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QUEST Science Blog

• Reporter's Notes: Getting Paid to Go Solar

  Posted by Amy Standen

  on Nov 06, 2009

  To go solar or not to go solar? Homeowners looking to save money on their energy bills have a number of factor to consider.

  It's easy to get excited about installing solar panels on your house – particularly when you find out that state and federal rebates can cut the price almost in half.

  But, as we've reported before, you might get more bang for your buck from far cheaper (and yes, far less exciting) fixes. Small things like weather stripping your doors, turning down the thermostat or upgrading your refrigerator, can put a dent in your utility bills.

  Even if you've done all that, solar panels still might not pencil out. That's because of something called "tiered pricing", which is how most utilities calculate your monthly energy bills. The idea is that energy is relatively cheap as long as you stay within a certain amount. Exceed that, and you're in the next "tier," where the rate increases. At the next tier, the rate is even higher. The difference between top tier and bottom pier can be as much as 44 cents versus 8 cents per kilowatt hour.

  That's why solar panels tend to make more sense for people with substantial energy needs – the big, air-conditioned houses, the heated pools, the multiple flat-screen TVs.

  The higher your monthly utility bills without solar panels, the faster those panels will pay for themselves once they're installed. Plus, even if those panels don't meet the complete energy needs of your house, they may be enough to bring you down to a lower tier, where the rate is much better.

  If you're interested in making your home more energy efficient, this handy and comprehensive online audit from the people at Lawrence Berkeley National Labs is a good place to start.

  
  Tags: ab 920, akeena solar, bernadette del chiaro, cynthia pollard, distributed generation, jared huffman, lbnl, million solar roofs, net metering, PG&E, renewable portfolio standard, solar, solar rebate
  
  
  

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• Oakland Teachers Scope Out What Galileo Saw

  Posted by Ben Burress

  on Nov 06, 2009

  Oakland Unified teachers assembling Galileoscopes at ChabotWhat was it like for Galileo, the first time he put an eye to his telescope to see things in the heavens as never before seen? As anyone who has seen a planet or a star cluster or a nebula?or the Moon?through even a small telescope knows, the sight can be quite breathtaking. For Galileo, it must have been a universe-changing experience?.

  Through a generous donation by a concerned citizen (concerned that kids today aren't seeing enough of the sky), Chabot just completed a pair of workshops for Oakland teachers that places in their capable hands and in their classrooms "Galileoscopes"?special telescopes designed and manufactured for the 2009 International Year of Astronomy. The Galileoscope is a low cost, simple, but good-quality telescope designed to simulate the power and field of view of Galileo's original telescope, which opened up the universe in such a profound way.

  In September and October, a total of 23 Oakland teachers received training, activities, and one Galileoscope each (plus tripod), enabling them to share the experience with their students and, hopefully, spark their imagination and curiosity about the world around us in a way that nothing but astronomy does.

  A look through a telescope?any telescope, big or small?does put a spark in the eye and the imagination. At least, that was my experience. Growing up in Oakland back in the 60's, I didn't have access to any small telescopes, but Chabot Observatory was only a couple miles away, and my family often went up on a weekend night for a classroom demo, a planetarium show, and thoroughly enjoyable viewing through the two antique telescopes, Leah and Rachel. Something about the actual light from Saturn or Jupiter or a distant galaxy tickling the receptors in your retina places you out there?or puts those objects directly into your brain.

  The Oakland teachers now armed with their Galileoscopes will use these simple but effective tools to show their students the difference between seeing Saturn as a spot of light and Saturn as a disk with "ears" (the appearance of its rings through a Galileoscope), or the difference between Jupiter as a brighter spot of light and Jupiter as a world with a giant storm in its clouds and four smaller "worlds" (moons) in orbit around it, or the difference between the Moon as a disk with light and dark areas that make interesting shapes in our imaginations and the Moon with mountain ranges, vast plains, thousands upon thousands of craters, and shadows stretching across the landscape.

  By the way, Galileoscopes can still be ordered, through the Galileoscope website, for a short time still, in case you're interested in getting your toe into the door of a much bigger universe?.

  
  Tags: Astronomy, galileo, galileoscope, international year of astronomy, oakland, teachers
  
  
  

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• Science Event Pick: Exploratorium turns 40!

  Posted by Kishore Hari

  on Nov 06, 2009

  The Exploratorium turns 40!40 years ago, a San Francisco icon was born, the Exploratorium. The museum was founded by Dr. Frank Oppenheimer, a famous physicist who worked on the Manhattan Project. After a short career as a physics professor (he was branded a communist during McCarthyism), Oppenheimer was inspired to supplement and improve science education. After spending time touring European museums in the early 60s, he devoted the next few years to develop an interactive museum in the U.S. In 1969, Dr. Frank Oppenheimer received a $50,000 grant from the San Francisco Foundation to start a new kind of museum at the Palace of Fine Arts.

  The Exploratorium opened quietly that fall, slowly changing the way science museums are organized and oriented to their audiences. It combined a living laboratory, art, and interaction under one roof; the result is a place where science is accessible and owned by all.

  In celebration of this anniversary, the Exploratorium is hosting a number of events at the museum over this weekend. Plus they are throwing in quite a treat?admission is free all weekend (November 7-8). For a full list of activities and an exceptional history of the museum, check out the Exploratorium?s 40^th anniversary website.

  Exploratorium After Dark: Electrifying Science with Dr. MegaVolt
  When: Thursday 11/5, 6-10 PM
  Cost: Free for members, $14 for non-members (Adults 21+ only)
  Details: Blow your mind with the electrifying science of Tesla coils and Austin Richards, PhD?aka Dr. MegaVolt. This electrifying Exploratorium Science After Dark will feature Dr. MegaVolt jousting with 14-foot electrical arcs from his high voltage Tesla Coil.

  Cutting Ice into One with a Motorcycle
  When: Saturday 11/7
  Cost: Free
  Details: Imagine a big block of ice suspended from the ceiling of the Exploratorium. Now imagine a wire wrapped around the middle of that ice block from which is hung a motorcycle. Chill out with other skeptics and watch the motorcycle fall to the floor as the wire very slowly cuts through the ice, but bear witness?the ice block remains one whole piece!

  Iron Science Teacher
  When: Sunday 11/8, 2-3 PM
  Cost: Free
  Details: Cheer on the competitors in this zany science cook-off, where teachers compete before a live audience for the revered title, 'Iron Science Teacher.' In recognition of the Exploratorium?s 40th birthday, this special edition of our popular show features a secret ingredient closely related to birthdays!

  Something Incredibly Wonderful Happens: Frank Oppenheimer and the World He Made Up – A Conversation with Author K.C. Cole
  When: Sunday, 11/15 at 3 p.m
  Cost: Free with admission to the museum
  Details: Discover the never-before-told story of Frank Oppenheimer, physicist, educator, brother of J. Robert Oppenheimer, and founder of the Exploratorium. Believing that ?without understanding, we?d all be sunk,? Frank Oppenheimer created the Exploratorium to be a museum of human awareness that combined art and science while encouraging play, experimentation, and a sense of joy and wonder.

  
  Tags: 40th anniversary, exploratorium, frank oppenheimer
  
  
  

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