Nevada solar plant takes one large step toward widespread solar

First Solar’s new solar power plant in Nevada has been calculated to be the first U.S. solar site to cost less than fossil fuel-firing plants without government subsidies.  This is a major breakthrough in the race for renewable energy in the U.S. , as the largest barrier to solar power, aside from the dearth of energy storage systems, is the high cost of installation.  The difference is in a new type of thin-film solar panel (most panels on the market use crystallized silicon, which requires expensive framing to install).

H/T to Treehugger

“Whatever Can Be Done Will Be Done”

Thomas Friedman’s column today talks about the concept of “mobility miles,” a pilot model for electric cars being piloted by Shai Agassi’s Better Place.  Essentially, the concept works like this:  You lease a car, and pay a subscription to Better Place to take advantage of their charging stations (for trips less than 100 miles) and battery exchange stations (for trips greater than 100 miles).  The cost for subscription averages 6 cents per mile, or about half the cost of gasoline.  The system is currently in pilot stages in Israel, Denmark, Australia and Hawaii.

Friedman’s main conceit in the column is that the Big 3 are currently reacting like record executives investing in CDs on the eve of the iPod’s invention (GM declined to be a part of Better Place’s pilots)– that they are bypassing innovation, and will thus be passed by when Better Place and companies of its ilk demonstrate that they have a sustainable — in all definitions of the word — business model.

The most shocking revelation that Friedman makes in the column further underscores how entrenched Detroit’s business model has really been:

Remember, in 1908, the Ford Model-T got better mileage — 25 miles per gallon — than many Ford, G.M. and Chrysler models made in 2008.

Contrast the narrow focus of Detroit with the recent moves of T. Boone Pickens, the oilman who has recently started financing wind farms, calling wind “the next gusher.”

Local NFP Provides Tool for Buying Local Food

Local not-for-profit Chew on This, founded by private chef Carlin Greenstein and graphic designer Annie Stranger, have released a “seasonal foods” wheel that allows shoppers to see which fruits and vegetables are “in season” and available locally to New York.  The concept is similar to the “shopping list” board at the Union Square Greenmarket.

While cutting “food miles” is an important concept to help maintain our local agricultural infrastructure, eating a local, seasonal diet is also more beneficial for your health, as local vegetables picked at their peak ripeness have a higher vitamin content than fruits and vegetables picked underripe and ripened “off the tree.”

The wheels can be purchased at Stinky, a cheese market in Cobble Hill, Urban Rustic in Williamsburg, Sustainable NYC in the East Village, and at Blue Hill Farm in Westchester.

hattip: Green Brooklyn

Michelin with a breakthrough in the plug-in Electric Car field

Hattip to Treehugger:

Well-known tire company Michelin is launching a new breakthrough in electric car technology- the “Active Wheel“

By placing the motor in the wheel, Michelin is making electric cars 70% more efficient in cities than their combustion-engine counterparts.  The wheel is being released in Europe as the drivetrain for the Heuliez Will, a modified version of the ubiquitous-in-Europe Opel Agila wagon.  The Will goes public for the 2011 model year, and is available for fleet buyers in 2010.

Despite the fact that the wheels, with motors, weight 90 pounds apiece, the Will weighs just under a ton, and 165 pounds less than its Opel cousin.