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/
Globally, 1.2 billion people have no access to electricity. On the occasion of VELUX 75th anniversary the company decided to address this issue. Together with the social business Little Sun and the NGO Plan International they are collaborating to bring clean, reliable and affordable light to off-grid regions in Zambia, Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe.
14,500 Natural Light lamps from the VELUX Group have now arrived in Africa and the first recipients can already look forward to a better quality of life.
Among them are young girls between 10 and 18 years of age who live in a safe house in the slum area Mntendere in the Zambian capital Lusaka.
"The lamps mean the girls can do their homework when they get back from school and can feel safer at night, instead of huddling together in the dark after sunset. And it’s particularly important for our children that they feel safe – many are carrying the mental baggage such as the trauma of violence, rape or drugs," says safe house manager Verann Delarey.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/uk/7769151-velux-natural-light-and-life-zambia/
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
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/
New proposed regulations from the Obama administration will force power plants to abandon the use of coal, the largest source of the nation’s electricity, resulting in higher utility bills for households and businesses and lost opportunities for responsibly reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the National Mining Association (NMA) said today.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/63063-national-mining-association-nma-epa-new-source-performance-standard
A new Obama administration regulation–the so-called Stream Protection Rule–is about to drive up energy costs and unemployment with no gain in environmental benefits, cautions the National Mining Association.
“The primary motive of this regulation is not to protect streams, as its title would suggest, but to protect federal regulators' jobs at the expense of coal miners' jobs as the nation's energy providers,” said Luke Popovich, vice president of communications for the National Mining Association.
In a classic example of needless regulation, the U.S. Office of Surface Mining, or OSM, plans to change more than 475 regulations, as well as add more new rules – despite no demonstrated need. OSM has crafted the rule behind closed doors, Popovich said, shutting cooperating states out of discussions about the purpose and content of the regulation.
The new rule carries a heavy economic price tag, Popovich warned. He pointed to an analysis by an independent consultant that found that OSM’s rule would put more than 268,000 mining and dependent jobs at risk—adding to the 40,000 high-wage jobs already lost in the industry.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7221731-national-mining-association-americans-electricity-bill-increase-due-to-epa-regulations/
A new solar power system is installed in the United States every 1.6 minutes, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). With the number of residential solar installations expected to increase this year by 35 percent according to GTM Research, more consumers will have an opportunity to choose the best solar solution for their home, saving on electricity bills while generating clean energy. Offering a record-setting, proven solar power solution, SunPower reminds homeowners that better solar technology exists and is accessible today.
“Solar technology differs widely from brand to brand, so it’s important for consumers to consider that not all panels deliver the same amount of energy, look elegant on a roof, or are guaranteed to last as long as promised,” said Howard Wenger, SunPower president, business units. “SunPower® panels are the most efficient that homeowners can buy, and we stand behind them for a quarter century. We’re proud to hold the world-record title for efficiency.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7706151-sunpower-residential-solar-panel/
Living Off the Grid - http://www.thriveoffthegrid.com/ - See how others are living offgrid using the advantages of wind and solar energy plus more for off grid power and ...
Living off the grid you must take advantage of renewable energy. This renewable resource originates from several sources, consisting of sun, wind and water, to start with ...
Researchers are constantly on the lookout for more ways of making green energy. Here are the 2 types you must understand now.
Living off the Grid: - Advantages of Solar Power
i. The energy that originates from simply one hour of sun suffices to supply energy for a year for the whole world
ii. A battery can be used to store off grid solar power for evenings and cloudy days
iii. Solar panels on a roof work when the sun's rays strike the cells in the panel and electrons are released, producing energy
iv. Using solar power will typically provide a saving of $100+ each month on utility costs for the property owners of off grid homes .
Living off the Grid: - Advantages of Wind Energy
i. When wind goes through the blades of a turbine that is connected to a generator, the energy produced by the spin is converted into electrical energy
ii. A single large wind turbine can provide electricity for around 500 off grid homes
iii. Last year, 42 % of the houses that were geared up with a source of off grid power used wind
iv. Unlike most other sources of energy, wind utilizes hardly any water; not only is wind energy carbon neutral, it helps water conservation also
v. There is around 10 times the amount of wind available in the U.S. than is needed to supply power for the whole country
vi. Wind energy is presently the fastest-growing source of renewable energy: - Around two wind farms are set up weekly in the U.S.
For living off the grid, the facts indicate that the advantages of solar power combined with the advantages of wind energy now exceed any advantages that fossil fuels may have had. However it is probably down to individuals to begin the shift to a larger scale adoption, so that we may all enjoy living off the grid.
The plan for reducing carbon emissions from existing power plants that President Obama unveiled at the climate conference in Paris will come with an overall price tag that should greatly trouble American consumers and business and will have little meaningful impact on global warming, cautioned the National Mining Association.
“The plan will replace low-cost power supplies with more expensive and less reliable sources of power. And these increases will show up in monthly utility bills and have a particularly devastating effect on low-income households. About half of all American families already pay close to 20 percent of their disposable income on energy-related expenses.” said Luke Popovich, Vice President, Communications, National Mining Association.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7221731-national-mining-association-americans-electricity-bill-increase-due-to-epa-regulations/
SunCulture Solar Inc. announces the launch of SolPad™, a new series of disruptive energy products designed to be the most advanced integrated-home or off-grid solar energy products in the world.
The SolPad’s integrated solar panel combines multiple patented technologies into a single beautiful device, including breakthrough battery storage, an innovative inverter system and intelligent software that engages and interacts with the user, giving them an unparalleled personal energy experience that gamifies energy distribution, delivery and usage.
SolPad is truly the world’s first fully integrated solar energy solution created for the modern smart home and sustainably minded global citizen.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7930451-sunculture-solar-solpad-energy/
The National Mining Association (NMA) called on policymakers to reject an ill-conceived administration proposal that would jeopardize America’s electric grid and threaten the economic well-being of consumers and businesses. Recently, the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed aggressive guidelines for regulating greenhouse gas emissions from existing coal-based power plants that generate 40 percent of the nation’s electricity and which will raise the cost of electricity for all Americans, according to NMA.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7221751-national-mining-association-affordable-reliable-electricity/
At the end of February 2015, a lantern donation and lighting ceremony was held in the village of Sone, in Indonesia's West Timor, as part of a related project. The “Cut Out the Darkness” project, a part of Panasonic Corporation's “100 Thousand Solar Lanterns Project”, delivers solar lanterns with lantern shades designed by people from around the world, in the hope of learning about the challenges of living in areas that have no electricity.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7526251-panasonic-lantern-zoo/
