Some of the worlds largest oil companies are beginning to really get serious (or so they say) about solar and other forms of alternative energy. Recently, Chevron created a website devoted to their implementation of solar and carbon footprint reduction of their operations worldwide. In fact, the site is laden with videos of their Vice Chairman Peter Robertson screwing in energy saving light bulbs, boasting about alternative energy and selling cheap auto insurance. Alright, he wasn’t trying to sell car insurance, but it would have been just as believable.

I find it interesting that all of the large oil companies are suddenly obsessed over alternative energy. I wonder if their lobbyists in Washington, DC are pushing the “alternatives” package or the incentives for “big oil” package. I also find it provocative that these “oil barons” would push a program that would lead their industry into obsolescence. 

In addition to the videos and images of CEO’s replacing light bulbs, there is a host of information about fossil fuel reserves, the human population as well as global demand projections. There is actually quite a lot of useful information on the site, I just question the motives behind it. 

Source: WillYouJoinUs

Having spent a great deal of time researching various solar gadgets and technology I have found some very interesting gadgets that appear to be solar in name only. Recently, I was reserching solar lighting accessories and stumbled onto a web page that sells designer “solar bath faucets”. Yeah, that’s right solar bath faucets! After conducting some “research” (reading further), I discovered that this product is merely a space-age inspired faucet that is trendy in design. As to whether or not the thing is solar powered seems obvious (no).

What really got me about the site was that they are marketing products as being “solar” when in fact they are not. The other thin gthat got me was the price tag. Would you spend $798.40 on a faucet? No, I didn’t thin so. Heck, I think the $60 Moen faucets are expensive enough and they aren’t even “solar”. I don’t know what the good folks at irawoods.com are thinking. Maybe there is something I am not seeing on their page, but I am having an awfully difficult time believing that their bathroom faucets are somehow solar powered. For that price they should come with solar panels for your home. Maybe that is it, maybe they come with panels or something? Just feels kind of like they are just slapping the name solar on it.

Source: IraWoods.com

Alright, there are a lot of great solar gadgets out in the marketplace and over the last few months I’ve brought you a great deal of info regarding them. Today I want to mention, in brief, the most random and worthless solar gadget ever; The Solar Powered Dancing Panda. Granted, the Panda does dance and would be a cute addition to anyone’s dashboard, but I think the effort might have been better spent elsewhere. 

I mean, am I the only one who thinks that this “gadget” is totally random? As I mentioned earlier, yeah it is cute, but come on. The panda sells for about $16 dollars and can be ordered on the following site. If you’re into this sort of thing it might be for you, in fact, if you were considering wasting your hard earned money on some silly supplement like Decaslim then maybe you ought to buy the panda instead and at least get something tangible out of the transaction.

The Northern California Solar Energy Association will have been doling out awards this December to local homeowners and businesses for solar implementation, but has unfortunately had to cancel the ceremony due to a variety of issues. After visiting their website, it is unclear as to whether or not they will reschedule the ceremonies. In fact all they have to offer in the way of information is that the “Awards have been cancelled”.  

In the past they have awarded a number of individuals and businesses, but were apparently going to take the awards a step further and declare America’s most “Solar Friendly” cities. I suppose we will have to settle for Pinewood derby trophies in lieu of the 2008 Solar Awards. I hope that they will have an awards ceremony later on in the year or perhaps this spring to honor the folks driving our future toward a clean environment. I would say that you could find additional information on their site, but there really isn’t too much clarification there in regards to the event.

Having a wife who at some times can be best described as a health food nut, has left me wondering if I’ll ever eat a big juicy steak with garlic and cheese potatoes again. Anyway, savory beef aside, I was surfing for some cool solar diet tips and came across an article titled “Eating The Sun”.

The article focuses on whole organic foods that are obviously grown chem. free directly from the sun. Although I am not the biggest fan of fennel, I am willing to try anything once. I guess the “Sunlight Diet” is pretty big in some circles out in California, but I’m sure there are supplements that need to be taken in conjunction with the diet like alli or something so that you don’t get jaundice or whatever.  

The article itself is fairly interesting and offers some insight into the actual diet as well as ways to live a healthier lifestyle with little to no impact on your daily life. Pretty interesting, but I have to admit I was just excited to see the words “Eating The Sun” in the title. 

Is green the new black? Well, even if it isn’t it sure feels like it is. With more and more people moving to renewable sources of energy and energy production consumers have been greeted by a vast array of solar powered options for almost every aspect of their lives. In fact, Tuesday at the consumer electronics show in Los Angeles, Voltaic Systems announced a 14-watt solar powered bag beefing up their prior 4-watt offering.  

Imagine the capabilities of a 14-watt panel laptop bag. I mean, this bag generates enough green energy to power a city block… well maybe not a city block, but offers consumers an array of great solar charges instead. I am pretty impressed with the laptop carrier however I am concerned about the $599 price tag. I mean you could use that money to double your laptop memory for that price. 

GreenCore Air has developed an air conditioner that utilizes a single 170 watt solar panel. The system claims that it can cool a 600 square foot room, this is a bold claim considering the limits of a single 170 watt panel. I somewhat expect that cap to be a little high due to the strain on a panel of that size. Apparently the unit runs on DC power, which eliminates the need to use an AC inverter between the panel and unit. By utilizing DC, this unit is better equipped to eliminate the power losses associated with converting AC to DC.

In addition, the unit can also run on an internal battery bank during less than optimal operating conditions. At this point, the unit is offered as either fixed or wheel mounted. Currently, the first GreenCore units are being tested by the U.S. Navy and MacDonalds, does that seem incredibly random to anyone else?

Source: metaefficient 

I recently read an article in the newspaper about solar powered ice cream trucks that were being utilized in some parts of New Mexico and Texas this summer. Apparently the roof of the truck has an array of photovoltaic panels that generate electricity to power the refrigeration units inside the truck that keep the ice cream at temperature during the hot summer months.

I’m a pretty big fan of ice cream (it’s no Coke Zero), but I might just be willing to grab some tape and moving boxes and relocate to either New Mexico or Texas in order to get some of that ultra chilled ice cream next summer.  Alright, maybe I wont move for ice cream, but it is a pretty decent concept. Now they just have to find a way to utilize those panels to power the actual truck.

Solar Power In America features one of the largest online auctions of solar goods and materials online. Set up in an Ebay-like format, online visitors will find only solar related goods without having to sift through other products in the “deep discount bin” that is Ebay.

In addition to offering listings for solar items, Solar Power In America offers a number of search bars and dropdown menus to help locate specific products hassle free. Flowing seamlessly into Ebay, when a customer decides on a product, they are immediately whisked away to the Ebay site to read product specs and be given purchase info, it is even easier than shopping for car insurance.

Solar Power In America really simplifies the online purchasing process for specialty solar products. Source: Solar Power In America 

Solarbuzz.com is a great resource for individuals and businesses that are interested in learning more about solar power, its applications and its future. Solar buzz also offers insight into groundbreaking technology as well as conference information from around the world. Conferences are held at a number of fine resorts and conference centers worldwide. Who knows, someday they may sponsor conferences at laughlin hotels or some other exotic hot-spot.

Being plugged in to the industry, Solarbuzz.com offers a number of great tools such as “Solar Buyers Guide” as well as customer tips and cost generators. There is also a lot of interesting and though provoking content, so take your time and explore the site. Solarbuzz.com is a must read for individuals looking to make the move to clean and sustainable solar power.

Source: Solarbuzz.com