Following up on my three posts last week on Top Wind Power Countries Relative to Electricity Production, Top Wind Power Countries Per Capita, and Top Wind Power Countries Per GDP, this post includes rankings of the top countries in the world for new solar PV power (in 2011) and total installed solar…
Top Solar Power Countries (Per Capita, Per GDP, Per TWh of Electricity Produced, & in Total) (via Clean Technica)
UN Report – Switching to a Green Economy Might Mean Millions of Jobs (via Clean Technica)
It is encouraging to learn about the push for green jobs. The United Nations is pushing to create green jobs around the world, even in the midst of continuing economic slumps including Europe and the United States. In a recent Guardian story, the U.N. has stated that tens of millions of new jobs can… Modelling the Apocalypse (via Skeptical Science) Posted on 2 June 2012 by climatesight This is a re-post from ClimateSight. Let’s all put on our science-fiction hats and imagine that humans get wiped off the face of the Earth tomorrow. Perhaps a mysterious superbug kills us all overnight, or maybe we organize a mass migration to live on the moon… South Africa Can Go 100% Renewable, New Report Shows How (via Clean Technica) South Africa gets a fair share of sun, from what I’ve heard. Also, with good wind resources to boot and technology that is clearly ready to scale, a new report released by Greenpeace South Africa shows how exactly the country can go 100% renewable. The Energy [R]evolution report “is a detailed… Rainwater harvesting is the accumulating and storing of rainwater for reuse before it reaches the aquifer. It has been used to provide drinking water, water for livestock, water for irrigation, as well as other typical uses. Rainwater collected from the roofs of houses and local institutions can make an important contribution to the availability of drinking water. It can supplement the subsoil water level and increase urban greenery. Water collected from the ground, sometimes from areas that are especially prepared for this purpose, is called Stormwater harvesting. In some cases, rainwater may be the only available, or economical, water source. Rainwater harvesting systems can be simple to construct from inexpensive local materials, and are potentially successful in most habitable locations. Roof rainwater may not be potable and may require treatment before consumption. As rainwater rushes from your roof it may carry pollutants, such as mercury from coal burning buildings, or bird feces. Although some rooftop materials may produce rainwater that would be harmful to human health as drinking water, it can be useful in flushing toilets, washing clothes, watering the garden, and washing cars; these use alone half the amount of water used by a typical home. Household rainfall catchment systems are appropriate in areas with an average rainfall greater than 200 mm (7.9 in) per year, and no other accessible water sources (Skinner and Cotton, 1992). Overflow from rainwater harvesting tank systems can be used to refill aquifers in a process called groundwater recharge; though this is a related process, it must not be confused with rainwater harvesting. There are several types of systems to harvest rainwater, ranging from very simple home systems to complex industrial systems. The rate at which water can be collected from either system is dependent on the plan area of the system, its efficiency, and the intensity of rainfall (i.e., annual precipitation (mm per annum) x square meter of catchment area = litres per annum yield) ... a 200 square meter roof catchment catching 1,000mm PA yields 200 kLPA. South Africa 2nd Round Renewable Energy Auction: 19 Awards totaling 1.044 GW (via Clean Technica) The South African government on May 21 awarded renewable energy contracts with a total capacity of 1,043.9 MW as it named the preferred bidders of a second-round Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Program (REIPPP) auction. Nineteen project bids were accepted: 9 solar photovoltaic (PV) projects…
Liquid Solar Cells that Can be Painted onto Surfaces (via Clean Technica)
New research out of the University of Southern California (USC) advances the development of “cheap, stable solar cells made from nanocrystals so small they can exist as a liquid ink and be painted or printed onto clear surfaces.” This is exciting stuff, in my opinion. Here’s more from USC:… Solar Energy (via Clean Technica) What is solar energy? Solar energy and solar power are actually two different things, though we often use them interchangeably. Solar energy is light and heat that comes from the sun. Solar power, on the other hand, is the conversion of solar energy into electricity. Generally, we use the term… In today’s world, so many people are discussing conserving and going green. It is now time to explain to young kids the importance of solar technology. With all the toxins because of burning fuels and running vehicles, solar energy is one of the easiest ways to keep from doing any further damage. The main benefit is that we can extent the life of the planet for our youngsters and with any luck , they can do the same for their kids. One of the best things about using solar energy is that you are doing your part to help out the world. If everybody was to make use of solar technology advantages, our dependence on other forms of energy will be entirely gone and we'd find ourselves in a considerably cleaner and happier planet.
We never received the opportunities today’s children have, and we were never trained on the significance of using solar power to make living better for everybody on this earth. Teaching small children about solar technology will probably impact them today, and through out their lives. Since the youth of today grow more familiar with the significance of saving the planets limited resources, they'll uncover possible answers to today’s environmental worries. Bringing the issue to them as youngsters is a great way to not only make sure they are aware that there's a need for instant action, but they might have fun looking for possible solutions for future generations to have a clean planet. As parents, teaching our children about the significance of solar energy will be equally advantageous and essential for a better way of life for our kids. Young children are extremely resourceful and when they realize they may possibly help to make life better for everybody globally, they will listen closely. The bottom line is if nothing at all changes, the environment will continue to decline at as quickly as possible, however, if the children of today have knowledge they may essentially decrease if not at some time reverse the entire process of climatic change. With non-renewable fuels swiftly vanishing and projected to be exhausted before too much longer, using the sun's power has become more important than ever before. Solar is a known amount with unlimited potential, and increasing its use into every area of life isn't just wise but crucial for the future of our kids and their planet. South Africa’s international competitiveness will increasingly be dampened by the rapid rate at which the domestic electricity price is rising, Energy Intensive User Group chairperson Mike Rossouw said on the second day of the Africa Energy Indaba in Sandton.
He said that, while electricity prices were steadily, and understandably, increasing across the world, the rapid rate of increase in South Africa’s electricity tariffs was not sustainable and manufacturing and mining investors were already looking elsewhere. |