Solar Energy Investing

Media Newswire reports Mesa Community College has opened a new science building and planetarium.  The 60,000 square foot building is LEED certified and the 2,100 ft planetarium that features solar panels that double as shade for the Astronomy plaza.

Daily Camera reports Dr. George Lof began a solar heat project 30 years before solar was the rage in Boulder, CO.  During World War II, when the fuel shortage scare was present, Colorado University funded Lof to build a small house with an experimental solar heating system in 1943.  Lof lived in the house which could maintain 70 degrees inside in the middle of winter, as long as the sun was shining.

Cape Gateway reports the first solar power computer lab was installed at the Bernandino Heights Secondary school in Western Cape.  This project has confirmed the Khanya Project’s concern with the increasing role of technology in society.  The installation required specific placement of solar panels to prevent vandalism and burial of transmission cables to prevent theft.

The News-Messenger.com reports that Ohio’s Owen Community College Workforce and Community Services is offering a Photovoltaic Installation Training program.  The five day training program will provide instruction on electricity and photovoltaic systems including codes and standards.  Those who successfully complete the program will qualify for the North American Board of Certified Energy Practices Photovoltaic Entry Level Certificate of Knowledge.

StarTribune.com reports the country’s largest electrician union has started to train on solar panel installation in Minnesota.  The lab at the Charles W. Lindberg Electrician Training Center boasts a $26,000 solar roof.  This roof gets constructed, dismantled, and reconstructed with each class.

Red Orbit reports researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have discovered a new solar concentrator to help reduce the cost of solar energy.  By coating glass sheets in organic dye, it concentrates the sunlight that hits the panels and carries it over the entire surface like a fiber optic cable.

BusinessWire reports Future Lighting Solutions has donated LED light components to be used on a solar car.  The solar car is being built by students at the University of Minnesota to compete in the 2008 North American Solar Challenge.  The LUXEON Rebel is the smallest mountable LED available today.

Nano Werk reports Physicist Bram Hoex and his team at Eindhoven University of Technology have improved the efficiency of the solar cell by 6%.  The team used ultra-thin aluminium oxide layer at the front of the cell.  This technology will provide a significant cost reduction for solar electricity.

Renewable Energy World reports Northwestern Michigan College in Traverse City, Michigan will offer 2 new solar energy training courses for those interested in furthering their knowledge of this industry.  Each class, both entry level and advanced, will last one 40 hour week at a cost of $775.

News Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder reports the University of Colorado’s Solar Decatholon house is open for public tours by appointment through July.  The CU Team built the house with surplus shipping containers for plumbing, mechanical, and electrical core and uses photovoltaic thermal array and water-source heat pump systems.