MakeHeat

“Research conducted by scientists at the University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) has enabled a new solar heating system to be developed using nanotechnology which heats water to five times the temperature of a conventional system. Reportedly, the project has emerged from one of the enterprises of the URFJ’s business incubator. …”

Read more at: Renewable Energy Magazine

“… The vacuum between the tubes prevents heat loss during cold weather. Other solar heaters need antifreeze to keep working in winter. The Solar Quest system of tubes keeps working even at temperatures of minus 40 degrees F without any chemicals added to the purer water.

Another advantage of the new system is it integrates the function of hot water storage and solar energy collection into one unit. Evacuated tube collectors produce hotter water. The heated water keeps circulating through the tubes by a passive convection current. This eliminates the need and cost for a pump to circulate water between a storage tank and a heat collector. The storage tank is stainless steel with a polyurethane coating to insulate it from the outside weather. …”

World solar power: Turkish technology reaches Stroudsburg |PoconoRecord.com.

The San Jose Credit Union has partnered with the San Jose Solar America City program to offer a program to city employees in which they can join together to negotiate betters costs for solar electric and solar thermal installations on their homes no matter where they live.

Via Renewable Energy News

Low Enough to Keep Competition Away
The Atlantic has a good piece about OPEC, everybody’s least-favorite cartel. It shows pretty clearly why OPEC is probably the most effective enemy of renewable energy. The way they do it is by going against their short-term interests and keeping oil prices relatively low (at least low compared to the kind of prices they could create if they choked off supply more) to assure their long-term market-share and keep alternatives to oil down….Read the full story on TreeHugger

Cutting his energy usage to 1/4 for heating, cooling, and electrical, now he’s reinvesting the savings into solar electricity:

Older Canadian Home Approaches New Standard of Energy Efficiency with Input from Renewables.ca (we C.a.r.e.) – PR.com.

Now why can’t we do this?  Have a lottery where interested people “contribute” $1, still have to pick numbers (though not as many) and the winner get’s a solar retrofit for their home?  Okay, that’s not exactly how it happens in Great Britain, but this is America!  If you don’t have a home, you can opt for 2/3 the dollar value in cash. If you do have a home and opt for the cash, it drops to 1/2.  Why give a homeowner an option?  Two reasons come to mind: (1), they may not be able to use the solar panels, especially if they live in a heavily wooded area, and (2), if it came down to having solar power on a house that was going to be forclosed on or having the cash to pay a few more payments on the house, I’d opt for the latter!

BBC News – Farm plugs into power of the sun.

Disappointing solar heater experience –
one Disappointment, many comments to the contrary

From tepid water to a doubled electric bill, I can see why Robert’s upset.  Sounds to me like he didn’t have his system installed properly (as it does heat up in the summer just fine). Read the comments to find many contrary views, and many successes with similar systems.

timesofmalta.com – Disappointing solar heater experience.

“… There is a direct correlation between the size of the home and its potential to be truly net-zero — the larger the home, the more energy it takes to run. The houses at South Farm are between 1,500 and 2,200 square feet of heated space. Although it is possible to go as high as 3,000 square feet and get close to net-zero, the amount of energy generation equipment needed may start to become prohibitively expensive. …”

Net Zero Homes

The power within: Rutland Herald Online.

“…– Receipts and other documents: You’ll need copies of purchase and installation receipts, as well as the manufacturer certification statement, which is a signed document from the manufacturer certifying that the product or component you have installed qualifies for the tax credit. If your installer doesn’t provide a copy of the statement, it often can be found on the manufacturer’s Web site. Taxpayers should keep a copy of the statement in their records, even though they are not required to submit it with their tax returns. …”

Guess this knocks out my sump-pump effluent to air-cooler Rube Goldberg device. Ah well, I wanted to make a fish farm in the cellar anyway.

via How to qualify for a energy-efficiency tax credit – washingtonpost.com.

“In Northern Ontario, the sun shines approximately 30% of the time in the winter and 50% of the time in summer,” said Todd Kirkpatrick of Your Solar Home Inc., in an interview following a presentation to some 75 delegates at the third annual Living Building Conference and Trade Show in Cambrian College’s e-Dome on Thursday.

Kirkpatrick, whose presentation dealt with solar energy products, said that while natural gas prices are at a very low level due to lack of demand, that scenario could quickly change as the economy recovers.

Introducing solar heating technology to a home, he said, would be a good way to be ready for an energy price spike when it does come. via The Sudbury Star