of composting worms matters a lot.
Composting worms play the most critical part so your choice will definitely reflect the end product which is of course the vermicompost.
For more info about Vermicomposting visit http://www.gardenworms.com/blog/ -Wigglerwormfan, Guest Blogger for Green Energy TV
We awarded Siemens the Two Green Thumbs Up Award for their new technology that improves water conservation.
Fact 1: According to the EPA, an average U.S. household uses about 100 – 150 gallons of water a day per person.
Fact 2: Water demand has tripled over the last 30 years while the population has grown just 50%. According to government statistics, 36 states expect water shortages in the next three years.
Check out the video link below and see how Siemens Water Technologies is dedicated to helping Americans learn how to conserve our water supply and help them save the planet and money in the process. http://greenenergytv.com/Watch.aspx?v=db286f3c9de4ee84
FRG Waste Resources, Inc. is headquartered in Napa Valley, CA. They are the nationwide leader in providing quality waste and recycling solutions – from compaction equipment to proprietary materials removal and document destruction to comprehensive waste/recycling management programs.
One of their eco friendly inventions is called eCorect. It is a machine that is a dehydrating system. It takes wet food-waste and other compostable materials are processed and reduced producing a dry, nutrient-rich soil amendment that may be used as a landscaping material, natural lawn care or other eco friendly products.
The eCorect is environmentally friendly and efficient by reducing trips to the landfill and creating a closed-loop system. The unit requires no water line, no added enzymes or bacteria-based additives. Its easy to install, easy to operate and easy to maintain.
This energy innovation will be a great part of Sustainability Programs for restaurants, college campuses, cafeterias, etc.
Below is a video on one of their Eco Friendly Inventions: Future posts will bring attention to best green companies, green inventions, eco friendly products, green jobs, companies going green and hybrid electric vehicles. Stay tuned!
Designing a garden to attract birds is an excellent idea and has many benefits that you may not have considered. Birds are fun to watch and they add beauty to your garden, but there are other environmentally and people friendly reasons to design a garden to attract birds.
Some of the reasons you may want to consider designing a garden to attract birds include:
Soil conservation – some plants used in landscaping can help to prevent soil erosion
Increased wildlife populations – various species of birds will flock to your garden
Natural insect control – birds eat insects so naturally the more birds you have the better insect control you will have in your garden
Educational opportunities – children and adults alike will have the opportunity to view and learn about many different types of birds and plants
Food production – many of the plants that attract birds also produce foods that humans can eat
Now that you know a few of the benefits of designing a garden to attract birds it will be important to know the necessary elements to incorporate into the design of your garden.
Garden Elements that Attract Birds
Bird Feeders - Bird feeders are one of the easiest and least expensive elements that you can add to your garden to attract birds. You can use a feeder that hangs from a tree or you could opt for a free standing feeder. By using several different kinds of bird seed you can attract various types of birds. You may attract birds such as sparrows, robins, and doves.
Bird Friendly Plants - Certain types of plants will attract birds to your garden. Some plants will be a place of shelter for the birds while others will provide a haven for mating and nesting. Plants such as berry trees will be a food source for birds. Plants that are bird friendly include things such as: creeping vines, holly bushes, butterfly bushes, larkspur, and evening primrose. Flowers that are nectar producing and brightly colored attract birds such as hummingbirds.
Water Features - Water features not only provide a place from which the birds can drink or in which they can bathe, but water features will also provide aesthetic appeal to your garden. Small fountains, bird baths, or a dish of water on the ground will all be sufficient water features.
The MIT Clean Energy Prize was established in 2007 to encourage innovation in the energy space, specifically with regard to clean energy.
Forbes Magazine recently named this "The Biggest Small Business Competitions".
The winner gets $200,000 and there has been millions of dollars in follow up funding and investments to past winners.
Who Can Apply? This is open to all U.S. university graduate and undergraduate students, over 100 teams are expected to compete in five energy tracks:
energy efficiency and infrastructure
renewables
clean non-renewables
transportation
deployment (clean energy services or processes).
The deadline for entering is February 25th, so if you have an idea, you better get moving! Good Luck. - Scot, MIT Undergrad & Guest Blogger forGreen Energy TV
We often look at ways to save on fuel, alternative fuel ideas, tire pressure, hybrid electric cars, etc. And at the same time, we overlook additional ways to save fuel, time and money. Well, you can do this with E-ZPass.
What is E-ZPass? E-ZPass is an electronic toll collection system which takes cash, coins and toll tickets out of the toll collection process. Instead, drivers prepay tolls and attach a small electronic device to their vehicles. Tolls are automatically calculated and deducted from the prepaid accounts as E-ZPass customers pass through the toll lanes.
Green Energy TV gave E-ZPass the Two Green Thumbs Up Award and here's why:
E-ZPass can process 250 to 300 percent more vehicles per lane, thus reducing toll plaza delays and traffic congestion.
E-ZPass helps to reduce congestion and reduce auto emissions.
You hear a lot of positive news about companies going green, and the best green companies.
Well, Panasonic announced that they aim to be the No.1 Green Innovation Company in the Electronics Industry.
Below are some of the ways they plan on being the top of the list for best green companies in their industry:
Green life innovation- Panasonic will make the green lifestyle a reality by implementing Panasonic ideas for life and offer better living to people around the world with a sense of security, comfort and joy, in a sustainable way. For example, the ideas will include "lifestyle with virtually zero CO2 emissions for the entire home and the entire building," "lifestyle with recycling-oriented products," "evolving and expanding eco cars," and "encouraging eco-conscious products in emerging and developing countries."
Green business innovation - Panasonic will cut its environmental impact stemming from its business activity to the maximum extent possible and introduce to the market its technologies, ideas and measures derived from such efforts. For example, the company will strive for "minimizing CO2 emissions in all business processes," "recycling-oriented manufacturing," "green work-style" and "offering eco-solution using its own expertise."
1) Global networking: Creating a network of strong autonomous Panasonic bases across the world, Panasonic will pursue management approaches that will optimize business efficiency on a global scale.
2) Individual-customer touch points No.1: Taking advantage of the vast array of its products, Panasonic will establish new IT-driven relationships to provide to each individual customer a maximized life-time customer value.
3) Synergy creation: Panasonic believes group synergy occurs when Panasonic companies collaborate spontaneously and autonomously in diverse fields. The Panasonic Group aims to become a flexible and dynamic company, consistently promoting collaboration and creating synergies within the Group through spontaneous initiatives and autonomous management.
Green Energy TV is giving Panasonic the Two Green Thumbs Up Award for being one of the best companies going green. Keep up the great work!
A few of our readers sent us emails asking us to post the following ideas for some recommended Green New Year's resolutions for 2010.
Below are 7 of the 2010 Green New Year's Resolution Ideas:
Go on a Green Diet- In the New Year, many people go on a diet. This means, you can start eating certified organic foods that do not contain the food toxins or chemical toxins that are in most of our foods. You can also start to buy more of your food locally as well and get food that is fresh and support the local economy and help create more green jobs as a direct result of your purchases.
Do the Green Diet Exercise - One of our Guest Bloggers wrote about how he lost over 70 pounds by pedaling his bike to power his TV. Here's a link to that blog post if you are looking to power your TV while you watch it and save electricity and lose a lot of weight in the process blog.greenenergytv.com/blog/wind-power-technology/0/0/new-green-diet-pedal-and-watch
Say good-bye to Household Toxins - You can have an environment friendly home by eliminating the chemical toxins. Most of the store bought cleaners contain very harmful chemical toxins, however, you can switch to safer cleaners from companies such as Shaklee or Seventh Generation. There are many new green and safer cleaning products out there right now that do a great job without exposing your family to chemical toxins in your home.
Green your Lawn - Most of the chemicals in fertilizers used on the lawns in the US are banned in Europe because of the dangerous chemical toxins they contain and they seep back into our drinking water and affect fish and other wildlife as well. There are more options for this year with chemical free lawn care and organic lawn care. You can use bone meal and other organic lawn care products that prevent weeds and still give you a green lawn without the chemicals. Check out your local nursery and read the labels!
Get Green Jobs& Get Certified- There is an increase in green jobs, whether you decide to become a solar installer, energy rater, get involved in Sustainability Programs, etc. We have green jobs posted on our main site, and there are many other major outlets advertising green jobs on Indeed.com and Monster.com
Get a Green Degree - There are more schools and independent organizations offering classes on Sustainability Programs, certifications for LEED, Energy Raters, Solar and Wind Installers and more. Many of the top green universities are also offering green educational classes and degrees now and this can help you land green jobs and prepare you for the future blog.greenenergytv.com/blog/green-jobs
Start a Green Business - There are many areas in green that are fast growing and opportunities increasing daily. We did a post a while back that talked about the growth areas of green and here's a link to some of the hottest and upcoming areas that deal with organic natural foods, eco friendly products, solar installation to geothermal energy, energy efficiency and green building.
If you have any Green New Year's Resolutions for 2010 that you would like to share, feel free to do so in the comments below. - Stay Green!
There is a lot of positive news about companies going green and the best green companies. Green Energy TV has given Ze-gen, the Two Green Thumbs Up Award for being one of the Best Green Companies.
What does Ze-gen Do? Ze-gen is transforming the way we view waste. Instead of a liability or burden, waste should be seen as a domestic, distributed energy source. We offer an economically and environmentally superior alternative to land filling or incineration. Our clean and highly efficient gasification technology unlocks the potential for waste to be a domestically produced, renewable resource
Their green inventions, energy innovation, and process of taking waste to create energy is incredible. Check out their site http://www.ze-gen.com/ and keep up the great work Ze-gen!
Many people question if you could use wind power technology to recharge electric vehicles?
Well, according to IBM, on the small Danish island of Bornholm, a coalition of governments, universities and industries are working on an innovative pilot program – the EDISON Project.
The EDISON Project could provide some unique technical insights to help answer that question by using wind power technology to recharge electric vehicles.
Check out the video of how this small Danish town is using wind power technology, energy innovation to power and recharge electric vehicles, and creating green jobs in the process. (Source: IBM)
I have 4 dogs, and I love them. I have been doing a lot of research on behalf of my university and have found some scary info. Did you ever wonder why so many dogs have allergies now and why the rate of cancer in dogs is at an all time high?
More and more dogs get diagnosed with cancer every year. Some experts believe its from the drops used to prevent fleas and ticks since there are some very strong chemical toxins in that medication.
My research is showing that there are other chemical toxins that our dogs are being exposed to that are driving up the number of cancer rates, and number of dogs who now have allergies.
The Answer is right under our pet's nose:
Grass - How many people use fertilizer to get the perfect looking lawn now as opposed to how many people used it 30 years ago? Do you know the dangerous chemical toxins that are in lawn fertilizers and our dogs nose is constantly on the grass, sniffing or they are laying in the grass. READ THE BACK LABEL OF YOUR FERTILIZER next time before you apply it to your yard. You can research the ingredients and see the warnings that cause reproduction issues, kills aquatic life, etc. When your dog comes in your home, he/she is bringing those into your house too.
Your Home - Unless you use eco friendly products to clean your home, then you and your pet are being exposed to the chemical toxins in the floor, bathroom, and kitchen cleaners. These cleaners are known to cause cancer in lab tests.
Food - What is your dog eating? Check out the ingredients on the back of your dog food back and look them up, you will not believe the cancer causing agents that go into your pet's food.
Solutions: Organic lawn care and chemical free lawn care. There are a lot of organic lawn care products out there so you can keep your beautiful green grass without exposing yourself and your pet to the chemical toxins found in leading brand name fertilizers.
You can also switch to using chemical free cleaning products such as Seventh Generation, Shaklee and other eco friendly products. - Mike Stanford, Guest Blogger for Green Energy TV.
There are more and more Entrepreneurship Programs popping up on college and university campuses throughout the country. There are also many Entrepreneurship Programs being offered in High Schools.
I have been asked many times by students and others what are the best green business ideas to launch and the best green ideas and growth areas to focus on.
Everyday, there are more and more entrepreneurs launching green businesses, creating new energy innovation, green inventions, eco friendly products, green building, growth in renewable and alternative energy as well as organic food and products. I would recommend signing up for Google Alerts in the area of interest so you can receive emails when there is news in the subject area of your interest.
Below are some examples of Green Business Ideas and opportunities that students can start:
We have more than 10 Green Business Ideas to share with you and we will continue to do so in upcoming posts. There are many schools going green, sustainable campuses, green campuses, and various green initiatives taking place in schools around the world. Feel free to share what's going on at your school and we will keep feeding you more ideas. -Stay Green!
There are a lot of companies going green and new types of energy innovation and green inventions.
In the video below, you will see how this company is getting rich during a recession. The company is called Agromin, and they are a making a lot of money from waste and benefiting the environment in the process.
What does Agromin do? Agromin, a green waste recycler in Ventura County, California processes over 300,000 tons of green waste a year. They process the material into soil products and makes the material avaialbe to consumers (in bags and bulk) farmers, cities and landscapers--thus closing the recycling loop.
Check out their video below & you guys get theTwo Green Thumbs Up Award!
I had a great phone conversation last week with Rob DeLine from Applied Materials. Rob works with Energy & Environmental Solutions for Applied Materials.
I am very impressed with the direction their company is headed when it comes to manufacturing energy. Applied Materials has a new way to define solar energy and one of the ways is through energy innovation and green manufacturing.
But first, here are some interesting facts:
Applied Materials is #1 in Silicon Process Equipment
They Produce the world's largest and most powerful thin film panel
#1 in LCD display equipment
#1 Solar PV Process Equipment & experienced world leader in Solar PV technology
One of the things I loved hearing about was the Applied SunFab Solar Module Production Line which enables customers to manufacture world class, 5.7m2 thin film silicon photovoltaic modules.
The Applied SunFab Line delivers state-of-the-art green manufacturing capability needed to produce the lowest cost per watt modules. There are no factories in the US at this time, but there are many of these factories throughout the world that are in production and seeing the benefits.
Green Energy TV is giving the Two Green Thumbs Up Award to Applied Materials because what's great about them is the fact that these factories are creating thousands of green jobs, delivering hundreds of millions of dollars annually in local economic growth, enabling clean energy to be produced locally, they are helping to create energy independence and their business model helps keep jobs local. Maybe cities going green and states going green need to look very closely at Applied's model for here in the US and look to create real green jobs that sustain cities, communities and provide clean energy solutions.
Going green is a great thing, but some people can go too far or be too extreme. Below is a list of 10 Gross Ways to Go Green, but you may be a little gross if you do them.
1. Pick your nose - Do you know how many tissues you will save when you pick your nose instead of using tissue paper for your boogies?
2. Wear the same clothes for 365 days - will help save the environment by not having to buy new clothes, that have to be shipped to you and the energy to make them, etc. It will also save on detergent, water and electricity to wash.
3. Pee outside - Yes, imagine how much water you would save if you went outside to pee or left a meeting to pee in the parking lot. Lots of water!
4. Use leaves - Well, think for a second...Instead of toilet paper, use leaves right? Make sure you don't accidentally use poison ivy.
5. Armpit & leg hair - That's right ladies, let your armpit hair and the hair on your legs grow. Stop wasting water, stop using the chemical toxins in shaving cream and tell your significant other that you are saving the environment.
6. Eat Bugs and plant a garden. Bugs, worms, etc. have a lot of protein, and combined with your own garden, you can help cut down on the Carbon Footprint that is left from farms, transportation of the food and the energy used by stores to stay open to sell you food.
7. Check the dumpster - If bugs, worms and your garden aren't cutting it, and winter is coming, then you can always check out the hottest restaurant in your area and see what the dumpster is serving. You will be recycling someone else's meal and composting their food scraps for them.
8. Use Cow poop - Hey don't laugh, many people around the world use Cow dung to keep themselves warm and to cook a nice home cooked meal. It adds an earthy flavor to the food.
9. Build a hut - Get out of that city or suburb and head for the woods or mountains and build yourself a hut. You will make the people who have solar on their homes look bad. You can tell them what real green building is.
10. Go indigenous - You can join a tribe. They can teach you everything you need to know and how to be green and they do not even have their MBA in Sustainability.
Improved cell efficiency reduces the levelized cost of energy by increasing the energy production from each wafer manufactured into a SunPower solar cell. For the same reason, increased efficiency reduces the cost per watt and cost per kilowatt-hour for feedstock and materials, depreciation and other manufacturing expenses, installation time, land and system operations, and related maintenance. 
The Answer is right under our pet's nose:
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