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University of Central Florida Knights get SunSense

Mon, 07 May 2012 14:11:00 -0700

For those of us that were born at the close of the 20th century, the problems of the past are ours to address. If we do not learn from them, we will set ever worse problems for the future. One way to transform our society is to begin incorporating sustainable energy and the next generation of technologies to increase productivity, provide economic vitality, incorporate social responsibility and lessen our impacts on the global environment.

High school robotics teams tour SolarWorld's automated solar manufacturing facility

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 10:16:00 -0700

FIRST Robotics (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), is an international high school robotics program and competition. Each year, student teams have six weeks to build a robot from scratch to accomplish a designated challenge. This year’s challenge was to shoot basketballs through hoops of various heights. The teams designed, built and then put their creations into competition to see how they stacked up against world-wide competitors.

Save a life: Walk for Water

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 08:58:00 -0700

Every single day, more than 5,000 people die from waterborne illnesses because they lack access to safe drinking water. In many developing countries, people walk miles to a water source to collect often-contaminated water and then carry it home. With one gallon of water weighing over 8 pounds, a five-gallon water jug is 40 pounds. In most cases, the task of fetching the water is left to the women and children, many carrying as much as 30-60 pounds of water.

Veterans team up for American energy independence

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 13:33:00 -0800

The Air Force Veteran owners of my company, Davisville Express Lube, teamed up with the Marine Corps Veteran owner of GoSimpleSolar, a SolarWorld authorized installer to install a solar power generating system on our business.

Employee viewpoint on solar trade case

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 09:49:00 -0800

The SolarWorld-led trade case against government-sponsored solar manufacturers in China has generated daily headlines for four months now, as it has progressed through investigations of the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission. While details of the case are complex and the process looks muddy to those outside the small internal team managing the case, many of SolarWorld’s more than 1,100 employees are paying close attention.

SolarWorld GT solar car at the Bren School in Santa Barbara, Calif.

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:46:00 -0800

It was a bright and sunny afternoon at the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management. Usually when I need a study break I step out onto the terrace of Bren Hall and take in the fantastic view of waves peeling around Campus Point and the sea stretching out past the Channel Islands and into the horizon.

Solar panels for Kaiser Permanente Hospital delivered by bike

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 15:11:00 -0800

All in all, it was a lovely morning for a bike ride. As I met my fellow SolarWorld employees, including President Gordon Brinser and VP of Operations Mukesh Dulani, at the front entrance, it wasn’t yet raining and was a balmy 48-degrees out -- much better than the forecast predicted the night before.

Glebe Elementary School celebrates SolarWorld’s first Solar2Schools initiative

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 13:43:00 -0800

Glebe Elementary School in Arlington, Virginia is simply a happy place. From my first step into the building, with its flamingo-pink walls and pet turtles (“please wash your hands after touching the turtles” suggested a sign in lobby), the school hummed with peaceful purpose. And the sense of focused calm went beyond the reason for my visit -- celebrating the installation of a small, educational solar array. Even after the outdoor assembly had concluded, I felt a coordinated commitment to making learning joyful.

Solar trade case announcement: Try to keep complexity simple

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 15:47:00 -0700

When SolarWorld and a coalition of six U.S. solar cell and panel manufacturers revealed we’d filed a trade case against China’s state-sponsored solar industry this week in the U.S. Senate Energy Committee Hearing, more than 50 people, mostly reporters, filled the room.

Privileged to host top-ranking U.S. Senate Energy Committee members

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 19:46:00 -0700

Having two top-ranking members of the U.S. Senate Energy Committee meeting in SolarWorld’s state-of-the-art module assembly building, known as "SA7" on campus, was a privilege that we looked forward to all week.

School in quiet Oregon logging town gets a big upgrade with 60 kW solar system

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 16:35:00 -0700

You can compare what happened in the tiny Oregon logging town of Vernonia to some of the small communities devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

Solar HOPE Part 3: Letter from a student at Malangali secondary school

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 09:22:00 -0700

There is no better way to express the impact that electricity has on the lives of rural Tanzanian students than to hear it from a student himself. The following letter was written shortly after our installation at his school.

Part 3: High cool factor at Primetime Emmy Awards courtesy of SolarWorld solar panels

Sun, 18 Sep 2011 19:37:00 -0700

The entertainment media is out in force for the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards today, and I've met entertainment journalists from all over the world.

Considering the warm LA weather, even they were overdressed.

Part 2: Solarizing the red carpet at the Emmys

Sat, 17 Sep 2011 14:52:00 -0700

I’m having what you could call a quintessential Los Angeles experience today -- starting with dropping by LA Live to check on the Emmys red carpet and the final installation of our donated SolarWorld solar panels, then heading to the Los Angeles Coliseum with my husband and kids to cheer on the USC Trojans at their football game against Syracuse.

Part 1: Roll out the carpet: Behind the scenes with SolarWorld at the Emmys

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 16:32:00 -0700

As someone who has lived most of her life in Southern California, it is exactly the contrast between the sensational taking place right next to the everyday that I love about the iconic metropolis of LA.

Solar HOPE Part 2: Installation in Lupembe

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 15:55:00 -0700

Yesterday we arrived in Lupembe, a small village about 50 km from Iringa in south-central Tanzania. It has a beautiful rocky landscape and a cool and dry climate, a welcome change from the hot and humid coastal capitol of Dar es Salaam.

Solar HOPE Part 1: Bringing solar to Tanzania

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 08:45:00 -0700

This is the second year I have come to Tanzania, Africa as a member of the Solar-HOPE organization. Each year we design and install solar electric systems for schools and medical clinics. I will be here for a month and will be completing thirteen installations in addition to the twelve we completed last year.

Team Florida Part 5: Crunch time has officially arrived

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 10:24:00 -0700

Tropical storms have passed through the construction site every week this month, but Florida’s rainy season has not stopped Team Florida. With the competition and FLeX House’s slated delivery less than a month away, we can’t afford to get even one day behind schedule. Crunch time has officially arrived.

Oshkosh Part 7: Elektra One Finally Takes Flight

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 13:24:00 -0700

I had to leave AirVenture before Elektra One finally got cleared for take-off, so the description of her flight on Saturday afternoon comes from my colleague, Mike Mularski, SolarWorld’s account manager based in Milwaukee, WI, who joined me at Oshkosh for the week.

Oshkosh Part 6: Transforming frowns into grins

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 17:31:00 -0700

What a difference a few hours makes. I posted earlier that the Elektra One team was feeling pretty low when they learned that their demo flight was scratched for today. But it’s all smiles now with the announcement that PC-Aero was awarded the prestigious Lindbergh Prize for Electric Aircraft Vision Award at the World Electric Aircraft Symposium.

Oshkosh Part 5: Curse you, Red Baron!

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 12:28:00 -0700

In the few days since I met him here at Oshkosh, it's become abundantly clear that Calin Gologan, designer of Elektra One, is not a man who gives up easily. Every time there's been an obstacle here at AirVenture (and there have been many), he has responded with a German-accented, "Oh, zat's easy!" But Calin may not be able to overcome a decision by show organizers this morning that Elektra One will not fly today. He still hasn't given up; I saw him pressing his case to an official...

Oshkosh Part 4: Burning dinosaurs at Oshkosh

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 16:15:00 -0700

Being here at Oshkosh promoting solar electric-powered flight with the PC-Aero team, it’s hard to ignore the fact that there are somewhere in the neighborhood of 10,000 aircraft here, of which 9,994 are powered by burning dinosaurs…I mean, fossil fuels.

Oshkosh Part 3: Witness to the birth of a new industry

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 15:15:00 -0700

I came to Oshkosh this week with a simple story to tell: SolarWorld is helping to transform aviation through the development of electric aircraft, in partnership with PC-Aero. Until last night, I did not understand how serious – and how immediate – this transformation is.

Oshkosh Part 2: Innovation Hangar at Oshkosh AirVenture is a dry and busy place on Wednesday

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 12:31:00 -0700

Torrential rains on the AirVenture airshow in Oshkosh, Wisc., are making the Innovation Hangar at the show a very popular spot. The hangar is filled with spectators all clad in plastic rain slickers of every hue, trying to stay out of the pounding downpour.

Oshkosh Part 1: SolarWorld Promoting the Future of Aviation

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 12:41:00 -0700

Say “Oshkosh” to any pilot – my husband, for example – and you get the same reaction as saying “Sturgis” to a Harley rider or “Vegas” to a blackjack player. Oshkosh, Wisconsin is the home of the largest aviation show in the U.S: AirVenture, and Oshkosh is the number one “bucket list” destination for aviation enthusiasts.

Team Florida Part 4: FLeX House Construction in Full Swing

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 09:30:00 -0700

We’re now into the second month of construction on FLeX House. And like every construction project, we’ve experienced a few hiccups–supplies arriving later than expected, parts not fitting quite as designed–but nothing serious. It’s amazing to see how quickly the house is taking shape.

Kohl Christensen Takes 4th Place in Punta de Lobos Big Wave Surf Event

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 11:16:00 -0700

The first event on the Big Wave World Tour went down in some very big, cold and scary surf in the south of Chile. I stuck to my game plan and headed down a couple weeks before the end of the holding period of the contest to practice and loosen up the injured shoulder.

Team Florida Part 3: Construction begins and the team hits the news

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 11:10:00 -0700

With only three months before FLeX House is shipped to D.C. for the Solar Decathlon competition, Team Florida has ramped up construction at the Beck site. This past month, we built the floor frames on top of FLeX’s movable foundation and installed steel support beams as well as framed and sheathed the walls—and the more we build, the more people are taking notice.

Patagonia Sin Represas!

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 16:24:00 -0700

Patagonia Sin Represas! (Patagonia without dams) spray painted above bus stops all around the capital of Santiago gives you an idea of where most Chileans stand on the proposed construction of the 5 hydroelectric dams that will destroy certain areas of Patagonia.

Pearl Harbor Naval Base Installation

Thu, 02 Jun 2011 09:27:00 -0700

It took me about four months to get onto five Pearl Harbor rooftops to photograph new SolarWorld arrays there. I wanted our photographer, Fred Joe, to document the installations, partly because I count them among a series of iconic solar projects this year that, to me, herald a dawning solar prime time.

Team Florida Part 2: The four-month countdown to final competition begins!

Thu, 19 May 2011 09:27:00 -0700

The last few months were a whirlwind for Team Florida! Two years of preparing for the Solar Decathlon comes down to just four months to construct FLeX House and travel to Washington D.C., where we will be competing against teams from across the globe. Our focus has been on refining the FLeX House design while maintaining the original vision, as well as completing competition documents.

Solar canopy systems turn parking lots into electric power plants

Mon, 09 May 2011 09:27:00 -0700

Urban planners long have searched for better ways of handling that eyesore of car-based living, the sprawling parking lot. But so far, their most workable ideas have amounted to burying them under or sticking them behind buildings. Today’s dedication of the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden may be the most prominent and mainstream example of a long-awaited approach that serves several purposes.

SolarWorld sponsors solar installer and big-wave surfer Kohl Christensen

Fri, 29 Apr 2011 09:27:00 -0700

Kohl Christensen, a SolarWorld Authorized Installer working with Bonterra Solar on the island of Oahu, Hawaii will promote the benefits of solar during his travels for the Big Wave World Tour 2011-2012. Kohl will post monthly blogs updating his surf-and-solar adventures including this first post. SolarWorld is proud to sponsor individual’s like Kohl who aspire to better the world through solar.

Team Florida Part 1: More than a year in the planning, FLeX House approaches construction phase

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 09:27:00 -0700

Just like residents of many cities around the U.S., people in Florida believe in working toward a greener, more sustainable way of life. To this end, four major Florida research universities have joined together to compete in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011.

Small Community in Hawaii Puts the Sun to Work with SolarWorld Solar Panels

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 09:27:00 -0700

This morning, I came down with a case of Kaupuni-itis.

As I learned from an event to dedicate a Department of Hawaiian Home Lands project in Oahu’s Wai‘anae Valley, the main symptom is an unexpected twinge of hope for human habitation of Earth. The emotion was in full bloom among many impassioned speakers in the sun-washed ceremony.

Avidan Management Commissions Nation’s Largest Rooftop Solar System in New Jersey

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 09:27:00 -0700

As a boy, I may have imagined that in Thomas Edison’s day, some storybook lightning marked his technological breakthroughs. Now 50, I figure that a raw drizzle on an ordinary weekday morning was the more likely response. Maybe a morning just like today’s in Edison, N.J., the namesake of the late great inventor, whose 1,093 patents included ideas for electrical lighting and generation.

Then as now, most people would be sure to grasp the potential impact of Edison’s perseverance, foresight and courage only in hindsight.

But as someone who keeps watch for signs that solar energy’s inroads are swelling into avenues, I was glad to join a celebration of bold renewable-energy progress that has unfolded in an unlikely corner of Edison.

Building a Solar World

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 11:00:00 -0700

I’m Kevin Kilkelly, president of SolarWorld Americas, and I’d like to personally welcome you to the first installment of our new blog.

We’re starting it in a year when solar – and SolarWorld – are going prime time.

SolarWorld Americas has built a U.S. work force of 1,250-plus people, everyone from Ph.D.s to forklift drivers. We are involved in every step of the manufacturing process so the end customer is assured that the quality of each panel is higher than the industry standard.