This conference is made possible through the Haas Alumni Network and the sponsorship of PG&E, the Berkeley Columbia Executive MBA Program, and MAP.

Confirmed Panelists include:

* Dian Grueneich – Commissioner of CPUC (Keynote Speaker)
* Marc Tarpenning – Entrepreneur, Co-founder of Tesla Motors Inc. and NuvoMedia Inc.
* Dan Mosher – Chief Financial Officer of CODA Automotive
* Ann Bordetsky – North America Market Development & Policy Manager at Better Place
* Marianne Wu – Partner at Mohr Davidow Ventures.
* Mark Duvall – Director at Electric Power Research Institute
* John Boesel – Pres/CEO at CALSTART
* Saul Zambrano – Director Integrated Demand Side Management Product Portfolio at PG&E
* Jit Bhattacharya – CEO of Mission Motors
* Roland Hwang – Transportation Program Manager at the Natural Resource Defense Council
* Marc Gottschalk – Partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
* Luca Erceg – President, CEO & Founder of Simbol Mining Corp.
* Lee Schipper – Professor at Stanford University
* Bob Hayden – Clean Transportation Advisor to SF Government
* Eric Toomre – Architect of the bipartisan proposed American Electric Vehicle Manufacturing, or e-Drive Bill (H.R. 4399)

And more…

Theme: Electric Car 2.0: Who Will Win The Race? Innovation, Policy, and China
Date: Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Time: 11AM – 6PM
Location: PG&E General Office Conference Center, 77 Beale Street, San Francisco, CA

For more information and registration please visit our website at http://cleantech.stanford.edu

Source: PRWeb

Mobile solar generators have been around for several years, what makes their business unique is the national network. The pair fields calls from their existing customer base and then sends the jobs to its network of independent operators who purchase their Mobile Green Power “Xtreme-grid” units. Their national clients benefit from one stop shopping and their operators benefit from an existing network of customers – a win/win. The units themselves vary in size and come in either a flat bed or cargo trailer with an array of 8 – 16 photovoltaic solar tiles connected to a chain of large marine batteries. The Xtreme-grid units can provide continuous power throughout the day and night using a combination of the solar panels and battery power. The batteries will re-charge the next day, or for multi-day events a biodiesel back-up generator can recharge the batteries during the evening. “At a recent event, we powered an ATM machine, beer trucks, recharged electric scooters, and ran several booths, for three days” says Douros. One thing is for certain – they attract a crowd. “My wife calls them a ‘man-magnet’”, says Douros, “we were in a Starbuck’s parking lot recently meeting with a prospective client and when we raised the solar tiles with our electric actuators, instantly 5 – 6 guys come over to check it out. It’s pretty cool.”

Cool is right. And quiet. Kevin Cohee, owner of Do An Event, a Sacramento event firm providing events at the State Capitol, loves that the solar generators don’t make a sound, “In my business, having power that is hyper quiet and is exhaust-free, is huge. The fact that the power is eco-friendly is a bonus.” Douros agrees, “People always are coming up to us at events and asking, ‘how much noise does this thing make when it is running?’,” They are blown away when I tell them, ‘none,’ it’s putting out power right now.” If the quiet doesn’t attract people, the unit’s utility meter does. The meter shows exactly how much electricity you are not paying for from utility companies (one sign recently seen on a solar unit – “No price increase in 4.5 billion years”). “People love seeing the meter go round, to see the electricity these things can produce,” says Clark. “We probably get crowds of 10 – 20 people standing around our Xtreme-grid trailers at every event.”

Clark and Douros have lots of interest in their mobile solar trailers and their network. They have demand from events nationwide and are working with several government agencies to contract with their network of providers. “We offer something nobody else has, existing relationships with over 1,000 event managers nationwide and a network of operators to share these events,” says Clark, “we just wish we had as many operators to give our leads to.” The current Federal rebates are also sparking interest in Mobile Green Power. “We have stream-lined the Federal Government’s rebate for solar energy, and now we can provide our Xtreme-grid buyers a 30% cash rebate (based on the solar portion of the generators) within 60-90 days of purchase.” An added bonus? When not in use at an event, park an Xtreme-grid near your home or business to offset pricey utility bills. Currently, financing is the only thing that has held them back from an explosion in sales to interested purchasers. “Financing is still tough these days, but we are talking with several local and national groups about a financing plan, and we expect to have that resolved shortly,” says Douros.

In the meantime, the pair continues to field calls for their expanding green business. With so many events and companies eager to go “green” and the increasing focus on providing green jobs, sunny days are ahead for Mobile Green Power and their national Mobile Green Power network.

For more information see: www.MobileGreenPower.com.

Source : PRWeb

Well maybe not Brian Boitano, but four U.S. olympians have called on the U.S. Senate to pass comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation this year.

The athletes in question are Bode Miller, Julia Mancuso, Ted Ligety and Hannah Kearney. They all competed in the Vancuver winter olympics 2010 and they all hold a gold medals from various skiing events.  They have issued an open letter to the U.S. Senate, noting the impact of climate change and it’s effect on peoples health, winter sports and tourism in the areas and how it is threatening the future of skiing due to shorter seasons, declining snowpack and earlier snowmelt.

According to a U.S. government report the effects of climate change are going to get worse and the outcome of less ice and snow will cause more problems than just winter sports and the tourism trade that it also services, but also the communities that rely on it to provide a source of water.

So just like Brian Boitano, these winter sports athletes are making a plan and hoping the U.S. Senate follow through.

Source:  www.worldwildlife.org

Sometimes maintaining a healthy indoor environment is as important as monitoring outdoor variables. The Indoor Air Quality CO2 Monitor from Extech (CO200) provides important insights on the presence of carbon dioxide, air temperature, and humidity. The attractive, table top or desktop unit displays numerical data plus easy to understand Good, Normal and Poor air quality indicators. As more energy efficient homes and buildings are built or retro-fitted, it is more important than ever to ensure healthy indoor air quality resulting tightly-sealed, high performance building envelopes.

A big part of improving the energy efficiency of a home or commercial space is finding any areas where heating and cooling may be escaping, causing increased energy use. Infrared cameras are ideal for finding such “thermal leaks.” At under two thousand dollars (USD), the Extech i5 is the lowest cost, general use infrared camera that can actually show a picture of where inside air may be escaping, or outside air may be infiltrating your home. Moisture intrusion is also plainly visible helping to identify building envelope problems. Already used by thousands of pros, the Extech i5 lets a user capture JPEG pictures of thermal leaks that he/she can easily email or share with insulation installers or energy efficiency professionals.

While the entry price of even the most affordable infrared camera may be out of many budgets, Extech also offers an infrared thermometer that is also helpful in identifying thermal leaks at a fraction of the cost. The Extech’s Color Alert Dual Laser Infrared Thermometer (42509) lets users aim two converging lasers at areas around windows, doors, baseboards, etc. to check for possible leaks. Along with an audio alert, the unit’s display changes from blue to red when a temperature jump is detected, indicating an anomaly. The color alert system makes it easy to focus on aiming instead of monitoring fluctuating numerical values.

For businesses looking for a robust tool to analyze power usage of electrical equipment installed on-site, or for companies that need to quantify and benchmark energy usage of the products or appliances they sell, the legend in the industry is the Extech True RMS Power Analyzer Datalogger (380803). This versatile meter datalogs AC and DC power loads, providing users with valuable power usage data (Watts, Power Factor or VA, Voltage or Hz, Amps). The Extech Power Analyzer Datalogger is the device of choice for Dell Laboratories, ExtremeTech, GameSpot, Intel, MaximumPC, PCStats, PC Perspective, TechReport, United States Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency, XBit Laboratories, and others.

The Mini Thermo-Anemometer from Extech (45158) is a very handy, pocket-sized tool that is useful in monitoring the performance of a home or commercial heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. The compact unit can monitor airflow in vents and returns, as well as measure air temperature and humidity – useful indicators of how well a central air system is working for example. For individuals considering installing wind energy turbines, the weatherproof and tripod-mountable Mini Thermo-Anemometer can also be used outside for preliminary wind speed monitoring.

For more information visit PRWeb for the full press release

The operators, the Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District, the Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA), and Blue & Gold Fleet, wrote letters of interest for the project, and members expressed interest in the development of more fuel efficient, cost effective and eco-friendly vessels. Wind+Wing Technologies is working in conjunction with Morrelli & Melvin Design & Engineering for the design of the boat, and with Harbor Wing Technologies for the design and engineering of the wing.

The first step in the project is a demonstration vessel allowing ferry service captains hands-on, operational experience with a winged vessel. The demonstration boat will utilize an existing trimaran hull with an installed, fully-functioning, automated wing. The vessel will only be for captain and crews to practice with the wing and test the vessel’s maneuverability at the docks, mechanical reliability and handling in heavy or unpredictable weather. The test boat will be used on actual ferry routes at various times during the year to evaluate its feasibility and measure fuel and emission savings. After the demonstration phase, a full-size public passenger vessel is proposed; it would be designed and built to suit the specific needs of each route and ferry service provider. The overall design concept is a single deck, catamaran hull with a scalable design and a flexible floor plan to accommodate 400 to 750 passengers and storage room for 50 to 100 bicycles.

“Their next step is to develop a demonstration vessel that would ideally lead to the development of a full-size ferry for daily operations on the bay,” said Keith Stahnke, manager of operations at WETA. “We are excited about any innovations and further development of fuel efficient vessels.”

Wind+Wing Technologies is owned by Jay Gardner, Pamela Simonson, and Hans Korfin, co-founders of Adventure Cat Sailing Charters, which has provided catamaran sailing excursions for the public on the San Francisco Bay Area for more than 18 years. The management team at Wind+Wing Technologies is backed with several decades of experience in the sailing, boat building and public passenger boat industries.

“The San Francisco Bay is blessed with consistent, powerful winds, and the Bay Area has a reputation for embracing new technology and being at the forefront of change,” said Gardner. “As the need and drive for sustainable energy, renewable resources and green transportation heightens every day, we plan to take wind-powered transportation to the next level by making it available to Bay Area commuters. Our proposed wind assisted ferry is not only possible, but could be a perfect complement to that gravity assisted system, the Cable Cars, in a more energy efficient San Francisco Bay area transportation system.”

Wind+Wing Technologies is currently researching both public and private funding opportunities, including government grants for green transportation. The company’s time line includes a demonstration vessel launching in the first quarter of 2011 and the goal to launch a public passenger ferry in 2015. For more information regarding Wind+Wing Technologies, the proposed ferry project or funding opportunities, please visit www.windwingtech.com

Source: PRWeb

According to the Venue Energy Tracker, the Richmond Olympic Oval achieved a high level of energy savings this week by consuming 40,176 kWh less than what the venue would have used if the current sustainability measures were not in place.

For information on additional venues visit the tracker at www.VenueEnergyTracker.com.

Source: PRWeb

Pataki emphasized that governments must lead the way by providing the proper incentives to businesses and individuals that programs that will increase energy efficiency programs around the world and noted three areas that stand to benefit from an increase in energy efficient power systems: power generation, peak demand management and energy storage.

“When I look at the future of energy production, I seen an overdependence in the US and in Israel of foreign oil imports, including from countries such as Iran and Venezuela, which are not using the money off of those sales for good things,” added Pataki. “Energy efficiency will create a new paradigm for how we use energy.”

This year’s Eilat-Eilot Renewable Energy Conference includes internationally-recognized alternative energy companies and speakers from around the world, such as former US Ambassador to Israel, Richard H. Jones, who is now the Deputy Executive Director of the International Energy Agency; Mr. Michael R. Peevey, President of California Public Utility Commission; and Dr. Hermann Scheer, General chairman of the World Council for Renewable Energy.

The Conference, organized by the Eilat-Eilot Renewable Energy Administration in association with the Technologies Company, focuses on the latest innovations in renewable energy. Conference participants include internationally-recognized alternative energy companies, experts and investors from around the world. Some of the topics to be explored at the conference include renewable energy development in Israel , solar power, policies and regulations, energy conservation, and renewable energy technology. Conference organizers expect more than 2,000 participants at this year’s event.

Kaminar demystifies solar energy and gives straightforward information and full color illustrations about how solar modules work, proper care and maintenance, how to buy equipment, and solar safety. Don Street, VP of USPL Modules Group raves, “I learned a lot from Solar Bascis. It covered a whole spectrum of subjects I hadn’t even expected, and it was written in plain, understandable English. Nice job! I just ordered 5 more copies to give to people I’m trying to train into solar; this is the perfect first read for people with a general education.”

Solar Basics is available on Amazon.com and through the Neil Kaminar’s website

About the author: Neil Kaminar started his career in solar energy in the early 1970s by helping to design and build a solar house in Atascadero, CA. Throughout the 80s and 90s Kaminar has worked to develop, install, and oversee projects related to solar energy modules. Since 2006, Mr. Kaminar has worked as a consultant to various companies worldwide. His motivation for writing Solar Basics and Solar Design is to give back to the world some of the knowledge gained in his 40-year career in Solar Energy.

Source: PRWeb

The Eilat-Eilot Renewable Energy Administration will discuss the next steps towards the development of a smart grid system for the Eilat-Eilot Region at the conference, including the establishment of partnerships with leading smart grid technology companies from around the world. Meanwhile, the Israel Electric Corporation, which recently launched its smart grid initiative for commercial and industrial consumers through the implementation of a Distributed Management System, will use the conference to unveil the next steps it will take towards expanding its smart grid program, including the installation of some 6,000 “smart meters” at selected sites across the country.

“Smart Grid technology represents one of the most promising and exciting areas of energy efficiency initiatives, and we expect Israel to be one of the leading forces in advancing practical uses for this revolutionary technology,” said Noam Ilan, Director of Business Development for the Eilat-Eilot Renewable Energy Administration. “With exciting companies such as Shai Agassi’s Project Better Place and Arnold Goldman’s BrightSource Energy, which will take full advantage of Israel ’s smart grid infrastructure, Israel is poised to bring about positive change in terms of implementing large-scale smart grid initiatives around the world. We are working to establish a smart grid in the Eilat-Eilot region, which could serve as a global testing platform for advanced smart grid technologies and allow for higher percentages of effectively used renewable energy on Israel ’s national grid.”

The conference will also feature a number of Israeli “smart grid” companies, such as Computerized Electricity Systems (CES), a company focused on advancing efficient management of electricity consumption through the installation of comprehensive and user friendly smart distribution panels; GridON, a company developing a high temperature superconducting Fault Current Limiter device that protects the grid from power disruptions and outages at the substations; and GreenLet Technologies, which is developing a highly-integrated system for the Smart Grid market, using internet, IT and power electronics and PowerCom, a start-up which has been successful in implementing an advanced, reliable and secured DynamicPLC communication system. PowerCom will demonstrate its system in the Renewable Energy Validation Center at the Arava Institute.

The 2010 Conference will also advance the planned US-Israel Smart Grid Initiative, a joint effort of the America-Israel Chamber of Commerce & Industry Inc. and New York State Economic Development Corporation to promote collaboration, joint R&D and strategic corporate alliances.

” New York and Israel share an entrepreneurial spirit and love of problem solving,” says Ronny Bassan, the Chamber’s Executive Vice President. “The America-Israel Chamber of Commerce and New York State have embraced the need for energy efficiency and related technology. We see tremendous opportunities for Israeli companies in building, operating and securing a smart electric power grid.”

The Eilat-Eilot Renewable Energy Conference, organized by the Eilat-Eilot Renewable Energy Administration in association with the Technologies Company, focuses on the latest innovations in renewable energy. Conference participants include internationally-recognized alternative energy companies, experts and investors from around the world. Some of the topics to be explored at the conference include renewable energy development in Israel , solar power, policies and regulations, energy conservation, and renewable energy technology.

About the Eilat-Eilot International Renewable Energy Conference

The Conference is an international forum encouraging discussion and debate of policies, technology, business and investment practices to lead to cost effective, doable solutions. Conference participants include leading researchers in alternative energy, government officials and policy-makers, internationally-recognized alternative energy companies and world-renowned speakers from business and academia. Over 2,000 attendees and dozens of journalists are expected to be in attendance. Some of the topics to be explored at the conference include: Renewable development in Israel , solar power, policies and regulations, energy conservation, and renewable energy technology. The conference is organized in partnership between the Eilat-Eilot Renewable Energy Administration and the Technologies Company. To learn more about the conference, please visit www.eilatenergy.com.

The Pert Group’s study is based on 1,005 interviews conducted with a representative cross-section of the American public in September 2009. The survey findings reflect the beliefs and attitudes of the American public regarding:

• The ecological, economic and personal benefits and trade-offs of alternative energy and fuel resources

• Obstacles associated with specific alternative energy resources, including solar, wind, wave & tide, geothermal, clean coal and nuclear

• Obstacles associated with specific alternative fuels, including bio-fuels, natural gas and electric hybrid

• Personal willingness to actively support an alternative energy resource

• Media the public relies on to understand alternative energy policy and resources

The survey finds that four out of five Americans believe the most compelling reasons for finding alternative energy sources include:

• Reducing a national security vulnerability through dependence on foreign oil

• Improving the quality of the environment

• Helping to create new jobs

But there are other reasons that many Americans endorse alternative energy development, including the development of an energy exporting capacity, lowering the cost of home energy and lowering automobile fuel costs.

“The public’s strong endorsement of moving energy development forward should provide assurances to President Obama and Congress that Americans will rally behind policy proposals to find alternative energy sources,” said Nick Tortorello, senior vice president of The Pert Group, the organization that conducted the study.

Which alternative energy sources are most highly favored by Americans?
The Pert Group survey asked Americans how supportive or opposed they are to developing new energy resources. Public support for the development of solar energy is highest despite the fact that it can be expensive. In addition, the research finds that wind and geothermal alternatives are also well supported by the American public.

Americans are less receptive to the idea of tapping the nation’s natural gas reserve, building more nuclear plants to replace coal and oil, or harvesting more bio-fuels.

“People are clearly distinguishing between the various options for alternative energy,” Tortorello explained. “While public opinion isn’t the only factor, it certainly is something that our elected leaders should consider as they think about developing a winning strategy.”

To learn more about this study, visit www.alternative-energyPOV.com

Source: PRWeb