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

Google gets into the Carbon Calculator Game

Hattip to Cody of the M Booth FWD team for this one.

Google has launched a Halloween-themed five-step energy saver calculator that compares spots of energy waste to ghosts, vampires, demons, monsters and zombies.  Obviously, with only five areas of savings, it’s nowhere near comprehensive.  It does, however, illustrate how small steps can lead to big change, and will hopefully lead people to look into other ways to cut both their energy costs and carbon emissions.

WSJ Offers advice for cutting power use

Falling under that first R, the Journal ran an article in yesterday’s “Personal Journal” section with a bunch of good advice for cutting power use in the home.  It’s pretty standard; seal the house, switch the bulbs, unplug idle devices, and update the appliances; but always worth the reminder.

The “Great Pacific Garbage Patch”

Last October, the San Francisco Chronicle reported on “The Great Pacific Garbage Patch,” a floating island of refuse between California and Hawaii. Recent estimates put the patch at twice the size of Texas, with 80 percent of the content a) plastic and b) originating on land.

Things That Can Go in the Kitchen Recycling Bin

Plastic bottles (water, soda, milk, salad dressing, etc.)- but leave the caps off.  Recycling plants throw out bottles with the caps on, as they cannot be recycled

Beer bottles

Bottle caps (they are aluminum)

Aluminum cans

Glass bottles or jars

Plastic containers (take out containers)

Plastic iced drink containers (that Starbucks venti mocha frappacino cup) 

The plastic cups by the new water cooler

Milk cartons (just found that one out today)

Quick Tips for Better Paper Usage

1. Print on both sides of a page when sending to the printer.

2. Before printing, scroll to the last page to make sure there is text. Most of the time, you can do without this page, esp. when making reservations.

3. Save docs to a folder on your computer instead of printing

Tip: Unplug, unplug, unplug

This is an old New York Times article, but it offers a solid roundup of home entertainment devices, and other things that you might have in your house/apartment that suck in a lot of power. The article cites a Department of Energy estimate that 40 percent of all electricity used to power home electronics is consumed while the products are turned off.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/14/technology/14basics.html

Remember, the first “R” is “Reduce”— If you can cut down the amount of power your home uses when you’re not there, not only will you be saving money, you’ll be cutting down on the fuels used to power the electric grid.