Definitive Solar Library: White Papers

Navigating by the Sun: U.S. Department of Defense Takes Aggressive Lead as Early
Adopters of Solar Energy

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has a long-standing tradition of accelerating technological innovation, serving as early adopters and impacting the broader commercial market in such areas as aviation, computing and global positioning systems (GPS). For the past several years, the DoD has been playing this same role in the renewable energy
space. In fact, The Pew Charitable Trusts reports that the DoD clean energy investments increased 300 percent between 2006 and 2009, from $400 million to $1.2 billion Projections for 2030 are set to eclipse $10 billion annually,1 with an overall target of obtaining 25 percent of the DoD’s energy from renewable sources by 2025. More...

Rebecca “Becky” Halstead, Brigadier General (retired) & Michael Gorton, Chief Executive Officer, Principal Solar
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Next Generation Vehicles: Addressing Air Quality, Fuel and Efficiency

One hundred years ago, the automobile began showing up on the streets of our country. Many experts at the time opined that it was nothing more than a novelty. The horse, after all, had been the primary transportation source for thousands of years. Now, the car is main stream and everything else is novelty - not to be taken seriously. The problem is that the internal combustion engine has not changed significantly since its introduction. It has been a great resource, yet is also has its weaknesses. The number one man-made contributor to dirty air is the automobile. Couple that with rising gas prices and national security issues associated with fuel resources, and one can clearly see why many are looking for alternatives to the gasoline powered internal combustion engine.

The good news is there are two strong contenders to replace gasoline powered automobiles: electric vehicles and natural gas-powered vehicles. More...

Margaret Keliher, Board of Directors, Principal Solar & Michael Gorton, Chief Executive Officer, Principal Solar
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Interfacing with the Electrical Grid

Interfacing with the Electrical Grid” outlines a new generation of power plants that will become increasingly dependent upon solar energy systems as a heat source, and the role federal, regional and state regulatory agencies will play in ensuring that connection, transmission and performance remains stable. More...

Ken Allen, Chief Operating Officer, Principal Solar & Ron Seidel, PE, Board of Directors, Principal Solar
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Solar Power Installations
Navigating Environmental and Regulatory
Issues to Reduce Risk

Understanding the full breadth of legal, regulatory and environmental issues associated with determining when and where to develop solar projects is critical to reducing risks and avoiding costly delays. "Solar Power Installations: Navigating Environmental Regulatory Issues to Reduce Risk" suggests the research, planning and design warranted to develop both private and public lands that will lead to the timely approval and construction of a project.

White Paper authored by Scott D. Deatherage, Partner, Patton Boggs LLP & Michael Gorton, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, Principal Solar
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Shining Light on Renewable Energy
in Developing Countries

Many of the poorest countries in the world have the highest exposure to the sun. "Shining Light on Renewable Energy in Developing Countries" explores the opportunities for unprecedented investment in clean, renewable alternative energy systems that have the potential to not only enrich newly industrialized countries, but positively alter the quality of life for populations around the world.

White Paper authored by Robert A. Freling, Executive Director, Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF) & David Lawrence Ramsour, Private Consultant, Researcher and Economist
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Turning Green into Greener
Why public & private sectors need to begin
capitalizing on the solar energy revolution.

This paper – which the authors nicknamed “Solar 101” -- teaches the fundamentals of Solar energy.

It is packed with current information and virtually everything you need to know about industry basics -- simplifying the complex science of solar energy and providing an understanding of grid parity.

Discover how energy efficiency investments can provide up to one-half of the needed greenhouses gas emissions reductions most scientists say are needed between now and the year 2050. Such a gain in energy efficiency would mean reduced greenhouse gas emissions and lower energy bills for consumers and businesses alike.

Readers will learn how power is produced with mainstream technologies and how Solar is different from mainstream generation

White Paper authored by Wendell Brown: Inventor, Entrepreneur, Philanthropist & Michael Gorton: CEO, Chairman, Principal Solar. BS Engineering, MS Physics, Juris Doctorate
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This site is open to submissions and will be posted at the discretion of the publishers.
Please send materials in Word format to: Laura Carabello: lcarabello@cpronline.com