Here’s good news for homeowners with photovoltaic systems – your home’s value is greater because of them! According to a new study by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, homes with solar systems sell for a premium compared to homes that don’t have them. The study looked at home sales from 2000-2009 and contrasted the sale price of homes with solar systems and without. On average, PV systems added $5.50 per watt to a home’s value. So with a 1 kW system, a home is worth about $5,500 more – another great reason to install solar on your house!

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Post tags: "solar energy", green energy, home's property value, home's resale value, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, LBNL, photovoltaic system, property value, pv system, resale value, solar increases property value, Solar Power, solar study, solar system

Read the rest of Modern Chuckanut Ridge House is an Off-Grid Solar Stunner

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", chuckanut ridge, eco design, green architecture, Green Building, green design, green home, net zero, off-grid, photovoltaic system, prentiss architects, rainwater collection, Solar Power, sustainable design, Zero energy

You might be a bit surprised to hear that the world’s largest solar-powered sports facility in the world is a NASCAR track in Pennsylvania. Pocono Raceway, also known as the “Tricky Triangle” flipped the switch on Friday, powering up a 3 MW photovoltaic power plant located on an empty parking lot right next to the raceway. The new system will provide more than enough energy for the entire raceway facility, with the rest being fed back onto the grid to provide enough power for about 1,000 homes nearby. Not only is the system massive, but it was all American made and will pay itself off in about four to five years.

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Post tags: car racing, eco design, green design, Nascar, photovoltaic system, pocono, pocono raceway, renewable energy, Solar Power, solar system, sports facility

As of Sunday, the world’s largest stand alone integrated photovoltaic project was pumping out power into the grid. The building integrated PV system is located on the roof of the recently completed Hongqiao Rail Station in Shanghai. With 20,000 panels, the 61,000 sq m roof system is expected to produce 6.3 million kilowatt-hours (kwh) of electricity per year, which could power 12,000 Shanghai households.

Read the rest of World’s Largest Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) Project Online

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", BIPV, Building Integrated Photovoltaics, china, Eco Architecture, eco design, green architecture, green design, high speed rail, high speed rail station, hongqiao station, photovoltaic system, shanghai, solar system, Sustainable Building, train station

Iosa Ghini Associati has designed the Energy Belt, a sleek solar-powered monorail system for Bologna, Italy that will connect the airport to the city center. The system’s smoothly sculpted lines run above the countryside, providing great views for travelers. The monorail will also provide infrastructure for other uses, namely a pedestrian walkway alongside the tracks and a solar system that runs along the rail’s southern face.

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Post tags: airport transportation, bologna, energy belt, italy, monorail, people mover, photovoltaic system, solar panels, solar powered monorail