Solar power, the subject of so much discussion over the last 20 years is becoming more and more important as many countries try to find a cure for the dependence on fossil fuels. When the uninformed think about solar power they may tend to be reminded about the legend of alchemy, the ancient legend of turning lead into gold. It is easy to visualize the heat from the sun, everyone has been sunburned at least once. But how does the power of the sun turn on electric lights?

No not magic or alchemy. What makes this potential unlimited power source possible is the photovoltaic cell. You have certainly seen them. They are everywhere. A few years ago they appeared as unsightly blue topped boxes on a number of homes. If you own a calculator or radio or any kind of battery free small appliance, chances are your device has at least one photovoltiac cell somewhere on it’s exterior surface. They appear as a shiny blue window.

The heart and soul of a photovoltaic cell is a very thin semiconductor sandwich made with a multiple layers of highly purified silicon. Semiconductors are actually crystals designed to yield the properties necessary for use in electrical circuits. Transistors and microprocessors the things that power your computers and other electronic gadgets are made up of semiconductors.

The magic of sunlight to electricity occurs when sunlight strikes these cells if they connected to an electrical circuit. A sufficient number of these cells are arrayed to provide enough power for the job they are designed to do. As more money is invested in development of these cells they become more efficient. Over time the cost of manufacturing decreases. With more demand the manufacturing process becomes more efficient and the cells less expensive.

Governments at many levels are encouraging the use of these systems to provide the electrical power for home and office in an effort to remove more demand from the existing power grid. As grant money and tax deductions become more available this technology will become less and less expensive and solar power surely will play a major role in the much debated clean, green power sources of the near future.

For a number of years, as oil prices declined during the mid-1980s, government funding for alternative energy sources faded. Now, though, with resurfacing concerns over energy, researchers are looking for alternatives for meeting our national energy needs. Too much reliance on oil imports weakens us politically. Plus, fossil fuels are finite resources which cannot meet our energy needs forever. These reasons have renewed interest in researching alternatives. This renewed focus could create opportunities for the knowledgeable investor to make money through royalty investments.

There are a number of energy options being explored, each with its own advantages and drawbacks. Solar energy offers the advantage of being limitless. The trick is channeling it into a usable form. Although the sunshine is free, the hardware and the labor for converting it to usable electricity can be very pricey. Wind is a fast-growing energy source, but it still accounts for just 1 percent of electrical production. The noise of wind farms can be annoying, and if those farms are established in remote areas, it is difficult to transport the energy they produce. Fuel from plants (biofuel), particularly corn, has been utilized more and more in recent years. Ethanol is generally an effective substitute for petroleum. However, critics assert that too much diversion of crops and farm land for fuel production drives up food prices.

Even as the research into these alternatives increases, many of the solutions remain years away from implementation. Our over-dependency upon foreign oil sources is a problem today, so what can be done more immediately? First of all, we can make better use of the oil and natural gas reserves available right here in this country. In fact, we have greater stores of natural gas than any other country. Secondly, further development could be done with geothermal energy. This ‘heat mining’ utilizes the heat that is stored within the Earth’s rock crust and transforms it into usable energy. Research has already indicated that geothermal could become a major electricity supplier for the country, and the U.S. is already the world’s biggest producer.

If you’re not a research scientist, how might all this affect you? Well, energy considerations might inform your investment strategies. As we look inward for energy supplies, rather than overseas, oil and gas royalty investments look like a promising option for growth. Plus, if you make royalty investments in the land that produces such supplies, it may also pay off if geothermal energy systems are developed. The technologies used to mine heat are similar in many ways to the systems used for extracting oil and gas, and the hot rocks that produce this heat are available in most parts of the U.S.

Through a combination of strategies, some immediate, some long-term, we ought to be able to lessen our reliance upon foreign sources for our energy.

Sustainability is a powerful and far reaching concept that requires local interpretation, definition and articulation. The increasingly higher demands on real estate development projects to make a significant contribution to the sustainable development agenda make an early identification of the constraints, opportunities and requirements essential. A sustainability specialist can help with identifying the risks and opportunities and provide advice to the planning and design team about measures that improve the sustainability of the development project. In this article I will present three reasons why a sustainability specialists should be appointed in an early stage of the development project.

1. Avoid unnecessary costs and programme overruns.

Many sustainability requirements have a fundamental influence on certain design elements. Consequently, delaying the management of sustainability issues to later stages in the development programme bears a significant risk that fundamental changes to the design are required or that high cost alternatives will have to be implemented. Consider the provision of on-site renewable energy generation as an example. It is often a requirement that a certain amount of the energy that is used on site is generated on the development site using renewable sources. The most cost effective ways are often a medium sized stand-alone facility such as a biomass combined-heat-power installation. These solutions require some space. When the energy strategy is considered late in the project cycle all available land has usually already been assigned a particular use. The two options available are usually either the provision of micro-generation attached to each individual building or the fundamental redesign of the entire project. Both solutions will add to the cost of the project. The first solution will increase the capital cost of construction, the second solution means additional costs with redesigning the project.

2. Maximise the sustainability potential of the project.

Many sustainability solutions will be cost neutral, provided they have been identified early on in the project. Appointing the specialist at an early stage maximises the sustainability rating of the project. Consider the provision of ecological features on site as an example. Projects that are planned on previously developed land often have little or no negative impacts on the ecological resources in the area, because the value is so low. In these cases it is possible to actually increase the ecological value of the development area by carefully designing in ecological features, such as drainage ponds. Only when this benefit is recognised at an early stage in the project can the drainage design take account of ecological benefits and thereby positively contribute to the sustainability of the project.

3. Get free BREEAM credits.

The leading benchmark for the assessment of the sustainability of new buildings, BREAAM, recognises the importance of early engagement of a sustainability specialist on the project. Through a recent change in the methodology the benchmark now gives credits purely for the early engagement of a BREEAM accredited professional. Assuming that a specialist will be appointed at some point, doing this early will lift the sustainability rating of the project without any additional cost.

Addressing sustainability within development projects is now an essential element of any real estate development project. This article has demonstrated the advantages of appointing a specialist early in the project.

On the orientation day for my online class, I always start out by saying the same thing: online isn’t for everybody… but maybe it should be.

For students to thrive in an online classroom, they need to monitor themselves to meet weekly and long-term deadlines. Obviously, the format of the class affects the structure greatly, but it can breed independence without losing the teachers’ guidance. It also forces students to be active in their education rather than passive. You can’t hide in the back row of an online class because discussion participation is mandatory.

Is this something we should consider more seriously for middle and high school students?

Online classes require students to take ownership of their work, be self-directed learners, practice time management and learn computer literacy along with their subject matter. All of these skills will prepare students for the life that awaits them after school: where bosses, unlike teachers, rarely hold your hand through your work, accept missed or late deadlines or give constant reminders, “extra credit” and second, third and fourth chances.

I’ve seen real results with every student who truly engaged in my class. They all significantly improved their writing ability. I think a lot of that had to do with practicing reading and writing ALL the time through the online format. Also, with new technology, it’s easy to integrate video, audio and other aids for different kinds of learners.

Joanne Jacobs referenced an example of this back in December that really captures the beauty of the online experience:

“. . . (At first) I was always confused, had trouble following directions, could not focus on the task at hand, and expected to be hand-fed all the information.”

She learned how to manage her time and pace herself.

“Teaching myself was shockingly effective. I was finally being taught by someone who fully understood me.” Full article

Maybe this isn’t the case outside the English/writing realm. Maybe it’s asking too much of students too soon. Maybe it starts in class with computer literacy, then moves on to a hybrid format until teachers determine what students can handle it. Maybe it puts an undue burden on parents. Or maybe it’s a step in the right direction.