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Making a career change is no easy feat by any means.  Whether it was voluntary or a move under pressure, changing course from the path that you've grown accustomed to can leave you grasping for direction.  What if you're not going through a career change and just happen to be faced with an unknown?  How about a "known" and the details just plain freak you out?  To make  matters worse, you may be bombarded with the constant pressure to "blaze your own trail", or "make a difference" or "control your destiny". I've even talked about bringing yourself to the point of discovery here , but what I want to circle back to and acknowledge is that through every step of my life, there was always....and I mean ALWAYS someone who I can turn to (whether I knew it or not) when faced with a challenge.   If you're like me, you may seem to continuously find yourself up against challenges that seem bigger than the goals beyond them and if those cha...

Coursera is offering a free course, Intro to Sustainability Coursera - Sustainability classes

My Solar Analysis of MIST Some of you may recall the coinage BRIC, which stood for Brazil, Russia, India and China. This term was created by famous economist Jim O'Neill. Jim's latest grouping is MIST , which stands for Mexico , Indonesia , South Korea , and Turkey . My goal in this article is to overlay the solar potential with the growth potential of the MIST countries. Quick overview of the MIST group: Mexico GDP: $1.6 trillion GDP Growth Rate: 5.4% Indonesia GDP: $1.03 trillion GDP Growth Rate: 6.1% South Korea GDP: $1.46 trillion GDP Growth Rate: 6.2% Turkey GDP: $960.5 billion GDP Growth Rate: 8.9% Compared to the California. GDP: $1.7 trillion GDP Growth Rate: 2.8% ( Q2 ) Alright now that we got that out of the way, let's talk solar! There's not much conversation (if any) about relating the solar industry to the MIST group. This is why I find it very interesting as it presents a great opportunity to dive in and see what kind of potenti...

One of my students brought in an article that described floating solar panels.  The idea was to use water areas that won't intrude on the surrounding area but rather take advantage of already modified human space. PV panels have negative thermal drift.  In other words, they lose efficiency when the temperature increases.  So having access to an immediate source for cooling does wonders for the panel efficiency. The article featured a company called Solaris Syndergy , but was dated last year.   So I decided to take a look to see how far the innovation has come.   Looking into their product, I realized that they solution is centered around CSP.  However, I was able to find another company that uses reflectors and PV panels. Check out Scienza Industria Technologia ! The FTCC System. Image from http://www.scintec.it and while we're on the water, why not submerge it! Submerged Photovoltaic Solar Panel Any scuba divers wanting to cross careers w...

Sacramento Work and American River College are offering an orientation for those interested in learning more about Solar Technology. American River College’s Solar Energy Technology Training Attend the next Orientation At Hillsdale Career Center Date: 08/29/2012 & 8/31/2012 Time: 9am —11am Location: 5655 Hillsdale Blvd, Sacramento CA, 95842 Solar Flyer 8.20.2012 B

Although this article from CleanTechnica was posted a month ago, it still serves as a great contrast of how an industry can withstand a few bumps in the road (Abound Solar, Solyndra) and still have good industry mechanics. In a struggling economy, solar continues to prove its importance as a stabilizer.  We will continue to see just how stable the industry is as prices continue to drop, tariff wars rage on, and the incentives field reshapes itself. From the article: "It is important to remember that the U.S. solar industry is a bright spot in an otherwise sluggish economy." - Rhone Resch, President and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association® (SEIA®) “Over 100,000 Americans have jobs in solar, more than double the amount from two years ago. Costs of solar products to consumers continue to drop, while the deployment of solar systems across the U.S. increased by 85 percent over the last year. Solar Energy Industries Association Statement on...

For those of you going into solar design, one of the must-have's in your solar arsenal is a strong familiarization with the local authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) and their specific codes.  All jurisdictions will follow their perspective state's codes, but often times will add adjustments that best support their territory.  For example, a forest county may have stricter fire code requirements than a jurisdiction out in the middle of the desert, whereas the latter may have a tighter reign on heat tolerance specs. Fire Codes "Offsets, offsets, offsets" - Yes, you'll hear it all the time when determining the location of your array. Here is the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Office of the State Fire Marshal's  SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC INSTALLATION GUIDELINE Here are few captures from the guide which focus on the 3' offsets: HOA/CCNR Codes and Applications Sample FORM - Compliance Deposit Submittal Form - 2012 Jan - ...