Catch “Burning In The Sun” this Sunday on PBS!
Tuesday, January 24th, 2012Back in 2009, Solar One was fortunate to host the World Premiere of “Burning In The Sun” as part of our Solar-Powered Film Series. Now the film is coming to your local airwaves as PBS will be airing it this Sunday, January 29th as part of their AfroPop series, hosted by Wyatt Cenac. In NYC, you can catch it at 8am, 2pm, 9pm and 2am on WLIW World or set your DVR to record one of those times (check your local listings for time/channel confirmation).
Directed by Cambria Matlow and Morgan Robinson and originally screened in collaboration with Rooftop Films and IFP, the film tells the story of 26-year-old Daniel Dembele, who decides to return to his homeland in Mali and start a local business building solar panels. As it follows his progress from startup to viable business, the film touches on themes of climate change, poverty, and African self-sufficiency. Check out the trailer:
Congratulations to Cambria and Morgan on getting their film in front of a nationwide audience! Also check out our update from March that features a 7-minute video by Morgan called “Burning In The States” focusing on the efforts of local NYC students building small-scale projects.
Posted in Energy, Film, Global Warming, Photovoltaics, Renewables, Solar One, Solar Power, Technology | Permalink
NYC Gets SunShot Award to Make It Easier to Install Solar
Thursday, January 19th, 2012The City University of New York (CUNY), on behalf of New York City, won a grant award in mid-December from the Rooftop Solar Challenge, a program of the US Department of Energy (DOE) to support cutting the red tape involved with installing solar. The Rooftop Solar Challenge is part of SunShot, an ambitious initiative of the DOE to make solar cost competitive with other energy technologies without subsidies by the end of the decade. New York City was one of 22 state and municipal recipients of the award. Over the next two years, these 22 teams will implement step-by-step actions to standardize solar permitting processes, update planning and zoning codes, improve standards for connecting solar power to the electric grid, and increase access to financing.
The money awarded by the DOE is for SunShot NY, a two-phase $3.4 million dollar plan that aims to increase the accessibility and affordability of solar for New York City residents by driving down administrative costs.
Posted in Cleantech, Energy, Energy $mart Communities, New York City, Solar Power, Sustainability | Permalink
Community Environmental Center Hosts Symposium on Solar Hot Water Technology
Tuesday, August 9th, 2011More solar thermal water heaters for NYC! That was the conclusion of a symposium on the technology hosted on July 28 by Solar One’s parent company., the Community Environmental Center (CEC). CEC is the largest installer of solar hot water systems in New York.
120 years and one symposium later, solar powered hot water heating systems may finally be getting the attention they deserve in New York City. Since their invention in 1891 by American businessman Clarence Kemp, Americans on the whole have been very slow and reluctant in adopting renewable energy water heating systems. However, that has not stopped solar hot water systems from becoming extremely popular in China and Europe; Germany, according to EarthKind Solar’s Ron Kamen, installs as many as 200,000 systems a year.
Fortunately, New York City may be just the city to put solar hot water systems back on the map for Americans. Executives from Quixotic Systems Inc., EarthKind Solar, and Sunnovations reported that the existing technology functions excellently in New York City’s temperate climate –especially atop buildings that have flat roofs and are 13 stories or lower (the majority of buildings in the city). In addition, building owners and managers such as Peter Bourbeau, of PWB Management Corporation, described how installing solar hot water systems in two of his rental buildings have lowered fuel oil expenses as much as 30 percent.
So should New Yorkers expect to see their neighbors tossing out their rusty old hot water heaters in exchange for shiny, green, solar powered systems? Perhaps not immediately, but progress is definitely underway: CEC is assembling a task force to follow through on the issues that the symposium raised.
Posted in Energy Efficiency, Global Warming, Green Building, Other Events, Renewables, Solar Power, Sustainability, Technology | Permalink
The Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Green Screens Program and Solar One Co-Present Carbon Nation
Tuesday, January 25th, 2011| February 10, 2011 | ||
| 6:30 pm | to | 10:00 pm |
The Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Green Screens program and Solar One Co-Present Carbon Nation at the Walter Reade Theater on Thursday, February 10 at 6:30pm
Screening followed by a Q&A with the director Peter Byck, Solar One Executive Director Chris Collins, Solar One Green Workforce Development Director Diallo Shabazz, and a reception.
On Thursday February 10, Solar One is proud to be co-presenting the film Carbon Nation with the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Green Screens program at the beautiful Walter Reade Theater. Carbon Nation is a film by Peter Byck that explores potential alternatives to carbon fuel from one-armed Texas cotton farmer Cliff Etheridge’s efforts to pull together an enormous wind farm, to green jobs innovator Van Jones. This inspiring film presents vital solutions to a thorny problem and in the process reveals a thriving tradition of American ingenuity.
Friends of Solar One may purchase tickets at the $9 Affiliate price, a $3 discount off the general admission price. Film Society members purchase tickets at the $7 Member price. A great bargain for a great film!
Purchase tickets online by selecting the “Affiliate” ticket type HERE.
You can use this link that goes straight to the online purchase page for CARBON NATION:
http://www.filmlinc.com/tix.php?p=22298&b=1
Or purchase in person at the Walter Reade Theater’s Box Office:
The box office opens at 12:30 PM Monday-Friday, and one half hour before the first screening on Saturday/Sunday. It closes every day 15 minutes after the start of the last show. If there are no evening screenings, the box office closes at 6pm. For more information call 212-875-5601 during hours of operation.
IMPORTANT: Please printout this page! You will need to present the printout at the Walter Reade Theater Box office to purchase tickets or redeem an online order at this discount price.
Visit FilmLinc.com for more information about Carbon Nation. http://www.filmlinc.com/wrt/gs/carbonnation.html
View the trailer for the film: http://carbonnationmovie.com/
Thursday, February 10 at 6:30pm
The Film Society of Lincoln Center
Walter Reade Theater
165 West 65th Street, Upper Level
Bet Broadway & Amsterdam Aves
Posted in Economy, Energy, Film, Global Warming, Solar One, Solar One Events, Solar Power, Sustainability, Technology, Transportation, Waste, Water | Permalink
Federal Renewable Energy Tax Grant has been extended!!
Wednesday, December 22nd, 2010As 2010 comes to a close, great news comes in from DC! With the passage of the Federal Tax bill, President Obama also signed an extension of Section 1603, the renewable energy Tax Grant Program. 
This extension is a boon for businesses that want to put up renewable energy on their property. Currently, a commercial entity interested in installing a renewable energy system is eligible for a 30% federal tax credit on all expenditures related to the installation. This tax credit, by the way, is called the Business Energy Investment Tax Credit (ITC). Section 1603 is super cool because it allows the entity to receive that 30% federal tax credit as a cash grant. Since its launch in 2009, this program has been incredibly successful and, to date, has helped encourage more than 4,000 clean energy projects.
Section 1603 is only available to businesses who install one of the qualified renewable energy sources, which include solar, small wind, fuel cells, microturbines, and Combined Heat and Power. There are size and financial caps for each technology, so read the IRS’s literature about the program before you start your renewable energy project.
If you have a company in New York and are interested in installing renewable energy, now is the time to do it! In addition to the federal tax program, NY state also has a host of financial incentives for renewables available through the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).
For more information about Section 1603, check out the IRS website.
There is also a really great write-up about the program from Green Tech Media.
For more information about NYSERDA’s programs, you can contact one of the Energy $mart Communities Coordinators, whose contact info is here.
You can also check out NYSERDA’s Renewable Energy website: PowerNaturally.org.
Posted in Clean Energy Connections Blog, Energy, Energy $mart Communities, NYSERDA, Photovoltaics, Photovoltaics, Renewables, Solar One, Solar Power, Technology | Permalink
