New Orleans - Solar American City

We all know how Hurricane Katrina, has made New Orleans. The filthy water that flooded 80 percent of the city, after that it was very difficult for the residents had to move to other states and it was a chaos for those who wanted to settle again. The hurricane changed many people’s life.

The hurricane destroyed the city and they had to rebuild the whole new city. It created testing ground for ideas and initiatives. Before hurricane the government officials talked about installing solar technologies for the city. But the technologies include little parking meters, solar powered cameras or so.

For decades, Louisiana's state budget has been dependent on oil revenue. Some policymakers and investors say, the state is rich in water, wind and sunshine, which can be used to reduce carbon emissions.

Now we can say that the city is really shaping up and many homes and businesses are using solar powered products. In rebuilding the homes are equipped with solar panels; organic farming is also catching up. The city got a new hybrid buses too. New Orleans is going green.

In 2007, New Orleans is named to be a “Solar American City” by the U.S. Energy Department, which gave the city a $450,000 grant to establish solar programs.
New state and federal tax credits are driving a niche solar technology market. It was a time that the city was facing so many problems, but now with the green attitude the city will shine and drive more renewable energy companies to invest in the energy efficient program.

New AC Power Solar Panel is on its way.

Akeena Solar Inc. and Enphase Energy, both companies will work together to give us new AC power output solar panel. The current solar panel captures sun energy and transfers it into DC power. Then we have to buy the converter to transfer the power to AC power so that we can use the electricity.
But thanks to these two companies, Akeena Solar Inc. and Enphase Energy we will have solar panel that will generate the electricity in AC power output. So we won’t need the converter anymore. The new system is called Andalay solar panel systems. These panels have integrated racking, wiring and grounding and that operates with standard AC wiring. Under the agreement Akeena Solar Inc. will purchase a minimum of total 10,000 micro inverters in 2009 and 2010. Emphase Energy will supply 100,000 micro inverters to Akeena during this time. These micro inverters will be used to build Andalay solar panels. The micro inverters from Emphase boost solar energy collection by 5 to 25 percent.
Akeena estimates that up to 25 % of the total costs of installing solar power system can be eliminated with Andalay Solar Panels. In the end, the solar power systems using Andalay solar panels could be cost effective to design and install. These panels have the potential to provide higher efficiency and better long-term performance for home and businesses.

Renewable Energy Stocks - A Good Investment

During his campaign, President Obama has said many times to promote renewable energy sources like solar and wind. He wants to reduce green-house gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050 and his plan for the U.S. to generate 10 percent of its electricity from solar and wind by 2012. Now that is good news for the companies that provide climate-change solutions and also for socially responsible mutual funds. They have invested in companies with strong environmental records and sustainable business practices.

Many financial institutes suggest investing in green energy stocks as with the time the price will go higher. Amy Domini, founder and CEO of Domini Social Investments says that although oil prices have fallen, the world is facing a long term energy crunch.
She also says that solar cells and wind farms companies are the “low hanging fruit” in the green sector, but they are still smart slays with investment potential.

Another company Praxair, an industrial gas company is helping its customers reduce emissions and drive energy efficiency said Ingrid Dyott, a co-manager, Neuberger Berman Socially Responsive Fund. He also sees the opportunities in infrastructure play such as the energy grid, which an estimated $50 billion needs overhaul.

Get tips on energy stocks at http://www.solargadgetsinfo.com/green-investing.html

Solar Energy's Dark Side

Solar energy is a most known form of renewable energy sources. We have been using solar energy from a decade. But the solar industry has developed many products that we are using on every day basis that operates by using solar energy.

As far as we heard, solar, wind, geothermal are natural energy sources. They are also called “clean energy”. But many people believe that in making of solar products, vast amount of fossil fuels are used. They also believe that solar cells contain toxic materials that are not good for the environment, and some parts can not be recycled easily.

That has made some environmentalists worried that these hazardous waste is on it’s way to nation’s landfills, when the panels eventually wear out. Recently, Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition has released a report on this issue. In the report they have warned the industry and lawmakers need to set policies now to ensure it doesn’t leave a dirty legacy.

After the issuance of this report many people raising questions. Sheila Davis, executive director of the San Jose, Calif., nonprofit that pushes for green practices in the technology sector said “You can’t just call your product green and close your eyes to what’s happening in the supply chain”.

1 percent of nation’s electricity is provided by solar energy. But the technology is growing. China is major producer of polycrystalline silicon, a key component of solar cells. Silicon is not the only conductor that is harmful but virtually all materials use hazardous chemicals that pose potential risks to workers and the environment, according to the report.