solar energy

School Built By Thai “Solar Monk” Is Lighting Souls And Lighting Communities

~ admin ~ Leave a comment

Brian Berletic – What if school not only taught you the basics like reading, writing, and arithmetic, but also how to build a community from the ground up? With these skills, you could specialize in any field from the humanities to science and technology, and apply them directly to improving your community and your country. That is precisely the concept driving Sisaengtham School (Facebook here), also known as the “Solar School.”

Sisaengtham School is open for high school-level students and was founded in 2010, focusing on self-sufficiency, the environment, and the principles and philosophy of Buddhism. Its founder, Prakruwimolpanyakhun (Monk-Teacher Wimolpanyakhun) also known as “the Solar Monk,” looked for the best way he could make an impact on both his community and his nation and decided founding a school would be the solution.

A good community starts with good people, and that is what Prakruwimolpanyakhun’s Sisaengtham School sets out to create. So dedicated to this goal, Prakruwimolpanyakhun sold his own home to raise money to build the school.

The school is situated near the temple he is the abbot of, located in the forest of Thailand’s northeastern Ubon Ratchathani province.

The first task the school set about accomplishing was improving literacy. Prakruwimolpanyakhun believed that no progress at all could be made in other areas if something as simple as reading and writing was still a challenge.

Solar Power, Organic Agriculture

Continue reading →

Here’s What Happens When Floating Farms Meet Solar Power

~ admin ~ Leave a comment

Robert Harrington – Have you heard of ‘floating farms’ that can harvest sunlight and rainwater to grow 20 tons of vegetables every day – amounting to thousands of tons of vegetables every year?

Floating farms have been getting a big boost of late. With the extremes of drought and deluge occurring more frequently on every continent, floating farms are looking better by the day. Because they are multi-level and multi-purposeful, they possess much more flexibility than land-based farms.

“Inspired by Chinese floating fish farms, these rectangular units measure 200×350 meters and can connect with other modules via walkways. The usage of waterways is a great compliment to the farming industry because it makes farming available in so many more locations. It reduces the need to import food by localizing growth and incorporates rivers and lakes as viable ‘farmland.’

Each unit is comprised of three levels. The bottom floor focuses on aquaculture and water desalination; the first floor on hydroponic crop cultivation; and the roof is adorned with solar panels, skylights and rainwater collectors.

Each module is anticipated to make 8,152 tons of vegetables every year and bring in 1,703 tons of fish. The modules, then, connect into a grid and can scale up into huge farms, producing local food for entire cities.” [1] Continue reading →

Katharine J. Tobal ~ California Launches The World’s Largest Solar Power Farm

~ admin ~ Leave a comment

“The company behind the project, First Solar, confirmed on its website that this project will generate sufficient electricity to power 160,000 average sized California homes. Moreover, it will remove 377,000 tons of carbon dioxide each year – equivalent to taking 73,000 cars off the road.” – K J Tobal

CaliforniaSolarFarm1

The world’s largest solar power plant is now fully operational in California, with enough power to supply 160,000 homes. Reports revealed that the plant is equipped with 9 million solar panels installed across 9.5 square miles.

Late last month, the Topaz Solar project, as it’s being called, performed full commercial operation with the completion of its final 40-megawatt (AC) phase, making history not only as the first 500-megawatt plus solar farm to come on-line in the U.S. but also as the largest solar plant on-line in the world, according to Greentech Media.

Located in San Luis Obispo County on California’s Carrizo Plain, Topaz consists of 9 million solar panels, spanning a huge 9.5 square miles (25 square km): 1/3 of Manhattan’s size.

Topaz is separated from the Ivanpah Solar Power Facility in California’s Mojave Desert, which produces power by directing sunlight towards a central boiler using a large number of mirrors. Continue reading →