Panel following the “Energy at the Movies” TV event at KLRU’s Austin City Limits studio 6A on March 9, 2011. Panelists included Turk Pipkin (http://nobelity.org ), Matthew Chapman (http://matthewchapman.us ), Dr. Charles Ramirez Berg (http://rtf.utexas.edu/faculty/media-studies/charles-ramirez-berg ) and Sheril Kirshenbaum (http://sherilkirshenbaum.com ) in a discussion moderated by “Energy at the Movies” host and creator, Dr. Michael Webber.

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“70 Years of Energy on the Big Screen”

http://energyatthemovies.com

From the gushing geysers of Giant, to the plutonium-powered time machine of Back to the Future, Hollywood has entertained us with unforgettable, often iconic images of energy. Whether intentional or not, films frequently serve as a snapshot of society, capturing sentiments of each time period. Many films have themes or scenes that memorialize collective optimism, fears, and observations about energy. Using film clips as a historical road map, Energy at the Movies is an entertaining lecture that will enlighten audiences about the ways films influence how we think about energy, and in turn, how we influence energy policy.

All copyrights reserved of their respective corporations. This was an educational event held on the UT campus with support from KLRU TV, Austin PBS. It was sponsored by the American Clean Skies Foundation with additional support by AMD, the CleanTX Foundation, Scientific American and Kulabyte.

Duration : 0:59:32

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Technorati Tags: Austin, Austin City Limits, Charles Darwin, clean energy, clean tech, Cockrell School, dallas, Dr. Charles Ramirez Berg, Dr. Michael Webber, Energy, Energy Policy, Engineering, film, Giant, Griffin Gardner, Juan Garcia, KLRU, Lawrence Littleton, lecture, Matthew Chapman, Movies, Nobelity Project, PBS, plan II honors, Scientists, Sheril Kirshenbaum, superhero film, sustainable, Television, television series, Texas, Turk Pipkin, TV, UT Austin

“70 Years of Energy on the Big Screen”

http://energyatthemovies.com

From the gushing geysers of Giant, to the plutonium-powered time machine of Back to the Future, Hollywood has entertained us with unforgettable, often iconic images of energy. Whether intentional or not, films frequently serve as a snapshot of society, capturing sentiments of each time period. Many films have themes or scenes that memorialize collective optimism, fears, and observations about energy. Using film clips as a historical road map, Energy at the Movies is an entertaining lecture that will enlighten audiences about the ways films influence how we think about energy, and in turn, how we influence energy policy.

All copyrights reserved of their respective corporations. This was an educational event held on the UT campus with support from KLRU TV, Austin PBS. It was sponsored by the American Clean Skies Foundation with additional support by AMD, the CleanTX Foundation, Scientific American and Kulabyte.

Duration : 1:42:31

(more…)

Technorati Tags: Austin, Austin City Limits, Charles Darwin, clean energy, clean tech, Cockrell School, dallas, Dr. Charles Ramirez Berg, Dr. Michael Webber, Energy, Energy Policy, Engineering, film, Giant, Griffin Gardner, Juan Garcia, KLRU, Lawrence Littleton, lecture, Matthew Chapman, Movies, Nobelity Project, PBS, plan II honors, Scientists, Sheril Kirshenbaum, superhero film, sustainable, Television, television series, Texas, Turk Pipkin, TV, UT Austin

Tessera Solar owns, operates, and constructs power plants using Sterling Energy Systems (SES) Suncatcher system. Tessera Solar currently has a 1.5 MW Solar plant that is currently under construction in Maricopa, outside of Phoenix, AZ. It is the first commercial-scale plant to be built with the Stirling Energy Systems SunCatcher concentrating solar power (CSP) technology. The project broke ground in September and will be delivering power in January. Tessera Solar will also be starting construction in the middle of next year on some of the world’s largest solar plants: a 750MW plant in Imperial Valley, CA, a 850MW plant in the Mohave Desert, and a 50MW plant in Texas. We interviewed Bob Lukefahr, CEO of Tessera Solar, about these exciting installations and why the Suncatcher is the ideal solution for these utility companies. Watch the video above to hear what he had to say.

Some of the benefits of the Suncatcher for utility scale projects:

- The Suncatcher creates AC power which is what the grid systems runs on. There is no need for an inverter to convert from DC to AC as is needed when using solar PV panels.
- Thermal inertia is incorporated into the functionality of the system, which means that the system does not switch off immediately when there is cloud cover on an intermittent basis.
- The Suncatcher systems do not require water for their operation, which is ideal for the arid environments in which they are commonly installed.
- The mirrors used for the system do not degrade, unlike solar PV panels.
- The life expectancy of the product is at least 20 years, and it is expected to last longer.
- Suncatcher components can be swapped out and replaced lowering ongoing costs.

A bit about the manufacturing:
- Tessera Solar utilizes an automotive supply chain in Detroit to produce the Suncatcher Systems. The rational: who has more experience in engine productions than car manufacturing plants? Two years ago, their Detroit manufacturing facility pumped out 17 million cars, and as a result Tessera Solar feels that this manufacturing angle will ensure scalability in their Suncatcher production.

company profile: http://buildaroo.com/tessera-solar

Duration : 0:5:45

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Technorati Tags: buildaroo, buildaroo.com, building, car manufacturing plants, clean energy, clean tech, concentrated solar power, csp, developer, Green, green building, installer, manufacturer, renewable energy, solar, Solar Energy, stirling energy systems, suncatcher, sustainable, Tessera solar, utility installations

September 28, 2010 – As part of the Global Climate and Energy Project’s 6th Annual Research Symposium at Stanford University, Sally Benson, a professor of Energy Resources Engineering at Stanford, provides a beginner’s overview of the concepts behind carbon capture and sequestration as well as its potential role in the energy sector.

Global Climate and Energy Project

http://gcep.stanford.edu

Precourt Institute for Energy

http://pie.stanford.edu

Stanford University Channel on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/stanford

Duration : 1:27:42

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Technorati Tags: carbon, clean tech, Energy, environment, renewable energy, tutorial

Stirling Energy Systems featured their new Stirling Engine powered Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Suncatcher System at this year’s Solar Power International conference. The Buildaroo News Team interviewed Brian and Jeff about the product’s technology, energy efficiency and manufacturing process. What’s particularly striking is that the company uses automotive manufacturing plants to produce this product. Watch the video above to see the product in action and find out what Brian had to say.

How the product works:
Mirrors concentrate the sunlight into the solar receiver which heats up the hydrogen gas contained in the system to around 700 degrees. This temperature increase pushes the pistons and generates electricity.

Features:
- Does not use any water for energy production, while other CSP technologies require water as a cooling agent. In this Stirling Energy Systems product, water is only used to cleanse the product.

- The Stirling Energy System technology is completely clean with no combustion.

- The technology is highly scalable as it can be manufactured in 25 megawatt blocks.

Stirling Energy Systems manufactures their engine and mirror facet using an automotive assembly line in Detroit, Michigan since these plants have many years of experience in manufacturing engines.

The product is appropriate for utility scale installations and is currently available on the market.

Duration : 0:4:44

her-csp-system-buildaroo-com#more-70″ class=”more-link”>(more…)

Technorati Tags: buildaroo, buildaroo news, buildaroo news team, building, clean energy, clean tech, concentrated solar power, conference, csp, energy efficiency, Green, green building, mirrors, renewable energy, solar power, solar power international, stirling energy systems, stirling engine, suncatcher