solar Archive

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  Kiwi bach goes to Washington - by frog

  
  
  
  With all the inertia of a slow moving freight train, New Zealand’s entry into the US Department of Energy’s Solar Decathalon is gaining momentum, and should arrive on the mall in Washinton DC by September next year. read more
  September 1, 2010 10:49 am - 16 Comments
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  Obama’s support for solar power challenges New Zealand - by Kennedy Graham

  
  
  
  The US$2 billion fiscal stimulus package to kick-start the solar energy industry announced by US President Obama yesterday is good news for the world, and a direct challenge for New Zealand. read more
  July 5, 2010 3:37 pm - 34 Comments
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  Bill Gross: Great ideas for finding new energy - by frog

  
  
  
  Another great TED link sent to me from Nigel: Bill Gross, the founder of Idealab, talks about his life as an inventor, starting with his high-school company selling solar energy plans and kits. Learn here about a groundbreaking system for solar cells — and some questions we haven’t yet solved. I shall try and find [...] read more
  April 15, 2009 3:13 pm - 1 Comment
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  Don’t look back, Don - by frog

  
  
  
  Don Elder waxed poetic about the prospects for NZ coal this week at Solid Energy’s maiden annual meeting in Auckland. We have more coal resource energy per capita than Saudi Arabia has oil. In a world of increasing demand, and increasingly constrained supply of energy, New Zealand is now the lucky country. Sorry, Don, but [...] read more
  November 26, 2008 11:24 am - 59 Comments
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  Leonardo DiCaprio on how to vote - by frog

  
  
  
  “I’m going to vote for the candidate that I believe has the better environmental policy. I think that in the last eight years we could have done an incredible amount to change this country; be less reliant on foreign oil and start to develop alternative ways of getting energy through wind and solar power. I [...] read more
  September 29, 2008 2:26 pm - 2 Comments
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  MIT makes energy breakthrough - by frog

  
  
  
  Scientists at MIT have figured out a way to mimic a plant’s energy storage using ordinary materials in ordinary conditions. While the article suffers from the usual this-discovery-will-save-the-world hyperbole, it is nevertheless an important breakthrough. The ability to cheaply electrolyse water into hydrogen and oxygen means we can store solar power more readily without the [...] read more
  August 1, 2008 3:54 pm - 16 Comments
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  Online With George Monbiot - by frog

  
  
  
  I hopped along to another Arts Festival event this morning, where George Monbiot was beamed in from Wales via satellite rather than flying over for a one hour chat. How Green of him. Having waxed lyrical about Stiglitz’ support for Green policy last night, I simply fell off my lilly pad this morning when George [...] read more
  March 15, 2008 11:32 am - 23 Comments
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  Solar cell directly splits water for hydrogen - by frog

  
  
  
  Plants trees and algae do it. Even some bacteria and moss do it, but scientists have had a difficult time developing methods to turn sunlight into useful fuel. Now, Penn State researchers have a proof-of-concept device that can split water and produce recoverable hydrogen. “This is a proof-of-concept system that is very inefficient. But ultimately, [...] read more
  February 19, 2008 9:14 am - 5 Comments