The National Renewable Energy Laboratory takes a look at the ways to cut the cost of solar cells.

Engineers and technicians from Ampulse, NREL, and Roth & Rau go over plans for installing parts in the pilot production line for making solar cells via a chemical deposition process. For more information visit http://www.nrel.gov/news/features/feature_detail.cfm/feature_id=1804 
Credit: Dennis Schroeder

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The Ashden Awards takes a look at the future for local clean energy for the poor.

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The EcoCAR Challenege is a competition that challenges participating students from across North America to re-engineer a vehicle donated by General Motors. With the goal of minimizing the vehicle’s fuel consumption and emissions, while maintaining its utility, safety and performance, teams had to find the best combination of cutting-edge technologies to meet these objectives. In the final year, the vehicles ran through a series of safety and technical tests at GM’s Proving Ground in Milford, Michigan very similar to those GM’s own production vehicles undergo.

As EcoCAR wraps up, it is only the beginning for the next chapter in the DOE’s 23-year history of advanced vehicle technology competitions. In April, Assistant Secretary for Policy and International Affairs David Sandalow announced the launch of EcoCAR 2: Plugging into the Future http://www.ecocar2.org/index.html . We look forward to seeing the new and innovative designs that students bring to this challenge and know they will find a way to exceed even our highest expectations

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Two Green Thumbs Up Award - Rocky Mountain Institute

Have you heard of the Rocky Mountain Institute, and Amory Lovins, the co-founder?

The Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) – central approach first uses philanthropy-funded innovation to create new solutions to gnarly old problems. Our integrated team of researcher/practitioners then tests and refines that via targeted consulting engagements that support our mission.

Reinventing Fire video:

 
RMI’s strategic focus is Reinventing Fire: mapping and driving the business-led transition from fossil fuels to efficiency and renewable energy. Key initiatives will focus on the transportation, building, industrial and electricity sectors. RMI’s innovative design techniques optimize whole-systems, an approach which allows industries to capture benefits that would be left behind under a compartmentalized approach, a discipline we call “tunneling through the cost barrier.”

Check out the great work they are doing with Energy http://www.rmi.org/rmi/ReinventingFireInfographic

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In a Ted Conference, Sears, an expert in developing new energy resources, talks about our inevitable and necessary move away from oil. Toward … what?  Watch and Learn…

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