Government incentives are great and all, but solar is still ridiculously unaffordable.  A company called Helio mU (micro utility) is doing something to change that. 

Helio charges zero cash up-front to lease a solar system. The company assesses your home and installs the correct system to meet your needs. And what’s more,  they sell you the solar electricity at a “below average” cost – about 5% below standard utility rates. But what if you want to eventually own your own system?  Helio mU will offer to sell it to the consumer after five yearsof use. …continue reading No Up-Front Cost Solar Power Provider & Installer

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A hydrogen-based economy has been debated for a while now, particularly because hydrogen could prove a safer and more efficient fuel for the standard automobile. The thing is, hydrogen is not easy to produce, transport or store. Hence, the back-and-forth debating. But Derek Abbott, Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Adelaide in Australia, thinks that a hydrogen economy is the sustainable fuel of the future.

The image shows why hydrogen is better in terms of punctured and ignited fuel tanks.  Gasoline is heaver and therefore expands and burns beneath the car, engulfing it in flames.  The hydrogen in the same 60-second span simply burns itself out vertically due to its gaseous state.  And hydrogen burns clear – the visible flame comes from salts and other materials in the air being burnt off.

But back to hydrogen’s costliness.  Abbot proposes solar thermal generation as a means of large-scale energy production that is even more cost effective than nuclear power.  Abbot argues that nuclear power has hidden costs, such as decommissioning after their 30-year plus lifespan, a process that requires around $6 billion.  Abbot also says that solar thermal generation is the premier method of harvesting solar energy. Silicon solar cells, such as those used in most of the PV panels you see, need arsenic to be produced and there won’t be enough arsenic to go around – not to mention the fact that it’s dangerous.  Silicon cell PV panels also rely on semiconductors that are affected by the temperature range they operate in.  Solar thermal, on the other hand, needs heat and temperature fluctuations to help its process. …continue reading Could Solar Thermal Power Run a Hydrogen Economy?

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Written by Brittany Mauriss and Taylen Peterson

If there’s one thing green bloggers can’t stand, it’s a half-cracked solar misconception. So let’s get a few things straight. Here are the solar myths and the facts that put those myths to shame.

#1 – Myth: Solar systems only work in really hot areas of the world

Photo Credit: About.com

Busted: Not only can solar systems work in most areas of the world, but Germany, the world leader in solar energy, lies farther north than most states in the EU. While solar panels will be able to gather more energy in super sunny areas, solar energy works even for people in Alaska, where the sky is crazy dark for months at a time. So whether you live in crispy Arizona or the cold, dark corners of the upper Midwest, solar power is always possible! …continue reading 7 Solar Power Myths Put to Shame

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