SolarWorld, the largest solar manufacturer in the United States, has entered a landmark deal to be the primary jersey sponsor of the Portland Timbers, a professional soccer team in Portland, Oregon. Soccer, the most dominant sport in the world (outside of North America), is nothing new to SolarWorld, but the deal with the Timbers marks the first-ever sponsorship by a solar company of a soccer team in the U.S.

SolarWorld has three manufacturing plants on the West Coast, with its US headquarters and a 500-megawatt manufacturing plant located in Hillsboro, Ore. just west of Portland. The company, which originated in Germany, will be the Timbers’ jersey sponsor for 2010.

“We pride ourselves on being a green organization – not just our colors – and partnering with a preeminent sustainable company like SolarWorld is a no-brainer,” said Timbers President Merritt Paulson in a press release. The Timbers, now a member of the North American Soccer League, will become a Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise in 2011.

SolarWorld’s other activities in the soccer arena include a marketing agreement with Lucas Podolski of the German team, FC Cologne, as well as providing solar power to a community studio in Africa that will broadcast the 2010 FIFA World Cup to local residents. The latter project is part of the company’s Solar2World program that helps bring solar power to developing countries.

“Soccer is the most international sport,” said Boris Klebensberger, President and Chief Operating Officer of the U.S. branch of SolarWorld. “As a renewable-energy company involved in every major solar market, it’s only fitting for us to help support the sport in and around our various sites, including near our U.S. headquarters in Hillsboro.”

Photo Credit: Portland Timbers

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Members and supporters of Arizona’s fledgling solar industry are breathing a sigh of relief after a bill was withdrawn that would have revised the state’s renewable portfolio standard. Just last year, Arizona passed landmark legislation creating tax credits for solar manufacturers and in no time, international solar giant Suntech Power Holdings decided to build a plant in Goodyear, which the Chinese company threatened to abandon if H.B. 2701 was left in place.

State Rep. Debbie Lesko of Glendale authored, then withdrew H.B. 2701. The bill would have amended Arizona’s RPS to allow nuclear and hydroelectric power to count as renewable resources and enabled utilities to ignore its requirements if it meant higher costs for customers. Currently, and apparently in the foreseeable future, Arizona’s RPS requires utilities to get 15 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2025. Given the Grand Canyon state’s incredible solar resources, it stands to reason that much of that power would come from solar panels.

However, if Lesko’s bill, which passed committee by a 5-2 vote, had somehow made it through the state legislature, it would have effectively killed solar power in Arizona. For instance, Arizona Public Service, the state’s largest utility, already gets 27 percent of its energy from nuclear power and would already meet RPS goals without adding a watt of solar energy.

Dismal prospects such as that lit a fire under Arizona’s solar movement when the bill made it into legislative play. Suntech, SolarCity and many other solar companies and proponents cried foul, putting enough pressure on Rep. Lesko to force her to withdraw her own bill. The ensuing wave of criticism sent Arizona legislators in general on the defensive.

House Speaker Kirk Adams and Governor Jan Brewer reportedly played a part in crushing the bill. Both have since issued statements reaffirming Arizona’s dedication to solar power. Many in the state are concerned that the mere existence of H.B. 2701 may damage the state’s solar industry, which is still trying to gain a foothold, by shaking the confidence of potential investors and manufacturers.

Suntech’s planned solar manufacturing plant will employ 70 people, in addition to temporary construction jobs. SolarCity, the fast-growing solar leasing and installation company, plans to double its workforce of 50 in the next year now that the bill has been pulled.

Sources: AZCentral and AZ Daily Sun

Photo Credit: SolarCity

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Elizabeth Rogers, co-author of The Green Book, has a new book being published this week called Shift Your Habit, and we’ve been given a review copy. Shift Your Habit is…

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One of the hardest things about working for an environmental cause is that there’s so much scary news…

Some of you who attended the 2009 Solar-Powered Film Series probably remember the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the infamous collection of tiny plastic particles in the Pacific ocean that’s twice the size of Texas (featured in the film Addicted to Plastic). Others may have been alarmed at the sharp rise in the ocean acidification and its deleterious effect on marine wildlife- including wildlife in our own food supply!- depicted in A Sea Change. But this story from Yahoo! is somehow even more terrifying: the oceans have now been found to be losing oxygen.

According to the article, there are some areas of the Pacific, particularly off the coasts of Oregon and Washington, that have become completely oxygen-depleted, or hypoxic. Although areas of hypoxia in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans have long been observed, the new trends show the hypoxic areas growing, and greater overall hypoxia all over the globe seems to have become the norm. While Southern California’s levels of oceanic oxygen have declined 20% over the last 25 years, in some places deoxygenation is happening even faster- up to 33% over 50 years!

Hypoxia is a serious problem, killing sea life that our food chain depends on; also, the process of decomposition requires oxygen (decomposition is basically oxygenation), so the dying creatures are speeding up the process in much the same way that melting permafrost releases even more sequestered carbon dioxide, exacerbating the problem of global warming. You can also look at a graph of ocean hypoxia over the decades HERE! And read about the likely results of hypoxia and its link to global climate change HERE!

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Filed under: Hybrid, Solar, North America

Aside from word that the Nissan Leaf was headed for Mexico City and that Mexico was thinking about exempting hybrids from registration taxes, most of the green car news from our neighbor to the south has to do with biofuels. Today, though we have what are apparently the first sketches of two new concept cars from PRO-AMX also known as Proyectos Automotrices Mexicanos or Mexican Automotive Projects. Pictured above is the SGT-HC (Sport Grand Tourism - Hybrid Copper) and after the jump you can find PRO-AMX’s Solar City vehicle.

Our Spanish is rudimentary at best, but reader Toto sent in a translation of this announcement that explains that PRO-AMX was started in 2008 to bring Mexico-developed vehicles to market. Last November, we saw drawings of PRO-AMX’s first vehicle, the 4×4 Cimex Conin, released. The new renderings focus on style and efficiency, with the 2+2 seat SGT-HG using a 4-cylinder engine and electric motor, “which uses plates of copper integrated to the body (isolated externally by means of polycarbonate) to obtain a greater conductivity in the electrical system.” The Solar City is a true urban vehicle that apparently get all of its energy from the sun. Maybe the next concept will include a Mr. Fusion? Thanks to Toto for the tip and translation!

[Source: Conceptogt]

Continue reading First sketches released of PRO-AMX sports hybrid, solar city concept cars

First sketches released of PRO-AMX sports hybrid, solar city concept cars originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Isolating the minute crystals of the PSI super complex from the pea plant, a biochemistry researcher suggests these crystals can be illuminated and used as small battery chargers or form the core of more efficient man-made solar cells.

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Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Solar, Transportation Alternatives, USA

There’s no doubt that solar energy is one of the greenest sources of electricity and the idea of using it to power transportation is not new. We’ve seen solar-powered boats and solar-powered cars before, among other things, but we didn’t know until now that a solar-powered high-speed train was on anyone’s drawing board. Apparently, it is.

Conceived as a means of zero-carbon high-speed mass transit, the Solar Bullet would travel between Tucson and Phoenix, AZ at 220 miles per hour, cutting travel times from two and a half hours (in traffic) to just 30 minutes. Taking advantage of the high amount of solar irradiance in the American Southwest, the tracks would be covered by a huge solar array to provide it with the necessary power. The SolarBullet Campaign aims to increase awareness and support among Arizonians and build a team of university experts, engineers and transit specialists to move this project further down the line. Feel free to hit them up on Facebook or follow their Twitter feed to offer your own encouragement and keep track of the initiative.

[Source: SolarBullet Campaign]

SolarBullet Campaign shoots for high-speed solar train originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Sun, 07 Mar 2010 18:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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