At the Green Bay Botanical Garden in Green Bay, Wisconsin two solar photovoltaic array exist that look like flowers.  The 4.2-kilowatt system shaped like two giant, sculptural sunflowers, were built in partnership with the Northeast Wisconsin Technical College.  The College wanted to create a unique demonstration project to support its training programs regarding the design, installation, operation, and maintenance of photovoltaic systems. 

The two systems’ arrays rotate throughout the day to maximize the amount of energy absorbed from the sun and its conversion into electricity.  Since January 2008, the “sunflower system” has generated about 5,312 kilowatt-hours of energy, equivalent to roughly $530.00 and reduced carbon dioxide emissions 3,718 kilograms.  The flowers were installed in August 2007.  In December, the flower PV arrays won an award for environmental design from the Mayor’s Committee for a Cleaner and More Beautiful Green Bay.

Eco-minded partygoers will be glad to know there’s a place in London (UK) to frequent.  Dr. Earth, real name Andrew Charalambous, has opened Club Surya a nightclub where people who bike or walk there get in for free.  Though no one can actually enter until they sign a pledge and commit to take actions that reduce global warming.

The ultra-modern club has its own solar photovoltaic array and wind turbine on top.  The solar panels power the refrigerators and flat-screen TVs, the wind everything else.  The club promises to donate any excess energy it generates to the community that surrounds it.

If it’s successful, then that could be a lot of electric juice.  Even the dance floor generates energy.  The dance floor sits on top a piezoelectric system that generates an electric current from dancers gyrating on top.  Dr. Earth told Reuters that he expects the dance floor when full of energetic dancers will “provide 60 percent of the club’s energy needs.”

Ah, if only we could solve all our energy needs by dancing.

For a review of the new club try, http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/clubs/club-surya-review-52971.html

No, we’re not talking about the sunshine needed to grow hops.  Rather, about the handful of breweries that have installed solar arrays to help brew their beer.

This is not an exhaustive list, there are likely others out there using renewable energy to power their brew.  For example, New Belgium Beer, in Fort Collins, Colorado has used wind power since 1999.  Here’s the Cooler Planet short list of “solar-powered beer.”

Anderson Valley Brewing Company – since 2006 Anderson Valley Brewing in Boonville, California has relied on its 768 solar panels to brew its beer.  The solar array covers over 12,000 square feet of rooftop space and generates approximately 125,000 watts per hour. 

Sierra Nevada Brewing Company – just this year, Sierra Nevada installed 1.4-megawatt solar array on top of its manufacturing complex in Chico, California.  The solar panels add to the company’s 1-megawatt fuel cell system.  Together these systems serve approximately 80% of the company’s power needs.

Lucky Labrador Brewing Company – located in Portland, Oregon uses solar thermal technology to heat the water needed for the first stage of the brewing process.

Treehugger.com recently reported on an intriguing new car prototype. Designed by the former lead designer at Volkswagen, Murat Günak, and financed by Swiss millionaire, Lorenzo Schmid the team has created Mindset Six50 – an electric car with built-in solar panels on top.

The team purposely designed the car to be lightweight and spunky. The current prototype has an aluminum frame and plastic body and weighs roughly 1,800 pounds. The car uses lithium ion batteries, and the solar panels built into the roof help charge the batteries. Its purported range is 62 miles on a full charge.

For speedsters, the Six50’s light chassis and 95-horse power motor should propel the car at up to 75 mph and go from 0 to 62 miles per hour in under 6-seconds.

Automotive News published an interview with Günak who explained his green car venture in pure business terms, “today’s demand for ultra-low emission cars comes from mainstream buyers [as opposed to traditional environmentalists] who understand the changing world. For them a zero-emission car means status.” Günak went on to say that the Six50 is a “realistic and very usable vehicle with sufficient performance, and with series production in mind. We think we can sell 10,000 a year.”

The car won’t be cheap. Treehugger.com says the vehicle’s projected price tag hovers around 50,000 Euros (close to $79,000) when it hits the streets in 2009.