Corporate Responsibility

It would be tough duty to be a judge for the Tech Awards, the annual global technology competition sponsored by Applied Materials. Every one of the laureates, as they call the amazing group of finalists each year, made it through a rigorous judging and application process, lead by Santa Clara University, to the final awards gala in San Jose, California. Every one of them is worthy of an award.

People like Howard Weinstein, who turn personal tragedy into triumphant accomplishments, inspire me. The Ashoka-Lemelson fellow and 2009 Tech Award laureate was a successful Canadian business executive until his 10-year-old daughter suddenly died from an aneurysm.

In conversations about utility scale renewable energy, I'm consistently running into the same three misperceptions. #1: Renewable energy requires new transmission. When utilities and policy makers think large scale renewable energy, they think first about wind and concentrating solar thermal. For utility scale generation, both technologies have had a head start versus solar PV (and, therefore, are more top-of-mind). But

At a meeting with the Shaanxi Provincial government yesterday, Applied Materials announced plans to donate funds to purchase 150 solar roof top power generation systems (a donation equivalent to RMB1.2 million). The donation will help 150 families in a remote rural area in Shaanxi province – which due to its location has never been connected to the national power grid – have access to electricity for the first time.

I can’t resist one last update on the Solar Decathlon. Last week Team California took third place in the Solar Decathlon, a huge win, considering their size vs. some of the other schools. The Santa Clara University students should be proud of their results, especially in architecture, where they had set a specific goal to improve.

One of the best things about living in Austin, Texas is the sustainable, forward-thinking the city incorporates into new developments like the Mueller redevelopment project. The project is an urban, mixed-used project that includes homes, office and retail space and the Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas.

Electricity is a luxury in rural Bangladesh. More than 80% of the country’s rural population is off the grid, and light — from hazardous kerosene lanterns — is a precious and expensive resource. During the rainy season — which seems to get longer each year — local farmers struggle to keep farms intact as melting glaciers in the Himalayas and unusually heavy rains cause rivers to flood and sea levels to rise to unprecedented levels. In such conditions, day-to-day activities become a struggle.

Appropriately, it was a warm, sunny afternoon in Washington, D.C. as the 2009 Solar Decathlon officially kicked off yesterday with a full color guard ceremony complete with several hundred solar devotees and the Secretary of Energy, Steven Chu.

Vote today! Help make Team California the winner of the 2009 Solar Decathlon People's Choice Award. From your cell phone text the code HOUSE31 to 99503. One vote per cell phone allowed. Spread the word and help Santa Clara University be #1.