All About Solar | Green Energy News

July 17, 2005 – Vol.10 No.17

ALL ABOUT SOLAR.

This week’s news...

Yes, you could drive a solar car, in a year or two. Here’s how.

Buy a hybrid car that can be converted to a plug-in hybrid (PHEV), such as a Toyota Pruis or Ford Escape Hybrid. Convert it.

Buy a fairly large solar system. Install it in your backyard or on your roof.

Plug your PHEV into the solar system for a recharge. You now have a car that will operate on solar power for 30 miles, or so.

For now, dream about solar powered cars and visit the 2005 North American Solar Challenge (NASC) - the 2500-mile race (the longest solar car race yet) from Austin, Texas to Calgary, Alberta. Qualifying teams from 18 colleges and universities in North America are competing in the event, which will end on July 27.

The 2005 NASC can be followed through an official website which includes real time tracking with Internet connected GPS (global positioning system). Be sure to check in on individual teams that have daily updates or blogs, and often photos.

NASC is more interesting automobile racing than NASCAR. Visit the North American Solar Challenge at http://americansolarchallenge.org/event/asc2005/

Another major American solar car race is the Dell-Winston Solar Car Challenge, a 959 mile, eight-day run from Round Rock,Texas to Pasadena, California.

Nine vehicles from the U.S. and Mexico competed. Saint Thomas Academy’s Experimental Vehicle Team (EVT) was the winner and led the pack for the entire trip. Visit the Dell-Winston event at http://www.winstonsolar.org/ , Saint Thomas at http://www.cadets.com/

The world’s largest retailer, Walmart, has embraced solar energy. Incorporated into the new ten-acre SuperCenter in McKinney, Texas (near Dallas) is 7500 square feet of solar panels designed and supplied by RWE Schott Solar.

The solar panels, which were applied to the garden center, the curtain wall and the entry vestibules, are expected to supply the store with 48,000 kilowatt hours of electricity each year.

The building, which will likely be used to improve Walmart’s environmental image, incorporates other sustainable elements as well. Visit RWE Schott Solar at http://www.us.schott.com/ , Walmart at http://www.walmart.com/ .

Green Energy News does not recommend stock picks nor does this editor own stock in any company, green or otherwise. (But I can let readers know of news related to stocks.)

Cypress Semiconductor has announced that it intends to make an initial public offering (IPO) of the common stock of its solar subsidiary SunPower Corporation. The offering is expected in the fourth quarter of 2005 subject to Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) and state approvals where necessary.

SunPower makes 20 percent efficiency solar cells known as the A-300 and builds solar modules that contain them.

SunPower cells have been used in such projects as the world’s largest solar power plant being built in Germany - the 12-megawatt Solarpark Gut Erlasse. The cells are used in about one third of the solar tracking devices installed in Phase One of the project. SunPower has a $300 million supply contract with Solon, the developer of Solarpark.

Cypress Semiconductor is a well respected manufacturer of a wide variety of electronics used in a long list of applications. Visit Cypress at http://www.cypress.com/ , Sunpower at http://www.sunpowercorp.com/

How the industrialized world with its high rates of pay can survive against the developing world with its low rates of pay is baffling - and frightening.

For a list of sources for solar products made in rapidly developing, really-should-be-considered-industrial China, visit Global Sources at http://www.globalsources.com/ (use the search engine at the site, All Categories, Products)