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Smoothing the Flow of Renewable Solar Energy in California’s Central Valley

May 23, 2014 in Battery Energy Storage, Environment, EV News, Greentech, Large Energy Storage

This EnerVault flow battery stores power from the solar panels and releases it as needed.  Photo courtesy of EnerVault

This EnerVault flow battery stores power from the solar panels and releases it as needed.
Photo courtesy of EnerVault

By Dr. Imre Gyuk, US DOE

Yesterday, an almond grove in California’s Central Valley hosted the opening of the world’s largest iron-chromium redox flow battery. Originally pioneered by NASA, these flow batteries are emerging as a promising way to store many hours of energy that can be discharged into the power grid when needed.

Traditionally, electric generation follows the demands of the daily load cycle. But as more sources of renewable generation such as solar and wind are integrated into the power grid, balancing demand and generation becomes more complicated. With energy storage, we can create a buffer that allows us to even out rapid fluctuations and provide electricity when needed without having to generate it at that moment.

Unlike other types of batteries, which are packaged in small modules, iron-chromium flow batteries consist of two large tanks that store liquids (called electrolytes) containing the metals. During discharge, the electrolytes are pumped through an electrochemical reaction cell and power becomes available. To store energy, the process is reversed. With Recovery Act funding from the Department’s Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, California energy storage company EnerVault has optimized the system to create a more efficient battery.

This pilot project in Turlock, California, can provide 250kW over a four-hour period, helping to ensure the almond trees stay irrigated and the farm is able to save money on its electrical bills.

This is how the system works: The almond trees are most thirsty between noon and 6 p.m. The farm uses nearly 225 kW of electricity to power the pumps that get the water to the trees. Onsite solar photovoltaic panels can supply 186kW at peak power, not quite enough energy for watering the trees throughout the day. The balance could be taken from the grid, but grid electricity is most expensive from noon to 6 p.m.

This is where storage enters.

At night electricity is inexpensive, so the batteries begin to charge up. In the morning the solar panels help top them up the rest of the way. Then, during expensive peak periods, the needs of the trees are satisfied by solar and flow batteries — renewable energy optimized through storage.

While the Turlock facility is a unique application, flow batteries are not just for thirsty almond trees. For example, they could be an especially good solution for small island grids such as Hawaii, where severe wind ramps or rapid changes in photovoltaic generation can destabilize the local grid, or at military bases that need to maintain mission-critical functions.

Similarly, flow batteries paired with renewables can be used in a resilient microgrid that can continue to operate when disasters strike and power outages ensue.

In the face of changing climate conditions, energy storage and grid resiliency have become more critical than ever. Flow battery technology is expected to play a vital role in supporting the grid both in California and across the U.S.

This article is a repost, credit: US DOE.

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Clean energy business community urge Congress to pass the EXPIRE act after holiday break.

May 23, 2014 in Environment, EV News, Greentech, Politics, Wind

The U.S. Capitol and U.S. Botanic Garden Photo courtesy of US Capitol Visitor Center

The U.S. Capitol and U.S. Botanic Garden
Photo courtesy of US Capitol Visitor Center

Washington, D.C.—The Senate recessed for the Memorial Day break without a vote on the EXPIRE act to extend dozens of crucial tax policies, including the Production Tax Credit (PTC) and Investment Tax Credit (ITC) for clean energy. A letter was delivered to Senators earlier in the week from a broad spectrum of the business community urging speedy passage of the EXPIRE act to continue clean energy economic development in the U.S.

The PTC and ITC have successfully driven over $118 billion in private investment just from wind energy development, to date. Land owners, farmers, supply chain manufacturers and other beneficiaries are looking for an immediate extension of the expired tax credits to reenergize new business and project development.

“Policy certainty is key to making long-term business decisions,” said Linda Church Ciocci, Executive Director of the National Hydropower Association (NHA). “The expiration of the tax credit injects instability into our members’ decision-making process. We hope that the Senate returns from recess and expeditiously passes the EXPIRE act, which was approved by the Finance Committee with bipartisan support.”

“The American Farm Bureau believes that a significant part of our nation’s energy should come from the development and use of renewable energy sources,” said Bob Stallman, President of the American Farm Bureau Federation. “These sources are critical to our nation’s energy future and will help further strengthen the overall national security of the United States. Renewable energy sources also contribute to the stability of the rural economy by creating another source of income to our nation’s farmers and ranchers.”

“As a manufacturer for the U.S. wind industry, we’re proud to have scaled up to meet the growing demand for wind energy,” said John Purcell, Vice President of the Energy Division at Leeco Steel. “There are over 550 manufacturing facilities in the U.S. capable of churning our American-made materials to provide clean, affordable, home grown energy. We hope that the Senate quickly takes up the EXPIRE act upon their return so we can focus on increasing production instead of an uncertain market.”

About NHA

NHA represents more than 180 companies in the North American hydropower industry, from Fortune 500 corporations to family-owned small businesses.  Our members include both public and investor-owned utilities, independent power producers, developers, manufacturers, environmental and engineering consultants, attorneys, and public policy, outreach, and education professionals.

About AWEA

AWEA is the national trade association of the U.S. wind energy industry, with 1,300 member companies, including global leaders in wind power and energy development, wind turbine manufacturing, component and service suppliers, and the world’s largest wind power trade show, the AWEA WINDPOWER Conference & Exhibition, which takes place next in Las Vegas, NV, May 5-8, 2014. AWEA is the voice of wind energy in the U.S., promoting renewable energy to power a cleaner, stronger America. Look up information on wind energy at the AWEA website. Find insight on industry issues at AWEA’s blog Into the Wind. Join AWEA on Facebook. Follow AWEA on Twitter.

This article is a repost, credit: AWEA.

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Capital One Bank Invests $100 Million in SolarCity Fund to Provide Solar Power To Thousands of U.S. Homeowners

May 21, 2014 in Environment, EV News, Greentech, Solar

Photo courtesy of SolarCity

Photo courtesy of SolarCity

New York – Capital One Bank announced today that it has partnered with SolarCity to create an investment fund to finance thousands of residential solar power systems. Capital One Bank is participating in the form of a $100 million investment. This deal represents Capital One Bank’s first renewable energy investment and reflects the bank’s commitment to growing and expanding its energy business into new sectors, including renewable energy.

The Capital One investment allows SolarCity (Nasdaq: SCTY) to offer thousands of American homeowners the option to install solar panels for free and pay less for solar electricity than they pay for utility power. SolarCity, the largest residential solar power provider in the U.S., has created funds to finance more than $4 billion in solar power systems. SolarCity serves 15 states and is currently providing one out of every four new residential solar power systems nationwide. The $100 million investment was reflected in the available financing reported in SolarCity’s announcement of financial results on May 7.

“We’re very excited to be working with SolarCity, which has a very strong position in the residential solar energy market,” says George Revock, Managing Director and head of alternative energy and project finance at Capital One Bank. “This investment will help SolarCity pursue their goals and provide affordable sustainable energy to thousands of homeowners as well as advance Capital One’s sustainable energy initiative.”

“Thanks to Capital One, when we ask our customers “what’s in your wallet?,’ thousands more can say ‘all the money I saved on electricity bills by going solar,’” says Lyndon Rive, SolarCity’s founder and CEO.

With more than $3.5 billion in energy-banking loan commitments, Capital One Bank’s Energy Banking team is invested in the future of energy. Capital One Bank’s Commercial Business leverages a relationship-based banking model that seamlessly delivers an array of products and services including loans and deposit accounts, treasury management services, merchant services, investment banking, international services and correspondent banking.

[1] Source: GTM Research PV Leaderboard

About Capital One

Capital One Financial Corporation (www.capitalone.com) is a financial holding company whose subsidiaries, which include Capital One, N.A., and Capital One Bank (USA), N. A., had $208.3 billion in deposits and $290.5 billion in total assets as of March 31, 2014. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Capital One offers a broad spectrum of financial products and services to consumers, small businesses and commercial clients through a variety of channels. Capital One, N.A. has more than 900 branch locations primarily in New York, New Jersey, Texas, Louisiana, Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. A Fortune 500 company, Capital One trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “COF” and is included in the S&P 100 index.

About SolarCity

SolarCity® (NASDAQ: SCTY) provides clean energy. The company has disrupted the century-old energy industry by providing renewable electricity directly to homeowners, businesses and government organizations for less than they spend on utility bills. SolarCity gives customers control of their energy costs to protect them from rising rates. The company makes solar energy easy by taking care of everything from design and permitting to monitoring and maintenance. SolarCity currently serves 15 states and signs a new customer every three minutes. Visit the company online at www.solarcity.com and follow the company on Facebook & Twitter.

This article is a repost, credit: Capital One.

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Siemens provides 150 wind turbines for largest Dutch offshore project

May 16, 2014 in Environment, EV News, Greentech, Wind

  • Total order volume: more than EUR 1.5 billion
  • Winning combination of technological innovation and tailored financial solution secures largest order for Siemens Energy Service to date
  • 600 megawatt Gemini wind power plant will consist of 150 Siemens wind turbines
  • Financial Services unit closes on 20 percent equity investment, with the total shareholders’ investment almost EUR 500 million
  • Clean energy will be supplied to one and a half million people

The Gemini consortium has signed all construction, operations and financing contracts yesterday (5-14-14) with a total construction budget of nearly EUR 3 billion. With more than 20 parties involved 70 percent of this budget will be provided on the basis of project financing – making Gemini the largest-ever project financed offshore wind farm. For the Gemini project Siemens will deliver 150 wind turbines with a capacity of 4 megawatts (MW) and a rotor diameter of 130 meters each.

Protype of the Siemens 4 megawatt wind turbine - Siemens will deliver 150 wind turbines with a capacity of 4 megawatts each for the Dutch offshore wind power plant Gemini in the North Sea. Photo courtesy of Siemens

Siemens 4 megawatt wind turbine – Siemens will deliver 150 wind turbines with a capacity of 4 megawatts each for the Dutch offshore wind power plant Gemini in the North Sea.
Photo courtesy of Siemens

The wind power plant is to be located in the North Sea, 85 km above the coast of Groningen. With an installed capacity of 600 MW in total Gemini will yield 2.6 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity per year. The wind power plant will supply clean energy for one and a half million people after being fully commissioned. The amount of energy is equivalent to a reduction in the emission of CO2 by 1,25 million tons per year.

For Siemens this is the first order for an offshore wind power plant in Dutch waters. The innovative service concept banks on the ongoing presence of a service vessel and the steady ground readiness of a helicopter.

Siemens’ 15-year service and maintenance agreement for the Gemini project is the largest service order ever for Siemens Energy Service. It will introduce a highly advanced logistics concept for offshore sites. For the first time, a helicopter will be available for a project at all times and a specially designed, purpose-built service operation vessel (SOV) will be based at the wind farm. To ensure increased turbine availability, maintenance work can be carried out at almost all times irrespective of the weather conditions or wave height.

“With the project we are entering one of the most important emerging offshore wind markets in Europe,” said Markus Tacke, CEO of the Wind Power Division of Siemens Energy.

Randy Zwirn, CEO of Energy Service for Siemens Energy adds, “Wind energy is becoming increasingly important to the world’s energy mix. Therefore wind turbines need to operate at optimum levels over their entire service life.” He underlines, “This record achievement for our offshore wind service business underscores confidence in the highly advanced and innovative service logistics concept we created for Gemini, which is a direct result of the significant investments we make in R&D and the years of experience we have as the world’s leading offshore service provider.”

Financial Services contributed to securing the Siemens bid by participating in the Gemini consortium via an equity investment. The multi-source financing model used in the project can help meet the increased capital investment required to finance the next stage in the offshore wind market’s development. It sends a signal how the appetite for offshore wind assets can be aligned across a wide range of investor groups.

Northland Power Inc., a Canadian independent power producer is the main shareholder, owning sixty percent of the shares in Gemini. 20 percent are owned by Siemens Financial Services, while smaller stakes belong to Van Oord (10%) and HVC (10%), a joint venture of 48 Dutch municipalities and six water regulatory authorities.

“We are very pleased to be working with Siemens on project Gemini. As the global leader in offshore wind turbine supply with more than 20 years of experience, the involvement of Siemens contributes to the solid structure of the project and will help us to deliver a high quality facility that will help to fulfill the Netherlands’ renewable energy targets”, notes John Brace, CEO of Northland.

As Matthias Haag, CEO of Gemini, points out: “With project financing and all building and supply contracts now in place, our focus has already shifted to the construction phase. We have assembled a team of experts in the offshore wind industry, and will be working closely with Northland Power, Siemens and Van Oord to make offshore wind power a vital and significant part of the Netherlands’ electricity supply.”

By supplying one and a half million of Dutch citizens with clean energy, Gemini will play an important role in helping the Government of the Netherlands achieve the targets mandated by the European Union’s Renewable Energy Directive. It implies for the Netherlands to reach a 14 percent share of energy from renewable sources by 2020. Today the Dutch market has an installed wind power capacity of 2.7 gigawatts (GW), thereof 2.45 GW onshore. The offshore target is 4.45 GW to be operational in 2023.

Wind power and energy service are part of Siemens’ Environmental Portfolio. Around 43 percent of its total revenue stems from green products and solutions. That makes Siemens one of the world’s leading providers of eco-friendly technology.

For further information on the Gemini wind farm, please see www.geminiwindfarm.com

The Siemens Energy Sector is the world’s leading supplier of a broad spectrum of products, services and solutions for power generation in thermal power plants and using renewables, power transmission in grids and for the extraction, processing and transport of oil and gas. In fiscal 2013 (ended September 30), the Energy Sector had revenues of EUR26.6 billion and received new orders totaling approximately EUR28.8 billion and posted a profit of approximately EUR2 billion. On September 30, 2013, the Energy Sector had a work force of approximately 83,500. Further information is available at: http://www.siemens.com/energy

The Financial Services unit of Siemens (SFS) is an international provider of business-to-business financial solutions. SFS helps facilitate investments, providing commercial finance, project and structured finance with specific asset expertise in the energy, healthcare, industry, and infrastructure & cities markets. Employing more than 3,000 employees worldwide, SFS supports Siemens as well as other companies with their capital needs and acts as an expert manager of financial risks within the Siemens company. By leveraging our financing expertise and our industrial know-how we create value for our customers and help them strengthen their competitiveness. Beyond that, financing is key in creating trust for technological solutions – and acts as a key enabler when it comes to the market launch. As of September 30, 2013, the total assets amounted to €18.7 billion.
For more information, visit: http://www.siemens.com/finance.

ABOUT NORTHLAND
Northland is an independent power producer founded in 1987, and publicly traded since 1997. Northland develops, builds, owns and operates facilities that produce ‘clean’ (natural gas) and ‘green’ (wind, solar, and hydro) energy, providing sustainable long-term value to shareholders, stakeholders, and host communities. The company owns or has a net economic interest in 1,379 MW of operating generating capacity, with an additional 50 MW of generating capacity currently in construction, and another 150 MW (79 MW net to Northland) of wind and solar projects with awarded power contracts. In addition, Northland has acquired a majority equity stake in Gemini a 600MW (360 MW net to Northland) offshore wind farm in the North Sea. Northland’s cash flows are diversified over five geographically separate regions and regulatory jurisdictions in Canada, Europe and the United States.

This article is a repost (5-15-14), credit: Siemens.

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High-flying turbine produces more power

May 15, 2014 in Environment, EV News, Greentech, Wind

MIT alumni develop airborne wind turbine that floats 1,000 feet aloft to capture stronger, steadier winds.

The Buoyant Air Turbine (or BAT), developed by Altaeros Energies, uses an inflatable shell to float 1,000 to 2,000 feet above ground, where winds blow five to eight times stronger, and more consistently, than winds at tower level.  Courtesy of Altaeros Energies

The Buoyant Air Turbine (or BAT), developed by Altaeros Energies, uses an inflatable shell to float 1,000 to 2,000 feet above ground, where winds blow five to eight times stronger, and more consistently, than winds at tower level.
Courtesy of Altaeros Energies

By Rob Matheson, MIT

For Altaeros Energies, a startup launched out of MIT, the sky’s the limit when it comes to wind power.

Founded by alumni Ben Glass ’08, SM ’10 and Adam Rein MBA ’10, Altaeros has developed the world’s first commercial airborne wind turbine, which uses a helium-filled shell to float as high as a skyscraper and capture the stronger, steadier winds available at that altitude.

Proven to produce double the energy of similarly sized tower-mounted turbines, the system, called Buoyant Air Turbine (or BAT), is now readying for commercial deployment in rural Alaska.

Surrounded by a circular, 35-foot-long inflatable shell made of the same heavy-duty fabric used in blimps and sails, the BAT hovers 1,000 to 2,000 feet above ground, where winds blow five to eight times stronger, as well as more consistently, than winds at tower level (roughly 100 to 300 feet).

Three tethers connect the BAT to a rotating ground station, automatically adjusting its altitude to obtain the strongest possible winds. Power generated by the turbine travels down one of the tethers to the ground station before being passed along to microgrids.

“Think of it as a reverse crane,” says Glass, who invented the core BAT technology. “A crane has a nice stationary component, and an upper platform that rotates in order to suspend things down. We’re doing the same thing, but suspending things up.”

Next year, the BAT will test its ability to power microgrids at a site south of Fairbanks, Alaska, in an 18-month trial funded by the Alaska Energy Authority. People in rural Alaska rely on gas and diesel generators for power, paying upward of $1 per kilowatt-hour for electricity. The BAT, which has a capacity of 30 kilowatts, aims to drop that kilowatt-hour cost down to roughly 18 cents, the co-founders say.

But despite its efficiency, the BAT is not designed to replace conventional tower-mounted turbines, Rein says. Instead, its purpose is to bring wind power to remote, off-grid areas where towers aren’t practically or economically feasible.

Conventional turbine construction, for instance, requires tons of concrete and the use of cranes, which can be difficult to maneuver around certain sites. The modular BAT, Rein says, packs into two midsize shipping containers for transport “and can just be inflated out and self-lift into the air for installation.”

Target sites include areas where large diesel generators provide power — such as military bases and industrial sites — as well as island and rural communities in Hawaii, northern Canada, India, Brazil, and parts of Australia. The BAT could also provide power to places blacked out by natural disasters, as well as at amusement parks, festivals, and sports venues.

“It’s really about expanding wind energy to all those places on the fringes where it doesn’t really work today, and expanding the amount of wind power that’s able to be deployed globally,” Rein says.

Aerostat innovation

Much of the BAT’s innovation lies in its complete autonomy, Glass says. Such aerostats usually require full-time ground crews to deploy, land, and adjust. But the BAT automatically adjusts to optimal wind speeds and self-docks in case of emergencies, eliminating the need for manual labor.

“When winds are low, typically we want to go as high as possible — because, generally speaking, the higher you are, the stronger the winds,” Glass explains. “But if winds get too high, above the maximum [capacity] of the turbine, there’s no reason to operate in those very strong winds, so we can bring it down, where it operates at rated power, but is not subject to very strong winds.”

To guide its positioning, the BAT is equipped with anemometers installed in the airborne unit and ground station. When the anemometers detect optimal wind speed, a custom algorithm adjusts the system’s tethers to extend or contract, while the base rotates into the wind. In rare instances, when wind conditions are optimal on the ground, the system will self-dock, but continue rotating.

Designed to handle winds of more than 100 mph, the system is unaffected by rain or snow. However, should the weather get too inclement, or should a tether break loose, the BAT’s secondary grounding tether — which protects the system’s electronics from lightning strikes — will self-dock.

Because the BAT is an advanced aerostat platform, Glass says, customers can use it to lift additional “payloads,” such as weather monitoring and surveillance equipment.

But perhaps the most logical added “payload,” Glass says, is Wi-Fi technology: “If you have a remote village, for instance,” he says, “you can put a Wi-Fi unit up, outside the village, and you’re much higher than you’d get with a traditional tower. That would allow you to cover six to eight times the area you would with a tower.”

Prototype to product

Glass first conceived of the BAT while working at MIT toward his master’s degree in aeronautics and astronautics. Harboring an interest in wind turbine design, and knowing that traditional towers could never reach high-altitude winds, he designed the BAT in his free time, receiving technical guidance from Institute Professor Sheila Widnall and other faculty.

Soon, he’d bring his concept to 15.366 (Energy Ventures), a class at the MIT Sloan School of Management where engineering, policy, and business students build startups around clean tech ideas. At the time, Rein, who had done independent research on clean energy, was an MBA student and teacher’s assistant for the class who helped Glass flesh out an initial business model.

The duo — along with Harvard University grad student Alain Goubau and investor Alex Rohde, then an Alfred P. Sloan Fellow — soon formed Altaeros. They solicited advice from seasoned entrepreneurs at MIT’s Venture Mentoring Service (VMS) — “our first advisory board,” Rein says — who steered the startup toward rapid prototyping by using low-cost, off-the-shelf materials.

For their first power-producing prototype, they bought a small, reliable wind-turbine rotor, “and cut off some metal in the back that was dead weight and built a composite nacelle to hold our custom electronics and control systems,” Rein says.

In 2012, Altaeros, after just two years of refining, proved the BAT’s efficiency at 300 feet above ground at a former Air Force base in Maine, where the company still assembles and tests the system. They did so again last August, at 500 feet in 45-mph winds.

Altaeros remains headquartered in cleantech incubator Greentown Labs (which Rein co-founded), in Somerville, Mass. — where its first rotor is proudly displayed near the entrance, along with enlarged photos of the first trial run. At Greentown, employees engage in computer modeling and design, build electronics and circuit boards, develop algorithms, and test winches and cables.

Looking back, Glass credits his undergraduate years on MIT’s Solar Electrical Vehicle Team — a student organization that builds and races solar cars for competition — with giving him the experience and motivation to bring the BAT from concept to reality.

“Just being able to see a project from design and analysis stage through building, testing, and operating was valuable,” he says. “It’s also something that helped in leading a technical team at Altaeros, to essentially do the same thing on a bigger scale.”

For now, Altaeros is focused on finalizing the commercial product for Alaska and, eventually, deploying the technology worldwide. “To take the system from concept to actual prototype has been exciting,” Glass says. “But the next step is making the prototype a commercial product and really seeing its real-world performance.”

This article is a repost, credit: MIT.

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Hop on board—and go almost anywhere—with public transit on Google Maps

May 14, 2014 in Environment, EV News, Greentech, Streetcar, Subway

By David Tattersall, Product Manager, Public Transit

More than 70 percent of the world’s population doesn’t own a car1—a surprising fact for anyone who’s sat for what seems like hours on end in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Millions of people rely on public transit to get around. That’s why, since 2007, we’ve worked to include public transit routes and schedules in Google Maps. In fact, buses, trains, trams and subways included in Google Maps travel 200 million kilometers every day—that’s the equivalent of driving every single road in the world three times!2

Infographic courtesy of Google

Infographic courtesy of Google

Today, Google Maps is helping you get around on public transit even more easily with these additions:

  • We’ve added every single transit route in Great Britain to Google Maps—making it easier to get anywhere from Land’s End to John O’Groats.
  • On the other side of the globe, Vancouverites looking for sun can now get real-time updates on whether a bus to Kits is faster than one to Third Beach.
  • In Chicago, Cubs fans can now zip to and from Wrigley Field, armed with the real-time information they need to hop on a bus and avoid congestion on Lake Shore Drive.
  • And finally, just in time for the games, we’ve recently added transit information for every host city in Brazil. Can you say “GOOOAAALLLLL?!”
Infographic courtesy of Google

Infographic courtesy of Google

Our transit data spans six continents, 64 countries and more than 15,000 towns and cities worldwide. And we’re not done yet: Google Maps will continue to improve—serving people the information they need to get around town when and where they need it.

Infographic courtesy of Google

Infographic courtesy of Google

1 This estimate is based on the most recent World Bank data on the number of passenger cars per 1,000 people throughout 100 countries and territories. Passenger cars refer to road motor vehicles, other than two-wheelers, intended for the carriage of passengers and designed to seat no more than nine people (including the driver).
2 CIA World Factbook

This article is a repost, credit: Google.

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Take a Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Solar Panels on the White House Roof, By White House

May 9, 2014 in Environment, EV News, Greentech, Politics, Solar

Solar power is an increasingly important building block on our path toward a clean energy future. Watch the video below for an inside look at the solar panels we recently installed on the roof of the White House:

This article is a repost, credit: White House Blog. Video courtesy of White House.