Archive for the ‘Solar’ Category

Ultra-Efficient Solar Panels

Sunday, May 12th, 2013

MIT’s Technology Review had an interesting article about increasing the power output from solar panels by splitting the different wave lengths of light and directing each to a solar cell tuned for that wave length. I’ve heard about the technique before, but usually the cells are stacked, so the longer wave lengths needs to pass through other cells before it hits the cell tuned for its absorption. This technology splits the light horizontally and has cells for the different wave lengths side by side. You can read more here.

Ultra-Efficient Solar Power

Why We Need More Solar Companies to Fail

Sunday, May 12th, 2013

There is a great article in MIT’s Technology Review about why we need more solar companies to fail. There is an over abundance of solar panels that is currently dropping the price for solar faster than companies and retool to meet these new price points. You can read the article here.

SolarYpsi TEDxEMU talk

Tuesday, May 7th, 2013

SolarYpsi gave a presentation about solar power at the last TEDxEMU event. The videos from that event are now available. Let’s get a thousand solar roofs in Ypsilanti!

Ypsilanti Solar Coalition Shoots for a 1000 roofs

Thursday, April 11th, 2013

Environment Michigan has written a report about the benefits of installing 1000 solar roofs in Ypsilanti. They are asking City Council to make a bold statement and pass a resolution supporting this goal. While an ambitious goal, I think it’s doable and would have a tremendous impact on the city and make Ypsilanti a “Solar Destination”.

You can read more here.

Ypsilanti Solar Farm Moves a Step Closer

Thursday, April 11th, 2013

City Council approves a lease agreement with DTE for the proposed solar farm on the South edge of Ypsilanti. There is a nice article about it in the Ann Arbor News, Ypsilanti Courier, and WEMU.

Ypsilanti approves lease agreement with DTE Energy for proposed $4M solar array

YPSILANTI: City approves lease agreement with DTE to build 4.5 acre solar array on landfill

Ypsilanti Makes First Cut For Solar Array

This will be a great project for the City and maybe we can get Eastern Michigan University to join in and make the solar farm twice as big. Let’s make Ypsilanti a “Solar Destination”.

Go Solar Community Forum

Wednesday, March 13th, 2013

Thanks to many ideas and time from you we are pulling together the Go Solar Community Forum!

It is going to be held at Corner Brewery on March 26th, 7 to 8 pm. It is sure to be an exciting night and the hope is to both educate citizens about solar power and to show City Council an outpouring of public support for solar power to get them to set a goal this spring of 1,000 solar roofs by 2020. We have great speakers lined up: Dave Strenski from SolarYpsi, Mayor Schreiber, Shane LaHousse from Renovo Solar, and more are still confirming…

To make this a huge success, we want to get 70 people to the Forum and that is where you come in.

Can you RSVP to attend and then forward this invitation via email to 5 friends and family so we can pack the room at the Go Solar Community Forum?

Mark your calendars and spread the word!

See you on the 26th,

Virginia
State Associate
Environment Michigan

P.S: Like us on Facebook for real time updates!

SolarYpsi in Ambassador Magazine

Sunday, March 10th, 2013

SolarYpsi took part in an energy round table last winter. Here are the results, published in the January/February issue of Ambassador magazine. Here is a snip from the article.

Energy powers the 21st century American way of life. It is quite literally the driving force of our economy, and it permeates every aspect of our society. It is required for everything from the laptop I type on, to the lamp that shines on this page as you read, to the printing presses, the paper, the ink, and the desks in the Ambassador offices in between.

This month for our regular roundtable discussion, Ambassador assembled a diverse panel of experts at the Ferndale Public Library to illuminate us on a topic that most of us take for granted.

Read the full article here.

Ypsilanti listed the 3rd most DTE SolarCurrent installations

Tuesday, February 19th, 2013

The other day I heard third hand that Ypsilanti was listed as the City with the third most solar installation in the DTE customer region. This got me searching and I found these slides talking about DTE SolarCurrnet Phae 2 program. On slide two it list the top 3 City with the most SolarCurrent phase 1 projects. Ypsi was listed as number 3. If you take our tiny little population into account, I’d say we’re number one on a per capita basis.

Let get more solar installations in Ypsi and move up the list!

Go Solar Ypsi Community Action Meeting – Feb 13th

Wednesday, February 6th, 2013

Hello SolarYpsi Supporters,

Since the defeat of proposal 3, Environment Michigan has decided to build more grass root support for solar power in Michigan. They have decided to start this in Ypsilanti since we already have a great support for solar power.

Here is an invitation to come join them at their Community Action Meeting on February 13th!

We’re are working to get City Council to set an ambitious solar goal for our city, establish programs that will put solar on more homes and businesses, and install solar panels on more public buildings and schools.

Environment Michigan has a plan to demonstrate overwhelming support for solar energy in Ypsilanti– and your involvement will be critical to pulling it off! Come learn more and get involved at a Community Action Meeting on February 13th!

It would be fantastic if you could also bring any friends or family to this community action meeting and spread the word by forwarding this invitation via email or sharing the event on Facebook. City Council won’t be convinced unless they feel this is something the residents of Ypsilanti want.

RSVP to the Community Action Meeting at Growing Hope on February 13th at 7:00pm.

I hope to see you there. Together, we can make Ypsilanti a “Solar Destination”.

Catherine Baxter
Environment Michigan

SolarYpsi on “Chasing Clean Air” Blog Radio Show in California

Friday, February 1st, 2013

Today SolarYpsi was on the “Chasing Clean Air” blog radio show today. Blogger Donna Barnett started a new radio show today and had Teresa Gillotti and Dave Strenski on to talk about Ypsilanti and SolarYpsi. You can hear the program here.

Listen to internet radio with Chasing Clean Air on Blog Talk Radio