When news broke earlier this month about Paris’ carbon zero office block, it wasn’t the first project of its kind that architectural firm Skidmore Owings & Merrill had undertaken. It was, rather, part of a trend they had emphasized in their advertising and marketing: sustainable design.
Among their 25 explicitly “sustainable” projects will be the new [...]

It’s a new year, with a new blog. We at getsolar.com are hoping to see some trends continue in 2008, and some new ones begin. Talking about climate change, energy independence, and renewable energy options is now so commonplace that it is more conspicuous for its absence than its occurrence.
We can see this trend reflected [...]

News: The Boston Globe
When Governor Deval Patrick (D) came into office as Governor of Massachusetts last year, he faced some uphill battles as a result of sixteen years of conservative state leadership, and he’s still slogging through many of them. One on which significant progress can said to have been made, however, is that of [...]

Retractable floors, solar-paneled louvres surrounding the entire house, a home so efficient that passive heating and cooling could meet the needs of the occupants almost entirely without support from power sources, not to mention the nifty television that turns into a mirror when it’s not wanted. You have to hand it to the Technische Universitat [...]

Perhaps the most meaningful government support for solar power in America is found in the state of California, where the state government subsidizes solar installations for new and existing homes and businesses. The use of taxpayer money to fund solar purchases undeniably encourages the adoption of solar energy for some consumers, and speeds the growth [...]

News: BBC.
A Greek Orthodox church in Cyprus will invest a substantial sum ($234m) towards solar panel manufacturing. The move should generate profits for the church, and also act as an anticipatory measure for a looming power crisis on the island.
We’ve noticed that smaller countries, like Cyprus, are increasingly home to these types of stories. Private [...]

News: Associated Press.
An overhaul of the ferry routes to the Statue of Libery, designed to improve visitor experiences, will include green measures. Officials plan for reduced fuel consumption, including the use of solar and batteries to power the boats. One solar-powered ferry will provide a trip around the statue, without a landing, for tourists who [...]

News: CBS.
AC Transit will use solar energy at facilities in Hollywood and Oakland to save $5m a year and reduce its carbon footprint. The company touted both benefits, emphasizing the environmental impact as well as the financial windfall.
AC Transit marks the latest in a long string of California companies going solar, presumably due to the [...]

News: CNNMoney.
Good news today for the solar panel industry, as an American company has hit a new high for efficiency in solar cells. 42.8% efficiency puts the industry closer to the benchmark of a 50% conversion of the sun’s energy, a key milestone for allowing solar to cost less for consumers. Though the record probably [...]