Sunpower Monitoring
So you've made the decision to install Solar PV on your roof! Excellent. Now make sure you spend the extra money (usually a small fraction of the system cost) to install a monitoring solution to go with your system!
I mentioned in Monitoring Intro how important power...
***Update - 3/10/11 - Looks like the U.S. military is taking some meaningful steps in this area. Check out these battery solar hybrid generator systems they're deploying over in the middle east!!!
Chapter 14 of Thomas Friedman's new book, Hot, Flat, and Crowded is titled "Outgreening al-Qaeda"....
Plastiki Rendering
This summer, David de Rothschild will launch Plastiki. Plastiki is a boat with a hull made out of plastic bottles. Rothschild decided to create Plastiki after hearing about how much plastic is swimming around in our oceans. Both National Geographic Adventure magazine and...
Have you ever wondered what happens with your water once it makes its brief passage through your house? Not the water that resides in your toilet, but the water that you shower or wash dishes with. Water that is not potable, but also not heavily contaminated with chemicals or your bodily waste (...
Green, Inc. (the NY Times Green blog) had a great interview with lighting designer Howard Brandston recently. His main point being that CFLs do not put out the same quality of light as incandescent, and when picking a lighting solution for your home or business, you need to view the system as a...
During my brief career of technical sales I have realized how difficult it can be to explain systems in words as opposed to diagrams. The old adage that a picture is worth a 1000 words is true, especially when it comes to systems that include electricity (solar PV or Wind power) or plumbing (...
My favorite car brand is BMW, so I jumped at the chance to work at their only US production facility in Spartanburg, SC as in intern in college. It was a great experience seeing how some of the nicest cars in the world are made. On my way to my office each day, I would pass their on-site...
Pump it Up
If you can remember back about 9 months ago, then Presidential hopeful Obama was ridiculed during his campaign for suggesting Americans could conserve oil and bring down prices at the pump by simply keeping their cars tuned up and maintain the rated air pressure in their tires. He...
Jellyfish Turbine
The Jellyfish wind turbine has the potential to bring clean energy to the masses!
Between mentioning the perfect flush device and their Green Tech section, Popular Science had a ton of great "green" devices in May's issue. The Green Tech section contained an article called "...
Full/Half Flush?
I was reading my Popular Science last night when I saw the Perfect Flush device from Brondell in their "What's New" section. They have this type of device all over Europe and Asia where you press one button for "number 1" and you get a tiny flush. Then you press a different...
My W.H. control
I was pleased to learn that residential water heaters were finally admitted into the Government's Energy Star program and as the second highest end use of energy for your home, you should be happy too. But just because a water heater is given an Energy Star label doesn't mean...
Green Factory
Recently I was speaking with the Founder of Green By Design. In telling her my background, I mentioned that I sell electrical products to factories around the State of Georgia. I told her my frustration at the fact that hardly any of the factories I've called on have an active...
pink itchy stuff
One of the most important parts of your building envelope is your home's insulation. Insulation is like the blanket that keeps your home warm in the winter, and it is the shell of the cooler that keeps your home cool in the summer. Most newer homes are built to higher...
Offshore Wind Farm
Today, the U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar stated that we need to replace most Coal Power with Wind power off the East Coast. I love the thinking, I really do, but I'm afraid the rhetoric is a tad bit optimistic. While this is a great, long term idea, we...
50 posts down, 1 million to go!
Thanks for reading Mapawatt Blog. As you know, we are a relatively young blog but we're working hard to expand our readership and sphere of influence. We firmly believe that the only way America is going to realize the need for a new Energy infrastructure is...
Screenshot-Tax Software
By now you've probably heard that there are tax incentives and rebates available for alternative energy or conservation efforts for your home, but some of you might still have a little confusion.
I realized the need for this blog post when I was talking to my friend...
***Update - 4/21/09: An Electrical Engineer friend of mine just send me the most detailed technical and economic analysis I've seen on the topic of residential power factor correction devices. Check it out after you read the blog below if you are really interested: NLCPR: Power Factor correction...
CFL 4 pack
*Update - 03/20/10 - When I originally put up the post the bulbs sold at Home Depot were N:Vision brand. That has now changed to EcoSmart brand. I believe this is the same light bulb (I've purchased both and they look identical). My guess is that Home Depot just decided to change...
I was excited to see this article on CNN this morning. Obama has invited 16 of the world's most influential economies to an Energy Forum in D.C. next month on April 27-28. The article mentions a quote he said to renewable-energy companies and investors last week:
"We can allow climate change to...
While watching "Good Morning America" last week, I heard about a study commissioned by the Alliance to Save Energy and 1E analyzing how much power is wasted by companies whose employees don't turn off their computers when they leave for the day. From the study report:
U.S. organizations waste $2...