By Ashley Phillips
Green Right Now
Tomorrow’s leaders are already working towards a cleaner future. The Solar Decathlon, an international competition hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), is showcasing solar-powered home designs created by students from around the world.
Students selected to participate were given two years to design and build solar homes, which must be carbon neutral and completely powered by the sun. The projects, many costing hundreds of thousands of dollars, are on display at the National Mall in Washington through Sunday (Oct. 18).
Two thousand students came together to form 20 teams, which are competing to win prizes in several categories, such as best architecture or engineering or “comfort zone.”
The Solar Decathlon Proposal Review Committee, which is made up of engineers, scientist, and other experts from the DOE and its National Renewable Energy Laboratory, selected the teams that they thought had the ability to meet the strict structural and safety requirements. Once selected, each team was given $100,000 to get started. Projects often require more, so individual teams then raise any additional funds.
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June 24th, 2009
From Green Right Now Reports
Tesla Motors Inc. has been approved for about $465 million in low-interest loans from the US Department of Energy to help speed production of its own and other company’s electric cars.
The California company will use $365 million of the money toward producing its Model S – an all-electric family sedan that could carry seven people and travel up to 300 miles per charge.
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Related Topics: · all-electric vehicles, Model S, Roadster, Tesla Motors, U.S. Department of Energy, zero-emissions cars
March 24th, 2009
By Barbara Kessler
Green Right Now
Shifting the U.S. toward more renewable wind and solar power would not only generate thousands of jobs and lower consumers’ electric bills, it would create new income for rural residents and vastly reduce carbon emissions, according to a new analysis by the Union of Concerned Scientists.
The UCS released a study today showing that if utilities were required to obtain 25 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2025 it would:
- Create nearly 300,000 new domestic jobs
- Save consumers some $65 billion in lower gas and electricity bills through 2025; up to $95 billion through 2030.
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Related Topics: · clean energy, Congress, Electricity, Green jobs, power generation, renewable energy standard, RES, Solar Power, U.S. Department of Energy, Union of Concerned Scientists, Wind Power
March 2nd, 2009
By Clint Williams
Green Right Now
Hot showers are now on sale.
The $787 billion economic stimulus package signed into law last month by President Barack Obama expands the tax credit for the purchase of a solar water heating system, significantly reducing the price tag of a system.
The federal tax credit had been capped at $2,000. That limit is now lifted and the tax credit is 30 percent of the cost of a solar water heating system.
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Related Topics: · Solar Estimate, solar hot water heater, tax credit, U.S. Department of Energy
