2013 - Green Businesses

SolarCity Launches Nonprofit, Donating Solar Systems to Schools Without Access to Electricity Across the Globe

Written by Jasper Dikmans From PVSolarReport.com SolarCity launches the Give Power Foundation, a nonprofit aimed at providing clean energy to communities across the globe. For every megawatt of residential solar power that SolarCity installs in 2014, the company will donate a solar power system and battery combination to a school without access to electricity. Initial recipients are expected to be in Haiti, Mali, Malawi, and Nepal. SolarCity (Nasdaq: SCTY) today launched the Give Power Foundation, a California nonprofit aimed at providing clean energy to communities across the globe. For every megawatt of residential solar power that SolarCity installs in 2014, the company will donate a solar power system and battery combination to a school without access to electricity. Initial recipients are expected to be in Haiti, Mali, Malawi, and Nepal. According to the company, approximately 291 million children attend primary schools that lack electricity globally, an…

Green Jobs Sector Grows in Size

Danielle Cullen, Correspondent for TechnicianOnline America’s “green jobs sector” is on the rise, according to a report from Environmental Entrepreneurs. The environmental group released a study earlier this month, which reported nearly 40,000 new green jobs created during the second quarter of 2013. A green worker is usually employed in the energy industry and seeks to help lessen the human impact on the environment. A student seeking to work in the green jobs sector may study human impact on the environment and “greener,” more efficient ways of living. This includes everything from more energy-efficient homes to more sustainable ways to keep us safe. Lynn Albers, a postdoctoral student in mechanical engineering, said that N.C. State offers courses to help students prepare for joining the green jobs sector. Senior-level electives include Energy Conservation and Industry Design of Solar Thermal Systems. Environmental studies graduates usually end up working for o…

State Dept. to Spend $450K for Green Jobs–in Morocco

(from CNSNews.com) – The State Department through its Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs plans to spend $450,000 to create green jobs in Morocco. “Morocco has set the goal to become one of the world’s largest sustainable economies by 2020, with an emphasis on creating green jobs in: renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, environmental and natural resource management, and improvement in environmental technologies,” the grant announcement said. “Morocco’s green growth strategy focuses on three major areas that include: energy security, food security, and environmental security. This includes solar and wind power, energy efficiency, intensive and communal sustainable agriculture, and solid waste and greenhouse gas emissions reduction,” the grant said. The U.S. and Morocco signed a Joint Statement on Environmental Cooperation in 2006, the grant said. “The 2010-2012 Plan of Action reflects the current priorities for trade-related env…

U.S. Federal Buildings Brace For Deep Energy Retrofits

Beth Buczynski for Earthtechling Actions speak louder than words. At long last, solar panels are returning to the White House–a symbolic endorsement of renewable energy if nothing else. At the same time, a National Deep Energy Retrofits program (NDER) is poised for implementation in federal buildings around the country. Congressional bickering aside, our revenue strapped government can’t deny that efficiency goes a long way when money is tight…something they’ve been telling the rest of us for years. NDER is a collaboration of the General Services Administration (GSA), the nation’s largest public real estate organization, and the Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP). It aims to speed up deep energy retrofits on federal properties, putting the U.S. in a better position to meet its energy-use-reduction targets (yeah, we have those!). Image via US Gov. The GSA manages more than 7,000 properties that provide workspace for some 1.2 million federal employees. T…

Financing Kicks Off for New York’s $1B Green Bank

Katherine Tweed for Greentechmedia Governor Andrew Cuomo just announced $165 million financing for New York State’s $1 billion Green Bank. Once the initial funds are approved by the public service commission, the Green Bank will look for private sector financing to join the bank to fund clean energy projects. The Bank is expected to be open for business in early 2014. Governor Cuomo said the money will be used “to build a more cost-effective, resilient and clean energy system in New York,” although the specifics of which projects will be able to take advantage of the Bank have yet to be determined. The money will go to technologies that are ready to be deployed, and could include everything from more efficient chillers and voltage control devices to solar PV and combined heat and power systems. “As a public-private partnership, the Green Bank will implement a pioneering approach that strategically and efficiently uses limited state resources to drive investment into…

Microsoft Research Shows How To Save 60% Of Earth’s Plants

Beth Buczynski for Earthtechling Biodiversity is one of Planet Earth’s greatest strengths. Ecosystems depend on many different plants and animals to stay healthy. When species go extinct, it’s like removing links from a chain. Too many weaknesses, and the entire system could fall apart. New research from Microsoft aims to show that while it’s an immense challenge, it’s possible to protect over 60 percent of Earth’s plant species from vanishing into the ether. In partnership with Duke University and North Carolina State University, Microsoft researchers used computer algorithms to identify the smallest set of regions worldwide that could contain the largest numbers of plant species. The result, they say, is a model showing how putting just 17 percent of the planet’s land surface off limits to human contamination could save a huge number of important plant species. Image via Microsoft Research According to study results published recently in the journal Science, a more …