Based on data provided by the California Solar Initiative (CSI), sales of new production homes with rooftop solar power systems nearly doubled from 2011 to 2012, signaling increasing home buyer demand to control monthly electricity costs using clean, renewable solar power.
An estimated 4,000 new production solar homes were built in California last year, ten times the number built just seven years ago during the housing construction boom. SunPower estimates that strong growth in the sector will continue, with more than 20 percent of new production homes being solar powered this year.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/62039-sunpower-solar-systems-power-new-production-homes-partners-with-kb-home
Gleich zweimal fallen erstmals Kindersitze der Traditionsmarke Römer beim aktuellen Test des ADAC und der Stiftung Warentest mit „mangelhaft“ durch. Ein Sitz versagt beim Frontaufprall, der andere hat viel zu hohe Schadstoffwerte. Insgesamt erhalten vier von 15 getesteten Sitzen das ADAC Urteil „mangelhaft“. Bei einem Sitz von Axkid reißt sogar die Isofixverankerung, bei einem Sitz von Nania wird das Kind beim Seitenaufprall ungeschützt an die Autotür gedrückt. Generell gibt es dieses Mal auffallend viele schlechte Modelle. Als bestes Produkt im Test erweist sich der Cybex Juno 2-Fix mit einer sehr guten Beurteilung. Dieser wird mit Fangkörper in der Klasse I für Kinder von etwa 1 bis 4 Jahren angeboten, er ist damit besonders empfehlenswert. Da allerdings nicht jedes Kind einen Fangkörper akzeptiert, sollten Eltern dies vor dem Kauf unbedingt ausprobieren. Folgende Sitze erhalten ein „gut“ und sind empfehlenswert: Der Casualplay Q-Retraktor Fix und der Casualplay Q-Retraktor Fix & Support Leg (mit Stützfuß) für die Klasse I (von etwa 1 bis 4 Jahren) sowie der Römer Kidfix XP SICT, der Recaro Monza Nova 2, der Storchenmühle Solar und der Recaro Monza Nova 2 Seatfix, alle für die Klasse II/III (von etwa 4 bis 12 Jahren). Beim Römer Xtensafix (Klasse I/II/III von etwa 1 bis 12 Jahren) rutscht der Gurt beim Crashtest aus der Führung und schneidet in den Hals des Kindes ein, was ein hohes Verletzungsrisiko darstellen kann – der Club bewertet deshalb das Produkt als „mangelhaft“. Auch der rückwärts gerichtete Römer Max-Fix (Klasse 0+/I, bis etwa 4 Jahre), ein sogenannter Reboarder, erhält aufgrund seiner hohen Schadstoffbelastung das ADAC Urteil „mangelhaft“. Durchgefallen sind auch die Babyschale Nania Baby Ride (bis etwa 1,5 Jahre) und der Axkid Kidzofix (Klasse I/II von etwa 1 bis 7 Jahren). Während die Babyschale beim Seitenaufprall versagt und das Kind bei einem Unfall ungeschützt an die Fahrzeugtüre geprallt wäre, reißt beim Axkid die Isofixverankerung im Frontcrash und der Sitz fliegt durch das Fahrzeug. Darüber hinaus ist dieser Sitz hoch belastet mit Schadstoffen. Die vollständigen ADAC Kindersitztestergebnisse sind unter www.adac.de/kindersitztest zu finden. Getestet wurden die Kindersitze aus allen Gewichtsklassen in den Kriterien Sicherheit, Bedienung & Ergonomie, Schadstoffgehalt, Reinigung und Verarbeitung. Wichtig für die Eltern: Die Kleinsten müssen bei jeder Fahrt im Sitz richtig gesichert sein. Vor dem Kauf sollte man sich unbedingt Bedienung und Einbau erklären lassen. Um Fehler beim Einbau zu vermeiden, muss die Bedienungsanleitung genau befolgt werden. Außerdem empfiehlt der ADAC, den Sitz vor dem Kauf im eigenen Fahrzeug auszuprobieren: Nicht jedes Produkt passt optimal in jedes Auto. Der Kindersitz muss sich stabil befestigen lassen und besonders auf den richtigen Gurtverlauf ist zu achten.
The Renault-Nissan Alliance has sold its 200,000th electric vehicle and has a leading 58% market share for zero-emission cars.
To capture what the first 200,000 consumers love about their electric vehicles, the Renault-Nissan Alliance is launching a series of videos featuring EV owners on three continents. “I Made the Switch” tells why people bought their electric vehicles and how switching to a zero-emission vehicle has changed their lives. The first video features Chris Beers, a software engineer from Holliston, Massachusetts, USA, one of many Americans who powers his Nissan LEAF with clean solar energy. To see the video, click here: www.multivu.com/players/English/7381531-renault-nissan-electric-vehicle-sales/
The winners of the Natural Light - International Design Competition have now been chosen from the 172 impressive Natural Light Lamp designs submitted from 65 countries around the world. The winners are two very talented Argentinian Industrial Design students, Ms. Mariana Arando and Mr. Luca Fondello, both from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The production phase of the winning design for the Natural Light Lamp will begin shortly, followed next year by shipment of the lamps to three African countries without access to electricity.
Last year, the VELUX Group and Little Sun joined forces to launch the Natural Light – International Design Competition, which challenged design students around the world to create a design for a solar lamp which would help to bring clean, reliable, affordable light to some of the 1.2 billion people worldwide living without electricity. Now the jury has voted and decided on the winning solar lamp design by two Industrial Design students from the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7533451-velux-winner-announcement-natural-light/
The winners of the Natural Light - International Design Competition have now been chosen from the 172 impressive Natural Light Lamp designs submitted from 65 countries around the world. The winners are two very talented Argentinian Industrial Design students, Ms. Mariana Arando and Mr. Luca Fondello, both from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The production phase of the winning design for the Natural Light Lamp will begin shortly, followed next year by shipment of the lamps to three African countries without access to electricity.
Last year, the VELUX Group and Little Sun joined forces to launch the Natural Light – International Design Competition, which challenged design students around the world to create a design for a solar lamp which would help to bring clean, reliable, affordable light to some of the 1.2 billion people worldwide living without electricity. Now the jury has voted and decided on the winning solar lamp design by two Industrial Design students from the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7533451-velux-winner-announcement-natural-light/
NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG), NRG Yield, Inc. (NYSE: NYLD), and SunPower Corp. (NASDAQ: SPWR) today announced the completion of the final phase of the California Valley Solar Ranch (CVSR) photovoltaic (PV) generating facility in San Luis Obispo County, California, bringing total electric generating capacity of the plant up to 250 megawatts (AC). NRG acquired CVSR from SunPower in 2011, and the project is jointly owned by NRG Yield (48.95%). CVSR is one of the world’s largest operating solar PV power plants and will sell its electricity to Pacific Gas & Electric under two long-term power purchase agreements.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/64118-sunpower-nrg-energy-begin-commercial-operations-250-mw-calif-solar-ranch
Approximately one year after leading roof window manufacturer VELUX Group joined forces with social business Little Sun and NGO Plan International, launching a design competition to bring clean, sustainable light to Africa, the first solar lamps have now arrived on African soil.
The VELUX Natural Light International Design Competition received 172 proposals from 65 countries. A high-level jury of experts in the fields of architecture, art and design subsequently selected the winning design, by Mariana Arando and Luca Fondello of the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Their solar lamp design was inspired by the way light can bring people together.
The VELUX Group has so far produced and donated 14,500 of the solar-powered lamps, and 150 local sales agents are now being trained in how to sell the lamps in off-grid communities in Senegal, Zimbabwe and Zambia. The training combines workshops, roleplay, demonstrations, and group work.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/uk/7724551-velux-natural-light-solar-lamps-in-africa/
SunPower (NASDAQ:SPWR) has once again raised the bar by introducing the highest-power solar panels available today for the residential market. In the United States, the company has launched its Next Generation Technology home solar panel called A-Series, delivering 400 and 415 watts of power. In Europe and Australia, homeowners can also now order a 400-watt solar panel from SunPower called Maxeon® 3. Each is the first home solar panel to deliver more than 400 watts in its region and is designed to deliver 60 percent more energy in the same amount of roof space over the first 25 years compared to conventional solar.
“SunPower is introducing the world’s first 400-watt residential solar panels as most in the industry are just crossing the 300-watt threshold for home solar,” said Jeff Waters, CEO of the SunPower Technologies business unit. “Our record-breaking cell technology and innovative research and development efforts have enabled us to fit more power capacity on rooftops than we ever have before. Our growing panel portfolio is delivering unprecedented value across global markets that goes unmatched by any other residential solar technology currently available.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8252054-sunpower-a-series-next-gen-solar-panels/
The Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. Ralph camera aboard the New Horizons mission will provide the closest images we have ever seen of Pluto when the spacecraft arrives at the dwarf planet on July 14.
Ralph, the main “eyes” of New Horizon is designed to help scientists map the surface geology of Pluto and its moons, and investigate Kuiper Belt objects. The small but powerful Ralph weighs only 23 pounds and operates on approximately seven watts, the power of a standard night light. The entire telescope operates around 220 K (-60°F) in the cold darkness of the outer solar system. After a journey of more than nine years, Ralph will capture the first ever close-up snapshots of Pluto when New Horizons passes within 7,000 miles of the tiny, icy dwarf planet.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7530151-ball-aerospace-new-horizons-mission-pluto/
Today, SunPower introduces the SunPower Equinox™ system, now available to U.S. homeowners. It is the first residential solar solution in the nation in which every major component has been designed and engineered by one company to work seamlessly together, delivering unbeatable power, long-term performance and curb appeal. With a typical SunPower Equinox installation, only the solar panels and a Smart Energy management device are visible, reflecting SunPower’s minimalist architectural approach at the system level.
The SunPower Equinox platform was engineered based on the company’s The Power of One™ philosophy, which drives innovation of preconfigured solutions that simplify solar for consumers. In 2010, SunPower introduced its Oasis® Power Plant, the world’s first fully integrated utility solar platform, which enables rapid, cost-effective construction of large-scale power plants, now with over 1.8 gigawatts deployed. In 2015, SunPower introduced the industry’s first fully integrated solar solution for commercial customers, the SunPower® Helix™ system, which can be installed on commercial rooftops more than 2.5 times faster than any commercial solar solution on the market. Now, the SunPower Equinox™ system brings The Power of One™ to homeowners.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7706152-sunpower-reinvents-home-solar-equinox/
Today leading window manufacturer The VELUX Group and the social business Little Sun announce a partnership with the NGO Plan International to distribute a new solar lamp – the Natural Light solar lamp – in three African countries: Zimbabwe, Zambia and Senegal. The partnership with Plan International will deliver sustainable solar-powered light to people living off-grid in areas without electricity, through a program that involves and empowers local communities.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7519251-velux-plan-partners-solar-africa/
