General information on solar energy usage and benefits.
A good overview of solar hot water heating.
A good overview of solar space heating and cooling.
A good overview of solar photovoltaic systems.
Notes for a talk I gave in December 2007 (PDF format, 500kB). Good introduction to solar hot wather heating, pool heating and solar electric systems with many references. includes information on tax credits and Arizona utility incentives. Updated September 22, 2009.
The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 that was signed into law on October 3, 2008 includes extensions of federal tax credits for renewable energy and eliminates the $2000 cap on solar and wind power tax credits for individuals. Click here for complete details of the tax credit provisions of the bill.
A Stanford University professor shows in a recent report published in the journal Energy & Environmental Science that wind and solar are the best choices to replace fossil fuels. He concludes that biofuels are the most environmentally damaging choice we could make in our efforts to move away from using fossil fuels. Read a summary of his report here.
In January, 2009, McKinsey and Company issued an important report titled Pathways to a Low Carbon Economy. The report lists more than 200 opportunities across 10 sectors that have the potential to cut global greenhouse gases by 35% below 1990 levels by 2030, or 70% below the expected 2030 level if we continue on our present course. This should be sufficient to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius by 2030 – the threshold level above which most experts agree would have serious consequences. However, achieving this goal will require a concerted global effort that needs to begin now. Click here for more details including a link to the complete report.
A Solar Grand Plan
That is the title of an article that appeared in the January 2008
issue of Scientific American. The authors present a
plan that could provide 69 percent of the U.S.’s electricity and 35
percent of its total energy (including transportation) from solar power
by 2050.
Read the complete article
here (from Scientific American archives).
Read a comprehensive update of the authors’ ideas
here.
Solar Technology Roadmap
The U. S. House of Representatives recently passed bill H.R.
3585, the Solar Technology Roadmap Act. This bill will
help the United States gain a leadership role in solar energy technology
and manufacturing by creating a public-private partnership of leaders to
guide development of this vital industry. Click here to read a summary of the bill.
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