Lately, the air quality in Beijing has been astonishingly pleasant. For the past three weeks, when the skies haven’t been a sunny cerulean, they’ve been a rainy shade of gray, more cool than the usual muggy. Even when I was in the neighboring countryside two weekends ago, the difference between the rural and urban air [...]

We’ve always known that our institutions of higher learning are home to some of our brightest citizens. Galvanize them with the prestige of an award and the thrill of competition, and it’s likely that the results won’t disappoint. Perhaps this is precisely what the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency reasoned when they [...]

The typically interesting Timothy Ferris, author of bestseller The 4-Hour Work Week, has come out with a great post about the return on investment for going green. It gets to the heart of a lot of what we talk about here, but, most importantly, it emphasizes the fact that responding to climate change is [...]

In the face of slumping housing prices and a slew of pending foreclosures, some California homebuilders are expanding efforts to incorporate solar-power systems into residential projects. The latest deal comes from a partnership between the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) and Woodside Homes, a Utah-based homebuilder. In all, 1,487 solar-powered homes will be built in [...]

Often times when home owners look at solar electric systems for their homes, the number of years to “payback” (time to recoup the initial capital investment) emerges as an important criteria in the decision process. Simply put: the longer the time period to payback, the less attractive the investment appears. Or is [...]

With so much news coming out about cleantech and renewable energy, climate change, politics and the price of oil, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by “the big picture.” This can be either a depressing or inspiring experience, depending on your general outlook. We here at Getsolar lean towards optimism, and we all share a belief [...]

Over the past two weeks, hundreds of building professionals, students, and generally interested members of the public convened in New Orleans to kickstart the restoration of the Holy Cross Neighborhood in the Lower Ninth Ward. There have been many restoration projects in the Katrina-ravaged city, but what sets this one apart is how it brings [...]

Thanks to a wave of interest and innovation, it’s becoming hard to distinguish solar powered homes from conventional ones. At center stage is a technology that enables home owners to meet their energy goals without compromising on aesthetics: the so-called “solar shingle.” Essentially, solar shingles are modular photovoltaic cells disguised as roof shingles. There are [...]

The official start to the trade show segment of the NESEA’s conference was an address from Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick. One government official with more than twenty-five years’ worth of experience echoed the general sentiment when he said that Governor Patrick’s speech was a “shot in the arm”. Alternative energy has had little support from [...]

While the official reception and opening festivities–like an address from Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick–aren’t until tomorrow, the intensive half- and full-day workshops at the NESEA’s conference and trade show in Boston are well attended. The thirteen workshops focus on specific areas in the renewables industry. Architects, engineers, and contractors can get get tips [...]