A University of Tennessee, Knoxville professor and a team of researchers have developed a solar cell system that taps into the         photosynthetic processes of plants to produce efficient and inexpensive energy. 

Barry Bruce, part of UT's Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Education, worked with researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Ecole Polytechnique Federale in Switzerland, to develop a process that improves the efficiency of generating electric power using molecular structures extracted from algae.

The biosolar breakthrough has the potential to make "green" electricity cheaper and easier, Bruce says.

To produce the energy, the scientists harnessed the power of a key component of photosynthesis known as photosystem-I (PSI). This complex was then bioengineered to specifically interact with a semi-conductor so that, when illuminated, the process of photosynthesis produced electricity. 

The research team says the system self-assembles and is simple enough to be replicated in most labs.

A new biosolar system system taps into photosynthetic 

processes from blue-green algae to produce electricity.

Image credit University of Tennessee, Knoxville

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- The state of Tennessee is adding a second car model to its electric vehicle rebate program, which so far has drawn fewer participants than expected.

WSMV-TV reported Wednesday that the state will soon begin offering $2,500 rebates to owners of the Chevrolet Volt, an electric hybrid car.

The rebate program in Tennessee is now only open to people who buy the all-electric Nissan LEAF.

Car owners who chose to participate in the program must agree to allow data about how they use and charge their vehicles to be collected for a government-funded study. The information is being gathered by the California-based ECOtality. The company received a $99 million stimulus grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.

The state added $2.5 million in matching grant money for the rebates.

Steve Levy will present "Solar Photovoltaic Opportunities and Case Studies for the TVA Region." Levy is technical director of the Tennessee Solar Energy Association and has 35 years of experience in electric power generation.

Professional Development credit is available for this event. For information call 865-690-0705.

The city of Knoxville reports it reached the goal, and current limit, of 20,000 signups for its new curbside recycling program in December.

The program has been active for less than a year.

"We are very pleased with the response of our citizens to this program," says David Brace, the city's director of public service. "With 20,000 sign-ups, that means that one-third of the City's households are participating."

Since the first of October, initial participating households hvae recycled more than 1,200 tons of waste, said John Homa, city solid waste manager.

Several thousand more carts will be delivered in February to those who signed up after the initial August 14 deadline.

The Tennessee Valley Authority has added new renewable wind power sources to its powergrid in January.

"Delivery of power from these contracts and others expected to be activated in the near future will enable TVA to continue advancing towards its vision to become one of the nation's leaders in clean energy by 2020," said John Trawick, TVA senior vice president for Commercial Operations and Pricing, in a press release.

The four wind farms will add 535 megawatts, bringing TVA's total wind energy to 950 megawatts,  or more than 3 million megawatt hours annually, the organization said. 

The new sources:

--201 megawatts comes from ENEL Green Power's Caney River wind farm in Elk County, Kan.  

--150 megawatts from NextEra Energy Resources' White Oak Energy Center in McLean County, Ill.  

---101 megawatts from EDP Renewables North America's Lost Lakes wind farm in Dickinson County, Iowa.

In addition, EDP Renewables' Pioneer Prairie site in Howard and Mitchell counties, Iowa -- which began producing wind energy for TVA in 2010 -- has increased output an additional 83 megawatts.

Wacker Polysilicon has progressed to vertical construction at its site in Charleston, Tenn.  The three largest buildings of the plant 

Clayton Homes has announced that all manufactured homes it builds locally will qualify for the Energy Star label thanks to an energy efficiency cash incentive of $1,450 per home from TVA.

TVA pays the incentive directly to producers of new manufactured homes to offset most added costs of building Energy Star homes.

Energy Star homes can lower electric bills by $70 a month on average, TVA said.

Since 2002, only about 150 Energy Star manufactured homes have been located in Tennessee. Under the new program, Clayton Homes projects an additional 2,200 Energy Star homes in the TVA region this year. 

The Systems Building Research Alliance, the research arm for the factory-built housing industry and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's national quality assurance oversight agent for the manufactured and modular home Energy Star programs, helped TVA and Clayton identify ways to grow the program and will help manage it.

Only electrically-heated homes with a heat pump are eligible for TVA incentives. The manufacturer must also meet stringent thermal envelope requirements and install other energy efficiency features. Features can include efficient heating and cooling systems, lighting and appliances, and high-performance windows, insulation systems and construction systems to reduce leaks and drafts. 

Out of town visitors and local travelers in the Knoxville area now have more fueling options for their Electric Vehicles. Four Knoxville area hotels operated by Kana Hotel Group have installed eight charging stations positioned in preferred parking spaces.

With installations completed, you can now charge your vehicle at:

Hampton Inn Lenoir City -585 Ft. Loudon Medical Center Dr., Lenoir City 37772

Holiday Inn Express Knoxville - East - 730 Rufus Graham Road, Knoxville 37924  

Hampton Inn Knoxville - East 7445 Sawyer Road, Knoxville 37924

Holiday Inn Express & Suites - 111 Hillvale Road, Clinton 37716  

"We worked with ECOtality to install Level 2 charging stations at four of our Knoxville area hotels.  Providing travelers green fueling options as they visit Knoxville is the next step in our sustainability efforts. Aside from Knoxville, we have also installed them at our two Nashville area locations," said Kevin Mahoney, president of Kana Hotel Group, in a press release.

A network of public walking trails is being built into an upscale residential community on the shores of Watts Bar Lake after city officials amended a hefty federal grant awarded more than a decade ago, writes Bob Fowler of the Knoxville News Sentinel.

City Manager James Pinkerton said the amended grant totals $3,015,928. That funding covers costs for three greenways, and the city is seeking a grant for a fourth paved path, Kingston Mayor Troy Beets said.

The Ladd Landing Greenways system, more than 2.3 miles of 10-foot-wide asphalt walking trails, was officially launched this past week with a groundbreaking.

The three trails will connect to points of interest, from the 10-acre, city-owned Ladd Park to a planned new development in Ladd Landing, the high-end gated community developed by Matt Caldwell.

Read more about greenways at the Knoxville News Sentinel

The city of Gatlinburg has installed Level II Blink Chargers for electric vehicles at two downtown parking garages.

Gatlinburg is among the first municipalities to install the 240-volt Blink Wall Mount Chargers as a part of The EV Project. The stations are able to fully recharge an electric car battery in four to eight hours.

The charging stations, each with two wall-mounted units, are located at the City's Aquarium and Fred McMahan/Parkway parking garages.

ECOtality targeted Gatlinburg as a preferred site for charging stations because the Smoky Mountains are popular with travelers. The new stations give electric car drivers the option of charging their vehicles on the eastern fringe of the "The Tennessee Triangle," a 425-mile stretch of interstate highway connecting Nashville, Knoxville and Chattanooga.