Volt Solar Charger for iPhones to arrive in US next week

Came across this article today from Solar Novus Today about the Volt Solar Charger Coming Soon to US Stores

Now you can have your iphone and be green at the same time with these Volt Solar Chargers.

The Volt Solar Charger is an external battery pack that attaches to the Apple iPhone and extends its battery life using a built-in solar panel. The Volt is capable of harvesting solar energy to charge all versions of the iPhone with the same device. By capturing free renewable solar power, the Volt recharges the iPhone’s battery first before charging its own internal battery, nearly doubling the smartphone’s talk time.

Why didn't apple think of this?  Do you think they are missing out on a potential big market or should they just stay focused on their main products?

Speak soon,

Jill Olsen

P.S. Tired of all the snow and ready to start thinking of hanging out in the yard.  You might want to buy with adorable boy with fireflies garden solar light statue to add to the ambiance.

The Solar Foundation Releases First Ever National Solar Job Census

As part of the breaking news coming out of SPI 2010 (Solar Power International) The Solar Foundation has released their 2010 National Solar Job Census, an 114 page document.

Right now if you go to their site and click on the top right where it says, "The National Solar Jobs Census 2010 report has been released!" you can download a copy of the report.  I don't know how long this link will be live so get it while you can.

From the Executive Summary:

Solar companies can be found in every state, and solar companies of all kinds expect to experience employment growth over the coming year. As would be expected, California is home to about 30% of all solar companies in the U.S., but other states, such as Colorado, Pennsylvania, Texas, Michigan, and Arizona, report either large numbers of solar companies or large numbers of workers at solar-related firms.2 On a regional basis, the majority of the solar jobs are located in the West, followed by the Northeast, but jobs are growing quickly in all regions.

By comparing the job growth expectations from our research and from existing secondary sources, we can draw several important conclusions.

As of the end of August 2010:

• There are 93,502 solar workers in the United States, roughly double the number estimated for 2009.

• Solar job growth over the next 12 months is anticipated to be 26%, representing nearly 24,000 net new jobs. This expected growth rate is significantly higher than the U.S. economy-wide expectation of 2% growth over the same period.

• Nearly half of all firms expect their solar revenue to increase as a percentage of their overall revenue over the next year.

• Over half of all solar employers expect to increase their number of solar jobs in the next 12 months, while only 2% anticipate reducing solar staff.

• Solar jobs exist in all 50 states.

• Employers from all of the studied subsectors expect significant employment growth over the next 12 months.

• The average solar installation firm employs 8 solar workers.

• The average solar manufacturing firm employs 24 solar workers.

• The average solar wholesale trade company employs four solar workers.

• The average utility that generates solar electric power employs four solar workers.

These findings clearly illustrate that the solar industry is a strong and growing cluster that is responsible for thousands of jobs across every state in the nation. The unprecedented growth of the industry is providing much needed job creation despite an historic economic and workforce downturn. The optimism of solar employers in the midst of these conditions illustrates that job growth should continue for years to come.

I am very happy to get the news that solar jobs are on the increase, which means jobs for American's here in the US which can't be outsourced overseas. I live in Las Vegas where economically it's one of the hardest hit areas with the economy right now. Yet I keep hearing of people who are being hired by solar companies, so it's certainly a growing industry here.

You can read more at my blog Buy Solar Powered Lights.

Thanks for reading,

Jill Olsen

 

SPI 2010 - Solar Power International is Off to a Great Start

SPI 2010 (Solar Power International) opened yesterday at the LA Convention Center. So far it's getting good reviews and lots of news and announcements are being made at the show.

In the Opening General Session yesterday, Rhone Resch, President an CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association noted many of the milestones of late: permitting of large-scale solar on federal lands, solar on the White House, a Chinese manufacturer (Suntech) builds a new manufacturing plant in the US and so on. But he took it a few steps further. “I am also happy to report that solar energy is now the fastest growing energy source in the United States. During a recession. With 10% unemployment. Solar is rocking!”

There are nearly 30,000 attendees at this year’s SPI and the number of exhibitors jumped from 925 last year to 1100 at SPI 2010. The LA Convention Centre is so big (@77600 square metres) thatSchneider Electric gave the press pedometers to track their footsteps. And, yes, while it is a US focused show, it is by no means US only. Visitors are said to have come from 90 countries, and the exhibitor list is equally diverse. We applaud the show organizers for a job well done.

Click on the link to get a rundown of the first day written by Anne Fischer of Solar Novus.

Lots of good stuff so stay tuned and I'll pass on relevant things to you.

You can read more at my blog Buy Solar Powered Lights.

Thanks for reading,

Jill Olsen

SPI 2010: SEIA/GTM Research Report Shows Strong Solar Market, Growing Stronger

Direct from SPI (Solar Power International) SEIA/GTM released the inaugural US Solar Market Insight report with data for the first half of 2010 showing significant growth in the US solar industry despite the continuing struggles of the overall economy.

California led states for solar electric capacity installed in the first six months of 2010 with 120MW, followed by New Jersey, Arizona and Florida.

The solar heating and cooling market also grew. 

Our US Solar Market Insight reports will give solar companies invaluable data that will help this industry achieve its goal of installing enough solar to power two million homes every year by 2015," said Rhone Resch, SEIA president and CEO. "Detailed, regular updates are critical for a young but growing industry such as solar. For the first time, companies will have access to reliable data to plan for stable growth, cost reductions, and opportunities in new markets. Solar businesses armed with this data will have a distinct competitive edge in this increasingly competitive industry."

The US Solar Market Insight Brief Report and Full Report for 2nd quarter 2010 are available to purchase here. Third quarter data will be available in December 2010.

You can download the free executive summary of the quarterly SEIA^®/GTM Research U.S. Solar Market Insight™ here.

Read more about Solar Powered Lights at my blog.

Thanks for reading,

Jill Olsen

Global Demand for Solar Projects is Strong

Very interesting article from Reuters Canada about the strong demand Chinese and Canadian companies are having for solar products:

Chinese companies LDK Solar Co Ltd and Canadian Solar Inc are increasingly upbeat about their shipment outlook, signaling strong demand for solar products.

Sales of solar equipment have jumped this year as buyers rush to build projects ahead of declining subsidies in major European markets, including Germany -- the world's largest solar market -- Italy and France, as governments pare back spending to support renewable energy systems.

Companies around the globe, particularly in China, are quickly adding factories to increase production capacity of cells and modules to keep up with this growing demand.

A very good sign and interesting that Germany is the world's largest solar market!

I try to cover articles on solar projects in general and more specifically solar powered lights here and on my blog.

Thanks for reading,

Jill Olsen

 

Solar Epiphany Opens New Educational Showroom in Seattle

If you are like me and assume that Seattle does't get much sun and certainly not enough to run solar powered lights or other solar projects, then you need to read this article about Solar Epiphany. 

Selling solar energy products in Seattle is a challenge because the belief is that it's not as sunny as other parts of the nation. Thomas acknowledges this, saying, "Most of the sun we get in Seattle is between March and September," but points out that this isn't the whole story.

"We pretty much have to build the market, we have to educate people on what solar can do in our area there's no educational wing out there doing that but that's 30% of our business. Education, Installation, Advocacy. Those are the three wings of Solar Epiphany."

I really like that they have built a showroom that can be used as a classroom where people can come, get a demonstration and ask questions.  I think one of the biggest hurdles we face with using solar energy (in whatever form that may be) is first education and second changing our mindsets about how we live our lives.

Anyway I'm glad to see someone address what Solar energy can do in the Seattle market.

Eric Thomas talks to his partner and field sales representative Aaron Deanda about the diagrams on the wall of Solar Epiphany that explain how solar systems work. The 'Educational Showroom' has equipment included in the wall diagrams to make clear what the systems involved can do.

You can read more about solar powered lights at my blog.

Thanks for reading,

Jill Olsen

Stand Alone Solar Rechargeable Batteries under Development

Imagine solar rechargeable batteries for all of our battery operated devices (including some solar powered lights). Hopefully soon we will be able to buy batteries that can be recharged by putting it in the sun with no other charging device needed. This would mean less batteries in landfills and greater long term use by users and especially those in third world countries who don't have access to power or have the means to be constantly buying batteries.

Genesis Electronics Group, Inc. announced that it has initiated steps for the development of solar rechargeable batteries in commonly used standard sizes such as AA, AAA, C, D and 9V, as well as other specialized sizes that have the potential for use by the military and scientific devices.

To quote Edward Dillon, president and CEO of Genesis Electronics, “These batteries, unlike other rechargeable batteries on the market, will not be dependent on a charging unit that you need to plug in or on a separate solar-powered charger. The batteries themselves would be rechargeable when exposed to the sun. Instead of throwing away dead batteries from a flashlight or other device, you will be able to put these on the window sill or on the porch and they will recharge.”

This technology of solar rechargeable batteries would save consumers money, and reduce hazardous waste in our landfills.  Can't wait for them to be on the market.

You can read more about solar powered lights at my blog.

Thanks for reading,

Jill Olsen