Worldwide Solar Energy Initiatives
ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA
by Daniel P. Kray, Editor
April 15, 2009
This was the very first of Australia's seven Solar Cities, part of a federally funded initiative to try out variations on sustainable electrical use and supply. Adelaide's detailed proposal was accepted on August 30, 2006, for programs taking advantage of the region's significant solar power resources and other measures to address the city's electrical supply problems and above average domestic electricity prices. The city aims to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from buildings by 2012 and bring transportation emissions all the way to zero by 2020.
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HAWAII
by Daniel P. Kray
November, 6 2009
As a paradigm for the tropical paradise, Hawaii is particularly known for its sunny days, and solar power naturally figures into the island's renewable energy plan. The state intends to push in particular for the use of solar water heating, a simple and effective use of the free and abundant solar resources at home and in corporate settings. The 2008 Hawaii Solar Roofs Act requires the majority of newly constructed homes on the islands to incorporate a solar water heating system, with 80,000 private homes and companies already having installed these solar systems.
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SOUTH POLE, ANTARCTICA
by Daniel P. Kray, Editor
July 3, 2009
We’re talking both passive and active solar collection for the South Pole and the U.S. led international Amundsen-Scott Station, though perhaps not as much of either as sense would dictate. Building exteriors are in dark colors, specifically in order to absorb solar heat, and a small number of solar collectors produce electricity during the summer months.
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10/28/2009: Earth Clinic Planet writes: "Regrettably, solar power is still rather expensive and slow to recoup its cost for most homeowners. Yet with exactly that barrier to adoption in mind, a number of countries as well as US states have offered incentives to reduce the initial cost of solar panels and other solar energy systems, in order to encourage businesses and homeowners to install solar energy systems. Installers will sometimes credit homeowners the value of such credits, in order to immediately reduce installation costs. Check out the following site http://www.dsireusa.org/ for a listing of solar energy system and other renewable energy system rebates in your area."
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