Take an LED that produces intense, blue light. Coat it with a thin layer of special microscopic beads called quantum dots. And you have what could become the successor to the venerable light bulb.

Michigan GREEN, in partnership with G-Energy and the Northern Lights Energy Program at the M-TECSM at Bay College, recently completed work on an energy grant from the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC). The $750,000 grant from the MPSC’s Low-Income Energy Efficiency Fund (LIEEF) made possible the purchase and distribution of energy kits to low-income renters throughout rural areas of Michigan.

More than 7,150 kits (retail value $140 ea.) were distributed in 61 counties throughout Michigan’s lower and upper peninsulas. The kits contain compact fluorescent light bulbs, LED nightlite/flashlight, Oxygenics showerhead and Neoperl aerators. Bryan Zaplitny, founder of Michigan GREEN stated, "Based on the potential energy savings of $100/year from these conservation measures, the total savings on utility bills from these households will exceed $3.5 million over the next five years. That’s a tremendous return on investment for the MPSC’s energy grant program."

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have made GaAs-based LEDs more than seven times brighter by etching nanoscale grooves in a surrounding cavity to guide scattered light in one direction. The novel nanostructure, which may have applications in areas such as in biomedical imaging where LED brightness is crucial, is described in the July 17 issue of Applied Physics Letters.*

The feasibility study for wind generation on Cayman Brac already appears promising, though the study is unlikely to be completed until the end of this year.

According to Cayman Brac Power and Light (CBP&L) General Manager, Jonathan Tibbetts, an anemometer to measure wind speed was installed on the Government communications tower on the Bluff on 2 February.

On the first day, the device measured average wind speeds of 18 to 20 miles per hour at a height of around 250 feet above sea level, which is well above the 14 miles per hour average wind speed required to make wind turbines feasible, he said.
“Although that was a fairly breezy day, we feel that the average wind speed will be found to be more than high enough. The daily average over the first two weeks has been a positive sign, and we’re quite thrilled,” said Mr Tibbetts.

This data and wind speed data from the Gerrard-Smith Airport, which has been gathered by the Cayman Islands Civil Aviation Authority for over a decade, will be sent to a company in the US that specialises in wind speed analysis.

First funding awards for Solar America Initiative to make solar technology cost-competitive by 2015

March 8, 2007, LOWELL, MA - U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Samuel W. Bodman today announced the selection of 13 industry-led solar technology development projects for negotiation for up to $168 million (FY’07-’09) in funding, subject to appropriation from Congress. These projects will help significantly reduce the cost of producing and distributing solar energy. As part of the cost-shared agreements, the industry-led teams will contribute more than 50 percent of the funding for these projects for a total value of up to $357 million over three years. These cooperative agreements, to be negotiated, will be the first made available as part of President Bush’s Solar America Initiative (SAI), a component of his Advanced Energy Initiative (AEI), announced in his 2006 State of the Union Address. Secretary Bodman made today’s announcement while visiting Konarka Global Headquarters in Lowell, Massachusetts, one of the selected solar energy project sponsors.