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Copper Flower Tube Bird Feeder

July 31, 2010 | Author Z-Zee
Copper Flower Tube Bird Feeder

  • Metal Construction
  • Easy Fill System
  • Drainage Holes
  • 5.75in. Dia. x 16.25in. H

Create a birding sanctuary in your yard with this Verdigras Seed Tube Bird Feeder. This sophisticated feeder features a copper flower finish on the base, cap, and seed ports. The clear polycarbonate seed tube holds up to 1.1 quarts of seed, and keeps the feed levels visible.

Birds that use this feeder:

* cardinals, chickadees, finches, flickers, goldfinches, grackles, grosbeaks, jays, juncos, kinglets, nuthatches, redpolls, siskins, sparrows, starlings, titmice, towhees, woodpeckers, and wren

Rating: (out of 1 reviews)

List Price: $ 54.99

Price: $ 26.95

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Solar powered house at the Montreal Biosphere #1

July 29, 2010 | Author Z-Zee

Solar powered house at the Montreal Biosphere #1 Image by mechanikat A solar powered house at the Montreal Biosphere, Montreal, Quebec, July 2008.

Posted in Solar Pictures | Tags: , , , , | No Comments »

Maryland Pushes to Be National Leader in Solar Industry

July 28, 2010 | Author

Maryland Pushes to Be National Leader in Solar Industry

In Maryland, where million of the -million federal stimulus package is slated to spark economic recovery via alternative energy, a local delegate is pushing for a new bill in the capitol that would make solar energy more affordable to homeowners.

Sue Hecht (D – Frederick County) spoke in Annapolis recently about the bill, which – if passed – would target residential solar energy as the most promising venue to create new jobs and reduce the cost of electricity on a house-by-house basis.

The act, as proposed, would mandate that regional energy suppliers meet a certain percentage of output as solar energy credits, which would come from residential solar panels.

Several energy companies, including Pepco and Delmarva Power, oppose the measure, saying that it creates extra costs that will have to be absorbed by the power producers.

Maryland, like other states, faces an energy crisis. Customers of Baltimore Gas & Electric are facing a 72-percent increase this year. Consumer interest in solar, which spiked in the early 1970s, faded when federal and state incentives dried up in the 1980s. Now, the threat of skyrocketing energy costs, and rolling brownouts as soon as 2011, have consumers reconsidering their solar options.

In 2007, Maryland lawmakers approved an initiative that would mandate two percent of the state’s power from solar by 2022. In January of 2008, state lawmakers also designated almost 0,000 in grant money for residential and small business solar installations, and upped each grant from ,000 to ,000. The state has also waived sales tax on solar panels and peripheral equipment (HB670), promised not to up property taxes to reflect solar installations (SB621), and provided a venue for homeowners and businesses to sell renewable energy credits from the electricity generated by solar energy systems.

Maryland counties have also participated in aggressively pushing solar, with tax exemptions available in Anne Arundel, Harford, Montgomery and Howard counties. In the latter, participation has risen more than 400 percent in the last year alone.

A complex of bills called the Solar Energy Act fall under:

HB 700, which would allow solar thermal installations to be eligible for renewable energy credits, or RECS, which utilities would purchase and apply towards the renewable portfolio standards (RPS). HB 1236, which would establish a Maryland Clean Energy Loan Payment Program that would provide financial assistance for renewable energy or energy efficiency projects for residential projects that uses bond financing to support loans against property taxes similar to a program established in Berkeley, Ca. These low-risk loans allow homeowners to pay off the cost of solar installations on an installment basis. HB 1060, would mandate an electricity supplier like Pepco to collect renewable energy credits, or RECs, specifically from small, distributed generation solar energy to meet the Maryland’s RPS standard.

According to Malcolm Woolf, the director of the Maryland Energy Administration, these bills, if passed, would put the state in a position to become a national leader in the solar industry. Proving yet again that solar is more than the sum of its parts, and relies on the vision and enthusiasm of regional leaders to achieve parity with conventional forms of electricity.

Cooler Planet is a leading solar resource for connecting consumers and commercial entities with local solar Installers. Cooler Planet’s solar energy resource page contains articles and tools such as our solar calculator to help with your solar project.

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Sunforce 50044 60-Watt Solar Charging Kit

July 28, 2010 | Author
Sunforce 50044 60-Watt Solar Charging Kit

  • Amorphous solar charging kit provides up to 60-Watts of clean, free, renewable power
  • Designed for RVs, cabins, homes, boats, back-up and remote power use, and more
  • Weatherproof, durable solar panels can withstand impacts from hailstones travelling 50 miles-per-hour
  • Includes four 15-Watt solar panels with durable mounting frames, a 200-Watt power inverter, a 7-Amp solar charge controller, and a wiring kit with accessories for easy installation
  • Built-in, ultra-bright blue LED charging indicator

The Sunforce 50044 60 Watt Solar Charging Kit gives you another reason to love the sun — it’ll help keep your batteries charged. This kit is excellent for cabins, remote power, back-up power, and 12-volt battery charging. The kit includes a PVC mounting frame, 7 Amp charge controller, 200-watt inverter, and wiring/connection cables. And with the built-in blocking diode technology, this charger kit is designed to protect against battery discharge at night. You can also use this kit to maintain t

Rating: (out of 76 reviews)

List Price: $ 599.99

Price: $ 289.95

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Financial Climate Still Sunny For Solar in California

July 26, 2010 | Author

Financial Climate Still Sunny For Solar in California

The worldwide economic recession has put a damper on solar panel production and sales, most notably in China and parts of Europe. But in California, where local, regional and state tax incentives continue to drive solar power sales, many solar panel manufacturers and installers are finding the financial climate positively sunny.

Up to now, solar system costs – which can range from ,000 to ,000 for a fully solar-powered home, and take 15 years to recoup – have kept California solar at a measly one percent of generation.

Optimism over solar’s future prompted a flood of U.S. startups and venture capital funding in 2006 and 2007. Then came the economic downturn, with a few of those solar startups going bottom’s up. The remainder – the courageous or merely foolhardy – see the downturn as an incentive to drive down solar costs and capture at least a part of that other 99 percent of electricity generation. And even though many solar panel manufacturing companies have seen almost half their value surrendered to the current recession, a few hardy souls, including those who manufacture on the periphery of solar energy, see instead continuing interest.

A prime example would be Blue Sky Energy, Inc., which makes charge controllers that regulate the flow of electricity from solar panels into batteries, where it is stored overnight for use in traffic signals, parking lots and other lighting venues not connected to electrical grids. In spite of worldwide economic woes, Blue Sky’s annual revenue continues to grow by 10 to 15 percent a year, according to co-owner Melanie Cullen.

California manufacturers and installers are also seeing a burst of activity as tax credits, which took effect the first of the year, encourage “greenies” to install solar. For the average homeowner, says Kelly Barber, marketing manager for Natural Energy USA Inc. in Escondido (mentioned on Cooler Planet’s provider page), state rebates will cover ,800 worth of costs, while the 30 percent federal tax credit can reduce the cost to about ,000 (compared to the former ,000 before the government dropped the cap of ,000 per system).

The main factor that will drive down solar panel costs appears to be the worldwide glut of panels, which are time-consuming to manufacture and require expensive and somewhat rare raw materials.

This over-abundance, mainly in Europe, will help drive down U.S. solar panel costs. And the brief hiatus in manufacturing may also allow solar panel companies the time they need to investigate cheaper and more effective solar panel materials. In any case, expect 2009 to see a renewal in solar electric

Cooler Planet is a leading solar resource for connecting consumers and commercial entities with local solar Installers. Cooler Planet’s solar energy resource page contains articles and tools such as our solar calculator to help with your solar project.

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Homemade Power Plant and Solar Rebates

July 25, 2010 | Author

Homemade Power Plant and Solar Rebates

For the homeowner: Converting your home into a solar powered structure can be thought of as difficult and for a couple of reasons.The factor of attaining everything needed is one reason that people may never get started.They may think that it is impossible perhaps to do it on their own.

Another thing that stops most people is the solar cost and some may see that it costs somewhere between six and ten thousand dollars to completely convert your home over to Free solar energy and for most: That may be out of the question with a solar cost like that.

Something that not many people know about are energy rebates given up by the energy  companies.These rebates are really helpful and can really give a homeowner the boost that they need when installing solar energy components.

These rebates are like a lifeline when it comes to whether or not to equip your home with money saving solar equipment.The excitement is in the savings that you get which can be anywhere between forty five to seventy percent of the installation and setup.Great news for any homeowner that has seen the prices and have been discouraged.

Where To Find Them ?

Because there aren’t as many people that know about the rebates there are fewer people  that are aware of the resources and locations by where they can be obtained.Your local energy company is the best place to contact and find out what they have to offer.There may also be places in your area that are giving the rebates ,so don’t give up on it if your energy company is not issuing any at the present time.

Solar energy rebates may not be available at many companies in your area depending on where you live.This should not cause you to totally give up however and remember that you can start out with a partial Homemade Power Plant or Diy solar Power center if your not able to go full fledge.

Solar energy centers can help you at a later time to finish your solar system job with further rebates if they are not available at the right time for you . So don’t get discouraged and just keep in mind that you’ve already got a start so you’ve already done good.

Michael Hendrics for the last 10 years has been involved in the solar heating industry and is now focusing on domestic solar power solutions. Because of the high price of traditional solar energy systems there are new more affordable systems that won’t break the bank. Visit: Homemade Power Plant or Earth4Energy

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