Sun Powered Entrepreneurship in Ghana

There are a number of green entrepreneurs popping up in Africa. One such entrepreneur is Addosolar, this company offers portable solar products for the people of Ghana. Their goal is to help address the need for light due to daily power outages in the nation, thereby enhancing the quality of life for all residents.

Addosolar offers the finest quality in portable solar products, including the Nokero® light bulb. These bulbs are rainproof and easy-to-recharge. They eliminate the need for candles and kerosene lamps, which are dangerous and more expensive to use.

Additional products include their unique solar phone charger for cell phones and small electronic devices.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Arab Spring Fueling the World's Most Ambitious Solar Project

There are early indications that the environment could benefit from the Arab Spring. A $550 Billion plan for the world's most ambitious solar project could be producing energy by 2015.

Paul van Son, the managing director of the Desertec Industrial Initiative (DII), told Reuters that the awareness and interest in the project to turn sunshine into energy has grown with the spread of democracy across North African and the Middle East.

"We like the Arab Spring because it has opened up a lot of ideas and generated support for the project," van Son said in a telephone interview. "We're very supportive. The democratic structures fit very well with ours."

Before the Arab Spring, there had long been concerns about the political stability in the region. Deserts are the perfect place for solar projects because they get more energy in six hours than the world's population consumes in a year, DII says.

Fields of mirrors in the desert would gather solar rays from concentrated solar power (CSP) to boil water, turning turbines to electrify a new carbon-free network linking Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.

Projects like this could help the economy and create jobs in the country and throughout the region, especially for young people. van Son said he hopes Desertec can help bring Mediterranean nations closer together. "I believe large infrastructure projects like this can contribute to stability. It's about the development of new industries in the region, investment, job creation and the transfer of knowledge and know-how," he said.

The first 150 megawatts power plant will be built in Morocco, possibly generating power by 2015 or 2016, with further projects planned in Tunisia and Algeria.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Princeton is Building the Largest Solar Array of Any University

Princeton University is planning to build a 27-acre solar field consisting of 16,500 photovoltaic panels making it the largest solar field for any US college or university. It will produce enough energy to power 700 households. The EPA estimates that the solar array is equivalent of taking more than 1,200 cars off the road, which translates to a reduction of 3,090 metric tons of carbon dioxide each year.

The solar array is part of Princeton’s 2008 sustainability plan to reduce its carbon emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. SunPower Corp. is buidling the solar array, which will produce at least 8 million kilowatts per year, while powering more than 5 percent of the school's power requirements and reducing energy costs by 8 percent.

Princeton will use New Jersey's Solar Renewable Energy Certificate (SREC) program, to help pay for the cost of the array. Under the program, the state will issue one SREC for every 1,000 kilowatt hours of energy produced by the solar array until 2020. The university will then sell the credits to a utility company.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Solar Powered Schools In California

An increasing number of California's schools are using solar electricity installations as a teaching tool. The Foundation for Environmental Education has partnered with Pacific Gas and Electric Company to bring renewable energy education into under-served communities through highly-visible solar installation systems. The Foundation for Environmental Education is a non-profit organization that is seeking to build the next generation of thinkers who will carry the renewable energy torch far into the future. California's Solar Schools initiative will help the state save over $1.5 billion in energy costs over the next 30 years.

The California Solar Schools program works in partnership with solar panel manufacturer SunPower, to help K-12 and higher education institutions across the state take advantage of local solar subsidies that will partially fund the installation of solar panels on their buildings.

The solar panels that are installed as part of the Solar Schools program are all equipped with monitoring systems so that children in that school can learn about how the solar power. “Whether it be a 1 kW solar panel on a pole, or a roof-mounted system on a non-profit building, each is hooked up to an online data monitoring system so that the community can view the energy production of the system and learn about the environmental impact of that system,” the California Solar School’s website says.

Over the next year, SunPower aims to install 90 solar arrays at schools across the state as part of the program. In the San Ramon Valley Unified School District there will be five new solar arrays that will account for nearly 80% of each school’s power requirements. In the first year alone the San Ramon Valley Unified School District will saved $2 million in energy costs.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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The UK's Sandal Magna Community Primary School

The Sandal Magna Community Primary School in Wakefield, England is one of the UK's most carbon efficient schools. Designed by Sarah Wigglesworth Architects, the complex incorporates reclaimed materials, energy conservation, and renewable energy. The school recently won the RIBA award for both its green efforts and its unique looks.

Wigglesworth then re-used the original bricks to build elements for the new Sandal Magna. The school was also constructed largely from sustainable timber. The original Victorian bell even hangs in the new tower.

The school's roofs allows for ventilation and natural lighting and its energy saving features educate students while they save electricity. A rainwater harvesting system and photovoltaic solar paneling is laid on the roof, and provides power to a ground source heat pump that heats water and provides the school’s temperature control.

In addition to a regular curriculum, the students will learn the importance of energy efficiency, and raising their own produce. The students each have their own garden behind the school which is used to raise fruits and vegetables.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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SolarDay 2011

SolarDay takes place on Saturday June 18 in Canada, the US and the UK (November 19 in Australia). This is the third annual SolarDay event, it celebrates solar energy and its capacity to help protect the planet from global warming. SolarDay includes events by cities, non-profits, companies and the solar industry.

SolarDay 2010 events were held in 26 US cities and included municipal proclamations declaring an Official SolarDay. One 2011 SolarDay event in New Orleans involved multiple non-profit organizations working in concert with the city.

Members of the U.S. Congress Supporting SolarDay 2011 include California Senator Dianne Feinstein. Congresswoman Doris Matsui is also supporting SolarDay with letters on the SolarDay website to encourage public participation and awareness of how solar energy can reduce monthly energy bills - while provided much-need "green" jobs for the US economy.

Event organizers see solar as the next step in the "Greening of America" movement that includes driving a hybrid car, shopping for organic and sustainably-farmed foods, doing business with green companies, recycling, saving energy and avoiding, as much as possible the burning of finite and polluting fossil fuels that play a significant role in the production of greenhouse gases and global warming.

Costly fossil fuels are a finite resource that threaten the planet and all its inhabitants. By some estimates, we have 50 years of oil reserves, 200 years of coal reserves and at least 5 billion years of solar energy. It is clear that our energy future is dependent upon the renewable energy we can harvest from the sun.

For more information, or to find local events in your area, visit the SolarDay site.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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