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Solar News for 2010
Solar Energy
North Jersey distribution center to take on solar panels
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A North Jersey distribution warehouse will take on a 5 megawatt solar rooftop as designed by a California-based company, according to a press release.Solar Power Inc of Roseville will oversee installation of the solar panels atop White Rose of Carteret, which is owned by KTR Capital Partners, a private equity firm."The White Rose installation will be one of the largest systems of its type in the nation," according to Steve Kircher, chairman and chief executive officer of Solar Power In
Solar Policy
Native Americans challenge solar plants slated for California deserts
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Advocates for Native Americans are challenging the federal government's ability to administer six sizable solar facilities in Southern California, according to a published report.La Cuna de Aztlan Sacred Sites Protection Circle filed a federal lawsuit claiming the Bureau of Land Management, a subagency beneath the jurisdiction of the Interior Department, was dependent on faulty information that does not adequately represent the truth about the facilities' environmental impact. In ad
Solar Business
Chinese solar panel manufacturer sets three-year $800-million plan
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A leading Chinese manufacturer of solar panels announced Monday it will invest $800 million in additional plants that will manufacture photovoltaic panels, Reuters reports.Trina Solar's new investment strategy is for a three-year period. As 2010 ends, more than 70 percent of the globe's photovoltaic manufacturing capacity is held by Chinese firms, according to a research firm in California. China also hosts seven of the world's 10 best manufacturers of solar modules.China allots hand
Solar Energy
Solar-powered plane sets two records
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A solar-powered drone built by a British defense contractor set two records when it remained airborne for more than two weeks this past summer, according to a published report.  The Federation Aéronautique Internationale recently confirmed these records.Known as the Zephyr, the drone stayed aloft for 336 hours and 22 minutes above a U.S. Army installation in Arizona, the Los Angeles Times reports. That two-week 22-minute period from July 9 to July 13 was over the Yuma Proving Ground.
Solar Energy
Florida couple's home runs on solar energy
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
After routinely paying monthly electric bills of as much as $200, Jerry and Elli Million were more than happy to flaunt their most recent charge for a month’s consumption: $13.According to Tampa Bay online, the Sebring, Florida couple has a home almost entirely sustained by solar power. Two solar panels that prepare the home’s hot water were installed 15 years ago and their hot water supply has never depleted, nor has it lost its heat. A local company installed 22 panels on the rear
Solar Policy
Solar surging in Bay State
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Massachusetts' solar production has increased nearly 10 times since the Commonwealth's governor was sworn into office in 2007, the Associated Press reports. As Deval Patrick prepares for his second term, 33.3 megawatts of solar power-producing arrays are installed in the state he leads. When his governorship began, solar output in the state was at 3.3 megawatts. The secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs said Massachusetts' solar growth has been deliberate. Solar capacities
Solar Policy
Solar Schwarzeneggar set to leave office
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
As Hollywood actor-turned California Governor Arnold Schwarzeneggar prepares to depart the Golden State's highest elected office early next year, he leaves behind a pro-environment legacy including an innovative solar program, according to published reports. Despite California's credit rating being the nation's lowest and the $25.4 billion budget deficit almost 250 percent greater than the $10.2 billion deficit he inherited in 2003 from recalled governor Gray Davis, the governor mad
Solar Energy
School district recognized for solar uses
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A Central California school district won two state architect awards for K-12 schools demonstrating energy efficiency leadership, generating alternative energy onsite and environmental responsibility, according to published reports.Milpitas Unified School District was bestowed the awards by the California Department General Services Division of the State Architect. The school system was noted for being grid neutral as it used as much energy as it generated. The award recognizes the school for ins
Solar Energy
Two promoters of solar are among six award finalists
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
India's only institute of higher education that is totally powered by solar energy and an Arizona-based solar panel manufacturer are two of the six contestants for a prize awarded to outstanding examples of renewable energy, according to a published report. Of 40 applications, six made the cut.Another contestant for the Zayed Future Energy Prize was a California scientist who developed policies to encourage two decades worth of green energy generation. The chair of a Colorado institute was n
Solar Energy
Energy chief: Arizona plant leads U.S. on 'path to a clean energy future'
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Approximately 70,000 energy customers in Arizona will benefit from the U.S.' first solar power facility that can store its own energy, UPI reports the secretary of the Energy Department said on Wednesday.Abengoa Solar, which was approved for a $1.45 billion loan guarantee by the Energy Department, is now believed to be planning construction of the biggest solar power plant of its particular type anywhere on the globe."As today's announcement and other recent announcements of complet
Solar Business
Solar company to hire 100-plus next year in recession ravaged Florida
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
As jobhunters in Florida navigate rough economic times, the solar industry is progressively advancing and one company on the West Coast of the Sunshine State is planning on hiring well more than 100 laborers in 2011, according to published reports.Mustang Vacuum Systems of Bradenton, which has plans to expand operations over the next few years, will create and fill 125 jobs next year. The manufacturer of machines for solar cell equipment intends to hire about 10 employees by the end of March. Af
Solar Energy
Solar industry proud of Q3, looks forward to 2011
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
U.S. solar energy markets resumed advancing in the third quarter as more than 27,000 homes and businesses capitalized on the alternate energy source, according to a news release.The Solar Energy Industries Association and GTM Research announced third quarter results for non-residential photovoltaic installation were 38 percent larger than that for the second quarter. They also announced the industry will continue growing as a result of average system costs decreasing."The third quarter, and
Solar Energy
Massachusetts, National Grid cut ribbon on solar plants
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Officials from Massachusetts and the Commonwealth's biggest electric utility ceremoniously activated three solar power plants that will generate enough to power as many as 470 homes, according to published reports.Plants in Revere, Everett and Haverhill cost slightly more than $15 million, the Associated Press reports. The plants derive from the Green Communities Act, according to the Boston Globe, which Governor Deval Patrick kicked off in 2009. National Grid is partnering with Massachusett
Solar Energy
India's solar industry all set to take off
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A Western Indian state is positioning itself to be the center of the subcontinent's solar industry, according to published reports.Gujarat, which encompasses 196,000 square kilometers, generates as much as six kilowatts per hour per square meter, which is higher than solar figures for Spain. Gujarat also created an agency tasked with cultivating renewable energy, the Gujarat Energy Development Agency (GEDA). That was one of the first Indian states to create an agency, which occurred in 1979.
Solar Policy
Tour to visit Florida's renewable energy sites
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Two Sunshine State institutes of higher education will play host to a late February 2011 stop by a group highlighting examples of renewable energy, according to published reports.The Florida Alliance for Renewable Energy will visit the University of Florida and the Santa Fe College on February 25. The Alliance will take a tour, which sees it viewing a Town Hall event that features local and state legislators and industry experts, all of whom will discuss the state of renewable energy and energy
Solar Energy
Solar panels heat new hotel's water
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
South Carolina's largest solar water heater is at a newly constructed hotel in downtown Greenville, where it provides guests the opportunity to help conserve water and energy while also keeping clean, according to published reports.That water heater is capable of pumping 3,000 gallons of water per day, all of which can be heated for guests at the hotel by the solar panels on top of the Courtyard by Marriott hotel, according to local television station WSPA."You hop in a hot shower and y
Solar Energy
Gainesville solar project underway
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Construction of Florida's largest privately owned installation of solar panels, which will generate two megawatts of power, is underway in the central part of the state, according to published reports.Seven acres in Gainesville will host Sybac Solar's 8,600 photovoltaic panels, which will take care of the electrical needs of as many as 300 homes. Gainesville Regional Utilities will pay Sybac Solar 0.26 cents per kilowatt hour of energy that's generated.Gainesville is "a very att
Solar Energy
Solar water pasteurizer has potential for Haiti
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Two Minnesota men have invented a tool to help combat a public health scourge tearing through earthquake-ravaged Haiti: A solar-powered water pasteurizer. The Minneapolis Pioneer Press reports retired engineers Bob Nepper of North St. Paul and Bill Stevenson of Lake Elmo devised the contraption to confront the cholera epidemic by cleaning water in an easy and inexpensive manner. A Florida missionary group has purchased a pasteurizer and plans on taking it to the island, where more than 2,200 Ha
Solar Policy
DOI, DOE eye six western states' lands 'Solar Energy Zones'
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Public lands on six western states are ripe for solar development, according to the draft of an environmental study prepared by two federal departments and cited by Reuters.The Energy and Interior departments are preparing the report to scope out sites that, in addition to being flat and absorb enough sun, also will suffer minimal impact to their environmental and cultural resources. The framework is important for a region of the country that is very swiftly moving forward with heavy solar power
Solar Energy
With 1.7-Megawatt SunPower Solar System, Shiseido Wins New Jersey Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
TRENTON, N.J., December 15, 2010 – Shiseido America Inc. and SunPower Corp. (Nasdaq: SPWRA, SPWRB) today announced that Shiseido’s East Windsor, N.J. facility has been awarded the 2010 New Jersey Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award. Shiseido won the award for its contribution to clean air in the state, which is attributable to a 1.7-megawatt SunPower solar power system installed on site as well as energy efficiency upgrades, including new high-efficiency boilers and lighting.The SunPower s
Solar Energy
South Florida city's use of solar to expand
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A Southern Florida city with a strong record of solar success is building on that achievement by installing photovoltaic panels on additional municipal buildings, according to published reports.The City of Tamarac will outfit Station 15 of the Fire Department and the Parks and Recreation Administrative Building with solar panels under the auspices of a $184,000 grant from the U.S. Energy Department."We were recently approved for another grant through the Department of Energy," assistan
Solar Energy
SC's largest solar installation underway in Myrtle Beach
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A South Carolina utility has begun the state's largest solar power installation, a 1,300 photovoltaic panel project to cover an assortment of buildings in Myrtle Beach, according to published reports.The Service Center, Warehouse and Technical Services will be covered by the panels, which also will be installed on the ground. The panels' solar capacity is 311 kilowatts."It's a good opportunity for us to demonstrate on a fairly large scale the opportunities and some of the limita
Solar Energy
NRG Energy to buy rights to world's largest solar project
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A power company with headquarters in New Jersey agreed to acquire rights to the world's largest operational solar project for $800 million, according to published reports.When construction is completed in 2014, Agua Caliente of Yuma County, Arizona will be a 290-megawatt generator that will encompass 2,400 acres of land. The purchaser, NRG Energy of Princeton, New Jersey, is buying from First Solar, a Tempe, Arizona photovoltaic developer and manufacturer."Solar power is critical t
Solar Energy
IKEA stores in Mass, NJ to see solar paneling on roofs
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Two IKEA stores on the East Coast will have solar panels installed on the roofs once government approval is granted, the company announced.The projects at the Paramus, New Jersey and Stoughton, Massachusetts stores are scheduled to begin early next year and once they're completed in the Spring, IKEA's U.S. stores with solar panels providing energy will total 13. These two stores will be IKEA's largest solar installations."We are excited about this investment by IKEA in using ren
Solar Energy
South Jersey Honda dealership to build solar canopy
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A Southern New Jersey Honda dealership has laid plans to install solar panels on canopies it is building to cover new cars and customer parking, according to published reports.Rossi Honda of Vineland won approval for the project from the Planning Board last week. Ron Rossi told reporters the idea was influenced by a campus parking lot at the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, which is covered by a solar panel canopy."It certainly meets what Honda's all about, which is fuel efficien
Solar Energy
South Carolina's largest solar structure follows the sun
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
South Carolina has activated its largest solar tracker, a 53-foot-tall structure encompassing 1,614-square-feet that rotates to collect the sun's strongest rays and send them into a warehouse, according to published reports."Just the sheer size of having that panel on one pole is amazing," Erika Myers, renewable energy programs manager with the S.C. Energy Office, told the Sun News. One of her responsibilities is monitoring individual solar panel projects throughout the state.The w
Solar Energy
South Daytona fire department capitalizes on solar power
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A Central Florida fire department is capitalizing on solar power for energy efficiency purposes at its fire station, according to published reports. Thanks to a community grant, water at the South Daytona fire department is heated with assistance from solar equipment provided by Solar-Fir Energy Management Systems, the Orlando Sentinel reports. Water in the department’s 120-gallon tank is heated by two solar water heating panels and a solar circulating pump. "We were excited to rece
Solar Business
Shake-up at Stirling comes as ambitious project approaches
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The top executive at Stirling Energy Systems, a concentrated solar power system developer, has stepped down and the interim leader is the chief operations officer at Tessera Solar, according to published reports.Steve Cowman's departure comes as it works on restructuring business toward demands required by a project in California. Marcelo Figueira will serve while the company searches for a new chief executive officer. Stirling's device is the SunCatcher, a dish that focuses light into a
Solar Policy
New Jersey voters to cast ballots for solar plan on Tuesday
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Voters in Woodbridge, New Jersey are putting one final day's worth of thought into whether to vote for a referendum calling for solar panel installation on township schools, according to the New Jersey Star-Ledger.Residents will cast ballots Tuesday on the $32.5 million bond referendum that proposes replacing roofs with the panels. Schools superintendent John Crowe said he hopes the measure passes since the roofs are decrepit, energy costs and expenses will be slashed, and the panels will ge
Solar Energy
Solar helps dry sludge, cut costs
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A sludge-drying plant that employs services from solar energy panels has been in operation on a Hawaiian island where its reduces sludge volume by 90 percent, according to published reports.The two-chamber design of the Thermo System Active Solar Sludge Drying System is deployed to water treatment plant and was commissioned in November. By reducing sludge volume, the solar drying plant slashes costs and expenses pertaining to hauling and disposal."We are very pleased to see the Thermo Syste
Solar Energy
Western Massachusetts solar plant within months of completion
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A Western Massachusetts wastewater treatment plant will soon shift its power reliance to a nearly completed 1.5-megawatt solar energy project, according to the Berkshire Eagle.Completion of the $8 million project at Pittsfield's 50-year-old plant is projected to be within 60 days, at which point Western Massachusetts Electric Company no longer will power the sewer plant, according to Bruce Collingwood, Public Works and Utilities commissioner."The installation is going nice and smooth so
Solar Energy
Construction of 20-megawatt Arizona plant underway
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A renewable energy developer has hired a corporation to devise and construct a 20-megawatt solar plant in Arizona, according to brighterenergy.org.Iberdrola Renewables of Portland, Oregon will hand over tasks to SunPower Corporation of San Jose, California for the Copper Crossing solar plant now being constructed on 144 acres of farmland in Pinal County. Construction will create approximately 200 jobs and is expected to be completed in 2011.SunPower's "construction experience and establ
Solar Energy
West Coast YMCA builds a solar carport
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A California YMCA is being outfitted with a complimentary solar array for its carport, enabling the facility to save about $250,000 during the next 15 years, according to the Press Democrat.Construction of the project began this past Monday and is projected to be completed early next year. The solar panels are provided by SolarCity, who also will install them. TerraVerde Renewable Partners is executing the financing. Investors are leasing property from the YMCA, who is purchasing energy from the
Solar Policy
Four solar plants in Ontario await government OK
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
NextEra Energy Resources has committed to buy four Canadian solar projects that will power about 6,440 households, according to Daily Markets.With an estimated combined generation of 40 megawatts, the solar projects are in Ontario. First Solar, the Phoenix, Arizona-based seller, will complete construction before ceding ownership and operation. The Ontario Power Authority will purchase all electricity these projects produce under long-term contracts.Though the projec
Solar Energy
Pasadena to purchase power from Arizona solar tower
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The city council of Pasadena, California unanimously approved the city manager further exploring a 30-year pact to acquire electricity from a solar tower that will be constructed in Arizona, the Pasadena News Star reports.Monday nights' approval does its part to help the state move toward its renewable energy goals as the city will purchase as much as 10 megawatts of power from La Paz Solar Tower. The tower is forecast to be functional in 2014, when about 4.5 percent of electricity would be
Solar Energy
Company awarded for expansion
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The Green Jobs Award was bestowed to a North Carolina solar company that nearly tripled in size in one year, according to a press release.The business develop manager of the Greenville office of Southern Energy Management told the Journal Watchdog that the growth was due to incentives in North Carolina, which are far better than those offered in South Carolina. David Odell told the publication that the differential for alternative energy in North Carolina is roughly 0.20 cents per kilowatt
Solar Policy
California county has approved six solar projects
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A California county approved six solar projects that will generate 150 megawatts of power, representing the first of an anticipated flurry of projects tapping into renewable sources for electricity, according to published reports.All six projects are in Tulare County and under the purview of Solar Project Solutions. A company official said construction will begin next year and will encompass more than 2,100 acres of land.Though solar companies are racing to start the projects before the end of t
Solar Energy
School's solar instruction coursework is latest of its green efforts
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A community college in Maine is putting together coursework on installation of solar panels as part of its electrical engineering technologies program, according to published reports.As part of its effort to serve as a regional model for sustainable practices, Southern Maine Community College is using $70,000 in federal grant money to establish an accredited solar training site for a nationwide network of instructors specializing in photovoltaic practices."We believe all of our graduates in
Solar Energy
Company in violation to cover solar panels
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The punishment for a Central Massachusetts company that failed to comply with air pollution regulations is financing the installation of solar panels at an environmental organization, according to published reports.Saint-Gobain Ceramics & Plastics of Worcester, who was fined $28,000 last week following 2009 tests indicating high emission levels of methanol, will take charge of equipping the Massachusetts Audobon Society's pavilion with solar panels, per the suggestion of a senior environ
Solar Policy
Hawaii state department to go solar
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The State of Hawaii's Accounting and General Services Department soon will be outfitted with a 236-kilowatt solar system that will be operational early next year, according to published reports.More than 1,000 photovoltaic panels will be installed on the roof of the Kalanimoku Building in Honolulu's capital district, as supported by stimulus money from the U.S. Energy Department. By 2030, the state is attempting to generate 70 percent of its electricity from renewable sources. These new
Solar Policy
Study indicates states with solar potential
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Two neighboring Southeast U.S. states hold places on a new study's top-ten states that would most strongly benefit from deployment of solar power devices, according to published reports.Though they're considered lagging in the solar power realm, Georgia and Alabama hold significant potential, according to the first of its kind study compiled by Arizona State University's business school. The study was published in The Electricity Journal."We see a growing trend by states to incr
Solar Policy
Northern Idaho county encourages solar use
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Commissioners in a Northern Idaho county unanimously approved earlier this week a solar power ordinance that will help solar power users save money on energy bills and will legislate standards once the ordinance is on the books, according to published reports.Blaine County commissioners voted on Tuesday to approve the "solar collector ordinance", which sets standards for the installation of solar panel systems. The Solar Rating and Certification Corporation, a Florida-based non-profit,
Solar Energy
Mount Diablo Unified School District Awards Largest Solar School Contract to SunPower
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
11.2 Megawatt Contract is the Largest Issued by a School District in the U.S.; $192 Million in Savings Expected Over 30 YearsSAN JOSE, Calif., December 2, 2010 – Mount Diablo Unified School District and SunPower Corp. (Nasdaq: SPWRA, SPWRB) today announced an award to SunPower for the design, installation and maintenance of solar power systems at 51 schools, totaling 11.2 megawatts of solar capacity. Resulting from a rigorous selection process, the agreement is the largest contract issued to ins
Solar Energy
California school district grants largest solar contract
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The U.S.' largest solar contract to be awarded by a school district was granted on Thursday when SunPower Corporation signed on to build $60 million worth of photovoltaic systems for California's Mount Diablo Unified School District, according to published reports.The San Jose-based company intends to ultimately fulfill the assignment in early 2012, by when it will have installed more than 35,000 solar panels capable of generating 11.2 megawatts of solar capacity. The school system, loca
Solar Energy
Mass middle school angling for solar panels
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A town west of Boston is considering a renewable energy plan that could save more than $15,000 during the first year after it installs solar panels atop a middle school, according to published reports.Natick town and school department officials are interested in installing panels on Kennedy Middle School, which will cost one-third of what it presently pays. Energy generated by solar power costs as much as 0.06 cents per kilowatt hour while the town now pays 0.18 cents per kilowatt hour."You
Solar Energy
Maryland grade school to be powered by solar panels
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A Southern Maryland grade school is planning to celebrate the installation of solar panels that will power the classrooms, according to published reports.George Washington Carver Elementary School in Great Mills will be endowed with a 500 kilowatt solar system, according to the Baltimore Sun. About 2,200 solar panels atop the St. Mary's County school will produce about 667,000 kilowatt hours of electricity in one year, according to Standard Solar of Rockville, Maryland, who is assisting with
Solar Policy
Civic board to discuss whether farmland can host solar panels
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A New Jersey township's zoning board is scheduled to discuss Thursday evening whether solar panels can be installed on a 50-acre plot, according to published reports.Farmland on Kuhl Road in Raritan Township is zoned for agricultural purposes but Garden Solar leased the land for other purposes, the Hunterdon County Democrat reports. The Raritan Township Zoning Board of Adjustment will review the application filed by Garden Solar."It is rare that an alternative use of land has this posit
Solar Energy
Suburban Vegas solar plant completed
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Construction of the biggest photovoltaic plant in the United States has been completed.The 48-megawatt solar farm is 40 miles southeast of Las Vegas and it encompasses more than half a square mile of land, according to published accounts. The energy it generates will be sold by Pacific Gas & Electric.Sempra Generation of San Diego announced construction has completed. Workers from First Solar of Tempe, Arizona built the plant in less than one year. First Solar also supplied the solar panels
Solar Policy
Solar plant's approval re-instated
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
State regulators have re-issued approval for a controversial solar power plant in the Southern California desert after its opponents claimed it had no business being licensed in the first place, Reuters reports.Permission to construct the $2 billion Calico plant was reinstated by the California Energy Commission to Tessera Solar after the commission pulled back permission last month. The California Unions for Reliable Energy opposes the plant because it believes the environmental impact will be
Solar Energy
Solar ship wows crowds
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The world's largest solar vessel has left the United States.En route to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Southeast Mexico, the Turanor PlanetSolar was created by a Swiss engineer bent on demonstrating to the world the capacities of solar power, according to published accounts. As part of its global tour, the 100-foot-long and 50-foot-wide boat covered by 537 square meters of photovoltaic solar cells docked in Miami for a four-day visit.Prior to Southern Florida, the ship was i
Solar Energy
Texas lags in solar energy generation
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Texas, the ninth-ranked U.S. state for levels of sunlight that could be converted to solar energy, runs the risk of economically lagging behind other states if it does not capitalize on the renewable source, according to a published report.The Lone Star State ranks 16th for amount of generated solar energy per installed supplies, according to the Dallas News. The top-ranked state, California, hosts the world's largest solar thermal power plant and is seeing lots of investments dollars from T
Solar Energy
Ricoh to go solar on California HQ
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Ricoh Electronics is planning to install solar panels on the roof of its headquarters in Tustin, California, which would save the company $56,000 per year, reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and follow suit with two of its buildings in Japan.When finished in 2011, the energy generated will supply one-tenth of headquarters' energy needs, the company announced, also noting its three decades worth of environmental contributions."Installation of this system is a natural extension of Ricoh'
Solar Energy
IMO Presents South Carolina's Largest Solar Tracker
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
South Carolina's largest solar tracker will be presented during an event held by IMO on Tuesday, December 14th, from 3:30 until 7:00 pm. It follows the South Carolina Solar Council's meeting from 1:00 to 3:00 pm, and is an acknowledgment of renewable energy's increasing presence in South Carolina. The event is also a celebration of IMO's recent solar installations; five solar-powered LED street lamps and the dual-axis solar tracker, which has a 1,600 ft² solar module surface and a significant pe
Solar Energy
Solar-powered boat visits Sunshine State
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A solar-powered boat on a first-ever around-the-world voyage stopped in the Sunshine State over the weekend.Having arrived from Monaco, the Turanor PlanetSolar is believed to be the largest and most advanced solar powered boat ever built, according to the Miami Herald. It is aiming to circle the globe fueled only by sunlight and the four-day Miami visit is one of two U.S. stops."We want to show what we can do with solar power,'' Raphael Domjan, a Swiss engineer and the brains behind
Green Energy
Renewable energy helps decrease global pollution
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The popularity of cleaner energy via wind turbines and photovoltaic resources has benefited the world by decreasing pollution, according to results of a recent study published in a journal cited by the Associated Press.Global emissions dropped 1.3 percent from 2008 to 2009 partly because of the slow world economy, according to the study led by Pierre Friedlingstein of the University of Exeter in England. About 453 million less tons of carbon dioxide were emitted in 2009 than the year prior. Yet
Green Energy
PSEG Applauds Move To Accelerate Offshore Wind Development
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
(November 23, 2010 – Newark, NJ) - Scott Jennings, president of PSEG Global, issued the following statement regarding Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announcing an initiative to facilitate siting, leasing and construction of offshore wind projects off the Atlantic Coast: “This is welcome news, a promising step forward. Secretary Salazar should be commended for taking this initiative to reduce red tape and help create an environment that supports clean energy investments. Streamlinin
Solar Energy
Air Force considers solar for Las Vegas base
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A U.S. Air Force base in Nevada plans to draw at least 50 percent of its daytime electricity requirements by the end of 2011, according to published reports.Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas would help take a step toward meeting the Defense Department’s objective of having one-quarter of its energy generated by renewable sources by 2025. As it eyes a 160-acre plot for the photovoltaic array, the base is actively seeking public feedback for the project it enthusiastically anticipates."
Solar Energy
Company developing spray-on solar coating
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A Maryland company developing a spray coating that can convert a window into a solar panel is working on commercializing the technology, according to published accounts.New Energy Technologies intends to accelerate development of this project in order to bring it to market. During the next year the company plans to streamline its efficiency, enhance its performance, and improve the system's strength to encourage its durability."In upcoming quarters and the year ahead, we anticipate unde
Solar Policy
Controversial solar plant on hold
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Opponents protesting a controversial solar plant in California have forced the California Energy Commission to temporarily withdraw approval, Reuters reports.The Calico Project, a 663.5 megawatt project belonging to NTR Tessera Solar was improperly licensed, according to opponents. California Unions for Reliable Energy wrote the commission earlier this month, claiming Calico had not filed required paperwork about environmental consequences. The Sierra Club may join
Solar Energy
Solar program benefits poor
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A Colorado solar developer has embarked on a project to provide solar power free of cost to California residents whose income qualifies them for the perk, according to published reports.Main Street Power Company of Boulder will work with a Morgan Stanley subsidiary on the public-private partnership that also includes Central Coast Energy Services of California and the Association of California Community Energy Services, which is directing the project."This solar ene
Solar Business
Solar company in Arizona claims 500 percent sales increase
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
An Arizona company specializing in residential solar installation claims a 500 percent increase in business for 2010, according to published reports.Sky High Energy of Scottsdale attributed the gains to rising energy costs and an increased demand for residential solar installations. A large demand for solar panel installation has come from the Phoenix area."We've been inundated with calls daily as people are frantic to get their systems installed before the rebates get slashed further,&
Solar Policy
Rebates to Florida's solar consumers take form
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Lawmakers in Florida have opened opportunities for consumers to recover rebate money from energy saving programs that were discontinued months ago because of insufficient funding for the projects, according to published reports.Governor Charlie Crist signed legislation passed last week by lawmakers during a special session. They approved allotting $31 million in federal stimulus funds for those who purchased solar power systems or heat and air conditioning systems that were extra-efficient and w
Solar Policy
North Jersey city's 12 buildings to draw power from the sun
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
By opting to derive some operating energy needs from solar power, a New Jersey city is among municipalities drawing power from alternative and renewable sources, according to published reports.City administrators of Garfield, a New York suburb, officially agreed to have 12 municipal buildings powered by solar technologies, according to NorthJersey.com. The North Jersey city agreed to partner with Amberjack Solar Energy on November 8 for power purchases.The agreement is &
Solar Policy
Southern California Energy chases state requirements
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A West Coast power utility has committed to purchase 259-megawatts-worth of renewable energy from solar plants and a wind farm, according to published reports.Southern California Edison is acting to fulfill California state requirements mandating that utilities provide 20 percent of their power from renewable energy sources by 2010, according to BrighterEnergy.org. Those figures increase to 33 percent by 2020."We view these agreements as a win for business, a win for our customers, and a wi
Solar Policy
Floridians to receive solar rebates
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Florida governor Charlie Crist signed a law that enables the state to reimburse solar power consumers with the rebates they signed up for, according to published reports.As a follow-up to legislators passing bills on Tuesday in Tallahassee, including one to accept $31 million in federal money for rebates, the governor signed the bill on Wednesday."I am pleased that the Floridians who have been anxiously awaiting the Legislature's action on this bill will finally be able to take advantag
Solar Energy
Eagles to soar with solar in 2011
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The Philadelphia Eagles announced Thursday they plan to install solar panels atop their home stadium, marking the first stadium in the world to to run solely on self-generated renewable energy, Agence France-Presse reports.Lincoln Financial Field will be outfitted with solar panels in time for the beginning of the 2011 season. The team's joint venture with Solar Blue of Florida, who will invest $30 million in the project, also includes a duel fuel co-generation plant."The Philadelphia E
Solar Energy
Utah city celebrates state's largest solar electrical system
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Attached to the roof of a Hyrum, Utah Northeast Utah city's public works building are solar panels that provide clean, renewable energy to the city's grid. The library hosts a computer that records how much renewable energy and power is generated, according to published reports.Supporters of the solar program gathered Wednesday at the library in Hyrum where they and the city's leader enjoyed a ribbon cutting ceremony to kick off the city turning greener."The project is the large
Solar Policy
Program encourages use of renewable energy
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A program in New Hampshire between the state and its university has made $500,000 available for entrepreneurs who can capitalize on the creation of clean technology jobs, according to published reports.Now in its second year, the Green Launching Pad joins University of New Hampshire with the New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning is focused on creating energy-related jobs. The newly-available funding for green development was announced Monday."As we emerge from this recession, New Hamp
Solar Policy
Floridians due solar rebates see progress
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Solar energy system consumers in the Sunshine State soon might see progress on the state rebates they filed for when purchasing the systems, according to published reports.The Florida legislature on Tuesday voted to receive $31 million in federal stimulus money that was earmarked for consumers of solar panels and energy efficient air conditioning. Consumers will not receive the full amount intended via Florida's two state rebate programs. But those who filed the paperwork in time will see so
Solar Policy
NC utility to begin paying rebates
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
North Carolina customers soon will receive as much as $10,000 from Progress Energy for the rooftop solar panels they installed, according to published reports.As approved earlier this week by the state utilities commission, SunSense - the solar energy incentive - will further slash prices for solar panels. When merged with tax credits from the state and the federal government, eligible consumers will end up having paid one-third of the total cost.A policy analyst at the state Solar Center in Ral
Solar Policy
Republicans unlikely to extend grant program
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Supporters of a federal grant program encouraging investment in the U.S. solar industry are aiming to have it extended beyond the end of this year, when it is scheduled to expire, Reuters reports.Part of the exigency to beating the end-of-the-year deadline is capitalizing on the lame duck Congress because Republicans, who will take control of the U.S. House of Representatives, are less supportive of the renewable energy in general and President Obama's energy policy in particular."We ha
Solar Energy
Researchers study solar drawn from streets
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Engineers from the University of Rhode Island are delving into methods of capitalizing on solar energy radiating off roadways, according to published reports.Melting ice, powering streetlights, illuminating signs, heating buildings, establishing recharging stations for electric cars and numerous other uses are under consideration."We have mile after mile of asphalt pavement around the country, and in the summer it absorbs a great deal of heat, warming the roads up to 140 degrees or more,&qu
Solar Policy
California regulators to review two more plants
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Two large solar projects proposed for the same Southern California county are seeking approval from California regulators by the end of the year so they may capitalize on federal stimulus money granting as much as 30 percent of funding, according to published reports.Discussions about the 500-megawatt Palen Solar Power Project and the 150-megawatt Rice Solar Energy Project are scheduled before the California Energy Commission.Solar Millennium is developing the Palen project on a 5,200-acre site
Solar Energy
DOI approves solar plant for Nevada
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The federal government granted approval on Monday for a 500-megawatt solar-thermal plant on federal land in Nevada, Dow Jones Newswires reports.Solar Trust of America, a merging of Ferrostaal AG and Solar Millennium of Germany, is developing the Amargosa Farm Road solar project. The price tag with the project is $3 billion."Our commitment to the development of clean, renewable energy is creating new jobs that will aid in our economic recovery, protect our environment and transform the way o
Solar Policy
Sunshine State supports solar energy
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Eighty-seven percent of Floridians very favorably view solar energy as well as other renewable sources, according to published reports.Florida TaxWatch released a report describing a statewide survey in the Sunshine State that concludes renewable energy use is very popular and residents would not mind if their utility bill were to rise about one dollar to that end."This survey provides valuable insight for our new Governor, Cabinet and lawmakers as they work to build meaningful renewable en
Solar Energy
Fenway Center to break ground in Boston
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Developers, civic leaders and other interested folk will break ground today on Fenway Center, a $450 million project that ultimately will have five buildings that will derive a significant portion of their power from solar panels installed on the structures, The Boston Globe reports.When all is said and done, what is now underused parking lot space will be filled with apartment homes, office buildings and storefronts. The local public transportation center also will be upgraded as part of the pr
Solar Energy
New England's largest solar plant to begin generating later this month
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
New England's largest solar plant is in the final stages of preparation before it begins delivering power to about 300 homes later this month, the Associated Press reports.The Western Massachusetts Electric Company's project in Pittsfield, Massachusetts has more than 6,500 solar panels, will generate more than 1,800 kilowatts, and costs $9.4 million. It sets the stage for an even larger project for nearby Springfield, it will create solar industry jobs, and will give oil-burning furnaces
Solar Energy
Prudential looks to approach 10-year energy goal
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Prudential Financial believes it has made significant progress toward achieving a 10-year goal it set in 2003: reducing its carbon emissions by 30 percent.Prudential has installed solar panels on it New Jersey headquarters, devoted the past several years to improving its energy efficiency, and, earlier this week, it celebrated the solar panel installation on its Scottsdale, Arizona facility."We don't like to make forward-looking statements," according to Prudential spokeswoman Kare
Solar Business
Solar power helps treat water
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Water in New Jersey is being improved thanks to assistance from solar power.Four "Solar Bees" have landed in American Water's Canoe Brook reservoir to streamline the treatment process, according to published accounts. Those bees actually are portable mixers with solar panels on top that agitate the water in a 1.5 gallon reservoir that's subject to natural and weather-related circumstances."The challenges we faced this summer should, for the most part, be a thing of the pas
Solar Business
Wisconsin's solar industry draws credit
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A report ranked Wisconsin fifth in U.S. states in terms of creating jobs connected to installing solar power components, according to published reports.The National Solar Jobs Census pegged the Upper Midwest state with being a leader in the region, establishing solar power as a stronghold in the state, being a source of job creation in the years to come. The report was compiled with assistance from the Solar Foundation and Green LMI Consulting. Cornell University of Ithaca, New York contributed
Solar Energy
Solar tower planned for undisclosed site in Arizona
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Construction plans are underway for a solar tower facility in Arizona that would trump the height of Paris' Eiffel Tower – more than three times over.Forbes reports a Phoenix subsidiary of Australian solar energy start-up EnviroMission has embarked on the environmental review process by filing the appropriate paperwork with the Arizona Power Plant and Transmission Line Siting Committee. EnviroMission Limited, the subsidiary, plans to build two towers that each would generate 200 megawa
Solar Business
Silicon Valley solar plant anticipating profitable 2011
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The largest solar panel manufacturer in the Silicon Valley of California reported profits in excess of $20 million during the third quarter, according to published reports.SunPower of San Jose - whose clients are residential and commercial, domestic and international - likely will finish 2010 with more than $2 billion as shares increased to $14.25 following after-hours trading. During the third quarter, SunPower’s revenues were $554. Its revenues from the second quarter were $392 million,
Solar Energy
Solar plant planned for Antelope Valley
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
About 76,000 homes north of Los Angeles will be powered by a photovoltaic plant approved by county supervisors, according to published reports.Rosamond Solar in Antelope Valley will generate as much as 200 megawatts at its facility 90 miles north of Los Angeles. Sempra Energy of Southern California anticipates beginning work on the project in 2012 and finishing it in 2013. Building the facility will create as many as 300 construction jobs.Sempra's solar project will be constructed on private
Green Energy
U of Delaware to install solar paneling on three buildings
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The field house at the University of Delaware in Newark will host the state's largest solar panel system, according to published accounts.The highly visible photovoltaic panels will be owned and installed by Maryland-based Standard Solar, who recently opened offices in Newark and intends to widen its business interests. The agreement stipulates Standard Solar will sell the energy to the university for the next 20 years."Delaware's been a great state for us with the recent legislatio
Solar Business
Study explores Fort Sumter's renewability
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A study is underway to determine whether a historical landmark can be sustained by renewable energy sources including solar power, according to published accounts.South Carolina's Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor could see the renewable systems installed in summer 2011, just months before the site marks its 150th anniversary of being bombed by the Confederates to begin the Civil War, the Post and Courier reports."The beauty of the Fort Sumter location is that the electric power demands
Solar Energy
Appalachian State University to compete in Solar Decathlon 2011
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A North Carolina university won a competition to compete in an Energy Department contest that challenges teams to construct homes that are sustainable and leave a low carbon footprint.Appalachian State University in Boone is one of 20 schools from throughout the world that will compete in Solar Decathlon 2011, which will be in September 2011 on the National Mall in Washington. The school's entry is called Solar Homestead, a 1,000 square foot house with detached
Solar Policy
Green Energy
U.S. to spur green innovation through extension of fast patent approval
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
In an effort to spur innovation in green energy, The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is extending its program that accelerates the review of applications for inventions that improve the environment and reduce harmful greenhouse-gas emissions.The agency set its deadline to December 31, 2011 in hopes that the extra time will allow it to meet its goal of 3,000 applications. Currently, the program has granted 79 patents since the governmental initiative began about a year ago. Usually, wait time fo
Solar Policy
California school aims for carbon neutrality by 2016
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
As part of its effort to be carbon neutral by 2016, a California school installed photovoltaic solar panels last month, according to published reports.Santa Clara University's 1 megawatt system was installed in October on the roofs of the event center, the recreation center and the parking garage and it helps shave extra costs incurred during peak periods, such as the summer. It also will help with big spikes in use, which also typically occur during the summer.The Jesuit school in the Silic
Green Energy
Walmart to expand solar paneling at stores in California and Arizona
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Walmart announced it soon will nearly double the number of stores that use solar panels for energy, increasing from the 31 presently equipped with the renewable energy source at stores in California and Hawaii to as many as 30 more elsewhere in the Golden State and Arizona.The announcement comes on the heels of the company announcing on Monday that solar paneling has been completed at its store in Stockton, California."The new solar installation on the Stockton store is yet another example
Solar Energy
Have solar power, will bike the world
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
An American trying his very best to be the first man to ride his bike around the world has much luck traveling during the day, according to Fox news.Maybe that's because his cell phone and iPod are operating with assistance of energy collected by a solar panel.Joseph Ascencao left Providence, Rhode Island on August 13. For the past nine months, he's been planning and researching the trip, which he believes will take as long as five years and 57,000 miles. Though he is eager about being t
Solar Business
Wells Fargo, GCL Solar team to produce solar power
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Wells Fargo, one of the largest banks in the United States, and GCL Solar, a leader in solar energy equipment, formed a partnership to build photovoltaic power plants across the country. The venture will make solar power more readily available, decreasing the environmental toll of other energy sources like oil and coal.Wells Fargo committed $100 million to the project and will finance the plants that GCL Solar will build and operate. The move allows GCL Solar to provide a cleaner, more cost effi
Solar Business
New England companies set sights on China
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Several New England solar energy companies have their sights trained on competing with and serving business interests of China, a country that generates cheap panels and established its heavy presence in the industry in 2008 and 2009, the Boston Globe reports.Stellaris of North Billerica is using less photovoltaic material to devise new solar panels with a plastic case that directs sunlight to the photovoltaic material. GT Solar, Spire Corporation and BTU International have offices across from S
Solar Policy
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Green Energy
Large solar power plant approved
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The federal government yesterday approved the construction of the Genesis Solar Project, one of the most ambitious clean energy projects in US history. The enterprise will create over 1,000 jobs in California and could potentially power up to187,500 homes with clean energy.The scope of the project is vast, with just about 2,000 acres of public land allocated for its facilities in Riverside County, California. The plant will utilize parabolic trough solar thermal technology to produce the clean e
Solar Policy
Florida Republicans prepare to disburse solar rebates
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Legislators in Florida have proposed a special legislative session for the middle of the month to discuss distribution of federal funds for energy rebates, according to the Associated Press.The state's newly elected Republicans will help control the legislature and the meeting is tentatively scheduled for the day when lawmakers gather to discuss post-election organization and aspirations."We're sending a very clear message today: 'We're ready to go to work.'" Senate
Solar Business
NJ solar shop merges two sides of business into one office
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A New Jersey branch of a solar company that grew tired of splitting its time between two bases announced this week that booming business has allowed it to move into a new facility that is significantly larger and a lot more convenient.Employees of Mercury Solar Systems no longer have to handle warehouse issues in one location and sales issues in the other because both vital company components have been joined under a new facility. The move was a necessary remedy to growing pains considering the
Solar Energy
Florida company markets solar kits for golf carts
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A Sunshine State company is capitalizing on a natural product for the benefit of a pastime enjoyed year-round by many people in the state.Gulf City Solar of Bonita Springs, Florda is selling a solar power kit for golf carts as part of a partnership with Golf Ventures of Lakeland, according to published reports.The solar kit consists of flexible thin-film solar panels that can be attached to a golf cart's roof, with the assistance of two-sided tape. When removed, the panels come off without l
Solar Business
Solar leasing explores DC market
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A company that helps homeowners, businesses and other facilities install solar paneling on their roofs has begun leasing operations in Washington, D.C., published reports indicate.Customers of Sol Lease, an arm of Sol Systems, will save about 15 percent on utility bills and they will pay no upfront costs for solar panel installation on their roofs. Rather, they'll pay monthly per the terms of a contract as their utility bills go down in price."We are proud to be able to offer Sol Lease,
Solar Policy
California strides toward cutting greenhouse gases
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
As part of its effort to reduce greenhouse gas pollution, an official California body has released its proposed greenhouse gas cap-and-trade regulation.The plan unveiled late last month by the California Air Resources Board underscores the importance and value of the numerous renewable energy projects during the past two months, according to the Solar Home & Business Journal. It also comes as electric automobiles begin entering the market."This program is a crucial element of reducing o
Solar Energy
NJ poles going solar
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
As many as 200,000 poles in New Jersey will be outfitted early this month with solar energy devices, throughout the Garden State's six largest cities and about 300 suburbs, published reports indicate.Contractors for PSE&G of Newark will install the renewable energy panels on utility poles and street lights on main streets and in residential neighborhoods, kicking off what is believed to be the globe's largest solar attachment, according to NJ.com."The solar panels
Solar Energy
Two NJ schools partner with renowned solar firm
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Two public schools in North Jersey are benefiting from a partnership with a solar company recently recognized as an up-and-coming company.The schools in Newark's system have rooftop and carport solar systems, which will combine to generate 1.2 megawatts of power, according to cleanenergyauthority.com. Mercury Solar Systems of Port Chester, New York built and installed over 4,000 solar panels atop a high school and an elementary school."Mercury Solar Systems is c
Solar Energy
Drugmaker constructing nation's largest solar roof
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The United Kingdom's largest drugmaker is constructing the U.S.' largest solar rooftop at its Southeastern Pennsylvania distribution center, Bloomberg reports.GlaxoSmithKline will install 11,000 solar panels to generate 3 megawatts, which will power the York building for an entire year, reduce energy costs, and slash greenhouse gas emission. Suntech Power Holdings Company will manufacture the panels."This is just the beginning of a four-part strategy to go solar," Larry Brown,
Green Energy
Tennessee Valley to see uptick in solar, wind projects
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Solar power and additional renewable electricity sources will see significant development in the Tennessee Valley thanks to an authoritative body establishing an initiative to encourage their use, the Solar Home & Business Journal reports.The Tennessee Valley Authority Renewable Standard Offer will prompt more regional renewable energy development by permitting developers to commence long-term price contracts with it, allowing for programs that will generate as much as 20 megawatts of electr
Solar Energy
Nursing home becomes state's first to use solar power
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A Virginia nursing home has become the state's first to take on solar power, an act that's expected to save the facility as much as $149,000 over the 15-year term of its agreement with the North Carolina solar firm that assisted with installation.Less than two years after opening, Dinwiddie Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Petersburg is expecting to save 20 percent on its hot water heating bills with a 32-panel system. SolTherm of Asheville, North Carolina conducted studies th
Solar Business
Texas firm devising plan for South Africa solar park
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A Texas-based company has been retained by the government of South Africa to devise the world's largest solar park, a 5 gigawatt facility eyed for the Northern Cape, according to Reuters.Fluor Corporation of Irving, Texas will unveil a more detailed idea of the solar park at the South African Solar Park Investors Conference scheduled for October 28 and 29 in Upington, Northern Cape Province of South Africa. An arm of the William J. Clinton Foundation assisted with the pre-feasibility study.&
Solar Energy
Indiana student harnesses solar power for motorcycles
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
An Indiana college student succeeded in building a solar-powered motorcycle - and he's already working on a sequel with a longer range and more power.The 1978 Suzuki belonging to Tony Danger Coiro, a physics major at Purdue University, hits top speed at 45 miles per hour and 24-miles-worth of distance. Not bad for a $50 initial investment, followed by $2,500-worth of redesigning and retrofitting."The riding experience is surreal," the junior said, according to Purdue University New
Solar Energy
Upstate NY municipal buildings to install solar panels
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A western New York State town will outfit five municipal buildings with solar panels in the spring.The renewable energy on the buildings in Tonawanda, a northern suburb of Buffalo, will generate 25 kilowatts of electricity – enough to power three average-size homes, according to the local newspaper."It will be enough to run our administration areas, plus or minus a few other entities," town technical support director Michael Kaiser told the Tonawanda News.The Tonawanda town board
Solar Business
Sister companies open hydrogen filling station in Connecticut
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Southern Connecticut saw its first solar powered hydrogen filling station open earlier this month, an alternate fuel source that does not generate pollution but assists travel on highways with sun and water.The merging of efforts between Proton Energy Systems and SunHydro produced a fueling station in Wallingford, where the sister companies are located, according to Business Wire. Their product only will generate water vapor."This new SunHydro station is a step away from fossil fuels, and a
Green Energy
Study: Offshore turbines worth extra costs
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Floating wind turbines catch stronger, more consistent winds when situated deeper into the seas, an English company's feasibility study has determined.The Energy Technologies Institute's Project Deepwater determined that the initial costs pertaining to establishing foundations for floating turbines is a worthwhile investment – though more complicated and more expensive – because these costs are offset by gusts that are dependable and deliver higher energy because they are str
Solar Energy
Michigan working on solar projects
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The State of Michigan is redoubling its efforts to cultivate solar power as a resource for electrical demands.Despite the northern state's frigid winters, the Department of Energy and the state energy office are encouraging solar applications, noting a variety are functioning or developing in the state, officials said."Our focus is to continue to grow the solar industry in terms of implementation and funding," said Amy Butler, director for the Department of Energy, Labor and Econom
Solar Energy
Sun powers Sunshine State community transporter
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Members of a community in the southwest of the Sunshine State are increasingly mobile thanks in part to the very item after which their state is named.A tram drawing solar power transports more than 800,000 passengers in Pelican Bay, which is located on the Gulf of Mexico. Logging more than 25,000 miles per year, the tram spares the skies over the community about 22,000 pounds of carbon after abandoning gasoline for a more environmentally conscious power source."We look forward to effective
Solar Business
Program preps Fla inmates for post-release solar careers
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Florida inmates approaching their release dates are getting an opportunity at a second chance that can put them directly on the forefront of the green technology industry, according to the International Business Times.The Department of Justice awarded a $740,000 grant that the Florida Department of Corrections will use to open a program to produce certified solar panel installers. The program, part of the Second Chance Act Technology Careers Training Demonstration Projects for Incarcerated Adult
Solar Energy
LA completes solar-powered parking meter installation
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Los Angeles finished installing 10,000 solar-powered parking meters throughout the city on Thursday, a project enabling consumers' use of coins and credit cards that already has boosted city revenue and benefited with energy-saving measures.The city partnered with IPS, Inc. of San Diego for the lease-to-own meter project, which generated about $230,000 in additional revenue during September and has the potential to earn as much as $2.5 million in one year, which would more than double projec
Solar Energy
CalTech activates solar panels, meets power goal
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A California university activated its 1.1 megawatt solar energy system, meeting the school's objective of installing 1.3 megawatts of solar power by 2010.California Institute of Technology's more than 4,500 solar panels will generate about 1,646,668 kilowatt hours of clean energy during its first year of operation. CalTech entered into the agreement with Perpetual Energy Systems, an independent power producer who owns, operates and maintains the system."CalTech is making great strid
Solar Energy
British firm developing South Jersey solar plant with rotating panels
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Twenty-one acres of brownfield in South Jersey will be a 5-megawatt solar farm by the end of the first quarter of next year, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.British chemical manufacturer Johnson Matthey will develop the project in West Deptford and purchase the power it generates for 20 years. Constellation Energy will finance and maintain the photovoltaic plant.SunPower Corp will supply solar panels that rotate to follow the trajectory of the sun's rays, a system that catches about 25 per
Solar Energy
Private solar plant under construction on city land
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
City-owned land in Central California soon will see a privately-owned solar plant that is expected to be in operation by the end of the year.Construction has begun on land west of the Porterville airport to install more than 29,000 solar panels that will supply about 4,300 homes with energy. The plant is expected to be one of California's largest privately-owned solar plants and the panels will be installed directly on the ground."We're going to put electricity directly into the nei
Solar Energy
Chevron, California school district merge solar efforts
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The Huntington Beach City School District and Chevron Energy are merging efforts to construct a 618 kilowatt solar system expected to power 30 percent of the southern California school district.On Wednesday, the school district broke ground for the project that will see photovoltaic solar panels installed on three elementary and two middle schools, according to the school district. Construction will begin in November and continue through December."We're really excited," said Jon Ar
Solar Policy
Interior approves solar plant for Mojave
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A large solar energy plant won approval for construction on public land in California on Wednesday, the AP reports.The Mojave Desert in Southern California will host a 663.5 megawatt solar energy plant that could power as many as 500,000 homes, according to the Interior Department.The approval issued by Ken Salazar, Interior Department secretary, authorizes the Bureau of Land Management – an Interior subagency – to avail Tessera Solar of more than 4,600 acres for a 30-year period so
Solar Energy
One of nation's largest solar plants slated for NJ
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Officials broke ground on Wednesday for what will be one of the U.S.' largest solar farms: 71,000 solar panels on a 100-acre farm in southern New Jersey that will generate 20 megawatts of power when operating in Spring 2011.Located in Pilesgrove, about 20 miles from Wilmington, Delaware, the solar farm will be co-developed by Panda Power Funds of Dallas and Con Edison Development of Valhalla, New York, according to AP.New Jersey state officials have long been pushing solar energy, and additi
Solar Business
Solar business conference proves to be popular
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Solar businesses were wall-to-wall at last week's Solar Power International business-to-business conference as attendance increased significantly from the year before.A record 1,100 exhibitors saw more than 27,000 registered visitors pass in and out of three exhibit halls. Only two halls were used last year.The three-day event that ended October 14 demonstrated what was new in the solar industry. It was free and open to the public.Event organizers were challenged at this year's event by
Solar Energy
IKEA to widen solar use
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Seven IKEA stores and one distribution center in California will see solar panels installed on their roofs, with construction possibly beginning as early as late fall.Once government permits are issued, almost 20,000 panels total will generate a total of 4.5 megawatts. That amount is enough to supply yearly electricity to 580 homes. The solar array will prevent emissions equivalent to those generated by 914 cars and stop the emission of 5,268 tons of carbon dioxide into the skies over California
Solar Energy
NJ eyeing one of state's largest solar systems
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Construction will soon begin on a solar panel system in North Jersey that will generate more than 7.6 megawatts of power, making it one of the largest in the state.Somerset County's $40 million project will power official buildings, draw tax savings of more than $1 million per year, and annually clear the air of more than 15 million pounds of carbon emissions and 3,000 tons of coal that would have been used to generate electricity.Vanguard Energy Partners will manage the project, for which c
Solar Business
Solar Census: Industry is thriving
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
U.S. solar companies will create jobs far more rapidly than will the general economy, according to a newly released assessment of the solar industry. Over the next 12 months, a 26 percent job growth rate will create 24,000 jobs, according to the first National Solar Jobs Census 2010. By contrast, the U.S. economy projects to grow by 2 percent during the same period.About 93,000 employees worked in the solar industry as of August, according to the census released on October 13. More than half of
Solar Energy
Solar power assists trash compacting
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Two Eastern Massachusetts municipalities are making the most of assistance from the sun when compacting trash and reducing litter in public places.Newton recently added 18 BigBelly Solar Intelligent Waste Collection Systems to the five already in operation since 2006. And Hopkinton acquired three, valued at a total of $13,000."I'd like to see more go in," said Nancy Dourney, chair of Hopkinton's Sustainable Green Committee.Also in use in Boston and Cambridge, BigBelly Solar Com
Green Energy
RFK Jr. expounds firm belief in renewable energy
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A scion of one of America's great political dynasties discussed his firm belief in renewable energy as keynote speaker of mayoral conference convened to discuss water.Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., spoke of three keys to facilitate sustainable energy’s success in the United States at the U.S. Conference of Mayors Water Council in Pleasanton, California on Thursday."We need to build a national supergrid," said the son of the former attorney general and slain presidential candidate.Hi
Solar Policy
DOI approves two solar plants on public land
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The Interior Department granted approval to construct two large-scale solar plants on public land in California, a precedent that likely will pave the way for follow-up projects.The Imperial Valley Solar Project, projected to generate as much as 709 megawatts from more than 28,000 solar dishes and power at least 212,000 homes, will be constructed by Tessara Solar of Texas. Chevron Energy Solutions of California is slated to build a 45-megawatt facility with more than 40,000 solar panels to power
Green Energy
Wind farm dedicated at center of North America
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
As many as 45,000 homes are powered by a wind farm located in the US state at the geographic center of North America, whose senator called it "truly … the Saudi Arabia of wind energy potential" earlier this week.The Rugby Wind Power Project, whose 71 wind turbines generate 149 megawatts of clean, renewable energy, is in Pierce County, North Dakota. Dedicated earlier this week, the wind farm is the most recent to go live in North Dakota."The new wind farm in Rugby is importa
Solar Policy
Hawaii sets precedent as state regulators permit selling excess solar power
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Benefits abound for homeowners and businesses using solar power panels in Hawaii.The Hawaii Public Utilities Commission ruled on Wednesday that those whose panels contribute to the electric grid will be paid nearly 0.22 cents per kilowatt hour, a feed-in tariff program used in Germany, under consideration in California, and gaining popularity in the region where Hawaii is setting a precedent."This is an option for people who generate more energy than they use," said Scott Seu, vice pre
Green Energy
New Jersey flattered as 'Saudi Arabia of wind'
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Worldwide industrialists eyeing wind power potential last week toured the Jersey-Atlantic Windfarm, looking to gain valuable insight from the five wind turbines that power the Atlantic County sewage plant.Excess energy generated by the public-private project in operation for the past five years is sold to the grid. The facility is New Jersey's only electricity-generating wind farm."New Jersey is the Saudi Arabia of wind because of the length of the coastline and the category 4 and 5 win
Green Energy
Massachusetts firm to support Nantucket Sound wind farm
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A Massachusetts company will manufacture foundations and devices for turbines for the proposed wind farm slated to be in Nantucket Sound.Governor Deval Patrick announced on Wednesday that Mass Tank of Middleboro will create the country's first facility to manufacture the farm's offshore wind turbine components.He briefly spoke at the Wind Technology Testing Center in metropolitan Boston, stating hundreds of new manufacturing jobs would be created in Massachusetts as a result of an agreem
Solar Business
Permit approved for central Washington solar farm
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A central Washington State county took a significant step earlier this month toward hosting the Northwest's largest solar power plant.Kittitas County Commissioners voted 3-0 on Oct. 5 for a facility featuring about 145 acres-worth of solar panels installed on private forest land that had been logged. The $350 million Teanaway Solar Reserve will have about 400,000 panels and power about 45,000 homes."We are pretty excited to have the permits in hand for what will be the Northwest's l
Solar Energy
Study: Solar power generation to more than double in 2011
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Solar power generation is likely to grow 114 percent during the next year as solar power's popularity will be influenced by government incentives and lowered supply prices, according to an industry study released Tuesday.Developers of solar power will install about 944 megawatts-worth of facilities converting sunlight into electricity, 92 percent of which will use solar panels, according to the study by the Solar Energy Industry Association and GTM Research. The remainder will use solar-ther
Solar Business
California looks to capitalize on sunlight
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Solar power proponents are urging California to implement a government-mandated program requiring utilities to pay homeowners, warehouse operators and companies for power from their rooftop solar installations.Known as a feed-in tariff, the program is aims to boost alternative energy production and is in full operation in Germany."Why are we getting outpaced when countries with scant solar resources are pledging their national economies on this?" Palm Desert Mayor Pro Tem Jim Ferguson
Solar Energy
Taiwan's top cement producer to go solar
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The largest cement maker in Taiwan will follow continue's the national movement toward increasingly green technology and construct a large solar power plant, the company announced on Monday.Taiwan Cement is aiming to build a 100 megawatt plant that is targeting tens of billions of Taiwanese dollars in investment, according to published reports quoting chairman Leslie Koo. They are looking to base the building in Pingtung County.As part of the effort to acquire land in Pingtung County, the ce
Solar Energy
Singapore club to test solar powered golf clubs
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
For the next three months, golfers at a Singapore club will be ferried around the course on a cart equipped with solar panels.Merging the efforts of Sanyo, Singapore Polytechnic and Marina Bay Golf Course, the effort is projected to save as much as $129-worth of electricity per year. The pilot program will be a three-month period.Sanyo will provide the solar panels, retrofit the devices, and conduct project management. Singapore Polytechnic will measure battery performance for a one-year period.
Green Energy
Greece looks to sun and wind to bounce back
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The Greek prime minister is banking on sun and wind to stimulate his country's hobbled economy.Returning to an election pledge, George Papandreou is eyeing an Aegean island as the site of renewable energy sources, predicting his efforts will create more than 200,000 jobs and attract 44 billion Euros in investment by 2015."Green and clean energy is a different growth model," Papandreou said during an Oct. 5 speech in Brussels. "I believe that if we invest there, we will boost o
Green Energy
Wind farms to touch down in Africa
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Cape Verde islands will be the first to host wind farms on African soil.The European Investment Bank and the African Development Bank agreed to finance the project that will ease Cape Verde’s reliance on imported oil, which authorities have long desired. The banks and Cape Verde officials commemorated the pact with a signing ceremony in Washington."This will be the first large scale wind project in Africa and first renewable energy public private partnership in sub-Saharan Africa,&quo
Solar Energy
If you want your own roof's solar paneling done right …
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
  Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed helped install 48 solar voltaic panels on the roof of the presidential residence in the capital of the nation south of India. Over their lifetime, the panels will save $300,000 in electricity costs and spare the environment of 195 tons of carbon dioxide emissions, according to the president’s office and the American company that designed the installation. "The Maldives stands at the front line of climate change and we don’t have the
Solar Energy
Ohio school constructs largest solar roof on campus in the nation
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
An Ohio institute of higher education stands to host the university building with the largest solar panel roof in the country.The College of Wooster in northeast Ohio is working on installing a 271,000 kilowatt solar roof atop the Scot Center, a new student recreation and athletic facility. The new facility is scheduled to open in January 2012, the College of Wooster announced in September."For the last three years we have been getting progressively better organized, more ambitious, and mor
Green Energy
Philadelphia exploring trains' stored energy program
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The City of Philadelphia has begun exploring opportunities to recycle energy created when trains brake.Philadelphia’s transit agency has embarked on a pilot program that stores this energy in a battery system. Opportunities to access the battery's stored energy would be available for use at a later time or the energy can be returned to the grid for more immediate use.Storing power is an attractive opportunity for transit agencies as systems and ridership widen because millions of dolla
Solar Energy
Ontario facility’s upgrade makes it world’s largest
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A Canadian company quadrupled the capacity of one of its power plants, establishing itself as the world’s largest operating photovoltaic facility.The Sarnia Solar Project in Ontario now generates 80 megawatts of energy, up from 20 megawatts. First Solar manufactured the solar panels and will operate the project for Enbridge, owner of the facility in Sarnia. Work was completed last month, and the polished product will be on display on Thursday, Oct. 7.Enbridge earmarked about $300
Solar Policy
Federal land in California to see construction of solar projects
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The Interior Department's secretary "opened up a new chapter on renewable energy" on Tuesday when he signed permits for two solar projects in California. The precedent-setting projects - in Imperial and San Bernardino counties - mark the first solar projects on federal land. The 6,360-acre Imperial County project, to be overseen by San Diego Gas & Electric, will be about 95 miles east of San Diego. Chevron Energy Solutions will oversee the Lucerne Valley project, slated to enc
Solar Policy
Obamas to welcome, encourage solar power
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The First Family soon will draw power from solar devices installed on the White House roof.Energy Department Secretary Steven Chu, at the 2010 GreenGov Symposium in Washington, announced on Tuesday that the move demonstrates President Obama’s support for U.S. leadership in solar energy. Many expect the reliance on solar energy to inspire widespread use across the nation, similar to what was accomplished by the White House Garden belonging to First Lady Michelle Obama.“Deploying solar
Solar Policy
Solar Energy Companies Highlighted by President
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
President Barack Obama devoted much of his latest weekly radio address to the importance of creating green jobs in sectors like wind and solar energy."For decades, we’ve talked about the importance of ending our dependence on foreign oil and pursuing new kinds of energy, like wind and solar power. But for just as long, progress had been prevented at every turn by the special interests and their allies in Washington," said the president.Obama singled out two solar energy companies
Solar Business
Solar energy contributing to green jobs growth
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Some parts of the country are seeing an upswing in green jobs thanks to the growing popularity of renewable energy options such as solar panels and wind turbines.One organization, the Portland-Vancouver Regional Partners Council for Economic Development, recent highlighted some of the economic benefits that the wind and solar energy industries have delivered to the Pacific Northwest."Despite the economic downturn, a number of companies in the Portland Vancouver region have made new investme
Solar Energy
Solar power reportedly used for motorcycle
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Researchers have been making significant inroads into new ways to incorporate solar energy technologies into everyday life - but they aren't the only ones coming up with innovative new ways of using it.In fact, a student at Purdue University made news this week amid reports that he had created a motorcycle that runs on solar power.An Associated Press report said that physics major Tony Coiro had spent $2,500 to add two photovoltaic panels to a 1978 Suzuki motorcycle that uses lead-acid batte
Solar Policy
Solar energy arrays becoming more common on old landfills
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A number of towns, especially in densely populated East Coast regions, have been looking to bring some new life and commercial potential to lands containing old landfills. And in many cases, solar energy is turning out to be an ideal match.One of the latest examples comes from the town of Scituate on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. A report from local radio station WATD-FM says that the town is currently accepting bids on a 15-acre solar array that will be located on top of its capped landfill.The radi
Solar Energy
Solar power plant announced in Arizona
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Arizona is continuing to make more and more progress in taking advantage of its ample sunlight to develop new solar energy plants.According to Arizona Public Service Company, the utility company plans to develop an 18-megawatt solar energy plant in Gila Bend, which is about 70 miles Southwest of Phoenix.The utility indicated that it will own the plant, which will be sited in Gila Bend's new Solar Overlay Zone, which is a fast-track permitting area for photovoltaic projects. According to the
Solar Policy
Solar energy projects making significant progress in California
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
State officials in California are continuing to lay the groundwork for a future that will rely increasingly on renewable energy sources.According to an announcement from the California Energy Commission, it has approved licenses for six solar energy plants in the past five weeks, while licensing a total of 2,829 megawatts of renewable power projects in the state's desert since late August.In its latest actions, the commission approved the Genesis and Imperial Valley solar projects, which are
Solar Business
Solar Energy Set to Power More Cell Phone Towers
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A British company has announced plans to combine wind and solar energy technologies to help power cell phone towers.According to Global Technologies Limited, its small wind turbines will work in conjunction with solar energy technologies to provide sustainable power for cell phone towers."Energy is one of the top expense items for mobile network operators," said the company's managing director Clint Wheelock. "As solar and wind equipment become more cost-effective in the next
Solar Policy
Solar energy industry set to benefit from new storage research
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A recent grant from the National Science Foundation will try to spur new advances in the clean power sector by providing new storage methods for electricity generated from the sun, wind and other sources.Storage has been a key issue long facing the renewable energy industry. For example, solar energy arrays can only generate power during the daylight hours, while wind turbines can do so only during proper conditions.According to an announcement from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the $2 milli
Solar Energy
Solar power becoming more widespread in NFL
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A recent announcement from the New York Jets indicates that the NFL team is going green - and it's got nothing to do with the color of their uniforms.According to the football team, it has completed a new solar energy array at its headquarters and training center in Florham Park, New Jersey. The 3,000 photovoltaic panels used in the project were provided by Chinese company Yingli Solar.The team added that this solar array is now the largest of its kind at any NFL team's headquarters. The
Solar Energy
Solar Energy to power yacht around the world
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
While solar power is most commonly seen as a way to generate clean electricity, researchers are working to develop new applications for this technology - such as transportation. Various companies have already made news with efforts to add solar energy to the world of transportation. For example, Toyota has added a small solar panel to its 2010 Prius to generate energy for its interior. In another well-publicized use of solar energy, a Swiss team is working on an airplane featuring a large numb
Solar Business
Solar power project to be developed with supplies from Sharp
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Japanese electronics giant Sharp has announced that it will be playing a major role in what is expected to become one of the largest solar photovoltaic projects in the world.According to the company, it has signed a supply agreement for the Avenal photovoltaic project in California, which will generate about 58 megawatts of clean electricity. Upon completion, the project is expected to supply power to more than 36,000 homes."This project is one of the largest solar power installations in th
Solar Policy
Solar energy to benefit from new California policies
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
California officials have approved a new renewable energy standard that is likely to make solar energy more widespread than ever in a state that has already established itself as a leader in the clean technology field.The policy approved by the California Air Resources Board will require one-third of the electricity sold in the state to be derived from renewable sources. Supporters point out that along with delivering environmental benefits, the plan will likely spur the development of additiona
Solar Business
Evergreen Solar announces new CEO
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Massachusetts-based solar energy company Evergreen Solar has announced the appointment of a new president and chief executive officer.According to the announcement, Michael El-Hillow is the new company president and CEO, replacing the outgoing Richard Feldt, who is moving on to another CEO position at a different company. El-Hillow has was also re-elected as a company director earlier in the week.During his time with Evergreen Solar, El-Hillow has also served as a chairman of the board and initi
Solar Policy
Solar energy industry likely to gain from proposed legislation
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Recently-introduced legislation in Congress has the potential to make solar energy and other clean technologies more widespread than ever.A bipartisan group of lawmakers, including Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman, has proposed implementing a national renewable electricity standard that would bring about a significant increase in the amount of clean energy generated nationwide.Under the legislation, electric utilities would be required to derive at least 11 pe
Solar Business
Solar Power proving lucrative for DuPont
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A new announcement from DuPont gives some indication of just how rapidly the solar energy industry has grown in a relatively short period of time.According to the company, it expects to report $1 billion in revenue from photovoltaic sales in 2010 alone - a goal that will be reached one year ahead of schedule. A substantial portion of this growth was said to come from innovations improving the efficiency of solar modules."Our broad portfolio of offerings spans crystalline silicon cells and m
Solar Energy
Solar panel project under consideration in Minnesota
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
One of the Midwest's largest utility companies has announced that it is taking some initial steps toward what is expected to become a large solar photovoltaic site in Minnesota. According to Xcel Energy, it is currently seeking a community partner to serve as the host site for the project, which is intended to add a solar component to the Windsource program, which uses wind turbines to generate clean energy. "Wind represents just one form of renewable energy, and our customers have sh
Green Energy
Solar energy one of many emerging clean technologies
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Across the country, homeowners and companies are continuing to invest in solar energy, helping to make the nation that less dependent on imported fossil fuels.However, many energy experts predict it will take a variety of emerging technologies to help protect the environment and to help America break its fossil fuel addiction once and for all. This is why companies are continuing to generate attention as they research things like advanced wind turbines and new ways of generating solar energy.Tha
Solar Business
Solar power researchers developing remarkable new technologies
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
One potentially exciting trend in the solar energy industry is the success researchers are having with new technologies that could allow any number of new innovations to hit the consumer market in the coming years.One recent example was provided by New Energy Technologies, which recently demonstrated its SolarWindow technology at the University of South Florida.According to the company, SolarWindow can be sprayed onto a variety of surfaces, including windows, to generate clean energy from both a
Green Energy
New wind power research facility announced
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Researchers have made it possible for consumers to recoup their investments in renewable power systems by developing new technologies that are more efficient and effective than ever.This has been visible in the form of new solar energy technologies that can be used on more surfaces and structures than ever, and which require less space to generate larger amounts of clean electricity.However, research is also proceeding steadily with regards to wind power, which will play its own important role i
Solar Energy
Former landfills find new life with solar energy
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A large number of major utility-scale solar energy projects are in development or in place throughout many western states. However, land for clean energy projects can be much more difficult to come by in some eastern states that tend to be smaller and more crowded.With this in mind, states like Massachusetts have been turning to former landfill sites to give them a new life as solar energy arrays. A handful of cities around the country, including Chicago, have also been looking to revive brownfi
Solar Business
More homes coming equipped with solar energy arrays
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
As solar energy becomes more widespread and efficient, a growing number of building companies are starting to design homes with renewable energy installations in mind.For example, SunRun and Toll Brothers released a joint announcement this week saying that they are teaming up on some new model homes featuring pre-installed solar panels that are said to require no down payment by homebuyers.The latest result of this partnership was recently unveiled at a community of homes in Yorba Linda, Califor
Solar Policy
Report: Solar brings significant economic benefits to Pennsylvania
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
While the economy has yet to recover fully in most parts of the country, many states are benefiting from solar energy from both an environmental and financial perspective.One such example is Pennsylvania, where the Department of Environmental Protection recently reported that solar energy has produced $1.4 billion in statewide economic benefits in the past year alone.According to DEP Secretary John Hanger, solar energy generation among the state's power pool increased 350 percent, which help
Solar Energy
University of Colorado continues getting greener
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Students at the University of Colorado at Boulder are heading back to class this semester on a campus that is even greener than ever.   According to an announcement from the university, an additional 370 solar panels have been added to the university's existing array, which will generate enough energy to power about 20 medium-sized houses.   The panels reportedly measure about 6 by 3 feet and are located on the roof of the university's Center for Innovation and Creativity. With
Solar Business
Department store chain highlights solar energy investments
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Kohl's Department Stores highlighted its green credentials this week by announcing that it has now installed solar panels at 100 of its locations across the country.According to the retail company, the 100th solar array is located at its store in Mays Landing, New Jersey. Other photovoltaic arrays are located in states ranging from California and Colorado to Maryland, Wisconsin and Oregon.One thing that homeowners can take note of from this wide range of locations is that they don't nece
Solar Energy
Future solar energy technologies likely to be far more exotic
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The future of solar energy is getting brighter and brighter with help from incredible advances currently underway in some of the nation's leading laboratories. In fact, a generation from now, solar energy technology is likely to reach levels of efficiency and flexibility that will make today's products pale in comparison. For example, some researchers are using nanotechnology to experiment with materials that will allow almost any part of a building to contain photovoltaic materials capable of g
Solar Policy
Major California solar energy project clears regulatory hurdle
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Regulators in California have approved what is expected to become the largest concentrated solar concentrating facility in the world, according to an announcement from Solar Trust of America. Solar Trust's subsidiary, Solar Millenium, is planning to build and operate the Blythe project in Riverside County, California following unanimous approval from the state's energy commission. The project calls for four 250 megawatts to be developed, which will have the combined potential to power more than
Solar Energy
Solar-energy-focusing system developed by MIT researchers
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed technology that can concentrate solar energy and may be able to make solar modules more efficient.The researchers devised a fiber made of carbon nanotubes, wherein electrons are excited and move to the center of the fiber. Nanotubes are hollow straws made of carbon atoms - and they're so small that the fiber, which is only 10 micrometers long and four micrometers thick, contains 30 million of them.The research team plans to
Solar Business
More school districts embracing solar energy
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Homeowners aren't the only people who have increasingly embraced the financial and environmental benefits of solar energy in recent years. Businesses and even entire school districts have also been investing more in clean technologies. For example, NRG Energy recently reported that several Arizona school districts will soon boast solar arrays that can also double as learning tools for the students. Working with Kennedy Partners, the solar energy company indicated that 12 large solar pavilions ar
Solar Business
Construction to get underway soon on Colorado's largest solar array
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Denver International Airport will soon be home to the largest photovoltaic solar array in Colorado with help from several leading companies in the clean energy sector. Among the companies involved in the project are Constellation Energy and the Denver-based Oak Leaf Energy Partners. The 4.4 megawatt installation will be financed, owned and operated by Constellation, with the airport having agreed to purchase the generated electricity for 20 years. The project is expected to begin construction th
Solar Energy
New solar cell boasts record efficiency
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The photovoltaic panels currently in use by many American households have only become more efficient in recent years, and recent reports indicate that this trend will only continue in the coming years. In fact, scientists at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Material Science and Technology announced this week that they had developed a new thin-film solar cell boasting a record efficiency of 17.6 percent. The cells reportedly use a polymer film to achieve the rate, and the results have been inde
Solar Business
Solar installer goes public, completes California array
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Sunvalley Solar, a California-based solar-solutions provider, is now a publicly traded company.The firm announced September 10 that its shares were trading on the over-the-counter stock market. Sunvalley's CEO, James Zhang, noted in the listing announcement that his company was partnering with Canadian Solar, CEEG SST, Tianwei Solarfilm and PV Powered. The partnerships, he said, would "allow Sunvalley to provide solar-system solutions with the highest quality at the most competitive price.&
Solar Energy
MIT reports significant solar energy breakthrough
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have announced a new development that could have major implications for the solar energy industry as well as for homeowners hoping to save money and help the environment. According to an announcement from the university, new "solar funnels" use carbon nanotubes to concentrate solar energy up to 100 times more than conventional photovoltaic panels. One potential application cited by MIT was antennas that can capture energy from th
Solar Business
Dow Chemical begins hiring at Michigan solar-module plant
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Dow Chemical Co. is beginning to hire at its new solar-shingle plant in Midland, Michigan.The plant will assemble Dow's Powerhouse Solar Shingles - roofing tiles that produce solar energy. The shingles are expected to reach the market in 2011, and Dow expects to create 1,400 jobs at the Midland facility by 2014."We're excited to add these manufacturing jobs to our Michigan Operations facility to begin contributing to the local economic base immediately," Dow vice president Earl Shipp s
Solar Energy
In Washington State, rural Jefferson County leads in solar
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Among counties in Washington, Jefferson County is the state's per-capita solar leader.The Washington Department of Revenue announced this week that Jefferson came in first, with one certified renewable-energy project for every 337 residents. San Juan County was No. 2 with one clean-power installation for every 434 residents; Klickitat County was close behind with one for every 466 residents.King County - where Seattle is located - had more green-energy projects than any other county, but its lar
Solar Energy
California agency installs 9.6-kilowatt solar array
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The California Department of Transportation is going solar.Caltrans, as the state agency is known, announced September 8 that it had switched on a 9.6-kilowatt solar array at its maintenance facility in Monterey. The array was completed in July and received the final go-ahead from contractors on September 7.Caltrans' new array was designed and installed by two local companies, Green Earth Engineering Corp. and Earth Electric. Angelo Perez, the former's CEO, noted that his company's Caltrans cont
Solar Business
Solar energy deal announced by SunEdison
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
SunEdison, a Maryland-based solar-services company, announced on Friday that it had signed a memorandum of understanding to provide 400 megawatts of solar power in Korea.The deal was inked with the government of a Korean province, Gyeongsangnam-do. In the MOU, SunEdison agreed to build 400 megawatts of solar capacity on public land and building rooftops. The agreement is subject to final negotiations - but SunEdison said it expected construction to be complete by late 2013.Gyeongsangnam-do has a
Solar Policy
Interest wanes in New Jersey solar rebates
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Fewer individuals and contractors are lining up for solar rebates in New Jersey, Newark's Star-Ledger reports this week.The latest Office of Clean Energy rebate-funding round opened on September 1, and it's only about half-subscribed so far. The previous funding round in May was fully subscribed on the day it opened; some solar installers even camped out the night before.There are a few reasons for the lack of interest in rebates, the Star-Ledger says. One is that more New Jerseyans are relying
Solar Business
Solar power system completed at networking company's headquarters
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Brocade, a manufacturer of networking equipment, is the proud owner of a brand-new, 550-kilowatt solar array.The San Jose, California-based company is cutting the ribbon on its solar installation on Thursday. The project - which uses solar modules from another California company, SunPower - will produce an estimated 18 million kilowatt-hours of clean power over the course of its 25-year useful life."As we designed our 'green' facility, we realized that integrating solar as a clean, silent f
Solar Energy
Massive California solar project receives green light
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A 250-megawatt solar farm planned for a remote region east of Los Angeles received final state approval Thursday.The California Energy Commission voted unanimously to allow the Abengoa Mojave Solar Project to move forward, the Los Angeles Times reports. Construction of the project should begin in the fourth quarter.Abengoa's solar facility uses concentrating solar power technology, in which sunlight is focused on a fluid-filled tower. The fluid, which becomes superheated, produces steam to spin
Green Energy
Colorado governor announces $2.2 million in renewable-energy grants
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
More than $2 million in green-energy grant money will be provided to communities and businesses across Colorado, Governor Bill Ritter announced last week.Ritter said $2.2 million in federal stimulus funds would be provided for a number of projects. On the docket are a small hydroelectric project in the town of Basalt; solar-energy systems at the headquarters of camping-gear company Big Agnes and Colorado State University; and energy-efficiency upgrades at a senior housing complex in Rio Blanco C
Solar Business
California Solar Initiative awards $1.8 million grant to SunPower
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The California Solar Initiative's Research, Development, Deployment and Demonstration program is granting $1.8 million to solar-module manufacturer SunPower for research into large-scale solar energy storage.SunPower will work with a number of partners to build solar photovoltaic/energy-storage systems at a major retailer. The company will demonstrate that solar power can be made more viable when combined with storage technology - a crucial step in ensuring solar technology's continued popularit
Solar Energy
Massachusetts high school goes solar with 39-kilowatt system
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Amesbury High School in Amesbury, Massachusetts flipped the switch on its 39-kilowatt solar array several weeks ago - and the installation is already helping the school save on energy.Since the solar array was activated on August 18, it has produced 1,900 kilowatt-hours of power for Amesbury High. An estimated 2,350 pounds of carbon emissions have been offset, as well.In total, the solar power system should help the school cut its annual energy bill by $10,000.The benefits of solar power go beyo
Green Energy
Green energy gains popularity among Marin County, California residents
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Marin County is the first county in California to let residents buy electricity from a public utility - and it's seeing a significant amount of interest in its energy-purchasing program.The Contra Costa Times reports this week that 80 percent of the county's residents have switched from Pacific Gas & Electric to Marin Clean Energy, as the public utility is called. What's significant about MCE is that it buys more of its electricity from renewable sources than PG&E, so the program's popul
Solar Business
New technologies presage lower solar production costs
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Separate technologies announced this week hint that production costs for solar equipment will continue to fall in the future.One technology, showcased at the European PV Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition in Spain, is a fully integrated solar-module assembly line. The assembly system, developed by Massachusetts-based Spire Corp., can reduce solar startups' capital expenditures by 30 percent, Spire claims.The company's assembly line, Spire CEO Roger G. Little said, ensures "high-throughp
Solar Energy
Solar modules made flexible by California company
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
SoloPower, a solar-module company based in San Jose, California, announced this week that it had developed the first Underwriters Laboratories-certified flexible, copper-indium-gallium-selenide solar panel.CIGS modules are generally cheaper to produce than either silicon-based or thin-film panels - and their conversion efficiency is on par with those technologies. SoloPower's flexible CIGS panels could open the solar market by reducing the cost of going solar, National Renewable Energy Laborator
Solar Business
Solar power project planned for New Jersey development
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A solar array planned for Stafford Park, a multi-use complex in Stafford Township, New Jersey, will be one of the largest in the eastern U.S.Stafford Park's redeveloper, Walters Group, announced last week that it plans to install a 1,026 panel solar array at the complex. Construction of the 6.5-megawatt solar installation should begin this fall - and the project will be located on a former landfill, giving new life to a once-polluted site."This is a positive environmental use of the landfil
Green Energy
Mountain West well-suited to renewable-power research: Brookings
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The Mountain West is ideal for green energy research, the Brookings Institution said in a report released Wednesday.Already, dozens of large-scale renewable-power projects have been planned for the region, and a number of academic institutions across the West are conducting clean-energy research. Brookings senior fellow Mark Muro noted that Arizona State University, the University of Arizona and the University of Nevada have been performing solar research - and he suggested that Arizona and sout
Solar Energy
Arizona utility commission launches solar-information website
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Thousands of Arizona homeowners have taken the plunge into solar power - but the state's Corporation Commission believes even more homeowners would invest in solar energy if they understood its benefits.The ACC announced September 1 that it was introducing a website to provide information on available incentives and current solar projects. Dubbed Arizonagoessolar.org, the information portal launched this week.The site, ACC chairman Kris Mayes said, "will increase the transparency of solar r
Solar Business
Salt Lake City plans nation's largest rooftop solar array
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A solar installation planned for Salt Lake City's Calvin L. Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center will have 2.6 megawatts of capacity - enough to make it the nation's largest rooftop array.At present, the biggest rooftop solar power system is located at a FedEx distribution center in New Jersey.More than bragging rights are at stake for the Utah city, though: The Salt Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau announced Wednesday that the Salt Palace would host the National Association of Home Builders
Solar Energy
PSE&G plans real-time solar monitoring
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
New Jersey's Public Service Electric & Gas will soon be able to closely track its solar-energy production thanks to a new monitoring system.The company is buying energy-monitoring technology from a firm called Noveda Technologies. Noveda's system includes both monitors and an operations portal that will enable PSE&G officials to track solar output across the state.Operators, Noveda says, can "easily manage hundreds of [solar] installations" from their operating center.The compa
Solar Policy
New Mexico officials approve 22 megawatts of solar projects
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Several utility-scale solar power projects in New Mexico got the green light this week.PNM Resources, the owner of electric utility PNM, announced that the state Public Regulation Commission approved its plan to build 22 megawatts of solar-energy facilities around New Mexico. In addition, PNM received permission to construct a 500-kilowatt demonstration solar power and storage facility.The company, which is financing the solar projects itself, does expect its rates to go up next year. But requir
Solar Energy
DIY solar vs. a solar installer - how to choose
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The recession, which led millions of Americans to curtail their spending, brought a do-it-yourself mentality back to the fore - and even DIY solar installations are gaining in popularity. Before performing a solar installation sans professional assistance, though, it's useful to consider the pros and cons of a DIY solar power project.First, the pros. Doing any home-improvement project without hiring a professional can save buckets of money - whether it's installing a new toilet, re-grouting a sh
Solar Energy
Boulder, Colorado company sells solar power to local, state governments
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Main Street Power, a solar development firm based in Boulder, Colorado, is contracting with local and state agencies in Colorado to provide solar energy, the Denver Post reports.Main Street has agreed to sell 2.8 megawatts of renewable power to the city of Denver, Denver Public Schools, the state Department of Corrections and the Pueblo County government.The power the company is providing is less expensive than conventional electricity, so the government groups with which it's contracting will s
Green Energy
Methods of harnessing the sun to save money
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Home solar installations are quickly growing in popularity - and with the widespread introduction of solar leasing programs, more installations are likely to take place in the coming months. Adopting solar power can help save money on energy - but homeowners looking to save money with the sun's help have a number of other options at hand, as well.There are, for example, so-called "daylighting" technologies that introduce sunlight into dark parts of a house. Daylighting systems include
Solar Business
East Bay, California businesses go solar to save money
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Businesses in the East Bay region of California are going solar in greater numbers, the Contra Costa Times reports.The newspaper profiled on August 27 one company, the Big O Tire Shop, which made the decision to adopt solar power. The shop's owner, Bruce Cherry, reported that going solar helped reduce his monthly electric bill from $1,500 to just $29."The [solar] industry is reaching the point where the costs have come down enough that it does save people money," California Public Util
Green Energy
San Diego utility buys more clean power
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
San Diego Gas & Electric announced Friday that it will buy an additional 45 megawatts of electricity from the Centinela Solar Energy plant in eastern California.The utility had already contracted to purchase 130 megawatts of clean power from the facility, which is awaiting construction. Centinela, located near Calexico, California, is slated for completion in 2014.The contract, SDG&E vice president Matt Burkhart said, "reaffirms SDG&E's ongoing commitment to securing renewable r
Green Energy
Solar power as a marketing tool
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Companies looking into solar power will find that it can often lead to major reduction in energy costs - but it can have intangible value, too.By going solar, companies of all sizes will reduce their dependence on grid-sourced electricity. Even at wholesale rates, energy from the grid can be pricey; solar energy, by contrast, is freely available - and companies can reduce their energy bills almost immediately by entering into power purchase agreements with solar developers.They can also install
Solar Energy
Tucson Electric Power plans to ramp up solar-power purchases
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Arizona electric utility Tucson Electric Power announced this week that it had received approval to buy power from 10 new clean-energy facilities in the Tucson area.One of the plants is a 50-megawatt wind farm; another is a 2.2-megawatt biogas generator at a landfill. The other eight are solar installations.The solar plants will range in size from 2 to 35 megawatts and will use both solar-thermal and photovoltaic technology. Already, TEP has contracted to buy power from a number of other solar s
Solar Energy
Solar photovoltaic or a solar water heater - how to choose
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Homeowners thinking about going solar may be aware that they can choose between a solar photovoltaic array - which produces electricity - or a solar thermal system, which heats either water or a structure. To reduce cost and complexity, opting for only one of the two technologies is a wise choice for most people - but how should a person decide?Before embarking on a major home-improvement project, it's best to sit down and look at the costs and benefits of the available options. In a kitchen ren
Solar Business
Santa Clara, California solar company supplies panels to German developer
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
MiaSole, a solar-panel manufacturer based in Santa Clara, California, announced this week that it's supplying 7.5 megawatts of panels to German renewable-energy development company juwi Solar.The California company's panels use a technology called copper indium gallium selenide, or CIGS. CIGS-based panels are often more efficient than conventional silicon-based or thin-film solar modules; this week, researchers at Germany's Zentrum für Sonnenenergie- und Wasserstoff-Forschung (Center for So
Solar Business
Solar can help power tomorrow's vehicles
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Homeowners considering a solar power installation have another great reason to take solar seriously: With more vehicles expected to have electric propulsion systems in the years to come, solar arrays could help juice up the next generation of cars and trucks.The truth is, electric vehicle technology is already on the road. Millions of today's cars and trucks are hybrids, or gasoline-powered vehicles with batteries and at least one electric motor. Some hybrids can run for miles on electric power
Solar Business
Massive solar power project planned in Illinois
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A utility-scale solar energy facility is being planned for Rockford, Illinois, state governor Pat Quinn announced last week.Rockford made headlines recently in the solar world when Wanxiang America Corp. announced plans to build a solar-module factory in the town, which is located northwest of Chicago. Now, Rockford will also be the site of a large solar panel array.Governor Quinn noted that the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity would provide $4 million in federal stimulus
Solar Energy
San Jose credit union announces group solar buying program
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Purchasing a solar power system just got easier and cheaper for some residents of San Jose, California.The San Jose Credit Union - which serves current and former city employees - and San Jose's Solar America City Program partnered to negotiate for lower prices on solar photovoltaic and solar-thermal equipment. And the credit union makes low-interest loans available to members who want to go solar, making the plunge into solar power even easier.While the group solar program is only available to
Green Energy
DOE announces $120 million in energy-efficiency grants
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The Department of Energy is providing $120 million to roughly 120 organizations to help promote energy-efficiency efforts around the country.The department announced Thursday that it was providing the funds under its Weatherization Assistance Program, an initiative designed to provide financial support to community-level weatherization agencies.Adding insulation, sealing up drafts and wrapping pipes in heat-trapping material can have a major impact on households' energy use, particularly in cold
Solar Business
Indiana solar company plans expansion
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
An Indiana agricultural-facility design company is expanding its solar operations, reports indicate.The company, Fort Recovery Construction and Equipment, is renovating a plant it owns in Jay County, Indiana in response to growing demand for solar equipment. Fort Recovery's solar divison, SolarAg, makes solar-thermal systems for homes and businesses.Demand for SolarAg's products is so strong, the Indianapolis Star reports, that Fort Recovery plans to hire 120 workers at the facility it's revampi
Solar Energy
Redding, California elementary school goes solar with a PPA
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Grant Elementary School in Redding, California will be using clean, renewable energy from the sun when the school year begins in a few weeks.The school, which has about 730 students, announced this week that it was buying power from a 203-kilowatt solar array owned by Solar Power Partners. SPP, which owns and operates more than 45 solar plants around the U.S., is selling solar energy to Grant Elementary under a power purchase agreement.PPAs are widely used among schools and other nonprofit organ
Green Energy
Invest in efficiency to make the most out of a solar array
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Going solar is about making the choice between leasing or buying, finding the right mix of incentives and searching for a qualified installer - but before taking the leap into solar, it can be smart to optimize a home's energy efficiency.A solar power system can help a household slash its energy bills, but the savings will be even greater if that household takes steps to reduce its energy use. The less total energy a home consumes, the more it can rely on solar power - and the less it will need
Solar Business
Largest solar array in Ohio to be dedicated
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Ohio's largest solar-power project, the Wyandot Solar Farm, will be formally unveiled on Thursday.The 12-megawatt facility has been operational since June, but it will be dedicated this week to coincide with the annual dinner held by the Wyandot Economic Development Office. Ohio Governor Ted Strickland will speak at the solar farm's dedication ceremony, as will Ohio State University president Gordon Gee, the Middletown Journal reports.The Wyandot Solar Farm comprises 159,000 panels and can power
Green Energy
Mayo Clinic halfway finished with solar installation
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota is well-known for providing world-class healthcare - and it may soon gain a reputation for being environmentally conscious, as well.The clinic is halfway through the installation of a 462-panel solar array; the solar power system, the Rochester Post-Bulletin reports, will be able to produce between 150,000 and 200,000 kilowatt-hours of energy each year. That's enough to power between 15 and 20 average American homes.The array, located on a parking facility
Solar Policy
Illinois bill moves up solar energy requirement
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Two utilities in Illinois will have to purchase solar energy three years earlier than had originally been planned under a bill signed into law August 17.Illinois' Power Agency Act and Public Utilities Act required that Commonwealth Edison and Ameren - two electric utilities with operations in the state - buy 0.5 percent of their electricity from solar sources by 2015. With the law enacted this week, that date moves up to June 1, 2012.In June 2013, Commonwealth Edison and Ameren will have to buy
Solar Business
Major solar parking-lot project initiated in New Jersey
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Construction of a 4.1-megawatt solar power project began Tuesday at the campus of a Fortune 100 company in central New Jersey, the developer said.The New York City-based development firm, Solaire Generation, specializes in the design and assembly of solar arrays for parking lots. Parking facilities are nearly ideal for solar installations: Not only are they flat and open, but lot-mounted panels can help shade parked cars from the sun and keep them cool.The project that Solaire Generation is buil
Solar Policy
Tennessee Solar Institute announces $4.5 million of grants
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The Tennessee Solar Institute is providing 65 grants worth a cumulative $4.5 million for solar power projects around Tennessee.The institute announced Friday that the grant monies - which are provided by federal stimulus funds granted to the state to stimulate renewable-energy development - will result in the installation of 2.8 megawatts of solar power."Today's announcement marks an important milestone in the advancement of Tennessee's position as a leader in solar innovation," Univer
Solar Energy
California company plans nation's largest carport-mounted solar array
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
REC Solar, a solar installer based in San Luis Obispo, California, is building the country's largest carport solar array.The 2.9-megawatt project is being installed at a medical center owned by the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System. REC's array will cover seven individual parking garages, making it the largest parking structure-mounted solar power system in the U.S.Gabrielle Giffords, southern Arizona's representative in Congress, lauded the installation, implying that it would help cut car
Solar Energy
Large solar array receives go-ahead in Washington State
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The city of Cle Elum, Washington will soon be the site of a 75-megawatt solar installation.The Kittitas County Board of Adjustment voted in favor of the solar project this week, paving the way for construction to begin. Once it's fully operational, the solar facility will be one of the world's largest - and it will accrue a number of benefits to Cle Elum residents.Not only will it provide them with clean, carbon-free power, but it will create jobs and generate tax revenue, too. Teanaway Solar Re
Green Energy
Virginia company supplies portable renewable-energy units to U.S. Army
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
One of the greatest challenges the U.S. military faces in the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan is the country's sheer remoteness: Much of it is untamed wilderness, hard to reach and even harder to secure.Outside developed areas, which are few and far between, even the most basic supplies must be shipped in. But at least servicemembers will have access to electricity, no matter how far they are from civilization - thanks to a technology developed by Arlington, Virginia-based SkyBuilt Power.SkyBuil
Solar Energy
New Jersey document-management company installs solar energy array
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Archive Systems, Inc., a records-management company based in Franklin, New Jersey, has gone solar with a 276-kilowatt photovoltaic installation.The company announced Wednesday that its 1,314-panel array was up and running. The solar power system will prevent the emissions of 7,000 tons of carbon, 57,000 pounds of sulfur dioxide and 35,000 pounds of nitrogen oxides, Archive Systems said.In addition, the solar installation will produce 300,000 kilowatt-hours of energy each year - enough to power 2
Solar Energy
Superior, Colorado adopts solar energy at wastewater treatment facility
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The town of Superior, Colorado is turning to solar energy to power its water treatment facility.Superior, located in Boulder County, hopes to become fully energy-neutral in the coming years. According to the town's chamber of commerce, Superior has a population of just 10,000 but is still expanding - so town officials will have to act fast to improve efficiency and reduce carbon emissions in advance of an influx of new residents.The solar array that the town announced August 11 should be complet
Solar Policy
Feed-in tariffs responsible for three-quarters of the world's solar power
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A new report from the National Renewable Energy Lab may be actionable for policymakers in the U.S.According to the NREL, feed-in tariffs - incentives that pay producers of clean energy a predetermined amount for the power they generate - are responsible for 75 percent of the world's solar energy deployment and 45 percent of the planet's wind power.FITs are popular in Europe, and it is no coincidence that Europe is the largest market for both solar and wind technology. Under the continent's FIT r
Green Energy
Add solar when renovating to cut costs, lower a home's carbon footprint
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Solar power systems are rapidly coming down in price, and homeowners considering a major renovation project may want to think about adding solar panels or a solar water heater to their house.With the litany of rebates and incentives that are available for photovoltaic or solar-thermal technology, going solar can be extremely cost-effective. Solar-energy projects are eligible for a 30 percent federal tax credit until 2016, for example - so a homeowner who goes solar can save 30 percent right off
Solar Policy
Nation's largest government-sited solar array planned for Phoenix area
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The country's largest solar power system on government-owned property will be up and running by summer 2011, Arizona Public Service Co. said Tuesday.The utility announced that it will be developing a 15-megawatt solar array at Luke Air Force Base in Glendale, Arizona. The project will comprise 52,000 solar panels - and because those panels will be able to track the sun across the sky, they will produce 25 percent more energy than if they were stationary.Going solar provides manifold benefits for
Solar Energy
Petaluma, California public schools plan to go solar
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Two public schools in Petaluma, California are installing solar arrays - a move that will help them reduce their carbon footprint and educate students about the benefits of renewable energy.The town's school district is partnering with engineering firm Cupertino Electric, Inc. in the design and development of the solar installation. In total, just over 1 megawatt of solar energy capacity will be installed - 675 kilowatts at the Casa Grande High School and 385 kilowatts at the Petaluma High Schoo
Solar Energy
Avoiding the Upfront Cost of Solar Equipment
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
While many people have installed solar power systems on their homes in recent years, many others have been dissuaded by the substantial upfront cost of a solar installation. But now there are a number of options for homeowners who like solar energy but don't like the idea of paying a lot up front.First, it may be beneficial to reexamine the actual cost of buying and installing solar panels. For homeowners in most parts of the country, there are myriad rebates and incentives available: Rebates fr
Solar Business
Thirty-megawatt solar power project planned for southern Colorado
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A proposed solar generating plant near Alamosa, Colorado will be able to produce 30,000 kilowatts of power, developer Cogentrix Energy says.The company announced Monday that it was collaborating with Public Service Company of Colorado - a subsidiary of Xcel Energy - to build the array, which will provide enough energy for 6,500 homes. The plant, as currently planned, will use concentrating photovoltaic technology to focus sunlight on super-efficient photovoltaic panels; CPV, Cogentrix says, prod
Solar Energy
Circuit company installs solar power system at its headquarters
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
San Jose, California-based Power Integrations just switched on one of the largest solar energy systems in Silicon Valley.The company, which makes integrated circuits for the electronics industry, announced August 5 that it was set to turn on its 600-kilowatt solar array. The project cost $3.6 million - but it will keep an estimated 10,000 tons of carbon out of the air over the next two decades and provide shade for 280 parking spots."As a socially responsible company, we saw an opportunity
Solar Energy
Pool cleaner powered by solar energy gets an update
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The Solar Breeze, a solar-powered pool-skimming device, recently received a major update.The sun-powered skimmer floats on the surface of a pool and sweeps up leaves and debris; it can even chlorinate as it cleans. Version 2.0 of the Solar Breeze has improved solar panels - they have three times the energy output of the original Solar Breeze's panels - and a longer-life motor.In 2008, the Arizona Republic named the device a "Top 5 Innovative Product" from the state of Arizona. The late
Solar Policy
Solar executive joins Department of Commerce council
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
An executive at Tempe, Arizona-based solar panel manufacturer First Solar is set to head up the Commerce Secretary's Manufacturing Council.The Department of Commerce revealed this week that First Solar's president, Bruce Sohn, will serve as the council's chairman. The purposes of the council, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said in remarks delivered August 6, are to improve communication between the $1.6 trillion manufacturing sector and the government; advise the Commerce Secretary on manufacturi
Solar Energy
City of Corona Turns Bus Shelter into a Mini Power Plant
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Corona, CA July 27, 2010 - City of Corona today unveiled to the public its newly installed solar bus shelter providing comfort to its public transportation customers while being capable of generating clean, renewable energy through a roof ornamented with highly efficient solar panels. The installation marked the first grid-connected solar system for bus shelters.The new bus shelter was designed and installed by Solade Concepts based in Corona, CA. The solar structure consists of products and sol
Solar Energy
California Energy Commission committee recommends 392-megawatt project
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A utility-scale solar energy project planned for the California desert moved one step closer to reality this week.A siting committee of the California Energy Commission recommended approval of the 392-megawatt Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System. The project, a concentrating solar power system being developed by Oakland, California-based BrightSource Energy, would supply electricity to customers of Pacific Gas and Electric and Southern California Edison."We look forward to a final deci
Green Energy
Princeton Power Systems plans advanced solar energy project
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Electrical-products company Princeton Power Systems makes components for the solar industry - and it will soon demonstrate its technology by putting it into service.The Princeton, New Jersey-based firm, which makes inverters used in solar installations, is planning to construct a $1.5 million solar power system at its headquarters. The installation will include a 200-kilowatt solar array, but the showpiece of the project may be its energy-storage system.PPS' solar project includes lithium-ion ba
Solar Business
North Carolina company supplies solar water heaters to Canadian car wash
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Some homeowners and businesses opt to install photovoltaic equipment when they go solar, but solar-thermal systems that heat water are growing popular, as well.Heating and cooling represents about 30 percent of the nation's energy use, and water heaters make up a significant chunk of that consumption. For the average home, using solar energy to heat water can result in hundreds of dollars of energy savings each year - and for a business like Skogies Car Washes in British Columbia, the savings ca
Solar Energy
California college prepares to switch on world's largest university solar array
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Butte College, a community college located in Northern California, already relies on solar power to meet its energy needs, and it's planning to install even more solar equipment.At present, the school has 10,000 panels in place producing 1.85 megawatts of clean power. Under the next phase of Butte College's solar development - approved recently by its board of trustees - the school will install another 2.7 megawatts of solar-energy equipment.In total, Butte College will be able to produce 4.4 me
Solar Energy
University of Arizona tests solar-powered crosswalk
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
In an effort to reduce the risk of pedestrian injuries and make its campus safer, the University of Arizona is installing a lighted crosswalk - and it's powered by the sun.Lights are embedded into the pavement; at night, they turn on to alert drivers to the crosswalk's presence. "I witnessed the fact that cars tend to slow down" when their drivers see the lights, university assistant director of parking and transportation Mark Napier said in a campus news bulletin.During the day, solar
Green Energy
Pennsylvania NASCAR track adopts solar power
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
One of the most storied tracks on the NASCAR circuit is installing a solar power system.Pocono Raceway in Pocono, Pennsylvania announced last week that it was ready to switch on its 3-megawatt solar array, which will generate more than 72 million kilowatt-hours of energy over the next two decades. It will offset the emissions of 3,100 metric tons of carbon each year - and provide enough electricity to power the raceway and 1,000 homes.Pocono Raceway's solar project, enXco solar origination direc
Solar Energy
Trina Solar announces plans to liaise with MIT
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Chinese solar-panel manufacturer Trina Solar will collaborate with Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers to develop its next-generation solar panels.The company announced July 29 that it is joining MIT's Industrial Liaison Program, an initiative that promotes technology transfer between academia and private industry."The Industrial Liaison Program is a great way to bring together top minds in the industry to help drive innovation," Trina CEO Jifan Gao said.The collaboration
Green Energy
Stack rebates to save even more on clean power
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Homeowners considering a solar power installation may be well-apprised of the solar energy rebates their state provides - but other energy-efficiency rebates are widely available, too.Improving energy efficiency when a solar array is installed provides a number of benefits. Not only will a solar-powered, energy-efficient house draw less electricity from the grid, but doing multiple home-improvement projects at once minimizes the hassle of home construction. And homeowners who hire contractors to
Solar Policy
California suspends funding for solar loan program
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The state of California has suspended a $30 million solar energy loan program because of pressure from federal housing regulators.The California Energy Commission had received the money as part of the federal stimulus package; it was slated to be used for Property Assessed Clean Energy, or PACE, loans. The $30 million would have created 4,400 jobs and saved more than 336 million kilowatt-hours of energy through 2012, according to the state.But officials at the Federal Housing Finance Agency are
Solar Energy
Private D.C. school goes solar with 120 panels
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The Sidwell Friends School, a private, Quaker school located in northwest Washington, D.C., is going solar.Sidwell has some famous alumni and current students: Chelsea Clinton attended when her father Bill was president, and Sasha and Malia Obama - the current president's two daughters - are currently enrolled.A Vermont company is responsible for Sidwell's solar power installation, the Vermont Press Bureau reports July 30. White River Junction-based groSolar will install the 120 panels at the sc
Solar Energy
Slashing energy bills with solar
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
One of the biggest benefits provided by solar power is that it helps homeowners and companies save money on energy. But how, some may say, does it make sense to spend thousands of dollars on a solar installation if going solar only saves a few hundred dollars per year?For those interested in get-rich-quick (or save-money-quick) schemes, solar may not make sense. But those willing to see it as a long-term investment, rather than a one-time money saver, won't be disappointed.For one thing, going s
Green Energy
SolarReserve can move forward on utility-scale Nevada project
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
California-based solar installer SolarReserve announced Thursday that it had received the green light for a giant utility-scale project it's planning in the Nevada desert.The solar power installation, called the Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project, has been in the works for some time: In December, a SolarReserve subsidiary signed a power purchase agreement with utility NV Energy. Under the PPA, the utility, which serves the Nevada and northeastern California markets, agreed to buy the energy tha
Solar Energy
Brea, California expects to save millions of dollars with solar energy
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The city of Brea, California is installing 1.8 megawatts of solar power in concert with Chevron Energy Solutions.The move, CES said, should help Brea's government cut energy use by 40 percent. Over the solar arrays' lifetime - typically 25 to 30 years - Brea will save more than $13 million, CES added."This project demonstrates how cities and other municipalities can learn from Brea how to reduce their energy costs and use clean, renewable power," CES president Jim Davis said.Brea's may
Solar Policy
Arizona utility kicks off solar-installer qualification program
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Solar power systems are so popular in Arizona that a state utility is helping homeowners select a solar installer.Under a program designed by the Arizona Public Service Co., installation companies can compete for the designation of "Qualified Solar Installer." Thus far, 32 installation firms have received the QSI designation - and more are sure to follow.APS anticipates that more than 75 companies will receive the designation this year.There are two separate course tracks for would-be
Solar Business
New Jersey solar developer announces 870-kilowatt rooftop project
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
NJR Clean Energy Ventures will soon start assembling a solar array on the roof of a distribution facility owned by CertainTeed Corporation, a building-products company.The distribution center ships fiberglass products - and soon, its operations will be powered in part by clean, renewable solar energy. CertainTeed and NJRCEV entered into a power purchase agreement; under the deal, NJRCEV will build and maintain the solar array and CertainTeed will pay it a fixed amount for electricity over the ne
Solar Business
Supermarket chain installs solar power systems
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Stop & Shop, a chain of grocery stores in the Northeast, is going solar.The company announced Thursday that it was installing solar panels at eight stores in New Jersey, Massachusetts and Connecticut. Combined, the panels will produce an estimated 1.8 million kilowatt-hours of solar each year - as much as 153 average homes would consume.The decision to install solar energy arrays was motivated by Stop & Shop's desire to reduce carbon emissions 20 percent from a 2008 baseline by 2015. For
Solar Energy
California jail adopts solar power with the help of bonds, loans
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The Yolo County Justice Campus in Woodland, California is going solar to save money on energy.To finance its solar project, the county government secured a 15-year loan through the California Energy Commission and issued renewable-energy bonds. The solar array that the county is building will produce 1 megawatt of power - enough to save about $8.8 million in energy costs over the next quarter-century.The justice campus' solar power system will use sun-tracking mounting hardware that can increase
Solar Business
Pacific Blue fast-tracks solar energy project in Arizona
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Pacific Blue Energy Corp. plans to build a 150-megawatt solar power system in Gila Bend, Arizona, and the project is moving ahead much faster than a normal solar installation.On Wednesday, the Phoenix-based company announced that it had commenced the permitting process for the Gila Bend solar development. Permitting should take between two and four months, Pacific Blue said - far shorter than the one to two years that a major solar project usually requires.The town of Gila Bend - a burg located
Solar Business
New York's first solar energy farm planned
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Upstate New York will soon be home to a 15-megawatt solar energy farm.CornerStone Power Development, a Chicago-based developer, is planning to build the farm in the town of Coxsackie. The project should cost $60 million and would be New York's first large-scale solar installation, the Albany Times-Union reports Tuesday. Another large solar project is in development on Long Island, but the Coxsackie solar farm is expected to be finished first.The Coxsackie project shows that, even in upstate New
Green Energy
U.S. government will spend up to $122 million for solar energy research
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The Department of Energy will provide as much as $122 million over five years for advanced solar energy research at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.A multidisciplinary team of scientists will study what's known as artificial photosynthesis - methods of generating energy from the sun the same way plants do. Finding a way to emulate plants, deputy energy secretary Daniel Poneman said, "would be a game changer, reducing our dependence on oil and enhancing energy security."Resear
Solar Energy
Portland utility completes largest solar array in Pacific Northwest
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The biggest solar power system in the Pacific Northwest is ready to be switched on.Portland General Electric announced Monday that it had finished a $14 million solar project it began in March. The array, spread out over the roofs of seven distribution warehouses, comprises 2.4 megawatts of panels."This installation shows the potential for cultivating the rooftop real estate of Oregon to generate clean, renewable energy," Energy Trust of Oregon's director of energy programs, Peter West
Solar Policy
Solar grows in popularity nationwide
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Those who are thinking about installing a solar power system aren't alone.The growth of solar installations in the U.S. has been nothing short of meteoric. According to data from the American Solar Energy Society, the number of residential solar power installations in the country grew by 40 percent last year. That is even more impressive in light of the tepid economic conditions that prevailed in 2009, when millions of jobs were lost and gross domestic product contracted by 2.4 percent.In fact,
Solar Energy
Chicago receives nation's largest urban solar installation
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Illinois utility Exelon Power unveiled the nation's largest urban solar power system in Chicago this week.The project, called Exelon City Solar, sits on a former brownfield in Chicago's South Side, a part of the city once pockmarked by crime and blight. The 41-acre site was rehabilitated and cleansed of toxic chemicals - and the benefits of the new solar array are manifold for city residents, Exelon CEO John Rowe and Chicago mayor Richard Daley said.Exelon City Solar, Rowe enthused, will "e
Green Energy
Find big savings with solar power
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Solar energy installations are a great way help the planet, but they can also lead to significant cost savings for homeowners and businesses.It's great if a person opts to go solar just to reduce his impact on the planet, but some may need an economic incentive to adopt solar power, too. Solar has a number of advantages - and whichever one drives a homeowner to buy clean power or install his own solar array, the end result is the same: carbon-free, renewable power from the sun.If cost savings ar
Solar Policy
'Ten Million Solar Roofs' initiative advances in Senate
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A solar policy proposal put forward by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders was approved by the Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources Wednesday.The measure would subsidize solar installations through competitive grants. In 2012, $250 million in grants would be authorized; between 2013 and 2021, $500 million would be provided annually.The Ten Million Solar Roofs bill - as its name suggests - has the ultimate goal of subsidizing the installation of 10 million solar arrays in the U.S. The bi
Solar Business
Solexant plans new manufacturing facility in Oregon
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
San Jose, California-based solar panel company Solexant is setting up shop in Oregon.With a $25 million loan and $18.25 million in tax credits, state officials enticed Solexant to build a manufacturing plant near Portland. It will be Oregon's first thin-film solar panel facility and the largest nanotechnology production site on the planet.Oregon residents are optimistic about the plant. Solexant's investment, Oregon governor Ted Kulongoski said, "will mean jobs immediately for Oregonians wi
Solar Energy
Vermont utility developing solar array
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Solar energy is continuing to enjoy rapid growth even in parts of the country that are known more for ski resorts and cold mountain air. According to Green Mountain Power, a Vermont Utility company, it is working on what will become a solar array consisting of 770 photovoltaic arrays located on a "solar orchard" spread across three-quarters of an acre of land. "This project is an important part of our overall energy and climate strategy to increase the amount of renewable energy g
Solar Energy
Community solar projects gain ground in some areas
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A solar energy project in Colorado may emerge as a model for communities in other regions of the country to consider. A recent report from KUSA-TV in Denver focuses on a project underway in Carbondale, Colorado. According to the television station, the project, involving 350 photovoltaic panels paid for by a group of about 20 homeowners, is now taking shape. The report quoted project founder Paul Spencer as pointing out that this may be one way for people to support solar energy even if they lac
Solar Policy
Air Force base unveils new solar array
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The U.S. Air Force has announced a significant new investment in solar energy at one of its California facilities. A significant new photovoltaic panel project at Los Angeles Air Force Base is now said to be running on one of the facility's parking areas. Such solar arrays provide shade for vehicles while putting otherwise under-used parking lot land to more effective use. "The Air Force is leading the way right now with renewable energy-type of projects," said project manager Ed Wilso
Solar Energy
Solar energy gaining ground in rural America
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
One of the benefits of solar energy is that it can be used almost anywhere to generate clean electricity, including in places that may not be connected to the power grid. This has been the case in places ranging from developing nations to rural America, and consumers are also constantly finding new applications where solar technology can be used. A recent Associated Press report called attention to one such use. According to the wire service, farmers in Wyoming and elsewhere are increasingly usi
Solar Business
Company announces rooftop solar deal
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Distributed solar energy systems are becoming more common in New Jersey, with help from projects like one that was announced this week by NJR Clean Energy Ventures. According to the company, it has reached a deal with Adler Development of Edison, New Jersey to lease space on top of four unoccupied buildings in the state for the generation of solar energy. The $17 million project is intended to generate 3.9 megawatts of electricity while offering lower energy costs for tenants in the buildings. &
Solar Policy
Worldwide renewable energy continues growth
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Renewable energy is continuing to gain ground against old-fashioned fossil fuels, according to a recent report from the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP). According to the global environmental organization, renewable energy sources accounted for 50 percent of newly installed capacity in the U.S., and 60 percent in Europe. Within the next year, industry experts predict that the world will add more electric capacity from renewable sources than fossil fuel. Still, the recession took a n
Solar Energy
Actor Larry Hagman highlighting benefits of solar energy
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The solar energy industry has gained a new high-profile spokesman in the form of actor Larry Hagman, who may be best known for his role as oil tycoon J.R. Ewing on the '70s TV show Dallas. According to Solar World USA, Hagman appeared at the Intersolar trade show in San Francisco and also owns what may be the largest residential solar array in the country, consisting of 240 solar panels. "We can't expect the government to pull a genie out of a bottle to ease Americans' addictions to fossil
Solar Business
Varian making inroads in solar energy market
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Varian reports that it is introducing a new photovoltaic manufacturing tool to complement its existing line of innovations. According to the company, its new Solion product was presented at the Intersolar US event this month in San Francisco. The Solion is said to be based on the already established VIIsta family of manufacturing tools. Varian adds that its latest product is aimed at increasing the efficiency of solar cells while lowering costs and streamlining the manufacturing process with its
Solar Energy
New advances could spur super-efficient solar panels
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Researchers from Natcore Technology and Rice University are reporting new advances that could result in photovoltaic panels that are more efficient than ever in the coming years. According to an announcement from Natcore, a team led by Professor Andrew Barron has managed to encapsulate silicon quantum dots with a uniform coating of silicon dioxide, which is seen as an important step toward the goal of creating a super efficient tandem solar cell. The coating process involved Rice's patented liqu
Solar Business
FirstSolar completes latest acquisition
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
First Solar, Inc. reported this week that it has completed the acquisition of NextLight Renewable Power, which gives the combined entity some 2.2 gigawatts of utility-scale solar energy projects in North America. The company reported this week that the acquisition marks another step in its strategy of expanding its operations in the market for utility-scale solar projects. This strategy got underway in 2007 when First Solar acquired Turner Renewable Energy. Other past acquisitions of First Solar
Solar Business
Company boasts new solar-powered structures
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A California solar energy company is offering a new option for people or organizations that are interested in taking the next step in adopting renewable electricity. According to Envision Solar International, its LifeVillage offers 3,500 square feet of habitable area with up to 50 kilowatts of solar energy generating potential. The company notes that the LifeVillage can serve as a clinic, schoolhouse, residence or other similar options. The company also adds that the product may be especially he
Solar Business
Companies to team up on high efficiency solar cells
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A Chinese company has announced that it is teaming up with a U.S. startup to produce high efficiency solar cells. According to JA Solar Holdings, it has signed a three-year agreement with Innovalight for work on Secium high efficiency solar cells. Pilot production is already underway on the cells, and they are expected to reach the commercial market during the second half of 2010. "JA Solar will continue to stay at the forefront of solar cell technology and commercial production of high-eff
Solar Energy
Washington solar company reports substantial growth
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The largest manufacturer of photovoltaic panels in the state of Washington reports that it has moved to a larger facility in response to the significant growth it has experienced in recent months. According to Silicon Energy, it has set up manufacturing operations at its new facility in Marysville, which is nearly double the size of its previous location in Arlington. With the move, the company has seen its manufacturing space jump from about 14,000 square feet to 27,000 square feet. "We've
Green Energy
Renewable energy options abound from state to state
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
While solar energy has made inroads across the nation, some regions remain particularly well-suited for several different types of clean power production, including wind turbines. One such area is the Midwest, where wind-swept states like Illinois and the Dakotas offer the potential to power many thousands of home while enjoying the economic benefits of the rapidly emerging renewable energy industry. In contrast, some of the largest solar energy plants in the nation are being developed in Southw
Solar Policy
Various solar arrays planned for Pennsylvania
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Pennsylvania officials have announced that they will be making new investments in solar energy in order to promote job growth while helping to improve the environment. According to Community and Economic Development Secretary Austin Burke, 37 projects in 16 counties statewide will receive $18 million through Pennsylvania's solar energy program. "These new projects are creating jobs while helping to make the development and deployment of solar technology more affordable," said Burke. &q
Solar Policy
Officials approve California clean energy deals
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
California residents are continuing to enjoy the benefits of clean energy delivered by what promises to be increasingly large and ambitious solar and other renewable power projects in the coming years. In an announcement this week, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) reported that it had approved renewable energy contracts for two of the state's leading utilities. Under one contract, Southern California Edison has agreed to a 20-year power purchase agreement with CA Solar 10, LLC f
Solar Policy
New solar energy technologies cited for innovation
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Technologies developed at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory were recently honored for their potential benefits to the solar energy industry. According to an announcement from the laboratory, Research & Development Magazine listed two technologies among this year's most significant innovations. The awards are said to be known in the research and development community as the "Oscars of Innovation." One of the technologies is said to be a "black silicon" etching techn
Solar Policy
Government announces new solar testing area
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Part of a former nuclear testing zone in Nevada is expected to find new life as part of a recently announced Solar Demonstration Zone. According to the Department of Energy, the Solar Demonstration Zone will occupy an area in the southwestern portion of the Nevada Test Site on lands owned by the Bureau of Land Management and the National Nuclear Security Administration. "The Nevada Test Site is about to play a new role in securing America's future - but instead of testing nuclear weapons, w
Solar Business
Sacramento utility announces power purchase agreement
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
More residents of the Sacramento area will soon be enjoying the benefits of clean energy under a recently announced power purchase agreement. According to the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, it has signed a 20 year agreement with Recurrent Energy for 60 megawatts of solar energy that will be produced in the southern portion of Sacramento County. Recurrent Energy is expected to develop 12 separate 5 megawatt solar arrays that are set to be operational by fall 2012. These were said to be th
Solar Policy
School district plans 9.4 megawatt solar array
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Rosendin Electric, a California company, is highlighting a new contract that is expected to result in the largest solar energy array for a school district in the state. According to the company, it is breaking ground this week on a new photovoltaic array that will generate 9.4 megawatts of electricity. The installation is expected to provide clean power for 10 schools in the Antelope Valley Union High School District. "We have always been committed to delivering alternative energy solutions
Solar Energy
Solar-powered aircraft begins nighttime test flight
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A Swiss team of researchers is poised to make history this week with the longest-ever flight by a solar-powered aircraft. According to the Solar Impulse team's website, the aircraft took off on Wednesday with plans to stay aloft as its batteries charged, before proceeding to a lower altitude for an overnight flight. The nighttime test flight is a crucial part of the team's goal of flying the plane around the world in 2012. The Solar Impulse had to postpone the test flight last week when problems
Green Energy
EPA takes aim at power plant pollution
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
States and utilities could have more reasons than ever to invest in solar energy arrays and other clean projects under recently proposed regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency. This week, the EPA announced that it would seek to cut air pollution from power plants in 31 eastern states plus the District of Columbia, since these emissions are linked to public health problems like asthma and heart attacks. The increasing efficiency and falling costs of products like photovoltaic panels
Solar Policy
Solar companies set to receive government loans
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
President Barack Obama has announced some substantial new investments in the solar energy industry with an eye on helping to spur the nation's slow rate of job creation. According to the president, two companies will receive nearly $2 billion in conditional loan guarantees, resulting in hundreds of construction and permanent jobs. The first company cited was Abengoa Solar, which will receive a $1.45 billion loan guarantee to build a large-scale solar plant in Arizona. The Abengoa project is expe
Solar Policy
Massachusetts eyes large new solar array
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Solar energy projects in Massachusetts are becoming increasingly ambitious with one developer having recently offered a proposal for what would be the largest photovoltaic array in the state. A report in the Boston Globe says that a developer has proposed turning 100 acres of wooded land in the town of Salisbury into a 6-megawatt solar array which would also include wind turbines. The power generated would be sufficient for 1,500 typical homes, added the newspaper. The Globe also noted that the
Solar Energy
Solar Panel Thievery
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A scary new trend is popping up involving the theft of solar panels – on residential and commercial properties nationwide. Reports, such as the case in San Jose, CA where a business owner reported theft of its $75,000 solar system, are pouring in daily. It is a problem that needs to be addressed quickly, so as not to discourage the installation of solar power in homes and businesses.Photo from offthegrid.comSolar panel thieves aren’t your ordinary burglars; they are well-versed in the various
Solar Energy
University showing support for solar energy
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Educational institutions around the country have been finding more and more ways to show their support for solar energy and other environmentally friendly practices. For example, a report in the Chicago Tribune noted that the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) in Cedar Falls recently became one of the latest schools to establish a solar energy array. In this case, the university is reportedly installing 900 photovoltaic panels that will power a new parking garage. However, this isn't the universi
Solar Energy
Solar energy plane test postponed
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The team of Swiss researchers working on a solar-powered airplane suffered a setback this week when a planned night flight was unable to take place. The Solar Impulse plane has already made at least one successful test flight, but the night test was particularly important since it would be crucial in determining the plane's suitability for a trans-global flight set to take place in 2012. Much of the top of the aircraft is covered with photovoltaic solar panels.According to a blog on the Solar Im
Green Energy
Government announces new light bulb information rules
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Solar energy is playing an increasingly important role in helping Americans cut their power bills and depend less on fossil fuels. However, other technologies, including efficient new light bulbs, are also playing important roles in the nation's move toward cleaner energy. In fact, this week the Federal Trade Commission reminded consumers that starting in mid-2011, light bulb packaging will change to measure the products' brightness in lumens as opposed to watts. This is because watts measure en
Solar Business
First Solar focusing more on large-scale projects
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
In recognition of the growing demand for large-scale solar energy projects around the country, First Solar has announced that it is forming a new business group to focus on this emerging niche in the world of clean power. According to First Solar, it will have power purchase agreements in place for 2.2 gigawatts of utility-scale solar projects once its ongoing acquisition of NextLight is completed later this quarter. The company also noted that it has built or begun construction on 189 megawatts
Solar Policy
Green jobs effort launched in Ohio
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Ohio Governor Ted Strickland is highlighting the northwestern part of his state for its potential in contributing to the green economy - particularly the solar energy industry - in the coming years. In an announcement this week, Strickland designated the Northwest Ohio Solar Energy Hub in an effort to promote entrepreneurship and attract solar researchers, manufacturers, educational facilities, and others involved in the industry. "By pairing Northwest Ohio's glass manufacturing legacy with
Solar Policy
Tennessee city to use solar-powered charging stations
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Solar energy will be used to help power some electric vehicles in Knoxville, Tennessee, according to a recently announced initiative by the city. The city is working with Oak Ridge National Laboratory and other entities to develop about 350 electric vehicle recharging stations throughout the area. About 10 of these stations would be powered with solar energy, further compounding the environmental benefits the electric vehicles will offer. "We've been meeting frequently with project partners
Solar Energy
Utility unveils solar/coal hybrid
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A newly unveiled project is offering a glimpse of ways power plants can use multiple energy sources in the future. According to Xcel Energy, it is now operating a hybrid solar-coal plant that uses parabolic trough technology aimed at dramatically increasing efficiency while reducing the amount of coal that is used. The project is located at Xcel's Cameo Generating Station near Grand Junction, Colorado. "If this project produces the successful results we expect, this type of solar thermal in
Solar Energy
Solar panels to help power boats
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Solar energy technology is continuing to make inroads into the world of transportation, most recently for recreational boats. According to Kyocera Corporation, it is supplying solar modules for panels that are manufactured by Toyota and intended for use in the recreational boating sector. The panels will allow a boat's batteries to remain charged during long periods of inactivity while docked, and they will also provide power for on-board appliances and electronic devices. Kyocera pointed out th
Green Energy
Companies moving ahead with large wind energy project
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
While thousands of people in the western part of the United States have begun using energy from renewable sources in recent years, not all of it is coming from solar power facilities. In fact, large-scale wind projects have continued to emerge in many parts of the country, bringing new economic opportunities to some agricultural parts of the country in the process. According to Enbridge Inc., it has entered into an agreement with Renewable Energy Systems Americas to develop the 250-megawatt Ceda
Solar Business
Solar energy company reports venture funding
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A company that specializes in home solar energy services has announced a successful round of venture capital funding that yielded $55 million. According to SunRun, the funding round was led by Sequoia Capital and joined by Accel Partners and Foundation Capital. The company plans to use the funds to expand into new U.S. markets and to meet the increased demand it has seen for its services. SunRun offers homeowners a program where the company maintains ownership of the solar panels they install on
Solar Business
Company marks solar panel milestone
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
In a sign of how much the photovoltaic market has grown in recent years, Sharp Electronics Corporation recently announced that it has now produced more than 2 million solar panels. A company announcement reported that the landmark solar panel was manufactured at its assembly plant in Memphis, Tennessee, which first went online in 2003. The company also noted that since 2003, the size of its manufacturing staff has tripled, growing along with the facility's production capacity. "Having the t
Solar Energy
Solar challenge race comes to a close
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A race across the Midwest featuring vehicles powered by solar energy concluded last week in Illinois, with a team from the University of Michigan winning the event. The race started on June 20 in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma and proceeded through checkpoints in cities scattered across the region. Some stops included Topeka, Kansas, Rolla, Missouri and Normal, Illinois, while the race concluded in Naperville, Illinois. Other top finishers in the solar challenge were the University of Minnesota team, w
Solar Energy
Roofs could technically generate up to 40% of EU’s electricity demand by 2020
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
With a total ground floor area over 22,000 km2, 40% of all building roofs and 15% of all facades in EU 27 are suited for PV applications. This means that over 1,500 GWp of PV could technically be installed in Europe which would generate annually about 1,400TWh, representing 40% of the total electricity demand by 2020.The European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA), the world’s largest photovoltaic industry association together with Design-Build Solar, has organized today, 23 June, an even
Solar Energy
New solar array part of larger planned project
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A new solar energy array has gone online in California as part of a broader initiative aimed at eventually generating as much as 500 megawatts of electricity. According to Pacific Gas and Electric Company, the Vaca-Dixon Solar Station is the flagship project of the initiative. This particular array provides 2 megawatts of solar energy. Under the current plan, PG&E will develop up to 250 megawatts of new solar resources in California, while independent providers will provide a similar amount.
Solar Business
Yingli announces new supply agreement
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Yingli Green Energy has announced a new supply agreement between its U.S.-based subsidiary and DC Power Systems. DC Power will be supplying Yingli's solar panels to the U.S. residential market through at least the end of 2010, and the deal is said to be the largest between the two companies so far. The deal could have significant financial potential when considering the substantial growth enjoyed by the residential solar industry in 2009 alone. "We are pleased to widen our distribution capa
Solar Policy
New Jersey county using bonds for solar project
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Some county officials in New Jersey are receiving national attention for their work in funding a planned distributed solar energy project in their area. The Morris County Improvement Authority is running a renewable energy initiative known as the Morris Model, which is financed with county-guaranteed bonds. So far, county officials are working on a plan that will see solar panels installed at 14 area schools and five county-owned buildings. The school districts are expected to save 35 percent on
Solar Business
Company set to start producing new solar cells
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The future of solar energy is likely to be filled with increasingly thin and flexible photovoltaic materials that will make it easier than ever to generate clean electricity. Earlier this year, Micron Technology and Australia's Origin Energy Limited announced they were teaming up for a 50-50 joint venture that would focus on the development of photovoltaic technology. That endeavor is now known as Transform Solar. "As we have looked to leverage our core strengths in other markets, photovolt
Solar Energy
Solar industry sets ambitious growth target
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The solar energy industry is expecting to continue its rapid growth well into the coming decade, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs and other economic benefits in the process. Rhone Resch, CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association, recently set a goal for the industry to install 10 gigawatts of solar capacity annually by 2015."Over the last few months, we have seen disaster after disaster caused by the fossil fuel industries and Americans are calling for a new direction for our ene
Solar Energy
Company reports record solar panel efficiency
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Homeowners have already been enjoying the benefits of increasingly efficient photovoltaic panels, but researchers are continuing to break new ground in their effort to make clean energy more affordable than traditional fossil fuels. In fact, SunPower Corp. announced this week that it had produced a full-scale solar cell with a sunlight to electricity conversion efficiency of 24.2 percent. This was a world record for large area silicon wafers, with confirmation coming from the National Renewable
Solar Policy
Vermont utility unveils solar array
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A new solar photovoltaic project in Vermont will do its part in educating the public about clean energy while also producing electricity. According to Central Vermont Public Service, a 50-kilowatt photovoltaic array in the town of Rutland features 264 solar panels mounted across 33 stationary modules. The panels measure three by five feet wide. The electricity generated by the panels will be able to power about 50 average homes under optimal conditions, while it will otherwise provide energy for
Solar Energy
Utility wins award for massive photovoltaic project
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Florida Power & Light announced this week that it has been recognized for its work in developing the nation's largest photovoltaic solar plant. According to the utility, it has received the Southeastern Electric Exchange's highest honor for outstanding performance in recognition of the DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center. The award is given each year to the "best of the best" of all entrants considered across 11 different awards categories. "I'm extremely pleased that o
Solar Policy
Utility unveils new photovoltaic array
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A number of different states have been making national news for their efforts to comply with the ambitious renewable energy goals they have laid out for themselves. For example, California has been working to enact a standard that would require 33 percent of its energy to be derived from renewable resources in 2020. Other states have laid out their own similar goals, such as Ohio, which hopes to generate 25 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2025. In Ohio, at least 0.5 percent of th
Solar Business
Solar company announces manufacturing deal
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Petra Solar has announced a new manufacturing agreement that will see more of its pole-mounted solar photovoltaic systems distributed to customers around the world. According to the company, Flextronics, a leading electronics manufacturing services company, will build the SunWave smart energy modules with an eye on developing a larger international presence. "As the leading clean tech manufacturing solutions provider, we believe the partnership is a natural fit and applaud the leadership an
Solar Business
Colorado company announces DARPA contract
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A Colorado company that develops flexible thin-film solar modules has announced a contract award from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). According to Ascent Solar Technologies, DARPA selected its team for an award under its Low-Cost Lightweight Portable Photovoltaics solicitation, which will start off with an 18-month first phase with a contract value estimated to be about $3.8 million. "The outcome of the program dovetails nicely with our existing technology improvement
Solar Business
NRG acquires new projects in Southwest
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
NRG Energy, a New Jersey company, has announced that it will acquire a portfolio of solar energy projects in various locations in Arizona and California. The nine projects acquired under the deal range in size from 20 megawatts to 99 megawatts, with many set to come on line between 2011 and 2013. With these new facilities, NRG Solar would have about 1,150 megawatts in projects under development. "Acquiring the nine development projects will be instrumental in expanding our clean energy port
Solar Energy
Tampa utility testing pole-mounted solar panels
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Utilities and solar energy companies have been working together in many parts of the country to put unused roof space and abandoned industrial lots to better use by installing photovoltaic panels to generate clean energy. However, telephone poles may be playing a greater role in the coming years when it comes to distributed solar plans that generate large amounts of energy with help from existing structures. This allows companies to avoid the costs and regulatory burdens that come with having to
Solar Business
Company selected for Dow Jones photovoltaic array
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
SunPower has announced that it will install a new high-efficiency solar energy array at the Dow Jones corporate offices, which are located in central New Jersey. According to the California solar energy company, the photovoltaic solar array will generate 4.1 megawatts of energy. The system will include 3.6 megawatts of solar panels that will be located above parking spaces, as well as a rooftop installation that will generate 522 kilowatts of electricity. "Renewable energy is part of a sust
Solar Policy
Public remains warm to solar energy
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A recently released survey indicates that solar energy is continuing to receive favorable attention from the American public. According to Applied Materials, 67 percent of the public would be willing to pay more for utility bills if more of their electricity was being derived from renewable sources. A total of 49 percent of consumers indicated they would be willing to pay $5 per month or more in higher utility bills in order to use more clean energy. The poll also found that about two-thirds of
Solar Policy
Solar company set to build facility in Minnesota
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Few people may equate Minnesota with solar energy, but some officials in the state have been taking steps to ensure that it is not left behind by the emerging trend of green jobs. A report in the Duluth News Tribune reports on loans recently issued by the Iron Range Resources Board. One loan will reportedly provide $1.5 million to Silicon Energy to buy equipment, while $3.6 million is going to the Economic Development Authority of Mountain Iron for a 25,000 square foot building in the area's ren
Solar Business
Solyndra decides not to pursue IPO
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
An up-and-coming California company that specializes in rooftop solar energy arrays has indicated that it will not be moving forward with its planned initial public offering of stock. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Solyndra cited "adverse market conditions" and cited its belief that the decision was "consistent with the public interest and the protection of investors." It also reported that no securities have previously been sold in connection with t
Solar Business
New solar testing lab coming to New Mexico
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Albuquerque, New Mexico will be making contributions to the next generation of solar energy technology with help from a newly announced research facility. This week, CFV Solar Test Laboratory reported that it plans to locate a new solar module testing laboratory in the city. The laboratory is jointly owned by the CSA Group, the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, and other entities. "The decision to place this new solar testing facility in New Mexico puts us in the epicenter of t
Solar Business
Copper Mountain project begins producing solar energy
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A major new solar energy facility located near Las Vegas has begun producing clean electricity, according to a recent announcement from Sempra Generation. The company reports that the first eight megawatts of solar panels located at its Copper Mountain solar facility have been installed and are already delivering energy to the power grid. The full photovoltaic project, when complete, is expected to provide 48 megawatts of electricity - sufficient to power thousands of average homes. "We are
Solar Energy
Coalition working to defend California clean air law
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
California's solar energy industry is part of a coalition working to fight off a ballot initiative sponsored by two leading Texas oil companies that could gut the state's clean air law and undo its recent progress in creating green jobs. The legislation in question, Assembly Bill 32, also known as the Global Warming Solutions Act, aims to bring statewide carbon emissions back to 1990 levels by the year 2020 by encouraging clean energy development and placing new limits on polluters. The new ball
Solar Policy
Senators call for extension of clean energy grant program
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A group of U.S. senators are calling for the extension of a program aimed at promoting the creation of more clean energy jobs. The group of lawmakers includes Senators Maria Cantwell, Debbie Stabenow, Dianne Feinstein, Jeff Merkley and Ben Nelson. According to an announcement from Senator Cantwell, extending the Clean Energy Treasury Grant Program would create at least 65,000 jobs in the solar energy sector alone. "Extending this program for another two years will create tens of thousands o
Solar Energy
University announces upcoming solar energy array
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
California has long been one of the nation's leaders in solar energy, and its university system is playing a prominent role in that effort. In a recent announcement, California State University at Bakersfield reported that it has broken ground on a solar energy project that will provide for up to 30 percent of its energy needs. The project is expected to be complete at the end of the summer. The effort is said to be part of a private-public partnership between the state's 15 CSU campuses that wi
Solar Energy
Solar vehicles set for race across Midwest
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Emerging solar energy technologies are in the spotlight this week as participants gear up for the annual Solar Challenge race. Starting on Saturday, June 19, a group of solar-powered vehicles will set out from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma with a goal of finishing in Naperville, Illinois. Along the way, drivers will be required to reach specified checkpoints by certain times. For example, day three of the race will require drivers to start in Topeka, Kansas at 9 a.m. and proceed to a checkpoint in Jeff
Solar Energy
Company displays solar vessel at World Expo
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Solar energy applications have long been expanding beyond traditional uses like providing electricity for homes and businesses. In fact, transportation is rapidly becoming one area where solar energy is finding new uses. One recent high-profile example of solar energy applications being used in a non-traditional setting comes from the Japanese space agency, which recently launched a craft that derives some of its energy from a solar sail. This technology has long been envisioned as a way to make
Solar Business
Homebuilding company announces solar lease program
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Prospective homebuyers are finding it easier than ever to enjoy the benefits of clean energy, especially now that some leading building companies are incorporating solar panels into their plans. Homeowners who are reluctant to go solar because of the up-front costs involved have a variety of options to consider, such as lease deals for photovoltaic panels. However, the popularity of solar panels has not gone unnoticed in the building industry, with more contractors now incorporating photovoltaic
Solar Business
Green jobs offer economic benefits to some cities
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Cities around America have seen glimpses of the potential that wind and solar energy can offer, from environmental benefits to decent-paying skilled jobs. One such city that has gained media attention in previous months for its green jobs potential is Toledo, Ohio. This is because the city is home to pre-existing manufacturing infrastructure that once provided glass for the auto industry but which has fallen upon hard times in recent years. A recent USA Today report shed further light on the cit
Solar Policy
New York legislation would make major solar investments
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
An organization that promotes solar energy is highlighting legislation that is currently pending before New York state lawmakers.A recent report from the Vote Solar Initiative and other environmental organizations says that efforts to produce enough solar energy to power 1 million New York homes by 2025 could provide substantial economic benefits. Specifically, the amount of new solar energy generated under this effort would be 5,000 megawatts of electricity. For example, the report predicts tha
Solar Energy
Solar project highlighted for water conservation potential
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A solar energy project in Nevada is providing some insight into the potential environmental benefits that the Southwest and other parts of the country could enjoy in the coming years. States like Nevada and neighboring California have already been among those undertaking ambitious utility-scale projects that will power thousands of homes while taking advantage of the region's high average annual sunshine levels. According to a recent report in the Las Vegas Sun, a project in the town of Nipton,
Solar Business
Company working on largest photovoltaic array in Vermont
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Plans for the largest photovoltaic array in Vermont are moving ahead, according to recent media reports. The state's Times Argus newspaper reported that a Massachusetts company, TriLand Partners, is planning to submit an application for a 2.1 megawatt solar farm located near the towns of Williamstown and Northfield. The newspaper added that the solar array would use nearly 9,000 photovoltaic panels spread across about 16 acres of land, while going on to note that Vermont has a mandate in place r
Solar Policy
BLM announces rental schedule for solar projects
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The Bureau of Land Management has announced a rental schedule for solar energy right of way authorizations on public lands. The announcement is significant because a growing number of renewable energy projects have been eyed for public lands in recent years, raising opposition from environmentalists concerned about damage to sensitive wildlife habitats and other similar areas. One area that has been especially prone to such controversies at this point in time is California's Mojave Desert. Such
Solar Business
Large Texas photovoltaic project taking shape
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A prominent U.S. utility has reported a financing deal for a large-scale solar project being developed near San Antonio, Texas. According to Duke Energy Generation Services (DEGS), it has raised about $45 million by leveraging its ownership of the 14-megawatt Blue Wing Solar Project. The 25-year loan was provided by Prudential Capital Group. "This financing is another important milestone for Duke Energy as we continue to build a portfolio of high-quality commercial renewable power projects
Solar Business
Utility announces supply deal with Trina Solar
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Southern California Edison is moving ahead with its solar energy agenda with help from Trina Solar Limited. According to an announcement from Trina, a Chinese company, it will supply solar energy materials to the California utility company. Trina Solar produces ingots, wafers and solar cells, and also assembles photovoltaic modules. The agreement calls for Trina Solar to supply the utility company with 45 megawatts of photovoltaic modules at agreed upon prices with delivery set to take place bet
Solar Energy
World's largest concentrated solar plant planned
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Plans are underway for what will become the largest solar energy plant in the world, according to recent media reports. An AFP report notes that two European companies, Total and Abengoa Solar, are working with the Abu Dhabi company Masdar on what will become the world's largest concentrated solar plant, with a potential capacity of 100 megawatts. AFP quoted the state-owned Masdar as announcing that the two European countries have been named as partners "to build and operate Shams 1, the wo
Solar Policy
Pennsylvania highlights success of solar rebate program
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection recently marked a milestone by issuing its 1,000th rebate check to a resident who installed solar energy equipment. The state's PA Sunshine Solar Rebate Program has existed for about a year and is intended to help homeowners and businesses install solar arrays. "In addition to creating hundreds of new jobs, these projects will be responsible for infusing more than $252 million of private matching funds into Pennsylvania's economy when co
Green Energy
The Sporting World Goes Green
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The whole world is going green, and that includes and the world of sports. From individual athletes to entire franchises, more and more are becoming involved in the green movement in their personal and professional lives. Let’s take a look at some examples of the green arena of sports from the arenas to the teams.Three Sports:1. By going green, motor sports could have the quickest impact on public awareness of the planet's fate. The Formula One circuit has already discovered hybrids and biofue
Solar Business
Solar company reports latest round of venture funding
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
New thin-film photovoltaic technologies are moving closer to the marketplace with help from millions of dollars in venture capital funding. For example, Solexant, a California company, recently reported on $41.5 million it had raised in a financing round led by Olympus Capital Partners and a couple of other investment entities. The company uses a "roll to roll" manufacturing technique to produce nanocrystal ultrathin photovoltaic cells, a technology that is said to be the first of its
Solar Business
New solar research facility unveiled by DuPont
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
DuPont took another step forward with its solar energy business this week as it announced the opening of a photovoltaic applications lab in Delaware. According to the company, the facility is located in Wilmington and will support materials development for the photovoltaic market. The facility will allow the company's industrial partners and customers, as well as educational institutions and others, to work more closely on advances in solar energy technology. "This lab will allow us to acce
Solar Business
10 megawatt solar project announced for Florida
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Florida will soon be home to another major photovoltaic project, which will be located in the central part of the state in Lake Mary. BlueChip Energy reported recently that it has started stage one of the Rinehart Solar Farm, which will generate about 10 megawatts of electricity. This will be sufficient to power about 1,100 average homes. The energy will be sold under a power purchase agreement to Progress Energy Florida. The first stage of the project calls for a solar roof array that will gene
Solar Energy
More consumers opting for solar in new homes
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The growing popularity of solar energy is not going unnoticed by companies that specialize in building homes. PulteGroup, one of the nation's largest homebuilding companies, reported this week that consumers have been very interested in new homes that come with solar power equipment already installed. According to the company, installing solar in a new home can cost 20 percent less than retrofitting an existing home with photovoltaic panels. "Solar makes sense for many homebuyers," sai
Solar Policy
Idaho residents to benefit from solar energy plant
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States in the western part of the country have been among the nation's leaders in building major utility-scale solar energy projects. However, relatively few of these projects have been announced for Idaho, which may be better known for cold temperatures than some neighboring states. With that in mind, Boise Mayor Dave Bieter announced this week during his state of the city address that a $45 million solar array will soon be providing clean energy to local residents. The photovoltaic plant is ex
Solar Energy
Youngstown State announces clean energy investments
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
From elementary schools to universities, educational institutions around the country have been increasingly looking to solar energy as a way to save money while improving the environment. The latest such example comes from Ohio, where Youngstown State University recently announced that it plans a 10,000 square foot solar roof array on one of its buildings. "YSU is once again proving to our state and our nation that innovation, job creation, and energyindependence can happen right here in ou
Solar Business
Solar company set to sell panels in UK
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A prominent solar energy company has announced that it will soon be making its products available to customers in the United Kingdom. According to Suntech Power Holdings, the UK's Microgeneration Certification Scheme recently certified its most popular models, which sets the stage for the panels to be sold in that country. The certification process includes a factory inspection, performance evaluation and other things. "With a high degree of home ownership and a positive feed-in-tariff legi
Solar Energy
Draker Labs Selected to Monitor Solar Energy Production at 14 Arizona Schools
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Draker Labs, a leading provider of monitoring solutions for institutional and commercial solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, has been selected by Photovoltaic Systems Manufacturing (PSM) to monitor PV systems that will be installed at 14 Arizona-based schools. Phoenix-based Salt River Project (SRP), one of the nation’s largest public power providers, is funding the installation and maintenance of the rooftop-mounted PV systems. SRP will provide teachers with training and classroom materials related
Solar Business
Panasonic set to enter solar cell market
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Some of the world's leading consumer electronics companies are showing a growing interest in solar energy, with Panasonic announcing that a new product line will soon hit the market. Panasonic took control of 50.2 percent of former rival Sanyo at the end of last year with an eye on becoming a player in the solar panel market. In an announcement this week, Panasonic reported that it will launch its HIT 215 Series household solar power generation systems on July 1. The products will incorporate Sa
Solar Policy
Report: Louisiana eyes cleaner energy future
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A number of states around the country, especially those that boast hot weather and ample sunlight, have been making dramatic strides toward increasing the amount of energy they generate from solar and other renewable resources. This trend has been visible from Florida to Arizona to Southern California, as utilities unveil plans for increasingly large installations using photovoltaic panels and other technologies, such as solar thermal and concentrating solar. Even states that are not particularl
Solar Business
Company announces smart solar panel technology
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Americans have become increasingly familiar with the concept of smart grid technology, which gives utilities and consumers more advanced ways than ever to manage their electricity use. However, the coming years may also see the widespread introduction of "smart panels," judging from one company's recent announcement. According to National Semiconductor Corp., it has developed a new chipset aimed at maximizing solar panel performance even against common factors like aging equipment and
Solar Business
The European Solar Photovoltaic Industry Is Ready To Co-finance 1,235 Million Euro In R&D
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The European Solar Photovoltaic Industry is ready to co-finance 1,235 million euro in R&D in order to achieve competitiveness in all its market segments.The Solar Europe Industry Initiative (SEII) that will be launched on Thursday in Madrid during the European SET Plan Conference will contribute to achieving 12% Solar Photovoltaic (PV) supply of the EU electricity demand by 2020.The European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA), the world’s largest photovoltaic industry association together
Green Energy
7 Mobile Apps to Help Green Your Life
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
So, you’ve followed the advice of every article you’ve read about going “green” around your home. You replaced your old windows with energy-efficient models, updated your appliances, and even installed solar panels on your roof. But what happens when you leave your home? Are you still thinking about the environment? Who would have ever imagined that you could use your mobile phone to stay “green” when you’re away from home? Below are seven phone apps we found that will help.1. Schlage LiNKA
Solar Energy
Tucson utility announces clean energy plans
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
An Arizona utility company reports that it plans to generate up to 160 megawatts of clean energy from various sources in the next several years. This week, Tucson Electric Power announced a plan to purchase the electricity generated from various clean energy projects that are still mostly in their planning stages. For example, the projects include 10 solar energy plants, a project that derives natural gas from landfills, and a wind farm. Combined, these projects will have the potential to power
Solar Business
SunPower completes North Carolina solar project
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Solar energy continues to make substantial inroads in North Carolina, with the completion of another photovoltaic project announced this week in the state. According to SunPower Corp., it has finished work on the Shelby Solar Project, which is a 1 megawatt facility that will generate enough electricity to power about 140 homes each year. The power will be purchased over the next 20 years by North Carolina Municipal Power Agency Number 1, which serves the Shelby area. "Solar power complement
Solar Business
Survey: Corporations plan more eco-initiatives
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Some of the nation's solar panel manufacturers could be among those who stand to gain from a projected increase in climate change initiatives among American corporations. A recent survey from Ernst & Young found that 70 percent of executives expect that their companies will spend more on climate change initiatives between now and 2012. The survey was conducted among 300 global corporate executives from companies with at least $1 billion in annual revenues. The survey found that among those w
Solar Policy
Massachusetts set to benefit from photovoltaic project
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A newly unveiled solar array in Massachusetts is offering a glimpse of the potential benefits an increasingly green economy may deliver in the coming years. National Grid announced the completion of the first utility-owned solar array in Massachusetts, which passed a law two years ago allowing utilities to generate as much as 50 megawatts of solar energy. The project was also able to give a boost to the Massachusetts economy by creating about 50 green jobs. According to National Grid, the photov
Solar Energy
California working on nation's largest solar plant
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The solar energy industry has made dramatic gains in California in recent years, and it will continue to do so as new and increasingly large projects come online. In fact, the state may become the home of a solar array that could generate up to 850 megawatts of electricity, sufficient to power thousands of homes in Southern California. In a recent announcement, S&C Electric Company reported that it had signed a contract to provide engineering services for the project. The array is being deve
Solar Business
Report highlights solar industry's potential for North Carolina
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Policy makers around the country have been highlighting the economic potential of the renewable energy industry, which is expected to create thousands of jobs in the coming years in industries ranging from wind turbine manufacturing to solar panel installation. Green jobs may take on a new angle in the coming years, with production now getting underway on a couple of high-profile electric vehicle brands, including from General Motors and Nissan. Elsewhere, a recent report from the group Environm
Solar Energy
Obama calls for renewed focus on solar manufacturing
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The U.S. has lost a significant share of the solar panel manufacturing sector in recent years, and President Barack Obama is calling for new efforts to reverse that trend. During an appearance at California solar company Solyndra on Monday, Obama noted that in the mid-1990s, the United States produced about 40 percent of the world's solar panels. Now, that figure has fallen to only about 5 percent. With that in mind, the president noted that the facility has was visiting in Fremont was being dev
Solar Energy
7 Solar Inventions That Will Change How You Play
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Small solar panel toys aren’t just for geeks with calculators and calculator watches anymore. With the rapid development of new, cheaper means of producing efficient photovoltaics, solar-powered devices are becoming a bigger part of our everyday lives. In the next few years we’re likely to see solar power energize even more of our gadgets and toys, some big, some small.Image source: EcoGeekPhoto from EcoGeek1. Solar-powered smartphones. They can now be incorporated directly into a third-party pr
Solar Energy
Belectric, Inc. Starts Construction of a 3 MW Solar Project at Pocono Raceway
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Belectric, Inc. is starting construction of a 3 MW photovoltaic power plant at Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania. Belectric is performing the design, permitting, procurement, construction, and commissioning of the project in a completely turn-key manner for their customer, enXco, an EDF Energies Nouvelles Company (PARIS: EEN).The Pocono Raceway Solar Project will be constructed along Long Pond Road on approximately 25 acres of land adjacent to the raceway. The power plant, expected to generate cl
Green Energy
First freshwater offshore wind farm to be developed
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Many firsts have been recorded in the world of renewable energy in recent years, and one of the most recently announced ones will be the nation's first freshwater offshore wind farm. This week, GE announced that it will be providing the turbines that will be used for the offshore wind farm, which will be located on Lake Erie off the coast of Northern Ohio, close to Cleveland. The wind project is being developed by the Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation (LEEDCo), and will start off generati
Solar Business
Company's solar trash receptacles becoming more common
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Researchers are working on a new generation of solar powered applications that will provide energy for many different needs beyond running a house. One such use is already becoming increasingly common in cities across America - the Big Belly solar powered trash compactor, which is billed as a way to help save fuel and the spillage that traditional trash receptacles can be prone to. According to the company's website, the Big Belly trash compactor can hold up to five times the volume of tradition
Solar Energy
Energy consumption set to rise in coming years
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Worldwide energy consumption is projected to continue rising in the coming years, which means that solar energy and other renewable resources are going to play an increasingly important role in meeting that need. According to the International Energy Outlook 2010 released by the Energy Information Administration, global marketed energy consumption is expected to rise 49 percent between 2007 and 2035. "Renewables are the fastest-growing source of world energy supply, but fossil fuels are sti
Solar Policy
Vermont town eyes landfill site for solar panels
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Bennington, Vermont may become one of the next municipalities to put an old landfill site to use as a solar energy array. A report in the Rutland Herald says that two companies, Encore Redevelopment and Arno Group, are offering a proposal to town officials to deploy solar panels on the site, which three decades ago was a Superfund site polluted by industrial dumping. The newspaper quoted town manager Stuart Hurd as saying that solar panels at the site could "give us the opportunity to utili
Solar Business
MEMC announces acquisition deal
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MEMC Electronic Materials announced this week that it has reached an agreement to acquire Solaicx, a privately held California company that specializes in a continuous crystal growth manufacturing technology for use in the photovoltaic industry. According to the announcement, Solaicx has about 80 employees and has a technology that allows for high volume crystal growth that rivals the traditional silicon nuggets traditionally used in photovoltaic panel manufacturing. "Solaicx's innovative a
Solar Business
Organic materials could help with tomorrow's solar energy production
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A company's recent technology announcement could provide insight into the advancements that will make solar energy more affordable and widespread than ever in the coming years. According to BioSolar, a California-based company, it has developed a new technology that produces materials for photovoltaic solar panels with help from castor beans of all things. The company reports that the castor beans are used to make a polyamide resin that is combined with a non-petroleum material to create a photo
Solar Policy
Report: Grid can sustain influx of new energy production
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A study of the main electrical grid for the southwestern part of the country has found that the current infrastructure should be able to handle the significant boost in clean energy production that is expected to occur. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory reports that the current grid should have the capacity, without major new upgrades, to handle enough new wind and solar energy so as to account for 35 percent of the region's total electricity. "When you coordinate the operations betw
Solar Energy
Japanese spacecraft to test solar technology
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A Japanese spacecraft that launched this week will be using an advanced technology that could mark a whole new chapter in the history of solar energy. This week, Japan's Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched the Akatsuki craft to study conditions on the planet Venus. This particular mission will include a solar sail, which uses particles from the sun to propel the craft. The solar sail technology has been cited as one potential way that space exploration missions decades from now can get
Solar Energy
Utilities showing support for solar energy industry
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
When it comes to increasing the nation's support for solar energy, utilities have been playing as important a role as homeowners and businesses. In fact, the Solar Electric Power Association recently released its annual rankings of the top ten utilities around the country based on the solar megawatts they have added to the electrical grid over the past year. The top ten utilities on the list combined to add 279 megawatts of new solar energy resources to the grid in 2009, marking a dramatic incre
Solar Policy
8 States Offering Homeowners Solar Energy Rebates
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Most states offer some sort of incentive for installing solar at this point, in the form of tax incentives, low-interest loans, grants or other means. But far fewer actually offer rebates for installing solar. According to DSIRE, the Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy, these states actually offer rebates for installing solar. If you’re lucky enough to live in one of these states, your governor wants to pay you to install solar on your home. But hurry up! Funding for these programs
Solar Business
Akeena Solar and Westinghouse Partner to Create Westinghouse Solar
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Marrying one of the most famous consumer brands in the world with the most innovative name in solar power, Akeena Solar (NASDAQ: AKNS), a leading installer and manufacturer of high-performance solar panels, has entered into an exclusive worldwide agreement to manufacture, distribute, market and install its solar panels under the Westinghouse name.The Westinghouse partnership is a validation of Akeena’s award-winning technology that integrates the brains of a solar energy system into the solar pa
Solar Energy
Group highlights potential of solar industry jobs
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
An organization that represents the solar energy industry is calling attention to the large number of green jobs that can be generated with help from government incentives. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), 200,000 new domestic jobs could be created for the solar industry if the government were to extend the Department of the Treasury Grant Program by two years. The group also backs the expansion of tax credits for solar manufacturing, while also pointing out that taki
Solar Energy
Historic chapel to provide clean energy after rebuilding project
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A historic California chapel that burned in a 2007 wildfire has been rebuilt, complete with a photovoltaic solar energy array. Custom-Bilt Metals announced that it had worked with Unique Concepts, Inc. to develop the 5.7 kilowatt solar energy array, which is integrated with the structure's seam metal roofing. The building in question, St. Bartholomew's Chapel, is located on the Rincon Reservation in Valley Center. The only part of the original structure to survive the wildfire was reported to be
Solar Energy
Denver rooftop used for photovoltaic testing
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A utility-scale project in the Denver area is helping researchers continue to build their knowledge of large photovoltaic rooftop arrays. In a recent announcement, Uni-Solar announced that it is participating in testing activities at the rooftop array, which is maintained by ProLogis Renewable Energy. Uni-Solar is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Energy Conversion Devices. Uni-Film, which is based in Michigan, specializes in flexible, thin-film photovoltaic technologies. The research array in questi
Solar Policy
Clean energy testing centers eyed for New York
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New York is continuing to take steps to encourage the development of the solar energy industry within its own borders as well as across the country. The latest initiative from the state comes in the form of an announcement of $4.4 million in funding over the next five years to develop a renewable energy testing facilities throughout the state. According to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), the funding will allow Intertek, a testing laboratory based in the ce
Green Energy
Rare metals crucial for clean energy generation
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
People who follow the solar energy industry have long known that increasingly efficient photovoltaic technologies will allow clean energy to become more affordable than ever in the coming years. However, another area to focus on when it comes to holding down costs will be the materials that are needed to make renewable energy a reality. A recent report from the United Nations Environmental Programme stated that an important part of the worldwide trend toward clean energy technologies will be the
Solar Energy
Company plans manufacturing facility in Nevada
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Solar energy is continuing to make significant contributions to the economies of Nevada and other states. One recent example was an event in Henderson, Nevada where the Southern Nevada Water Authority kicked off operations at its first concentrated photovoltaic energy plant. The 308 kilowatt facility will be used to provide power for the region's water treatment operations. "In addition to generating clean renewable energy, our new CPV solar plant will displace 500 tons of CO2 emissions and
Solar Business
Samsung announces major solar investment
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
One of South Korea's largest companies has indicated that solar technology is an important part of its long-term business plan. Samsung recently announced that it will invest more than $20 billion in clean energy technologies between now and 2020, including the development of solar cells, light emitting diode (LED) technologies, and rechargeable cells for hybrid electric vehicles. "Governments around the world are now investing in green industries to address the issues of depleting energy r
Solar Energy
6 Reasons Why You Should Not Wait To Install Solar Panels
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Right now is the best time to install solar on your home or building. Advances in technology and efficiency are making solar more cost-competitive with other electricity sources like coal-fired power, which continues to provide the lions share of the US’s power at 48.3% (eia.doe.gov). However, solar power has many other advantages over grid-supplied electricity for the homeowner or business owner. Prices are getting lower but waiting also has some risks. Here are six reasons why you should insta
Solar Policy
Group aims to boost solar thermal in New York
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
New York has already been making significant gains in developing solar energy resources by putting up photovoltaic roof arrays and other such installations. However, one industry group is also working to bring more solar thermal energy development to the state. Instead of using photovoltaic panels, utility-scale solar thermal generates power with mirrors that focus sunlight onto a large container of liquid that becomes superheated and powers a turbine. Solar thermal products at the home level ar
Solar Policy
States acting to head off solar panel bans
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Among the millions of Americans who live in communities governed by homeowner associations, there can be unexpected difficulties for those who are interested in converting to solar energy. Media reports around the country have long brought up the occasional dispute between a property owner and their homeowners association over the use of solar panels - not to mention other things such as flagpoles and paint colors. With this in mind, a recent USA Today report noted that some states are taking st
Solar Energy
Photovoltaic array planned for San Diego area
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A major photovoltaic installation is expected to come online in several years near San Diego, bringing clean power to thousands of the region's residents in the process. According to San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), it has signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with a subsidiary of LS Power that will involve as much as 130 megawatts of solar energy. The power would come from the proposed Centinela facility in the Imperial Valley. "We are accessing large amounts of environmentall
Solar Energy
The Top Five Fortune 500 Companies Using Solar Power
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
With “green” being all the rage these days, many Fortune 500 companies are making the switch to solar power by partnering with solar power companies and using solar energy to power their offices and retail establishments. A voluntary program called “The Green Power Partnership” encourages organizations to go green and tracks their annual green power purchases; let’s take a look at the top five and what they’re doing to reduce the environmental impacts associated with purchased electricity use.P
Solar Policy
Major photovoltaic project starts operations in California
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California took another step toward a clean energy future this week as a major new photovoltaic plant in Mendota began operations. According to an announcement from Cleantech America, which developed the project, the project will generate 5 megawatts of emission-free electricity which will be purchased by Pacific Gas & Electric under a long-term power purchase agreement. The project is known as CalRENEW-1 and is said to be the first utility-scale photovoltaic solar project under the Californ
Solar Energy
Renewable energy depending more on rare materials
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
When it comes to the production of solar energy and other renewable technologies, many people may not be aware of the rare metals and other materials that are often required for their manufacture. This is especially the case now that companies are finding new materials to build photovoltaic panels with. Another example is the batteries used in the rapidly increasing number of hybrid and electric vehicles on the road that require lithium for their current batteries. Given the importance of certai
Solar Business
Acquisition of Vanguard Solar announced
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A recently announced business deal could help speed up the process of bringing more thin-film photovoltaic technologies to the consumer market. According to Natcore Technology, it has reached an agreement to acquire Vanguard Solar Inc., which is working on flexible, thin-film photovoltaic materials with an energy output comparable to that of silicon solar cells but with lower manufacturing and capital costs. Vanguard is said to use a proprietary chemical bath process that is similar to a technol
Solar Energy
Solar City: Eight Major Cities That Embrace Solar Energy
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
On October 8, 2009, the Department of Energy announced a grant of $10M through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for 40 new Solar America Cities Special Projects in 16 cities. This funding will enable the cities to increase solar energy use in their communities through innovative programs and policies that can then be replicated across the nation.Following are details about how eight of these 16 major cities are utilizing their portion of the allotted money.Boston, MA – With some of the
Solar Business
Suntech cites strong demand
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
In its latest quarterly earnings announcement, Suntech Power Holdings reports that its total net revenues for the first quarter of 2010 will be in the area of $580-590 million, with a gross margin in the area of 19 to 20 percent. The company noted that its previous guidance had predicted a gross margin of 18 to 20 percent. Suntech CEO Zhengrong Shi was pleased by the "extremely strong demand" for company solar products in the past quarter and predicted that "robust demand in inc
Solar Policy
Report predicts solar could meet 25 percent of world energy needs
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A recent report from the International Energy Agency is offering a glimpse of the future growth potential that solar power offers. According to the IEA, solar-generated electricity could account for as much as 25 percent of global production by 2050. This week, the energy organization released a report that includes roadmaps for both photovoltaic technology and concentrating solar power. Both of these options are becoming increasingly common around the world, especially when it comes to utility-
Solar Policy
DOE announces funds for concentrated solar energy
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The Department of Energy has announced that it will distribute $62 million among various businesses with an eye on furthering concentrating solar power technology. Concentrated solar power projects are already being developed in some U.S. states, and they also exist in a handful of countries like Spain. The technology uses large numbers of mirrors to concentrate sunlight that is used to heat liquid and drive turbines to create electricity. "Developing low-cost, renewable energy generation i
Solar Energy
Solar energy will play important role in lowering emissions
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
People who invest in solar energy systems in the coming years will be playing a role in helping the nation reduce the growth of its carbon dioxide emissions in the long term. A report released this week by the Energy Information Administration notes that carbon dioxide emissions from energy production are expected to grow by a 0.3 percent margin per year between 2008 and 2035. According to the EIA, emissions will rise about 9 percent in total during this period to about 6,320 million metric tons
Solar Business
California solar roof project gaining momentum
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
More homes than ever in California will have access to clean solar energy with help from a recently announced rooftop project. According to ProLogis, which specializes in distribution facilities, it will be launching its second solar rooftop project in California, with the potential to generate up to 11.1 megawatts of electricity. ProLogis also indicated that it has signed a master agreement with Southern California Edison (SCE) to provide up to 100 megawatts of clean energy through the company'
Solar Energy
New York City project aims to boost solar knowledge
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
When it comes to creating optimal conditions for solar power, people may be mostly inclined to think of ongoing efforts to create the most efficient photovoltaic panels possible. However, other factors like location and placement of solar panels are also crucial. With this in mind, the New York Times recently reported on a project underway in the city where a twin-engine plane is making early-morning flyovers in the city to take laser photographs that can be used to determine, among other things
Solar Energy
Nine of the World’s Largest Solar-Powered Creations
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
With environmental issues and solar-powered innovation at the forefront of everyone’s mind these days, countries across the world are vying for the title of the “biggest and the best” creations. However, in the quest for the top spot, two major challenges have been uncovered…the cost of the equipment to harness the solar power and the land mass needed to build these solar-powered giants.Regardless of the drawbacks, massive solar-powered creations are being designed and built across the world.
Solar Business
Company announces new solar manufacturing jobs
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Oregon will soon be home to several hundred new green jobs thanks to a recently announced building plan by a leading solar panel manufacturer. According to the SolarWorld Group, about 350 additional workers will be employed at two factory buildings that are set to be completed in Hillsboro by September 30. The site currently employees about 650 people, which would bring the planned total up to about 1,000 workers. When factoring in a separate facility in Camarillo, California, SolarWorld employs
Solar Energy
Old abandoned sites could be used for solar energy production
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
More than 4,000 contaminated and abandoned industrial sites around the country could be poised to benefit from legislation that would create new incentives for utilities to place solar arrays and other clean energy systems on them. Under legislation introduced this week by Senator Frank Lautenberg, utilities could get triple credits toward a national renewable energy standard if they build clean power arrays on brownfields. The arrays could include photovoltaic panels, wind turbines, and other t
Solar Policy
New legislation encourages home energy upgrades
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The U.S. government is continuing to enact measures that make it more affordable than ever for homeowners to invest in solar energy products, efficient home retrofits and other upgrades.For example, consumers have until 2016 to take advantage of a 30 percent federal tax credit aimed at promoting home renewable energy systems, such as wind turbines and photovoltaic arrays. More recently, the U.S. House of Representatives has approved the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act, a two-year program that enco
Solar Policy
California highlights support for solar
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The state of California has established itself as a leader in U.S. clean energy production due to policies aimed at helping utilities and homeowners afford upgrades and new technologies. A recent announcement from Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's office highlighted some of the state's solar energy initiatives. For example, the state has a plan seeking to have 1 million solar roof arrays installed in California by 2018, as well as a formal goal of deriving 33 percent of its energy consumption fro
Green Energy
Carbon emissions declined last year due to economy
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
As Americans increasingly embrace technologies that improve energy efficiency and provide clean new sources of electricity, one benefit will be a decline in air pollution over time. Despite the rapid growth of home and business-based solar arrays and other options like wind and geothermal, these technologies continue to account for a relatively small portion of the nation's energy output. However, this also means there is room for exponential growth in these industries, especially in light of st
Solar Energy
Report: Wisconsin solar array will double as a teaching tool
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A project is underway in Wisconsin that will generate solar energy while also serving as an educational tool for young people who may be interested in pursuing green jobs some day. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel recently featured the project, which involves Johnson Controls, Inc. and the Milwaukee Area Technical College, with students at several nearby engineering schools set to benefit from firsthand knowledge of solar arrays. The solar array itself will reportedly be finished in August at a co
Solar Energy
New technology makes photovoltaic panels work better
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One of the benefits of new photovoltaic panel technology is that consumers will have more ways than ever to monitor the clean energy that is being generated for their homes. For example, SunPower Corp. recently announced upgrades to a monitoring system currently in use in Europe that allows its dealers to monitor the performance of a customer's solar array. This results in quicker troubleshooting, lower maintenance costs and improved public service, according to the company. The SunPower technol
Solar Energy
Report cites rapid growth in photovoltaic industry
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Solar panels are becoming as attractive to investors as they are to homeowners in light of recent data showing how much the industry has been growing. According to the recent report from the European Photovoltaic Industry Association, the global solar photovoltaic electricity market saw its installed capacity rise above 22 gigawatts in 2009, gaining 7.2 gigawatts last year alone. The report goes on to predict that global installed photovoltaic capacity will grow by at least 40 percent in 2010, w
Solar Business
SunEdison announces new projects in Italy
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A leading provider of solar energy in the United States has announced deals in Italy that will help it further expand its bottom line. According to SunEdison, it plans to develop a total of 12 solar energy plants in Italy's province of Lecce, each of which will be able to generate 1 megawatt of electricity. The company reports that in 2009, it delivered more kilowatt-hours of energy than any other solar services provider in North America. "Given our financing capabilities and project skill
Solar Energy
Seven Cities With Solar Potential That Aren't Utilizing Much Solar
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Solar power is a great idea throughout most of the U.S. But the southwest offers the optimum conditions for solar power with more sunlight and heat than the rest of the country. This includes southern California, most of Nevada, western Texas, a wide swath of New Mexico, parts of Utah and Colorado. So it’s kind of surprising that there’s still a significant lack of solar installations in and near some of these states’ cities, major and small.California has the most installed solar power in the U
Solar Energy
Solar energy making strides to cost parity
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One of the benefits of investing in solar energy technology is that with or without government tax incentives, it is taking less time than ever for people to see a financial return on their purchase costs. The growing efficiency of photovoltaic technology means that researchers are closer than ever to achieving cost parity with fossil fuels, which would set the stage for major investments and upgrades in solar energy production. A recent example comes from the Kansas City Star, which noted that
Solar Business
Photovoltaic project announced for New Jersey facility
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New Jersey has been emerging as a national leader in solar energy production, with help from photovoltaic projects like one that was announced this week. In announcement this week, SBS Energy Partners reported that it had reached a 15-year agreement with Seabrook Farms to install and maintain about 27,000 photovoltaic panels on 21 acres of land in Seabrook, New Jersey. Each solar panel is said to produce about 230 watts of electricity. "We are eager to help Seabrook Farms create a more sust
Solar Business
Company focuses on solar arrays in parking lots
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A company that specializes in placing photovoltaic arrays in spaces like parking lots has announced that it is now trading as an over the counter stock. According to Envision Solar International, its shares started trading in early May. The company's business model focuses on the development of solar photovoltaic arrays in parking lots and other comparable areas. The panels are mounted on arrays that allow vehicles to be parked beneath them. So far, Envision Solar reports that it has designed or
Green Energy
Solar Panels In Space
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Solar is helping expand our knowledge of the universe by powering some of the most interesting space exploration and discoveries of our generation. We all know that alternative energy sources require huge energy storage systems, possess limited potential, are very expensive, and/or harm the environment. To the contrary, space solar power is one potential energy source that has unlimited potential, is environmentally friendly and can be cost-competitive once the process of harnessing it has been
Green Energy
The Nine Biggest Energy Hogs in Your House
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We’re all familiar with the term “energy hog”... those things around your house that are sucking the life out of our environment and our bank account! By making some simple changes – or replacements – to items around your home, you can help save both.Following is a list of the top nine energy suckers; some of them may surprise you!1. Single-pane windows. As much as 40% of the energy lost homes (especially older ones) is through single-pane windows. Think about it, with single-pane windows a tin
Solar Energy
Researchers continue to develop new solar energy technologies
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As solar panels and the price of solar energy continue to become more affordable in the coming years, the credit will be shared by the many researchers who are working on new ways to make this possible. This is especially the case when it comes to trying to make solar energy achieve price parity, if not an even lower price, than traditional fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas. This is because at this point, larger renewable energy projects than ever would become feasible. A report in Calif
Solar Policy
Couple heads to court over solar panels
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The growing popularity of solar energy upgrades around the country has occasionally resulted in legal disputes that in some cases could set important long-term precedents. One typical source of legal friction over the placement of solar panels would involve a person and their homeowner association or some comparable body. Such disputes commonly focus on aesthetics, such as whether the panels should be visible from the street and whether they detract from an area's overall scenic quality. A recen
Solar Business
Company announces new solar panel line
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A prominent California solar energy company has announced a new line of solar panels that will deliver higher efficiency than many comparable products currently on the market. In its recent announcement, SunPower Corp. said that its new E19 Series solar panels are available in a 96-cell or 72-cell configuration, boasting a record level of efficiency of at least 19 percent. To achieve the efficiency, the company reported that it had developed all-black solar cells that produce 3 percent more surf
Solar Energy
Plant fibers could make solar cells more efficient
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Researchers around the world are continuing to make substantial progress towards giving solar power technology the efficiency it needs to achieve cost parity with fossil fuels. One recent development was announced by Wake Forest University, where researchers have developed a new solar cell technology with the potential to double production from flat cells while also bringing down the cost. The university has received a patent from the European Patent Office for its technology, and an application
Solar Business
California photovoltaic project set to expand
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Solar energy continues to make dramatic progress in California, with the most recent development involving a photovoltaic power plant in San Luis Obispo that will see its capacity broadened. According to an announcement from SunPower Corp., it has reached a deal with Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) that will add 40 megawatts of capacity to the planned solar energy facility. In August 2008, the two entities reached an accord for 210 megawatts, and under the current deal that figure now stands
Solar Policy
New York sees strong response to solar initiatives
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Resident of New York state are likely to benefit significantly from clean solar power in the coming years judging from the strong response it is receiving in the form of proposals for new projects. According to the New York Power Authority (NYPA), it recently received 43 proposals to develop up to 100 megawatts of solar photovoltaic capacity, which would mark a fivefold increase in the state's current resources. The authority issued a request for proposals in January for distributed solar energy
Green Energy
Nine Awesome Ways to Have Fun While Going Green
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Sure, global warming is an alarming and serious concern, but going green and reducing your carbon footprint doesn’t have to be a downer! There are many fun and fabulous ways to go green with your family and friends without being bored. Always try to keep in mind – and communicate - the bigger picture. Explain to your children that the little changes we make today will have a big impact on future generations, including theirs. This way, you can get everyone excited about making the world a bette
Solar Business
OPEL Solar plans to help create green jobs
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More Americans may find themselves working in the renewable energy industry in the coming months with help from OPEL Solar, which recently announced steps to increase its manufacturing capabilities. The company reported this week that it is qualifying a number of manufacturing companies to help build its product line in North America, including high concentration photovoltaic panels and rooftop tracker systems. By doing so, the company expects to contribute to the green economy while also holdin
Solar Energy
New Jersey utility announces solar demonstration project
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Residents of the Cape May, New Jersey area will soon get a first-hand look at the benefits of solar power, with help from a recently announced demonstration project. According to Atlantic City Electric, it will launch the demonstration project with Petra Solar, featuring photovoltaic systems mounted on utility poles around Cape May and Ocean City. The installation is expected to be complete by the end of April. "We are committed to delivering reliable and affordable electricity to our custo
Solar Business
Photovoltaic industry likely to see further growth
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Strong demand from consumers and utilities is helping to build a highly positive outlook for the photovoltaic industry, judging from one company's announcement this week. According to DuPont, sales from its photovoltaic division are expected to rise 50 percent in 2010 based on the strong demand from parts of the world including North America, Europe and Asia. In 2009, photovoltaic revenues were more than $550 million, a figure that marked a 25 percent increase over 2008 figures. The company also
Green Energy
Interior Department approves nation's first offshore wind farm
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The nation took a potential step closer to a clean energy future this week with the approval of a major offshore wind farm in Massachusetts that would become the first of its kind in the nation. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar traveled to the state on Wednesday to announce final government approval of the project, which will place dozens of 400-foot tall wind turbines in waters off the shore of Cape Cod. The news is even more significant when considering the nearly decade-long legal battle that h
Solar Business
Queen Elizabeth II honors DuPont for solar panel work
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DuPont has received an award from the Queen of England for its work in making solar photovoltaic panels more efficient. According to the company, it received the Queen's Award for Enterprise in the Innovation category for its work on Solamet - a photovoltaic metallization paste that is said to be key in making solar panels work better. "Addressing energy needs is a global concern. The generation of renewable energy will be the fastest growing sector in the energy market for the next 20 year
Solar Policy
Georgia utility expands commitment to solar power
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More homes in Georgia will be powered by solar energy in the coming years, thanks to changes in a state utility's green energy plan. An announcement from Georgia Power said that its plan has already been approved by the Georgia Public Service Commission, setting the stage for more residents to adopt solar energy. The revised plan from Georgia Power now includes a premium green energy option where customers can obtain 50 percent of their power from solar sources at a cost of $5 per 100 kilowatt h
Solar Energy
Solar energy headed to final frontier
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People who are enthusiastic about solar energy have had reason for excitement in recent years given the technology's growing use in a number of different applications, from transportation to shipping to electrical generation. However, a recent announcement from Japan's Aerospace Exploration Agency may offer the most exotic and futuristic use yet for solar power. According to the agency, it plans to develop a space craft equipped with a solar "sail" that will capture particles emitted b
Solar Policy
Companies trying to convince White House to go solar
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Solar energy companies and other supporters of renewable power have reportedly been trying to convince the White House to install solar panels on its roof. A recent USA Today report says that a group of solar companies, led by Sungevity, are offering free solar panels to the White House. The newspaper adds that solar panels had previously been installed on the White House by President Jimmy Carter in 1979, but were removed during the Reagan administration in 1986. The coalition's website, SolarO
Solar Policy
Students preparing for 2011 Solar Decathlon
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The next generation of solar energy technology will be on display this fall in Washington D.C. as part of the government's annual Solar Decathlon event. In a recent announcement, the Department of Energy named 20 collegiate teams that would be participating in the event, which features model homes built by students which are then brought for display on the National Mall. Along with American teams, students from other countries will also participate in the event. "These students are tomorrow
Solar Energy
Companies team up for photovoltaic arrays
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One of the largest utility companies in the northeastern United States has announced plans to develop two solar photovoltaic plants as part of an effort with Panda Solar Ventures. According to an announcement from Panda, the initial terms of the agreement call for two solar photovoltaic arrays to be developed, each between 15 and 20 megawatts in size with the potential for additional arrays in the future. Panda is expected to be responsible for the development, engineering and construction of th
Solar Energy
Utility wins approval for California solar project
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One of California's largest utilities has received regulatory approval for a plan that will bring solar energy to thousands more of the state's households. According to Pacific Gas and Electric, the California Public Utilities Commission has approved a plan that will produce an additional 500 megawatts of electricity for state residents, which is enough to power about 150,000 average homes. "We applaud the CPUC's decision to approve this important renewable energy initiative and look forwar
Solar Business
Company announces new solar manufacturing facility in California
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More green jobs will soon be in California with help from a recently announced facility by SunPower Corp. SunPower, which is based in Silicon Valley, announced in a press conference this week with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger that it will open a solar panel manufacturing plant in Milpitas. The facility is expected to be open by the end of this year. The company specializes in high-efficiency solar cells and photovoltaic panels, and has been in business for 25 years. With its latest
Solar Business
McCormick set to host Maryland's largest solar roof array
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The largest solar powered rooftop installation in Maryland will soon be developed under a recently announced agreement between two companies. According to Constellation Energy and McCormick and Company, they have agreed to develop a 1.8 megawatt photovoltaic energy system at McCormick's distribution center in Belcamp, Maryland. McCormick is a well-known company specializes in spices, seasonings and other products. Construction of the array is expected to begin in late June and conclude by the en
Solar Business
Duke adding sites to distributed energy program
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Consumers in some parts of the country are enjoying the benefits of clean energy through the distributed solar power programs their utilities are developing. With distributed solar energy, a large number of photovoltaic panels are distributed on buildings, rooftops and other structures in a given area, combining to create a large amount of clean power. In fact, a recent announcement from Duke Energy, one of North Carolina's leading utility companies, said that it had identified 10 new sites that
Green Energy
Do research before choosing solar products
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
For homeowners who are planning to invest in solar power upgrades, one important step is to do some research to be sure they are purchasing a system that is right for them. For example, a recent report in the Palm Beach Daily News quoted a regional manager for a solar energy company who advised people to be sure the roof area to be used for solar panels gets at least several hours of direct sunlight per day. The newspaper also added that people can also tint their windows, keep their attics well
Solar Energy
Sharp Manufacturing Company of America Welcomes Tennessee Officials for Celebration of Sharp’s New 150kW Solar System
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Today the Sharp Manufacturing Company of America’s solar manufacturing plant welcomed local officials for ribbon-cutting to commemorate a significant new solar electric system at the facility. This system, comprised of 790 Sharp solar modules, is one of the largest solar arrays in Tennessee.The new 150kW system, mounted on the roof of the building, joins a 50kW ground mounted system on Sharp’s property, to provide the facility with a significant source of clean energy. Sharp Manufacturing Compa
Solar Energy
GE involved with effort to better integrate solar power with electric grid
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General Electric has announced that it is working with the largest utility company in Arizona to further understand ways to integrate large amounts of solar energy into the existing electrical grid. Working with Arizona Public Service and two other partners, GE will work with a $3.3 million High Penetration Solar Deployment grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to address an issue that is likely to become more important as the nation continues to embrace new forms of clean energy. "Much
Solar Business
Company gets financing for concentrated photovoltaic technology
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More consumers may find themselves becoming aware of concentrated photovoltaic solar power technology in the coming years, especially with one leading company in this niche having just announced a major financing round. According to Amonix, Inc., a California company, it has raised $129.4 million in its latest venture capital financing round, which will be used to accelerate the deployment of its products while also expanding manufacturing capacity. "Amonix CPV systems have emerged as the l
Solar Policy
Company announces North Carolina solar deal
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North Carolina is continuing to make strides towards wider solar energy use, with help from one of the state's leading energy companies. An announcement from Duke Energy reports that a 1 megawatt photovoltaic array is planned for the city of Shelby, and that a 20-year power purchase agreement has been signed with North Carolina Municipal Power Agency Number 1. The agreement was reached with a Duke Energy Generation Services (DEGS), which is a commercial business unit of the larger energy company
Solar Energy
Organic Photovoltaics Are Making Wearable Solar Possible
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“Wait, didn’t his shirt just say, what, now its a picture, what the heck?” It’s a future coming soon as organic photovoltaic solar and LED technologies continue to advance. This would be the goal of wearable solar, a still novel technology that is quickly gaining foot. EroGear for Gizmodo from John Ellenich on Vimeo.Flexible solar panels already are being incorporated into backpacks hats, coats and sunglasses. But newer solar technologies are allowing photovoltaics to be sprayed on, woven into o
Solar Business
Evergreen Solar reports healthy earnings to start 2010
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
One of North Carolina's leading energy companies has announced the acquisition of a new solar energy project that will be developed in the city of Shelby. According to Duke Energy, one of its commercial business units has acquired a photovoltaic project whose electricity will be distributed by North Carolina Municipal Power Agency Number 1 (NCMPA1), as well as its 19 member organizations. The photovoltaic array can generate a megawatt of electricity, sufficient to power hundreds of local homes.
Solar Energy
OSU reports solar energy advance
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Solar energy upgrades are likely to become increasingly affordable for homeowners in the coming years, judging from increasingly efficient and advanced products that are being researched around the world. For example, Oregon State University recently announced that its researchers have developed a new technology that will help lower solar panel costs while reducing material waste. According to the university, the new development involves continuous flow microreactors that are used to produce thi
Solar Policy
New solar energy project eyed for Los Angeles area
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Southern California has long distinguished itself as one of the most solar-friendly parts of the country, and one recently proposed project suggests there is little reason to believe this will not continue for the foreseeable future. A Los Angeles Times report noted this week that an effort is underway to develop a solar power plant in Palmdale, using land that had been set aside years ago for an airport project. The newspaper added that the Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners has approve
Solar Business
Solar energy industry made significant gains last year
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Consumers may have struggled with their finances in 2009, but this didn't prevent the solar energy industry from experiencing significant growth. According to a new report from the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), overall U.S. solar electric capacity grew by a 37 percent margin in 2009, with total industry revenue reaching $4 billion - which was a 36 percent increase over 2008 figures. The increases were reported in both solar thermal and photovoltaic technologies. "When the Pres
Solar Business
Dow Jones plans solar power installation at NJ headquarters
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
It's no secret that the state of the news industry is in transition as more people get their information through new technologies, and in keeping with this transition one news organization is adopting solar power to fuel its corporate offices.Dow Jones & Company has announced it will be constructing a solar power installation at its New Jersey corporate headquarters, which it says will be one of the largest single commercial installations in the country.While many recognize that solar power
Solar Energy
New Joos Orange Personal Solar Appliance Launch
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After working for two years in virtual darkness, Campbell, California-based Solar Components, LLC today announced its first product: the Joos Orange (pronounced “juice”).Expected to ship in June 2010, the Joos Orange is described by the company as the world’s first “PersonalSolar Appliance” – a product that delivers more than 2.5 hours of cell phone talk time for every hour ofcharging time or as much as 20 times (20x) the powering capability of existing personal solar powerdevices. For these rea
Solar Energy
Utilities get grant for solar power research
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Two prominent utility companies are teaming up to research ways to benefit consumers and the environment by producing more efficient photovoltaic panels than ever. An announcement from Hawaiian Electric Company in Honolulu says that it will work with the Sacramento Municipal Utility District in California to make photovoltaic panels more productive and efficient while keeping them reliable enough to serve utility grids. The two utilities will be working with a research grant from the California
Solar Energy
9 Everyday Items That Solar Panels Are About To Make Obsolete
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By 2020, life as we know it today will seem prehistoric. You will probably not pine for the good old days of loud, fossil-fueled lawnmowers or televisions that plug into the wall.Consider the facts…did you know that in just one minute, the sun gives the earth enough energy to meet its power needs for a whole year? That’s right…while many consumers are worrying about the impact of their fuel consumption on the environment and fuel bills, a clean energy source is shining down on us all day. Mor
Green Energy
The Top 9 Solar Energy Jobs This Year
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If you are thinking about a career change this year, the future of the solar can be your shining star. Those having knowledge and experience in any area of solar energy can easily reconstruct their resume and expand their options for employment in this growing field.We are at the forefront of a booming industry and with the solar energy transition projected to create around 350,000 new jobs by the end of this year, the biggest problem has been finding workers to meet the increasing demand.Those
Solar Business
Solar company announces expansion plans in Arizona
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Arizona's solar energy industry, not to mention its economy, got a boost this week when a prominent company announced its plans for a major expansion. According to American Solar Electric, which specializes in the design and installation of solar electric systems, one highlight of the plan will be a new central distribution facility to be located in Phoenix. "Plans for expanding our operations have been in development for over a year and we believe making these moves will position the compa
Solar Energy
7 Reasons You Don’t Use Solar Energy and Why You Are Wrong
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Misconceptions are rampant. Politicians have a big stake in your confusion. What you think you know can hurt you.It’s hard to argue the fact that reducing our dependence on fossil fuel will benefit everyone and that the economy will benefit as well by our conversion to solar or wind energy.Now is a very exciting time for the solar industry and rebates make solar energy a no-brainer. It’s a revolution a long time in the making and seriously overdue. The financial return far exceeds what one
Solar Energy
FPL Commissions Kennedy Space Center Solar Field
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On Thursday, April 8, Florida Power & Light (FPL) officials joined those from NASA to celebrate the powering up of a 10-megawatt solar field array at the Kennedy Space Center near the Cape Canaveral Air Station. The solar field array wrapped up two months ahead of schedule and $8 million below budget.Called the Space Coast Next Generation Solar Energy Center, it represents a unique public/private partnership between the utility and the foremost U.S. space agency, and according to spokespersons d
Solar Energy
Poll finds solid support for solar energy
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A recent poll finds that many Americans are supportive of solar energy and that they are at least somewhat likely to consider such an investment for their own home. The survey from Rasmussen Reports found that 44 percent of Americans believe that solar should become a standard method of home heating in the U.S. in the near future, compared to 23 percent who disagreed and 33 percent who weren't sure. Also in the poll, 31 percent indicated that they are "at least somewhat likely" to make
Solar Energy
Solar Panels Evolve With The Advent Of Nanomaterials
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The biggest new word in solar these days is the littlest—nano. A host of spiffy names describe the newest achievements in creating low-cost, high power, lightweight photovoltaic panels. Quantum dots, nanowires, nanoantenna, carbon nanotubes, and multiple quantum wells, all are at the heart of this evolution in solar cells. One company has even developed spray-on photovoltaic material using nanotechnology.Nano materials are developed on a nearly atomic scale and are visible only under electron mi
Solar Energy
7 Ways To Use Solar Energy Around The House
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With the incredible advances being made within the solar power industry, there are plenty of ways to save money – and the planet – at the same time. If you don’t want to undertake the expense and hassle of installing a full solar power system to provide electricity for your entire house, you can start with these 7 ways to use solar energy around your home today.Photo from Gadgets Zone1. Solar indoor lights. You can burn up a lot of expensive energy using regular lights inside your home. Solar
Solar Energy
Wake Forest University Patents Plastic Fiber PV
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The main drawback to solar photovoltaic energy is the large cost of raw materials. Even when using cost-reduction strategies like NREL’s room temperature, room pressure bath, to reduce reflectivity and provide more chambers for the photons to “work” in, costs still remain high.Add production costs to material costs, with solar cell manufacturing plants costing upward of $1 million, and thin-film twice as expensive, and you have a threshold beyond which solar energy can’t seem to find its way, at
Green Energy
Wind industry reports significant gains for '09
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Supporters of clean energy can take heart from new data showing that wind power alone now provides enough electricity to power some 2.4 million homes nationwide. According to the latest report from the American Wind Energy Association, more than 10,000 megawatts of wind generating capacity was installed in 2009, marking the largest such gains for the industry in its history. The amount of generating capacity installed last year was said to be equivalent to the output of three large nuclear pow
Green Energy
Company's solar energy technology attracts investment
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Consumers may find that they have access to new kinds of photovoltaic technologies in the coming years that will make it easier than ever to benefit from clean energy. In fact, Applied Quantum Technology, a company specializing in advanced solar technologies, announced this week that it had received a $10 million venture funding investment. The money will be used to develop the company's first manufacturing line, which will be located in Silicon Valley. Another short-term priority will be to exp
Solar Energy
Florida utility unveils photovoltaic array
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A major new photovoltaic array was unveiled this week in Florida, giving thousands of state residents the chance to enjoy the benefits of clean energy. According to Florida Power & Light Company (FPL), its Space Coast Next Generation Solar Energy Center is now online and producing about 10 megawatts of emissions-free electricity. This is said to be enough to power about 1,100 homes. The project contains about 35,000 photovoltaic panels and is located on about 60 acres of NASA property on Flo
Solar Energy
The World’s 10 Largest Photovoltaic Power Plants (As of 2010)
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Despite growing interest in solar power in the U.S., the world’s largest photovoltaic installations are in Spain and Germany. While larger installations are underway in the U.S., they have yet to come online. Southern California Edison is working to install 500 megawatts of photovoltaic panels on warehouses in southern California, the first of which will start coming online in 2011. The company says the installations will produce solar at about $3.50 per installed watt, compared to the state ave
Solar Energy
SunEdison, San Diego Deploy Otay Mesa 945-Kilowatt Solar Array
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On April 6, San Diego, California Mayor Jerry Sanders and SunEdison announced the successful deployment of a 945-kilowatt solar array at the city’s Otay Mesa water treatment facility.SunEdison, a subsidiary of MEMC Electronic Materials, is the United States’ largest solar energy services provider and the first to introduce a solar power purchase agreement, or PPA, for homeowners and businesses wanting to install solar without the large, upfront costs that getting such a system requires.Although
Solar Business
Homeowners have new option for monitoring solar performance
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
People who are interested in adding solar energy technology to their homes know that they can save considerably on their electric bills over time while also helping the environment, but they may not always know just how effective their photovoltaic panels actually are. With that in mind, one option may be the Apollo 1 monitoring system from SunReports, which allows people to view real-time data sent from their solar units to their computer. Over time, people will be able to see how many tons o
Solar Energy
Solar energy proving useful in the Middle East
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The growing efficiency of photovoltaic cells is allowing companies to find new ways to expand the benefits of solar energy technology. For example, a report on the New York Times website recently focused on a joint effort between IBM and a research institute in Saudi Arabia that will use solar energy to help power a water desalinization plant in the country. The 10-megawatt project will help provide water to about 100,000 people. The report said that the project will use solar cell technology th
Solar Business
Company specializes in solar air conditioner
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Consumers will see more uses than ever for solar energy in the coming years, and one of them may be air conditioning of all things. Various media outlets noted recently that Chromasun, which specializes in solar-powered air conditioners, had received a $3 million venture capital investment to establish its products in the market. The company's website reports that its air conditioners are mounted on rooftops and use solar thermal technology to provide cooling by powering absorption chillers. Chr
Solar Energy
Solar-powered plane makes first test flight
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Solar energy technology took a potential step forward this week in the form of the first test-flight for an experimental airplane. With Wednesday's successful test flight, the Solar Impulse is closer to making a planned around-the-world flight a reality. According to the Solar Impulse website, the test flight was expected to last for about 90 minutes while reaching an altitude of about 1,000 meters. A Reuters report says that the solar-powered airplane weighs 1,600 kilograms (about 3,500 pounds)
Solar Energy
6 Solar-Powered Toys That Are Safer and More Eco-Friendly
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Time to lose the whole electrical supply matrix for kids…it’s dangerous and expensive!Today’s technological advances have turned even the simplest toys into digital weapons. Electric toys carry with them the danger of electrocution and burns if they are not used properly, designed/constructed properly or used without the proper supervision. The energy of the sun gives life to everything on the planet, yet only recently have we figured out ways to use the sun's energy directly in mechanical toys
Solar Energy
Seeing the Daylight
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
One of the most curious things about modern architecture is that buildings with many windows still require artificial lighting during the day for students and workers to perform their jobs efficiently.That may change with the introduction of Sundolier, a mechanical/electronic sunlight transport system that literally “pipes” sunlight inside. Made by Boulder, Colorado-based Sunflower Corporation, the Sundolier is advertised as “putting a solar robot on the roof”.Photo from Sunflower CorporationThe
Solar Energy
Black Silicon Bath Brings Down Solar Cost
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Today’s solar cells are designed to be non-reflective because solar efficiency depends on the photons being absorbed and not bouncing back into the atmosphere.To create these non-reflective surfaces, crystalline solar cells, or wafers, are treated in some fashion to create a textured surface, which allows the photons to bounce around and strike multiple surfaces before “losing” their energy. Uncoated wafers, by contrast, absorb only 67.4 percent of the light striking them.Photo from Technology R
Solar Energy
Washington State Zero Energy, Solar Housing Project Reenergized
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
In the latter part of 2008, the planned development of 10 zero-energy townhomes near the Issaquah Park and Ride and the YWCA Family Village was put on hold when the Dow Jones fell 777 points to announce the beginning of what has since been labeled the second worst recession in U.S. history.The economic outlook has apparently improved, in spite of economists’ continued dire warnings, because project developers recently announced that building would commence on Tuesday, April 6, with groundbreakin
Solar Policy
Officials in Maryland eye stepped-up solar agenda
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Maryland officials are currently working on legislation that could boost the amount of solar energy generated in the state over the coming years. A report in the Baltimore Sun featured a plan pending before state lawmakers that would require energy companies to increase the amount of solar energy they derive their electricity from in the coming years. The newspaper said that the proposal is strongly supported by Governor Martin O'Malley, but is apparently generating a debate among House of Deleg
Solar Policy
Flagstaff community solar project moving forward
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
In recent years, homeowners who were interested in solar energy upgrades may have shied away from the high upfront costs that can characterize such purchases. However, more people around the country are learning that they can still go solar without paying too much up front. For example, Arizona Public Service announced this week that it has received approval from state regulators for a pilot program that will use rooftops on homes and businesses in the Flagstaff area for clean energy generation.
Solar Energy
Solar Powered Food Cart, Coming To A Summer Near You
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Just in time for the lazy, hazy days of summer, Roger Hawkins introduces the Icekart, a solar-powered cold food cart that promises chilly ice cream bars and other cool treats without an ounce of emissions.Hawkins, who advocates averting climate change and addressing the energy crisis one small step at a time, has designed the Icekart with solar panels to power the refrigeration element, replacing the need for a compressor and overnight charging.Its futuristic lines, “fat” wheels, and fun shape w
Solar Business
Solar companies can find opportunity away from the grid
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
As solar energy technology continues to evolve, consumers are going to find that it works with more applications than they may have ever imagined. Some signs of this emerging technology can be found in the thin-film and ultra-efficient photovoltaic technologies being developed by some companies. Industry analysts have suggested that as thin-film photovoltaics continue to become more sophisticated, homeowners could eventually be able to buy products such as windows that generate solar energy, as
Solar Energy
Schools continuing to embrace solar energy
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Homeowners aren't the only ones saving considerable amounts of money on their electric bills with help from solar energy. Taxpayers in many parts of the country are seeing the benefits as well, with a growing number of schools and other institutions saving money by installing photovoltaic panels. One of the latest examples comes from Amesbury, Massachusetts. A report in the Newburyport Daily News notes that the town's high school is set to receive a $150,000 energy efficiency and block grant tha
Green Energy
Hollywood Goes Green – These Stars Are Ga-Ga Over Energy From The Sun
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The Who’s Who of environmentally concerned actors yields some surprising resultsEvery so often, beneath the glitz and glamour, celebrities will surface who care about something other than fame and fortune…like our environment. While many of Hollywood’s elite tout the importance of sustainability and alternative energy (mostly to enhance their images), others are putting their money where their fabulously-famous “green” mouths are.While many Hollywood A-listers are fueling up their private jets
Solar Energy
Solar Plane Takes Flight in Switzerland
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
In his 2009 novel, “Hidden Empire”, Orson Scott Card wrote that there would never be a battery-powered airplane.The trouble with such sweeping predictions as Card’s is that, once you challenge the ingenuity of scientists and engineers, they find a way to prove you wrong. Take, for example, the solar-powered airplane currently being tested by the Swiss.This airplane, which uses electric motors driven only by solar power, came out as a prototype (HB-SIA) in 2009, and showed itself capable of flyin
Green Energy
SDG&E ISO Mandate Reveals Flaws with Transmission Grid Absent Backup Power
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
On April 2, almost a million ratepayers served by San Diego Gas & Electric, or SDG&E, had their power cut to avoid an uncontrolled blackout that could have created a cascade failure far outside of SDG&E’s service territory.The intentional cutback, to about 20 percent of electricity subscribers, or about 300,000 homes, was initiated by the California Independent System Operator, or Cal ISO, and reportedly resulted from too many power plants being shut down for routine maintenance, which initiated
Solar Business
U.S. solar industry shows signs of growth
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The U.S. solar industry is continuing to regain momentum in both the residential and commercial market, with a number of companies reporting gains overseas and in the domestic market. One recent example comes from a Reuters report on Los Angeles-based Suniva, which has reportedly sold out its products through 2010 and is planning to triple its exports in the next five years. The wire service added that the company is also expected to build a 400-megawatt plant in Saginaw County, Michigan, with a
Solar Energy
Solar-powered boat set for global voyage
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Solar energy is widely seen as having the potential to help meet the world's energy needs by providing clean power to millions of homes. However, researchers are working on a variety of different applications for solar technology, including in many different aspects of transportation. One such project was recently profiled in London's Guardian newspaper, which focused on the German-built Turanor, an 85-tonne solar craft that is preparing to try to journey around the world that organizers expect
Solar Energy
Researchers Overcome Bandgap Voltage Limitations for Solar Photovoltaic
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Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have found a new material that overcomes the bandgap limitations of conventional solid-state solar cells as used in thin-film photovoltaic applications.The band gap is a sort of “free zone” (between the top of a valence band and the bottom of a conduction band) in solids (materials) where no electrons travel. In photovoltaics, the band gap of a material determines what part (or how much) of the solar spectrum a cell absorbs.For photovoltaics t
Solar Energy
Nonprofit Health System Kaiser Permanente Adopts Solar Power
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Kaiser Permanente, the biggest nonprofit health maintenance organization (HMO) in the country, said this week that it plans to install solar power systems at 15 of its California locations this year.Kaiser, which operates primarily in California but also has locations in Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Ohio, and the Atlantic tri-state area (Virginia, D.C. and Maryland), provides medical care and peripheral services like mental health, hospice care, pharmaceuticals, dental care an
Solar Energy
Flux Energy Proposes Eloy, Arizona Community Solar Plant
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Flux Energy, a solar energy company vested in solar thermal (concentrating solar) power, recently put a proposal before the Eloy, Arizona town council for a community-based solar power plant that could provide “green” energy, give the town some greenbacks to play with, and potentially save residents on electricity costs as well.Flux, a mechanical, civil, electrical and structural engineering firm which builds utility-scale solar power plants (ranging from 10 to 100 megawatts), is located in Sola
Green Energy
Pulsar, the Three-Wheeled, Solar Eco-Marathon Winner
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
What has three wheels, a top speed of 25 miles per hour, a fuel-efficiency rating of 4,548 miles per gallon, and runs on solar panels?The Pulsar, of course, Purdue University’s winning entry to the Shell Eco-Marathon for the second year in a row. The marathon, which started at a Shell research lab in 1939, is the result of scientists placing bets on whose vehicle could get the best mpg rating. Eventually the competition went viral.Photo from Green TechThe winner, so far, has been the environment
Solar Energy
Thin Film Solar Panels Take A Giant Leap Toward Affordable Renewable Energy
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Two drawbacks to solar power were cost and the bulk of the panels, but newer panels, called thin-film solar panels are lowering the cost of solar and allowing new types of solar panels to be made. Some are flexible and can either be rolled up or formed into roof tiles, so it’s hardly noticeable that you’re powering your home with the sun!Photo from NRELOver the past decade continual breakthroughs have made the manufacture of thin-film solar panels less expensive while improving their efficiency
Solar Business
The Solar-Powered Fincube is Cool Housing, Cubed
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Designed by German firm Studio Aisslinger, the Fincube is a minimalist housing unit that gets its power from solar energy, uses locally-grown lumber, and can be easily moved to another location.But its resemblance to a mobile home ends there, because the exterior – which looks somewhat like the grid housing on a fan but in wood instead of plastic – provides a combination of privacy and shade with intermittent openings to let the full view invade the senses. In fact, think of it as a house-sized
Solar Business
Sphelar Cells Create the Optimum in Solar Windows
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
What if, asks Kyosemi Corporation, instead of looking out the window at your solar array, your window was your solar array?Thanks to its new invention, the equivalent of silicon “beads” which collect sunlight from any angle to achieve 20 percent efficiency and can be deposited in glass to deliver an almost fully transparent window, it may soon become possible.Kyoto-based manufacturing company Kyosemi, founded in 1980, has spent the last three decades advancing the possibilities of optoelectronic
Green Energy
RV Vacations Depend on Solar to Keep Costs Down, Footprint Small
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Because the economy isn’t quite as horrid as 2008, when many families decided that “staycations” were the best option dwindling household budgets could provide, a few RV owners are making plans to take their vehicles back on the road this summer.Traveling across the country by recreational vehicle is less expensive than renting motel or hotel rooms, or spending an entire week at a resort. It is, however, still costly, largely because of fuel prices, which fell in January – though never below las
Solar Policy
Community solar could be next big trend for clean energy
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
More people than ever have been able to defray the cost of investing in photovoltaic panels and other clean energy products by taking advantage of various state and federal tax credits. However, new developments in the world of solar energy may make it easier than ever for people to generate clean electricity. For example, Senator Mark Udall, a Colorado Democrat, has introduced legislation to provide tax incentives to people who participate in community solar projects, which typically are run by
Solar Business
Solar energy jobs show signs of heading overseas
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Every indication suggests that U.S. consumers will continue to purchase more and more photovoltaic panels and other solar energy products in the coming years. However, there is growing concern that less of those products will be manufactured in the United States, despite the best efforts of state and federal lawmakers. A recent report by Bloomberg News focused on a decision by BP to close a solar manufacturing plant in Frederick, Maryland because of costs, eliminating about 320 jobs in the proce
Solar Energy
SunPower Corp. to build seven solar energy stations in Sicily
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
SunPower Corp. has been chosen to partner with Italian energy company Sol.In.Build to create seven new solar energy power plans throughout Sicily that will provide 16.5 megawatts of renewable energy.The seven solar energy plants will be scattered across 63 hectares of land will and each will range in output from 1 to 3.5 megawatts of solar energy. The plants will be built in the municipalities of Cerami, Licata, Caltanissetta, Calamanoci, Mussomeli, and Cammarata.The plants will utilize both Sun
Solar Energy
Stealing the Sun, Theft of Solar Panels on the Rise
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Solar photovoltaic (PV) energy is on the rise in the United States, from near zero (megawatts installed) in 1997 to almost 500 megawatts in 2007, with another 342 megawatts in 2008.Unfortunately, theft of solar panels is rising at an almost identical rate, with Costa Mesa, California-based insurance broker SolarInsure reporting a rise from 50 megawatts in 2002, to about 450 megawatts in 2009.Solar panel thieves aren’t your ordinary burglars, either. They are well versed in the various panel-moun
Solar Policy
At Fifty Cents a Month, Who Thinks Solar is Too Expensive?
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
An op-ed in a Boston, Massachusetts newspaper notes that state businesses are feeling the burn (of outrage, not good exercise), and it stems from rules passed this year by Governor Deval Patrick’s administration in an attempt to increase solar power across the state.According to the writer, the state knew that the ruling – adopted under “emergency” regulations that attempted to decrease the use of fossil fuels from foreign sources – would raise costs for electric utility customers by up to $250
Solar Policy
One Coast to the Other, Electricity Storage Going Mainstream
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
From California’s mandate to utilities to provide 2.25 percent of peak load with energy storage by 2014, to New York’s $2.4 million funding to Ultralife Corp to design, develop, test and install a 1 megawatt-hour lithium-ion storage system, the future of solar – and perhaps renewable energy as a whole – now appears to lie in optimizing smart grid energy loads via storage.The California mandate, AB 2514, written by Rep. Nancy Skinner (D-Dist.14) and backed by California Attorney General Jerry Bro
Solar Energy
MiaSole solar panels join Chevron' Project Brightfield
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
MiaSole has announced that it has installed its own brand of thin-film modules at a California solar energy demonstration facility at a former refinery site owned by the Chevron Corporation.The California-based MiaSole, which specialized in the manufacturing of low-cost copper indium gallium selenide thin film photovoltaic solar panels, provided enough panels to provide 200 kilowatts of solar energy to Project Brightfield.The Chevron-owned solar testing facility is located near Bakersfield, Cali
Solar Business
Danthern Power and Leap Power join forces in new marketing agreement
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Two leading technology companies that specialize in the creation of technology used to assist the solar energy industry have joined forces to more aggressively market their products to the North American renewable energy market.Danthern Power, a subsidiary of Ballard Power Systems, and Richardson, Texas-based Leap Power announced on Monday they had formed a new partnership to market their products to telecom service providers, data centers, and solar power generation plants.Under the agreement,
Solar Energy
Solar Power Inc. chooses Sacramento as location for new world headquarters, manufacturing plant
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
In an attempt to spread its reach and provide Californians with more options when it comes to solar energy alternatives, Solar Power Inc. has selected a business park in Sacramento, California to house a manufacturing facility, as well as its new world headquarters.Pending the finalization of zoning and building permits, the McClellan Business Park will become the new home for the renewable energy company. Utilizing a 100,000 square foot area, the new manufacturing site will produce approximatel
Solar Energy
Acro Energy to expand solar energy options into Arizona in Q2 2010
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Arizona will soon have yet another option when it comes to solar energy providers, as Acro Energy Technologies Corp. has announced it will be setting its sights on the Grand Canyon State.Beginning in the second quarter of 2010 Acro announced that it will be moving into a new facility in Tempe and "immediately" begin taking orders to install affordable solar energy systems."Arizona has the right fundamentals to make solar valuable for consumers and businesses," said Nat Kreame
Solar Business
SunPower completes acquisition of SunRay Renewable Energy
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SunPower Corp. has officially completed its acquisition of a leading European solar power plant developer as it seeks to expand its business to include projects across the Atlantic Ocean.The San Jose-based solar technology company announced it had finalized the acquisition of SunRay Renewable Energy for approximately $277 million on Monday. SunRay CEO Yoram Amiga commented the combination of the two companies would make it easier for reliable renewable and solar energy to make its way to custome
Solar Business
Sungevity launches 10-year solar energy system leasing program
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A leading online residential solar energy provider has announced a new program that will offer solar leasing to California homeowners who want an inexpensive means to utilize solar energy for their homes.Sungevity announced on Friday that the initiative was the result of a partnership with U.S. Bancorp that will create a new $24 million tax equity fund to finance 10-year solar leases for customers.Those who utilize the leases will be able to begin the process of getting a solar energy system in
Solar Energy
Green Energy Live intends to purchase Peck Electric Inc.
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Citing a number of areas in which it sees growth potential in its solar energy system design and installation business, Green Energy Live has submitted a letter of intent to purchase Vermont's leading provider of electrical contracting services.While the letter is merely part of due diligence and not a binding agreement for the two companies, GEL is interested in acquiring Peck Electric Inc. solar energy division and its $5 million in proposals for new solar projects it currently possesses.The d
Solar Business
Detroit Edison introduces 5-year pilot program encouraging solar energy utilization
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
In an attempt to increase the predominance of solar energy projects on the larger rooftops throughout the city, Detroit Edison Energy is announcing a new pilot program that will attempt to install 15 megawatts of solar energy projects throughout the region by 2015.The program, which is called SolarCurrents, is the result of an investment of more than $100 million by Detroit Edison to make it easier for its customers in the Southeast Michigan area to install photovoltaic solar energy systems on t
Solar Energy
Maryland introduces incentive-based program to reduce solar energy costs
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Maryland's Energy Administration has announced that it will provide up to $1.45 million to make it easier for commercial buildings within the state to afford rooftop solar energy installations and systems.The MEA's attempt to make solar energy a more viable option will be done through an incentive-based program designed to lower the out-of-pocket costs for buildings that want to install solar energy systems on their roof.The incentives, which were announced last week, will allow Marylanders to q
Solar Energy
Construction of two solar energy parks underway in Ontario
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The construction of two new photovoltaic solar energy parks that will generate a combined 18 megawatts of energy for an Ontario county got underway on Thursday with dual groundbreaking ceremonies.The two parks, which will be located in Norfolk County, Ontario, will be owned and financed by North American solar energy service providers SunEdison and SkyPower, with the Ontario Power Authority purchasing power from the companies through terms in an agreed-upon contract."SunE Sky Norfolk repres
Solar Policy
1366 Technologies teams with RENA to create 'significant' improvements in solar cell technology
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A Lexington, Massachusetts-based silicon photovoltaic solar panel cell company has partnered with wet chemical applications company specializing in photovoltaics and semiconductors to create a new high-efficiency cell that will reduce costs associated with solar energy.1366 Technologies announced earlier this week that it would be partnering with RENA GmnH to incorporate their Self-Aligned Cell technology into the cell production process by integrating its proprietary structured patterning with
Solar Energy
Oregon town launches solar energy savings initiative
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
In an attempt to spread awareness and increase the ability of those living in an Oregon town to turn to solar energy as a possible green energy alternative to traditional power, an Oregon company has launched a program that allows residents to take advantage of savings opportunities when installing a solar system.The low-cost initiative residential solar program in Pendleton, Oregon, called Solarize Pendleton, is a community scale project based on a larger plan that was previously utilized in th
Green Energy
Pattern Energy acquires Gulf Coast wind energy project capable of generating 283 megawatts of energy
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Pattern Energy Group LP has announced that it has acquired a green energy project involving wind power located on the Gulf Coast that is capable of generating enough renewable energy to power 80,000 Texas homes.The energy company will acquire the Gulf Wind project, a 283 megawatt wind project located on the Gulf Coast in Kenedy County, Texas, from Babcock & Brown.The project's consists of 118 wind turbines that are capable of generating 283 megawatts of renewable energy every year, due to it
Green Energy
New Wisconsin wind energy project construction to be led by We Energies
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A subsidiary of Wisconsin Energy Corporation has announced an alliance that will lead to the construction of a new wind park that will be capable of generating enough renewable green energy to power approximately 45,000 homes.We Energies will partner with fellow Wisconsin-based businesses such as The Boldt Company, the Michels Corporation, and Edgarton Contractors Inc. to create the Glacier Hills Wind Park. The location of the park will be spread across the towns of Randolph and Scott, both of w
Green Energy
Texas company offers grants to nonprofit organization to encourage green energy use
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
In an effort to increase the Texas nonprofit agencies that can afford the installation of solar energy products, a Texas-based energy company is offering energy-efficient grants for as much as $2,000.First Choice Power has launched an effort to offer Reduce Your Use Grants that will help nonprofit companies refine their energy needs to greener standards by offering them a way to replace inefficient heating/cooling equipment without having to take the money out of their own pockets.Funds that org
Solar Energy
Advanced Energy Utility to acquire PV Powered Inc.
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Advanced Energy Industries announced on Thursday that it had signed a definitive agreement to acquire a leading manufacturer of grid-tiered photovoltaic solar panel inverters for use with residential, commercial, and utility-scale customers.AEU's acquisition of the Bend, Oregon-based PV Powered Inc., which will command a price tag of approximately $90 million, will allow the power and control technology creation company to increase its revenues by up to $50 million in 2010 alone while also givin
Solar Energy
Canadian Solar provides solar energy plants to U.S. plane manufacturer warehouses
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Canadian Solar has announced it has installed and activated two new solar energy systems at U.S. warehouses for Aircraft Spruce & Specialty Co. that combine to produce almost 240 kilowatts of solar energy.Utilizing more than 1,000 photovoltaic solar modules created by Canadian Solar, the two 119 kilowatt solar energy electric systems were installed at Aircraft Spruce's distribution warehouses in Corona, California and Peachtree.At their peak, the systems will be capable of generating 332,264
Solar Energy
California casino completes construction of 1 megawatt solar energy system
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Green isn't just the color of money anymore at a Harrah's Casino located in California, as the gaming site has just completed the installation of a solar energy system that will make the structure more environmentally friendly.The solar system, which was installed by Suntech Power Holding Co., will provide one megawatt of solar energy to Harrah's Rincon Casino located in Luiseno Indian territory in Southern California. Its installation, which was completed on Wednesday, was the result of a partn
Solar Business
Suniva to provide solar cells to 3gw Indian solar energy field
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Solar energy cell and module manufacturer Suniva Inc. has announced that it will provide energy cells to help create the largest grid-connected solar energy field in India.The 12-acre solar field, which is located in Karnataka, India and is capable of generating three megawatts of solar energy, is owned and operated by Karnataka Power. The energy generated from the field will be used to power the irrigation systems for local farmers.Suniva will do its part by contributing ts ARTisun series solar
Solar Energy
Solar energy products need environmentally responsible standards, says study
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
While solar energy may be one of the fastest growing forms of energy in the country, a new study suggests the industry still has some environmental health and safety adjustments it must make to improve its products' quality.A new study by the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition has found that much of the solar energy industry still lacks widespread standards to make its products as environmentally safe and "green" as the renewable energy it produces."Solar power is key to helping sol
Green Energy
Modern Day People Living in a Cave
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
At least, that’s what they are called in France’s Loire Valley. Here in the United States, the most famous troglodyte residence, or cave home, is occupied by the Sleeper family, of Festus, Missouri, and their sandstone home – formerly both a concert hall and a roller skating rink – offers modern-world amenities with primeval space heating and cooling.The heating and cooling, or absence thereof, is in fact the main reason many people choose cave, or earth-sheltered homes. At six feet below the su
Solar Energy
MiaSole solar panels join Chevron' Project Brightfield
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
MiaSole has announced that it has installed its own brand of thin-film modules at a California solar energy demonstration facility at a former refinery site owned by the Chevron Corporation.The California-based MiaSole, which specialized in the manufacturing of low-cost copper indium gallium selenide thin film photovoltaic solar panels, provided enough panels to provide 200 kilowatts of solar energy to Project Brightfield.The Chevron-owned solar testing facility is located near Bakersfield, Cali
Solar Business
One Block off the Grid announces new solar energy-based initiative in San Francisco
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The country's largest solar group purchase company has announced a new initiative to help San Francisco residents gain knowledge of solar energy while also providing discounted group rates on solar panel installation.One Block Off the Grid announced on Monday that it was launching GreenFinanceSF, a San Francisco-based version of the Property Assessed Clean Energy program that will be available to all city residents.In addition to offering impartial advice on solar energy, the program will also a
Solar Energy
New Jersey-based companies complete solar energy project, outline plant to grow energy efficiency capabilities
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Two New Jersey-based renewable energy companies have announced they are joining forces to outline new turnkey energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions to the Mid-Atlantic region while also completing a solar energy project in the state.Pro-Tech Energy Solutions LLC, a self-funded energy services company, and environmental management services firm Whitman Co. have announced their strategic partnership to help improve energy efficiency audits and recommendations, photovoltaic system design
Green Energy
PPA reached for Manitoba windfarm
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
North American renewable energy company Pattern Energy Group LP has announced it has entered into an agreement with the Manitoba Hydro-Electric Board on the sale of energy produced at the soon-to-be-completed St. Joseph Windfarm.The agreement between the two companies will come in the form of a 27-year power purchase agreement for energy created by the windfarm, which will generate 138 megawatts of wind power using 60 Siemans SWT-2.3 megawatts turbines beginning in late 2010. Terms of the PPA we
Green Energy
2016 Rio Olympics to Feature Eco-Architectural Solar Waterfall
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Well in advance of the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and still more concept than construct, the RAFAA-designed solar waterfall is an amazing representation of how architecture has begun to adapt itself to the environment.The 344.5-foot tall “Solar Tower”, which is built on an island and incorporates an urban plaza and an amphitheater about 196 feet above sea level, is large enough to accommodate the opening and closing Olympic ceremonies. The tower also includes a cafeteria and shops
Solar Energy
Cooler Planet Partners With SeeYourImpact
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Recently, Cooler Planet decided to partner with a non-profit called SeeYourImpact. In our never ending quest to help people take steps to reduce their impact on the planet we are working with SeeYourImpact to bring the power of solar energy to impoverished villages in India! The idea at SeeYourImpact is simple. Connect hundreds of millions of donors to billions of beneficiaries, in virtually any cause area (including solar), anywhere in the world, one small gift at a time. As you will see belo
Solar Energy
Americans overwhelmingly approve solar energy plant constructions on public lands
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
In yet another sign that solar energy systems are not only becoming established as a mainstream source of energy, but also gaining ground as a viable renewable energy source, a new survey shows public approval of solar panel development on public land.According to a national poll released by the Solar Energy Industries Association last week, 75 percent of Americans supported the development of solar energy plants on public lands that have not been designated a protected area or named a national
Solar Energy
Apollo Solar Energy enters into agreement with New Jersey Institute of Technology
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Apollo Solar Energy has announced it will provide funding for a three-year sponsorship to the New Jersey Institute of Technology to create a new Solar Cell Research Center.The $1.5 million sponsorship will help to provide instruments to existing laboratories on campus, while also improving the personnel to develop solar panel-related technologies and improve CdTe thin photovoltaic film.The China-based Apollo - a wholly owned subsidiary of Sichuan Apollo Solar Science & Technology Co. Ltd. -
Solar Energy
Green Energy Live intends to purchase Peck Electric Inc.
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Green Energy Live has released a letter of intent to acquire the largest provider of electrical contracting services in Vermont after pointing out ways in which to improve its solar energy business plans.While not a binding agreement, the letter of intent is a sign of due diligence if an acquisition of Peck Electric Inc. is to be had by GEL, which specializes in developing sustainable biomass-to-energy conversion solutions for the livestock industry.Peck's current solar energy system design and
Solar Energy
California county justice center to get 1 megawatt solar energy system
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
SunPower Corp. and the Bank of America are joining forces to construct a solar energy system for law building in California using bonds made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.The one-megawatt solar energy system being created by the San Jose-based solar technology company will be used to power the Yolo County Justice Center in Woodland. It will utilize SunPower's solar panels and its Tracker system that follows the sun's movement throughout the day.Even more un
Solar Business
Cloud Patterns Determine Solar's Future
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
“It's cloud illusions I recall,” Joni Mitchell sang in 1969. “I really don't know clouds at all.”A sentiment undoubtedly shared by environmental engineering professor Jan Kleissl, who says knowing where clouds will cluster in the next three hours is becoming increasingly important as solar energy forms a larger part of the nation’s electricity generation mix.Kleissl, of the University of California at San Diego (UCSD), is currently using his sky-tracker computer model, satellite images and algor
Green Energy
Sanyo “Greens” the Japanese Commute
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
On March 16, electronics giant Sanyo announced the opening of two eco-friendly community bicycle stations it is calling “Solar Parking Lots”. Located near the heart of Tokyo, in downtown proper and in Setagaya (a suburb, or prefecture, about 3 miles southwest of city center), the lots offer 100 each of Sanyo’s “eneloop” electric hybrid bikes. Another lot, in Kyodo, offers an additional 100 bikes. All are on the Odakyu commuter train rail line.These bikes tap the unused kinetic energy generated b
Solar Energy
Installation service for home solar energy system announced for Lowe's Energy Centers
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Akeena Solar has announced it will be providing a new residential installation service of solar energy systems that will soon be put on sale in 21 sections in Lowe's Energy Centers across the state of California.The installation service will provide help for AC solar energy panels from Andalay that use minimal parts and built-in inverters to produce 25 percent more energy than DC solar panels and reduce the risk of a breakdown. Solar panels for the system can be bought at separate times and adde
Solar Policy
P.A.C.E. Financing Energizes Committee, Moves Forward
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
TALLAHASSEE- House Majority Leader Adam Hasner (R-Delray Beach) and Energy & Utilities Policy Committee Chairman Steve Precourt (R-Orlando) today welcomed the passage of PACE - Property Assessed Clean Energy - financing that could be utilized to help consumers and businesses pay for retrofitting their properties with clean technology at no cost to taxpayers. The projects generated by these private sector clean energy improvements hold the promise of green job creation for Florida's economy. Th
Solar Energy
Solar Panels, the Next Big Farm Crop for US
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
In Kings and Fresno counties in California, where water is severely rationed and soils are soured by years of Delta irrigation, farmers are hoping to reuse fallow land to “grow” fields of solar panels.The land in question, all 30,000 acres of it, lies in the sunny western and southern portions of the San Joaquin Valley, where water wars, reduced water allocations from the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta, and decades of irrigation have resulted in salt-laden soils that threaten to turn the Valley in
Solar Policy
Steven Chu Proposes 22 Percent More for Solar Research
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
When Secretary of Energy Steven Chu addressed a group of energy and policy executives at CERAWeek 2010, March 8-12 in Houston, Texas, he said that he supported a 22-percent increase in solar research.The event was hosted by IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates, an energy advisory and consulting company formed by the 2004 acquisition of Cambridge by IHS Energy and led by economist Daniel Yergin. Yergin is the energy expert who recently said that the threat of Peak Oil would be neutralized by
Solar Energy
6 Solar Baby Steps Towards a Better Tomorrow
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Most articles on solar energy focus on the huge (and hugely important) ways in which solar technology can be used to cut America’s carbon footprint and reduce its dependence on foreign oil. But what about solar’s baby steps forward, which incorporate solar technology into thousands of gadgets that formerly operated off the traditional electricity grid? As 19th century painter Vincent Van Gogh observed, “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” Here are 6 low cost sol
Solar Business
First Solar sells solar energy plant to New Mexico companies
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
First Solar Inc. has announced the sale of a 30 megawatt photovoltaic solar energy project to two companies that will begin construction in the next month so it is completed by the end of the year.The photovoltaic project, which is called the Cimarron I Solar Project, will be developed in New Mexico adjacent to the Vermejo Park Ranch for the Southern Company and Turner Renewable Energy. It will utilize more than 500,000 solar photovoltaic modules that will be manufactured by the solar energy com
Solar Energy
Solar-Powered Glucowizard Aims to Relieve Diabetic Finger-Prick Pain
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Scarcely larger than a grain of rice, and monitored through a device that looks remarkably similar to a wristwatch, the Glucowizard system of keeping tabs on blood sugar levels promises diabetics relief from the sore, bruised and overly sensitive fingertips that develop as a result of checking blood glucose levels three or more times daily.Currently, the only way for diabetics to know if they are exceeding the 126 mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter) levels of blood glucose that denotes the safe upp
Solar Energy
Dallas chosen to host SPI 2011
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Dallas, Texas will serve as the home of one of the fastest growing trade shows in the country that focuses on the solar energy market and its utilization throughout North America.The Solar Power International conference and trade show in 2011 will take place at the Dallas Convention Center on October 17-21. The show, which is produced by Solar Energy Trade Shows LLC, is the largest business-to-business trade show in North America for the industry. The 2009 iteration of the conference had more th
Solar Energy
New Jersey township completes construction of two new solar energy systems
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Solar renewable energy company Vanguard Energy and the Township of Teaneck, New Jersey announced on Thursday that they have completed the installation of two new solar energy photovoltaic systems.The larger 67 kilowatt photovoltaic system will help power the township's Richard Rodda Community Center, while a second smaller 5.64 kilowatt system will generate power for a local firehouse.Together, the systems will offset 11 percent of the current power use with renewable solar energy, reducing CO2
Solar Energy
Can the US Reach 10% Energy From Solar?
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The newest report by Environment America, Building a Solar Future: Repowering America’s Homes, Businesses and Industry with Solar Energy, states that the United States could get a full ten percent of its total energy consumption needs from solar power by 2030 by using a number of newer technologies that convert solar energy to usable mediums. These solar technologies include solar photovoltaics, or PV; concentrating solar power (CSP); solar thermal hot water; solar space heating; and passive sol
Solar Energy
SunPower wins contract to provide 200 mW of solar energy products in California
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SunPower Corp. has been awarded a contract by Southern California Edison to provide new solar technology to help generate up to 200 megawatts in solar energy technology.SunPower will provide their T5 Solar Roof Tile products that will be integrated into a single solar panel, frame, and roof mounting system. The panels will be utilized by SCE to install and operate 250 megawatts of solar energy products on unused warehouse rooftops. The solar energy systems will be connected directly to local SCE
Green Energy
Bugs Could Solve the Worlds Energy Crisis
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In its native habitat, the gribble – a marine isopod about a tenth of an inch long – is a seagoing menace, eating holes in the hulls of wooden ships and boats, and even taking out the wooden piers on which fisherman and tourists walk.Photo from Telegraph, UKIn another venue, namely biofuel production, the tiny gribble may become a superstar, quickly and cheaply converting wood, straw, corncobs and the like into nutrient-rich plant sugars, and from there into alcohol-based fuels to run combustion
Solar Policy
Colorado Will Be 30% Renewable Energy Soon
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
In what has to be the best news of the week for alternative energy, the Colorado Senate on March 5 approved a new, improved renewable portfolio standard (RPS) of 30 percent of electricity coming from renewables by 2020.On March 2, as we reported earlier, the bill (HB 1001) was still in the legislature, with environmentalists appealing to the greener natures of lawmakers via a new report, Investing in the Sun, which showed that adding an extra 1,000 megawatts of distributed solar would supply eno
Solar Energy
The Wally WHY: A $160 Million Solar Powered Self Propelled Island
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Even with the economy in recession, jobs disappearing like soap bubbles on a hot day, and most people choosing “staycations” to save a few bucks, there are still a few folks out there who can afford the lap of luxury, and would be glad to wait out the financial meltdown in it if not for persistent feelings of guilt.Photo from WallyFortunately, Wally has a solution. Wally Yachts, the premier builder of luxury yachts for those who almost have it all, recently announced its guilt-free offering for
Green Energy
Solar energy project underway at Texas Southern University receives national endorsement
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A new solar energy project headed by a leading solar energy company at a prestigious black university has been awarded an endorsement following a demonstration of new renewable technologies being developed at the school.According to the growing solar energy company, the Energy Committee of the National Black Chamber of Commerce has lent its endorsement to a solar demonstration project that is currently being being developed and constructed along with researchers at the Houston campus at Texas So
Solar Energy
Aircraft supply company to utilize solar energy in East and West Coast warehouses
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Aircraft Spruce and Specialty Co. has announced that it is installing photovoltaic solar energy powered inverters at its warehouses on either side of the countryThe aircraft company, which is one of the country's most notable private aircraft part and pilot supply providers, will install the solar energy systems at their Corona, California and Peachtree City, Georgia warehouses. According to estimates, the two 119 kilowatt energy plants will provide 65 percent of its energy needs. Additionally,
Solar Energy
Magnolia Solar receives $1 million grant from NYSERDA
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A wholly owned subsidiary of the Magnolia Solar Corporation has announced it has been named the recipient of a $1 million award from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority to develop thin-film solar cells.Magnolia, a low-cost developer of thin-film photovoltaic solar energy modules, will lend its non-toxic materials and technologies to a close collaboration with faculty and scientists at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering of the University at Albany"We ar
Green Energy
From Peas to Solar Power
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A scientist at the University of Tel Aviv (Dept. of Biochemistry) thinks that someday the same natural power system that peas use to convert sunlight into sugar could create electricity for your home.Photo from Gaetan LeeUsing the basics of plant photosynthesis, or what structural biologist and nanoscientist Prof. Nathan Nelson is calling the Photosystem I (PSI) complex, it may someday be possible to harness the molecular engines of plants to create what is, in the botanical world at least, a 10
Solar Energy
OwnEnergy and Horn Wind complete wind farm construction in Texas
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Community developer OwnEnergy announced on Thursday that a wind power project it had partnered with Dallas-based developer Horn Wind to create has been completed.The project, which was located in the appropriately Dallas suburb of Windthorst, Texas that is located in the ERCOT North Zone, will be capable of generating 51 megawatts of renewable green energy. "We are pleased to announce the completion of Windthorst-1's development," said Jacob Susman, OwnEnergy's CEO. "This project
Green Energy
Home Depot cuts greenhouse emissions and energy usage in U.S. stores
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The Home Depot has announced that its various attempts at reducing greenhouse gas emissions will reduce their stores' energy use by 20 percent by 2015. The home improvement retailer announced on Thursday that its U.S. stores had reduced their energy use by 2.6 billion kilowatt hours since 2004. Among the methods that the store instituted in order to lower their consumption were upgrading retailers' HVAC systems, aligning stocking hours more closely with store operating hours, and using CFL bulb
Solar Energy
Suzlon Wind Energy to take on many new projects in 2010
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Suzlon Wind Energy has announced that it is planning on taking on a number of projects in 2010 that will install more than 350 new wind turbines and generate enough green energy to power 220,000 homes. The renewable energy company, which is a North American subsidiary of Suzlon Energy Limited, recently announced it would be installing nine new projects in the year in seven different states. The projects will involve the installation of 351 new wind turbines, with the majority of them being the
Solar Energy
Kyocera to expand solar energy production to San Diego facility
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A solar energy-focused offshoot of the Kyocera Group has announced its intent to begin manufacturing solar energy modules at their San Diego-based facility in the hopes of serving a growing demand for clean and renewable energy sources.Kyocera Solar, which has its operating headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona and serves thousands of customers around the world, announced Wednesday that the U.S.-based manufacturing would help lead the business towards a new goal of an annual global production of o
Solar Energy
Industry first solar powered assist system for buses unveiled in California
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A California-based integrated solar energy generator company has introduced what it is hailing as the industry's first solar power-assist system for buses: The SunPod.The SunPod was developed by the aptly named SunPod Inc. with the assistance of Bauer Intelligent Transportation, a green transportation company that assisted in bringing the device up to the anti-pollution standards enacted by the State of California. Consisting of an on-board battery bank that is connected to a solar energy system
Solar Business
Konica Minolta and Konarka Technologies partner for photovoltaic product development
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Konarka Technologies Inc. has entered into a research and development collaboration agreement with Konica Minolta Holdings that will allow the two companies to create and distribute organic thin-film solar panel photovoltaics.As part of the agreement, Konica Minolta will invest $20 million into Konarka, which has created the Konarka Power Plastic that can convert light into solar energy. The companies will aim to combine their strongest developmental traits to improve the creation of thin-film p
Solar Energy
Solar Power Meets the Elephant
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In Tampa, a solar panel installation on a shade structure at the Lowry Park Zoo delivering about 15 kilowatts of energy probably hasn’t attracted attention from anyone but the elephants.For some solar enthusiasts, that would be enough. Others want the news to go viral. This includes Tampa Electric, a TECO Energy company, which provided part of the funding for the $800,000 project, along with a grant from the Florida High Tech Corridor, whose mission is to attract and nurture high tech industries
Solar Business
Major Sports Franchises Saving the World
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It all started with the Cleveland Indians baseball team, the first American League team to install a solar energy array in 2007.For the Indians, the clean, “green”, alternative energy resource was the result of a cooperative effort between the Indians and Green Energy Ohio, or GEO, and resulted in an 8.4-kilowatt solar array on the south-facing upper deck of Jacobs Field, above Carnegie Avenue and I-90. GEO is the nonprofit organization that liaises Ohio’s (solar) manufacturers and providers.Ind
Solar Energy
Hawaiian clinical lab chooses Hoku Solar to provide solar energy system
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A clinical laboratory providing service to the Pacific islands has commissioned a Hawaii-based solar panel marketing and installation company to build and install a photovoltaic power system for them.Hoku Solar Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Hoku Scientific was announced as the selected solar energy company by Diagnostic Laboratory Services to install a 339 kilowatt photovoltaic solar energy system at the former Panasonic warehouse in Oahu's Halawa Valley. Once completed, the system is expec
Solar Business
Geoscape to continue residential solar leasing program despite state funding cuts
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New Jersey residents will continue to be offered a solar energy leasing program offered by Geoscape Solar, despite recent questions regarding the future of New Jersey's Clean Energy Fund.In an attempt to cover a $2.2 billion shortfall in the state's budget, Governor Chris Christie recently appropriated $158 million from the Clean Energy Fund and froze its spending, leading many energy officials to worry that the lack of funding may lead to cancelled projects.While reliant on the clean energy fun
Solar Energy
Detroit Edison receives approval for first solar energy contract
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The Michigan Public Service Commission has approved an Engineer, Procure, and Construct contract from Detroit Edison to help further its SolarCurrents renewable energy program.With the approval - which was passed down by the commission on Tuesday - now in hand, Detroit Edison will now be able to commission its own solar energy projects throughout the area it serves in Southeastern Michigan. The first project announced by the company is a one-year, $18 million contract for Nova Consultants Inc. t
Solar Energy
Prologis to build largest rooftop solar energy installation in Pacific Northwest
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ProLogis Renewable Energy has announced that it will be undertaking the construction of a rooftop solar energy plant that will make it the largest system in the Pacific Northwest.The project will be created under an agreement with Portland General Electric, which provides electric utility services to 818,000 residential and commercial customers. The project will be constructed on 900,000 square-feet of roof space over seven buildings and create 2.4 megawatts of solar energy."We have made tr
Solar Energy
Yingli and SunDurance Energy enter into agreement to deliver 10 megawatts of solar energy
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Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited has announced that it has entered into a sales agreement to provide green energy to SunDurance Energy for much of the next year.Under the agreement, the New Jersey-based SunDurance will receive more than 10 megawatts of photovoltaic solar energy modules over the first three quarters of 2010.Liansheng Miao, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Yingli Green Energy, said the partnership would be an avenue that would allow Yingli to continue its expansi
Solar Energy
World's largest solar-powered boat unveiled in Germany
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PlanetSolar has unveiled the world's largest solar boat that will be powered by more than 35,000 high-efficiency solar cells and which will embark on a round-the-world tour in 2011.Photo from PlanetSolarThe boat, which was unveiled Thursday at the HDW Shipyard in Kiel, Germany, was designed using 38,000 next-generation solar cells that will operate at an efficiency of at least 22 percent, matching the best efficiency of any cells on the market. These cells will generate up to 103.4kW while the e
Solar Business
Waste Pro Greens with Solar
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On Thursday, Feb. 25, Waste Pro, a sanitation company serving Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina, announced that the roof of its Manatee County, Florida branch would be getting a solar energy system.In spite of its fairly trashy profile, Waste Pro wants very much to be “green”, according to Manatee County Regional VP Keith Banasiak, who was first attracted to solar technology during a visit from Sarasota-based solar firm EcoTechnologies a few months ago.Of
Solar Business
Chicago Utility to Test Distributed Solar
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ComEd, the electric service provider arm of Exelon Corporation (which delivers electricity to about 70 percent of northern Illinois), is planning a distributed solar array that will involve outfitting 100 Chicago-area homes with solar photovoltaic panels, and retrofitting at least 50 of those with “smart” meters, net metering, battery backup and a grid-tied status that enables them to send unused electricity from their solar energy systems back to the grid.The aim, according to ComEd, is to conv
Green Energy
Crownbutte joins Grassland Renewable Energy's Wind Spirit Project
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A North Dakota-based wind development company has announced it will be participating in a large-scale renewable energy wind project being put into effect by Grasslands Renewable Energy.The Wind Spirit Project will provide integrated energy transmission, storage, and marketing solutions while collecting up to 3,000 megawatts of renewable energy via wind and other sources across Montana and the Northern Great Plains. The energy will be collected using 230KV AC transmission lines before it is trans
Solar Energy
Toshiba to buy 32 megawatts of SunPower solar panels
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SunPower Inc. and Toshiba Corporation have entered into an agreement that will help the Japanese electronics company unveil a new solar energy-based undertaking to begin the new decade.As part of the strategic supply agreement between the two companies, Toshiba will order 32 megawatts worth of high-efficiency solar panels that will be manufactured by SunPower throughout 2010. The panels will be one of the main components in a new residential solar program being offered in Japan by Toshiba that w
Solar Energy
SolarEdge named to Fast Company magazine list of Top 10 Innovative Energy Companies
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Fast Company magazine has selected SolarEdge Technologies, as one of the World's Top 10 Innovative Energy Companies for 2010.The Distributed Solar Power Harvesting and PV Monitoring Solutions provider was singled out for the innovative ways it can boost photovoltaic solar panel system output through their multi-string solar inverters they call PowerBoxes.The PowerBoxes, which optimize solar energy modules through unique solar monitoring software, can make solar installations up to 25 percent mor
Solar Energy
Enphase Energy wins award from Renewable Energy World magazine
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Renewable Energy World magazine has singled out Enphase Energy, a Northern California solar energy microinverter systems production company, for its innovation in the field with its products.The four-year-old company was singled out for its creation of the Enphase Microinverter System, the only such system that is available commercially. The system helps to improve the economic model that is currently attached to solar energy use, using microinverters and web-based monitoring to usher in "a
Solar Energy
New solar plant in Colorado to be financed by MetLife and John Hancock Finance
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SunPower Corp. has found some serious investors for a new photovoltaic power plant being built for Xcel Energy in Colorado, as MetLife and John Hancock Financial Services have come forward as financiers and third-party owners for the project.The solar energy plant, which will serve the state's Alamosa County, will be the largest solar energy plant in Colorado and generate 19 megawatts of power. The plant will utilize SunPower's T20 Tracker systems that tilt solar panels to move with the sun as i
Solar Energy
Rockland, Massachusetts Grade School Follows in Steps of High School, Installs Solar
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
In Rockland, Massachusetts, where the only high school already has its full complement of solar photovoltaic panels, a $150,000 federal grant from the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) will now allow one of Rockland’s four elementary schools to also install a solar energy system.The solar panels are destined for the roof of the R. Steward Esten Elementary School, or Esten School, at 733 Summer Street on the southeast side of the city.There will, according to school energy commit
Solar Business
Morris County Improvement Authority to Install $22.3 Million in Solar Power
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The most remarkable thing about the 3.2-megawatt solar project in Morris County, New Jersey is not the solar financing offered through the recently formed (2002) Morris County Improvement Authority (MCIA) via low-interest bonds (guaranteed by the county), nor is it the 19 schools, local government buildings and recreational facilities that will benefit by having solar installed at their locations.It may not even be the fact that the Morris County Improvement Authority, which received the evaluat
Solar Business
Nevada Fire Station Looking to Solar Power
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Sparks, Nevada officials are funding two solar arrays on area fire stations with money left over from a former city solar project, and the expectation that the NV Energy SolarGenerations program will pay for the balance. NV Energy was formed in 2008 by the merger of Sierra Pacific Power and Nevada Power.The fire stations, one on Disc Drive and the other on Vista Boulevard, will receive ground-mounted solar systems costing $349,152, but none of the money will reportedly come from the city’s shrin
Green Energy
Why Vetting Your Solar Contractor is Important
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Last fall, Ventura County, California resident Greti Croft mortgaged her home to install solar panels on the apartment building she owns in order to help low-income senior residents stretch their meager budgets.For Croft, the solar installation at the Peppertree Court Apartments was meant to save residents about $40 a month on electricity costs – or just enough to make needed medications affordable on Social Security Part A.The cost, according to the solar contractor Croft chose, was $276,000. T
Solar Energy
Satcon to provide solar products to Czech Republic plants
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Satcon Technology Corporation has announced that it will provide a number of solar energy products to power 15 solar energy power plants in the Czech Republic.The 33 Powergate Plus solar photovoltaic inverters will be provided to Energy 21, a European private power utilities company, to deliver approximately 30.5 megawatts of solar power through the power plants. Satcon will also provide 13 one-megawatt CE inverters, four 250-kilowatt inverters, and more than 600 smart subcombiners as part of th
Solar Business
Global Solar Energy achieves 13.2 percent efficiency with thin film solar cells
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A leading photovoltaic cell and module producer has confirmed a notable achievement in efficiency regarding one of its thin-film cells used for the creation of solar panels.Global Solar Energy announced this week that the U.S. Department of Energy’s Renewable Energy Laboratory has confirmed that a module using the company’s production-line thin film solar material achieved 13.2 percent aperture area efficiency.With the confirmation in hand, GSE can now call itself the first manufacture
Solar Energy
Real Goods Solar completes 790kW solar energy project in California
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The completion of a new solar energy system for the residents of Richmond Village, California will be unveiled next week in a ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating the completion of a larger solar energy project across the state.The 417-kilowatt solar electric system, which was the result of a partnership between Sunwheel Energy Partners and Solar Richmond, will bring new green jobs along with solar energy and reduced costs to residents of the town. The installation also marks the completion of an
Green Energy
Kohl?s to bring stores up to LEED standards
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In an attempt to become more environmentally conscious in their everyday operations, Kohl’s Department Stores has taken a number of steps to make their stores greener and more efficient.As part of a partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council, Kohl’s will open a new store in Queens, New York’s Rego Park area that will be its first to be built according to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards for retail stores.Among the green features the new store will feat
Solar Energy
U.S. Dept. of Energy commits $1.3 billion to California solar thermal power project
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The U.S. Department of Energy has committed to providing $1.37 billion in loan guarantees to BrightSource Energy Inc. to finance the creation of California's first large-scale commercial solar thermal power planet in nearly 20 years.The loan guarantee, which was developed under a DOE program started in 2005 under the Energy Policy Act, will provide funding to complete the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System. The project will be located in Southeastern California and provide approximately 40
Solar Energy
New solar energy program to offer discounted renewable energy to Texas residents
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A new solar energy program being introduced for homeowners in North Texas is attempting to spur the use of solar power throughout the state by offering it at monthly prices equivalent to a cell phone bill.Energy provider TXU Energy has announced a new cooperative effort with SolarCity, a solar financing, design, and installation service, which will provide a discounted solar energy service to customers.The program will consist of a solar lease option that will cover the installation, monitoring,
Solar Energy
Suntech provides solar panels for 'net-zero" home in Vancouver during Winter Olympics
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Suntech provides solar panels for 'net-zero" home in Vancouver during Winter OlympicsWith the world spotlight focused on Vancouver, British Columbia for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, Suntech Power Holdings Co. has utilized the attention to show off its ability to use solar panels to create ultra efficient "net-zero" homes.The 2,200-square-foot "net-zero home" will utilize the company's Just Roof crystalline silicon photovoltaic solar roofing panels that will generate 6
Solar Business
Chevron to construct solar energy plant on Questa, New Mexico mining facility
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The Chevron Corporation has announced that it will be constructing a new photovoltaic solar panel facility on the site of one of its molybdenum mines in Questa, New Mexico.The solar energy facility will consist of approximately 175 solar panels spread across 20 acres of land, making it the largest concentrating solar photovoltaic installation in the country. Energy created by the facility will be sold to the Kit Carson Electric Cooperative as part of a separate power purchase agreement."Loc
Solar Energy
Pennsylvania Potato Grower, Producer to Use Solar to Cut Costs
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Keith Masser, a seventh generation potato farmer, is no dummy. A graduate of Penn State with a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Engineering, Masser always has his eye on the bottom line. This includes not only the best, most productive, and most wholesome ways to grow the humble but essential potato, but ways to get it to market, in all its myriad forms, at a cost that remains competitive with other potato producers.For Masser, who is both president of Keystone Potato Products and president/C
Solar Policy
EPA Targets Former Brownfields for Solar Energy
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, announced its continuing commitment to develop renewable technologies like solar energy on contaminated, or “brownfield”, sites around the nation.The lands in question, which include current and former Superfund sites, brownfields, and former landfill or mining sites, are ideal uses for land that doesn’t qualify for development as housing, retail, corporate or open space. That is, the land is cleaned up, or remediated, sufficiently to allow peopl
Solar Business
Axion Power International receives state grant to incorporate PbC batteries into solar energy systems
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Axion Power International Inc., a leading advanced lead-carbon PbC battery manufacturer, has been awarded a state grant to lend its technology towards the creation of a new renewable solar energy system.The grant, which was awarded by the Solar Energy Program of Pennsylvania's Commonwealth Financing Authority, will total $300,000 and will allow Axion to use its PbC PowerCube battery technology in a system that uses renewable energy. After creating energy via the sun or wind, the batteries will b
Solar Energy
Confirmed Clear Skies Solar projects for 2010 already create half a megawatt of solar energy
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Clear Skies Solar has announced that it will be undertaking two significant renewable energy projects that will install more than 500 combined kilowatt hours of solar energy.On Tuesday, the renewable energy solutions company announced that it would be installing a 324 kW solar energy project at a ShopRite building located at Metro Park in New Jersey. The project will be financed by the New York City-based G&S Investors.The announcement comes soon after the announcement of their first project
Solar Energy
Salfex Solar Encapsulants introduces new products to assist in creation of solar modules
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Salfex Solar, a subsidiary of Solutia, has announced the creation of a new solar panel encapsulant that will improve processing costs for manufacturers of solar modules.The Salfex PG41, which is classified as a new "thin gauge encapsulant," will utilize a technology that creates micro-channels that make the vacuum lamination encapsulation process that is necessary in the creation of some solar modules more efficient and quick. The product is only the latest encapsulant to be released b
Solar Business
Portland-Based Tanner Creek Energy Installs Solar at Northwoods Nursery
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On Feb. 17, Tanner Creek Energy, which develops commercial scale renewable energy systems, completed its installation of a 12.6-kilowatt solar system at the Northwoods Nursery, a 66-acre wholesale landscape nursery and greenhouse operation in Molalla, about 30 miles south of Portland.It is not the first “green” initiative Northwoods Nursery/One Green World has engaged in. In addition to Salmon-Safe certification, earned by instituting a variety of sustainable agricultural practices to protect wa
Solar Policy
Western Colorado Utility Holy Cross Energy Cuts Solar Incentive
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
In what might be considered a sign of the times – albeit a little too soon for solar energy supporters, who see most of the heavy lifting still ahead – Colorado electric utility Holy Cross Energy’s board of directors recently voted to reduce the solar rebate from $2 to $1.50 per watt. The rationale behind the reduction? The Colorado Governor’s Energy Office, or GEO, will begin offering rebates of up to $3 per watt in March of this year, less local utility offerings, so the Holy Cross board figur
Solar Energy
Massachusetts School Aims at 38-Kilowatt Solar Power System
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Thanks to 97 renewable energy projects announced by Massachusetts’ Governor Deval Patrick on Feb. 17, Drury High School in North Adams will be getting a 38-kilowatt solar photovoltaic array that school officials expect will save $5,000 in electricity costs and prevent more than 39,631 pounds of carbon emissions from being generated by regional electric utility National Grid.National Grid, one of the largest U.S. utilities, operating through about 11 subsidiaries, has an electricity generating pr
Solar Business
WMECO Selects Pittsfield as First Megawatt Solar Site
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Pittsfield, Massachusetts, at the far western edge of the state of Massachusetts, doesn’t appear to have a lot to recommend it for cutting-edge technology other than its designation as the Berkshire County seat (and the fact that it is the largest city in that county).Until you consider the fact that, in 2008, Country Home Magazine ranked it No. 24 on a list of “green” cities east of the Mississippi.That green profile is about to become hugely more relevant with the Wednesday announcement by reg
Green Energy
Refill Energy acquires Utah-based Green N-energy
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Refill Energy Inc., a Nevada-based green energy company specializing in downdraft gasification technologies, has announced the acquisition of the Salt Lake City-based Green N-ergy Corporation to further its renewable energy initiatives.Using its gasification technologies, Refill can create 100 percent renewable and green energy through the conversion of carbon-based feedstock, solid waste, coal, sewage, agricultural waste or carcasses into electricity, steam, ethanol, fuels, chemicals or hydroge
Solar Energy
Natcore to bring anti-reflective film production to China with new company
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Natcore to bring anti-reflective film production to China with new companyNatcore Technology Inc. has entered into an agreement that will allow them to open a China-based exclusive manufacturer/seller of their solar energy products.Through a letter of intent that was recently signed with the China-based Zhuzhou Industrial Development Zone, Natcore Technologies will form Natcore China to manufacture anti-reflective growth equipment and materials. The company will initially be funded through a $3
Green Energy
BioStorage building in Germany to run on 100 percent renewable energy
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Indianapolis-based BioStorage Technologies has announced that an 18,000-square-foot full-service biorepository near Frankfurt, Germany has received its green certification from sustainable energy supplier ENTEGA Vertrieb GmbH & Co and will run on 100 percent renewable energy.BioStorage - which provides long- and -short-term biometrics storage, sample management, and cold chain logistics - will have its German biorepository use an estimated 360,000 kilowatt hours of renewable energy annually.
Solar Energy
Honeywell installs solar energy systems in Wilmington, Delaware
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Honeywell International has announced that it is installing two solar energy systems in Wilmington, Delaware that were funded by the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act.The two projects - which were installed at the Porter Reservoir Filtration Plant and the Public Works Yard and Municipal Complex - will use approximately 3,400 solar panels and reduce electrical consumption in the town by 2.8 million kilowatt hours annually, or enough electricity to power more than 260 homes. The installations
Solar Energy
Is 1960s technology the Future of Solar?
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Writing in the journal Nature Materials, materials scientists Michael Kelzenberg and Harry Atwater from Caltech discuss vertical silicon strings, or wires (“like blades of grass”), that could eventually work as cheap and highly effective solar collectors to generate electricity.The original article, though almost incomprehensible to a layman, suggests that these Si (silicone) wire arrays are a promising architecture for solar-energy harvesting in that they are able to absorb sunlight over a wide
Solar Policy
First Native American Tribe Gets $250,000 Grant for Solar Power
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The Delaware Nation, a federally recognized tribe of Native Americans whose official reservation is in Oklahoma, recently received $250,000 from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to install a building integrated solar photovoltaic (BIPV) roofing system at the tribe’s governmental building.The Delaware Nation – one of only 87 applicants for the funding, and the only Native American tribe chosen – wrote the grant application under the auspices of its Going Green Initiative, which aspires toward
Green Energy
Pennsylvania stimulus money used to create jobs and green energy sources
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
More than 350 employees in Pennsylvania will once again have a job because of a new set of grants announced on Thursday by Governor Edward Rendell that will create three solar wind farms across the state. During a visit to the Gamesa Wind USA plant, Rendell announced that $22.8 million in grants through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act had been approved through the Green Energy Works! wind grant program, which will retain or create 387 jobs. Almost 130 of those jobs will be for the Gam
Solar Energy
Recurrent Energy awarded for its innovation in Fast Company magazine
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Solar energy producer Recurrent Energy has been named as one of the Most Innovative Companies in the world for its work with solar power stations, according to Fast Company magazine. The San Francisco-based energy company was named in Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies issue, which is on newsstands now, because of the work they have done with solar power installations from 2-20 megawatts in size that are built in or close to cities. The magazine specifically noted Reccurent's recent 5 MW r
Green Energy
Southern Nevada College May Use Solar Power to Halve Operating Costs
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
In the Las Vegas Valley of Nevada, where solar insolation values meet or exceed 6.5 – the highest level in the continental U.S. – a college is considering installing a major solar photovoltaic distributed power system across three of its campuses.The College of Southern Nevada (CSN) – which includes a 22-year-old, 80-acre campus at 6375 W. Charleston Blvd. in Las Vegas, as well as a 36-year-old building at 3200 E. Cheyenne Ave. in North Las Vegas, and a 29-year-old building at 700 College Drive
Solar Energy
Florida waste management company commits to going green with solar energy
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The largest independent trash and recycling company in Florida has announced a new attempt to go green as it will power its headquarters with solar energy. Waste Pro USA, which has its headquarters in Longwood, will install a 25 kilowatt solar energy power plant that utilizes photovoltaic solar panel modules on its roof and will be capable of providing 120 kilowatt hours of energy every day. Able to withstand hurricane-force winds of up to 148 mph, the solar system will also be light-sensitive e
Solar Business
Innovalight awarded 'key' patent to manufacture solar cells using silicon ink
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A solar technology and silicon-based cell manufacturing plant based in California has announced that it has been awarded a patent for its manufacturing of crystalline wafer solar cells using silicon ink.Innovalight Inc was issued U.S. Patent No. 7,615,393 that solidified their process of manufacturing "high efficiency selective emitter solar cells" using silicon inks. The process serves to boost the output capacity of the cells while also reducing costs.Alex Sousa, who served as counse
Solar Energy
Western Massachusetts Electric Company to develop 1.8 megawatt solar energy station
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Massachusetts may soon be seeing an influx of solar energy projects, as a new deal announced Wednesday will provide nearly 2 megawatts of solar power to parts of Western Massachusetts.The Western Massachusetts Electric Company has declared that it will begin development on an eight-acre solar power plant - the combination of a 2-acre business park and 6-acres of utility-owned land - in Pittsfield that will have a solar capacity of 1.8 megawatts. The project will also create a substation that wil
Solar Business
GSA Installs Solar to Kansas City Courthouse for $1.6 Million
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) in 2009 initiated the installation of a solar photovoltaic energy system to the roof of the Robert J. Dole U.S. Courthouse in Kansas City, Kansas.In early January of 2010, the installation was dedicated, with Rep. Dennis Moore (D-KS3) joining GSA officials to honor the “green” installation, which consists of a “cool roof” membrane topped by more than 200 solar panels acting together to keep the building cool during warmer weather and generate electr
Solar Energy
Satcon Technology Corp. to develop solar energy installations on Greek island
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Satcon Technology Corporation has been chosen to provide a portion of its solar panel technology to help provide solar energy solutions to an island in Greece.The solar power plants will be constructed by EasyPower S.A., a renewable energy systems management and operations company, and supply 2.5 megawatts of solar energy through the use of Satcon's PowerGate(R) Plus 100 kilowatt solar photovoltaic inverter solutions. The power will be generated through 25 different installations across the isla
Solar Energy
Suntech provides solar panels to 19 remote schools in Lebanon
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The world's largest producer of crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules has supplied almost 20 Lebanese schools with supplies to let them utilize solar energy through the sponsorship of the Country Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Demonstration Project for the Recovery of Lebanon.Suntech Power Holdings provided the solar panels for 19 remote schools in the country that had been working with Asaco General Trade & Contracting, a local renewable energy company. After previously having to
Green Energy
GE Energy Financial Services invests in Oklahoma wind farm
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
GE Energy Financial Services has announced it is making a $65 million investment in the construction of an Oklahoma wind farm capable of generating 152 megawatts of green energy.The CPV Keenan II wind farm in Woodward, Oklahoma will be constructed by the CPV Renewable Energy Company, which is an affiliate of Competitve Power Ventures Inc and will cost an estimated $319 million.GE Energy's $65 million investment, which has an option to increase to $100 based on the commencement of future commerci
Solar Policy
Frederick County Looking at Public/Private Solar Partnership
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Late in January, Frederick County officials drafted a letter to the Maryland Energy Administration expressing its interest in an initiative known as the Sunburst Project.According to Hilari Varnadore, director of the Frederick County Office of Environmental Sustainability, which is pushing the Sunburst Project, the initiative would allow county officials to authorize private companies to install solar systems on the roofs of county buildings, which the companies would then own, leaving the count
Solar Policy
Frederick County, Maryland, Looking at Public/Private Solar Partnership
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Late in January, Frederick County officials drafted a letter to the Maryland Energy Administration expressing its interest in an initiative known as the Sunburst Project.According to Hilari Varnadore, director of the Frederick County Office of Environmental Sustainability, which is pushing the Sunburst Project, the initiative would allow county officials to authorize private companies to install solar systems on the roofs of county buildings, which the companies would then own, leaving the count
Solar Business
Arizona Cab Company Installs 400 Panel Solar Array
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The next time you catch a Discount Cab in Phoenix or Tucson, you can rest assured your taxi is “green” (even if it is red, white, blue or yellow) thanks to a recent installation of $750,000 worth of solar panels.The cash outlay comes from Discount Cab parent company, Total Transit, Inc., and the 400 panels are arranged on top of the roof of its Glendale, Arizona headquarters on Camelback Road. Glendale is a suburb about 10 miles from downtown Phoenix. The panels, each providing 230 watts of powe
Solar Policy
Alabama Focus on Solar Energy
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
This past week, Alabama Governor Bob Riley’s office announced the award of $600,900 in economic stimulus grants to three east Alabama governmental entities to use solar to reduce their electricity costs and the size of their carbon footprints.The largest allocation, of $250,000, to the city of Anniston, will see the installation of 156 solar panels to help provide electricity to the city’s Museum of Natural History. The panels will reportedly save about $4,500 in electricity costs per year, and
Solar Energy
San Diego Diocese to enter into solar energy agreement with Perpetual Energy Systems
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A number of solar energy companies have joined forces with the Diocese of San Jose to install and activate solar panels on their parishes and school that will generate 70 percent of each site's annual energy needs.Perpetual Energy Systems will lead the solar power purchase agreement, which will include their installation of the solar energy systems with the help of MBL-Energy and Photon Energy Service as well as federal energy tax incentives for funding.The five parish/school locations chosen by
Solar Business
Maryland to encourage job creation through solar panel construction rebates
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Maryland is about to get much greener, as Governor Martin O'Malley is planning on using funding from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act to bring more renewable energy jobs into the state.Project Sunburst, which will be run by the Maryland Energy Administration, will offer rebates topping out at $1,000 for every kilowatt of solar energy that is created through photovoltaic solar panel constructions on public buildings.The project is expected to create 100 jobs in the next year - and up to
Solar Energy
Constellation Energy singled out by AEE for New England projects
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Two Massachusetts-based solar energy projects constructed by Constellation Energy have been singled out by the New England Chapter of the Association of Energy Engineers as being the best in the region.One solar energy project singled out by the AEE is currently being constructed in Foxboro at the home of the NFL's New England Patriors. Once completed, the 2,600 solar panel project will produce 525 kilowatts of photovoltaic solar energy, enough to power 30 percent of the Patriot Place retail are
Solar Energy
Ingeteam announces construction of Milwaukee renewable energy component plant
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A Spain-based electrical equipment and services company has announced it intends to open a new facility in Milwaukee that will specialize in designing renewable energy products such as solar energy stations and wind turbines.Ingeteam Inc., which has its headquarters in Bilbao, Spain and is made up of 28 companies employing more than 3,500 people, intends to begin construction on the project in April so it can be finished by the end of the year. The production facility will be approximately 100,0
Solar Energy
Solar energy market could lead to more jobs in Pennsylvania, says report
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The state of Pennsylvania stands to benefit greatly from a growing solar energy market in the coming years if certain legislation is passed, a new study has found.According to a recent report from the Community Foundation for the Alleghanies that was conducted by energy analysis firm Black & Veatch, the burgeoning solar energy market could add 48,000 jobs to the state of Pennsylvania while also replacing jobs that would be cut from the fossil fuel sector.Additionally, the study found that re
Solar Business
SunPower Corp to acquire U.K.-based SunRay Renewable Energy
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
SunPower Corp. has announced the acquisition of a leading European solar power plant developer and its array of solar energy projects that total more than 1,200 megawatts in power.SunRay Renewable Energy, which currently has offices across Europe and in the Middle East, will be acquired by the San Jose, California-based solar energy company for approximately $277 million in a deal that should be completed by mid-year.Once finalized, SunPower will assume control of SunRay's project pipeline of so
Solar Business
Advanced Energy awarded 5MW solar energy project in San Francisco
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A Fort Collins, Colorado-based solar energy product manufacturer has been awarded a solar energy project that will include the creation of a solar energy system to power the San Francisco Sunset Reservoir.Advanced Energy Industries, which specializes in the creation of technologies for "high-growth, thin-film manufacturing and solar-power generation," will create a solar power plant capable of generating 5 megawatts of solar energy that will power the reservoir.The project will consist
Solar Energy
Kia introduces concept hybrid vehicle that utilizes solar energy
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Kia is entering the world of green energy with one of its newest plug-in hybrid concept vehicles, which features a range of 746 miles and utilizes solar energy for some of its smaller functions.The Kia Ray, which was debuted Thursday at the 2010 Chicago Auto Show, is one of Kia Motors America's first forays into hybrid vehicles that will offer an array of green technologies designed to reduce its carbon footprint compared to more conventional vehicles.In addition to its plug-in capabilities that
Solar Energy
IBM sets record in efficiency with new solar cells
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
IBM has created a new form of solar cell using inexpensive products that can convert sunlight into solar energy with an efficiency that has never been seen before without using more expensive materials.The electronics company announced on Thursday that it has constructed a new solar cell that comprises its entire layer that absorbs light for conversion into energy from readily-available elements - copper, tin, zinc, sulfur, and selenium.Using the inexpensive materials, the new cell can convert s
Green Energy
SEI to build solar power academy in South Carolina to promote statewide job growth
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Solar Energy Initiative has announced that it will be joining forces with a number of organizations to create new projects throughout the state of South Carolina that will showcase solar energy while also creating jobs for the state.Along with the help from state officials as well as the North Eastern Strategic Alliance, the multi-phased project will begin with the construction of a 6,000-square-foot solar academy training center that will eventually be part of a "solar technology campus&qu
Solar Energy
Massachusetts OKs $20 million in funding towards solar energy projects
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The home of the Green Monster is looking to make its energy sources greener as well, as Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick has awarded $20 million in stimulus-funded contracts to create solar energy stations at 12 wastewater plants across the state.The funding, which will come from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and act as part of Patrick's Massachusetts Recovery Plan, will go to 12 separate contracts that will each install solar energy systems at a public water treatment f
Solar Policy
Atlantic Cape Community College to Save $6.8 Million on Energy Costs with Solar
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Atlantic Cape Community College (ACCC) in Hamilton Township, New Jersey, signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Pepco Energy Services, Inc. for solar photovoltaic (PV) installations at two of its campuses as a result of a meeting of the college’s Board of Trustees on Jan. 26.The installations, at the Mays Landing and Cape May County facilities, will represent a 2.3-megawatt distributed solar array which Pepco will design, own and operate.It will reportedly be one of the largest land-based
Solar Policy
San Bernardino County Supervisors Prefer Solar to Wind Power
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
On Feb. 9, the San Bernardino County (California) Board of Supervisors okayed changes to the county code regarding renewable energy projects like solar, with said changes aimed primarily at expediting the permitting process and instituting tougher regulations.In a 3-1 vote, with one member absent, the supervisors agreed to institute stricter regulations regarding the size and color of wind turbines, and to make it easier for small solar installations (i.e., more than five acres but less than 20)
Solar Energy
Ohio introduces new fund to encourage green energy production while adding employment
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Ohio Governor Ted Strickland has officially launched a new partnership between various public and private entities to help further the production of storage for fuel, wind, and solar energy while also adding jobs throughout the state.The Ohio Energy Gateway Fund will consist of $40 million in state and federal funding and at least $40 million more through partnerships with private capital resources.Among the organizations that will work together on the fund will be the Ohio Department of Develop
Solar Energy
Retailer donates two solar powered electrical systems to Haiti relief efforts
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
In a display of how renewable green technologies can be used for good, a residential/office supplier has sent $100,000 of solar-powered lights to aid the rescue and recovery effort in Haiti.Aaron's Inc. - which owns and operates more than 1,695 stores across the U.S. and Canada - announced last week through its community outreach program that it had sent two solar-powered electrical systems to Haiti.Spencer Smith, a franchise owner of Aaron's who is heading the donation, said that those in Haiti
Solar Policy
Vermont Introduces, 10 Million Homes With Solar, Bill
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
A joint bill introduced by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and Tennessee Representative Steve Cohen, which aims to put solar photovoltaic electrical systems on 10 million American roofs (and 10 million gallons of solar-heated hot water in those same homes from 200,000 solar water heaters), has been introduced.Officially called the 10 Million Solar Roofs and 10 Million Gallons of Solar Water Heating Act of 2010 – a name some are describing as “catchy”– the act is reportedly modeled on some highly
Solar Energy
NJ retailer cuts electrical costs in half through photovoltaic panel installations
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
In an example of just how cost-effective the installations of solar panels can be, a New Jersey-based solar energy company has reduced the monthly electrical costs of a furniture showroom by two-thirds.Arosa Solar Energy, one of the leading photovoltaic panel supplier and installers in the Garden State, recently installed a 41.3 kilowatt solar panel system on the roof of Dina's Interiors & Leather in Lakewood, New Jersey.The solar power system will reduce Dina's electric costs by more than 6
Solar Energy
NYC power company hopes to develop solar energy projects throughout city
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Solar energy may be hitting the bright lights of Broadway.New York City energy provider Con Edison has requested permission from the New York State Public Service Commission to back their development of 25 megawatts of solar energy projects throughout the city in the next five years.In order to get underway with the project, the proposal by Con Edison - which provides electric, gas, and steam service to more than 3 million customers in New York City and Westchester County, New York - calls for $
Solar Policy
SunRun 4 Free Months of Energy Extended!
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
The SunRun program, which HelioPower offers, enabling homeowners to receive 4 free months of electricity has been extended through the end of February. If you sign up with SunRun through the end of February, your first 4 months of solar electricity are free! If you sign up in March you get 1 month free.With HelioPower, this promotion is available to new customers who reside in California. The specific dollar value of the monthly credit will be equal to the value of an average monthly bill for t
Solar Policy
Knoxville, TN to Install Solar Power at Convention Center
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
Tthe city of Knoxville plans to install a solar photovoltaic energy system to the roof of its convention center.These EECBG grants, authorized in Title V, Subtitle E of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) and signed into Public Law (PL 110-140) on December 19, 2007, were only recently funded thanks to ARRA, which became law in 2009 under President Barack Obama. The total amount funded under the EECBG program, $2.7 billion, provides grants to state and local government, Indian
Solar Energy
Dow Likely to Manufacture Solar Shingles in Michigan
Posted 1 year ago — Read Full Story
In the first week of February, Dow Chemical Co., developer of the revolutionary Dow Powerhouse Solar Shingle, said that Midland, Michigan had been designated as the likely site for its new, commercial-scale, solar shingle-making factory.Dow, which announced the development of the solar shingle late last year, also received TIME Magazine’s 2009 award for its product as the one of “The 50 Best Inventions of 2009".The shingle, which integrates low-cost, thin-film CIGS (Copper, Indium, Gallium, Sele
Solar Energy
French nuclear power plant acquires U.S-based solar thermal power plant company
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
French-based Areva has announced the full acquisition of California-based solar energy company Ausra as a step towards the nuclear power company's expansion into the concentrated solar power market while also strengthening its renewable energy portfolio.Ausra was initially formed in Mountain View, California in 2006. With offices in the U.S. and Australia, the company had designed, developed, manufactured, and installed Compact Linear Fresnal Reflector solar steam generators. It also constructed
Solar Energy
Petra Solar receives $15 million investment from Craton Equity Partners
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
A clean-technology fund based in California has invested $15 million in solar and smart grid solutions company Petra Solar to continue the development of their unique type of solar panels.The money was invested by Craton Equity Partners as part of a $40 million equity that includes a number of other companies such as Element Partners, BlueRun Ventures, and OnPoint Technologies. The investment will go towards Petra's SunWave UP solar panel system series, which are designed to mount easily on util
Solar Business
AMSOLAR Corporation recognized in The Energy Daily 2010 Leadership Awards
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
Prominent trade publication The Energy Daily named AMSOLAR Corporation as an Honorable Mention for Most Successful Energy Start-up Company in its 2010 Leadership Awards list last week.The recognition was given for the company’s ongoing work with the University of San Diego (USD) to construct the 8th largest solar-power system on a North American college campus.“We’re proud of this achievement, but prouder still of how the award is a reflection of the amazing work that our teams of solar industry
Solar Business
Vibrant, Helios Eye Pueblo, Colorado for Solar Factory
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
Vibrant Solar and its manufacturing partner, Helios Solar, are eyeing Pueblo and several other Southern Colorado cities as potential sites for a new, advanced solar panel factory.Vibrant and Helios are allied by virtue of the fact that four of Helios’ owners are also Vibrant owners, and Vibrant is the only U.S. solar company authorized to sell and install Helios’ patented SunCubes (which are licensed exclusively through Helios in the U.S). These concentrating solar photovoltaic (CPV) modules, ba
Solar Energy
New study finds connection between increased green technologies and job growth in Pennsylvania
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
A new study has found that an increase in wind and solar energy initiatives across the state of Pennsylvania would help the state's unemployment situation while also aiding the environment.The study, released by the Black and Veatch consulting firm, found that increasing the renewable energy requirements in the state's Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards Act could lead to the creation of up to 211,000 new jobs.Pennsylania Governor Edward Rendell approved of the report saying that as the econo
Solar Business
Pittsburgh Turns Coal Into Solar Power
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
The mayor of Pittsburgh says he'd like to put a solar farm on the site of a former coal mine.Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl thinks putting ground-mounted solar photovoltaic panels on a 15-acre abandoned mine site in the Glen Hazel suburb of Pittsburgh will not only restore the land to useful function, but provide electricity for area residents within two miles of the array.The sloped 15-acre site, owned by the Pittsburgh Housing Authority, or PHA, overlooks the Monongahela River. At one time,
Solar Policy
Myrtle Beach Campground Installs Solar Hot Water
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
Ocean Lakes Family Campground, which was awarded the distinguished 2006 Governor’s Cup for its attitude of environmental awareness in introducing its iCare Program, recently installed a solar hot water heater as part of that program to determine the future use of solar hot water heaters in its campgrounds.The single Apricus solar panel is installed on the roof of one of Ocean Lakes’ bathhouses, where it provides hot water for a full dozen shower stalls and sinks.The Apricus solar water heater ab
Solar Energy
Rivermoor Energy announces largest solar project ever undertaken in Boston
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
A government solar projects investment firm located outside of Boston has announced that construction of the largest solar project in the city's history will soon get underway.Rivermoor Energy, which will be part of a consortium teaming up to develop, design and build the project, announced on Thursday that the project would be built on the rooftop of the Boston Water and Sewer Commission headquarters and connect to the NSTAR power grid.The project, which will cost approximately $1.075 million a
Green Energy
Gresham, Oregon, Gets Biggest Solar Field in Pacific Northwest
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
Thanks to the cooperation of REC Solar, a design-build solar firm, and Sun Edison, the nation’s largest distributed solar energy provider, the town of Gresham will soon celebrate the activation of the largest ground-mounted solar power “farm” in the Pacific Northwest.San Luis Obispo, California-based REC Solar, with 13 locations nationwide including Portland, Oregon, was founded in 1997 by Judy Ledford and Fred Sisson. Since 2006, the company has been ranked by the California Energy Commission (
Solar Business
Recurrent Energy to Sell San Bernardino Solar Production to SCE
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
San Francisco, California-based Recurrent Energy recently announced it has signed power purchase agreements, or PPAs, with one of the state’s biggest utilities, Southern California Edison, to buy all the power from three solar power systems Recurrent plans to construct in San Bernardino and Fresno counties.Privately held Recurrent Energy is an independent power producer heavily invested in distributed solar energy projects in the utility-scale range; that is, one megawatt or greater. Recurrent,
Solar Energy
Oregon town days from activating 419 kilowatt solar energy system
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
The city of Gresham, Oregon is only days away from activating a new ground mounted solar power array that will be the largest one to have ever been constructed and put into action in the Pacific Northwest.The solar energy system will be owned and operated by SunEdison, the largest solar energy services provider in North America, meaning that its services will be made available to Gresham taxpayers with no upfront costs. The city will purchase all of the energy used as stated in their contract.Th
Solar Energy
California power provider to purchase 100 percent of power from new solar energy facilities
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
Southern California Edison has agreed to purchase 100 percent of the solar energy from three separate solar projects in the state that will be built and operated by Recurrent Energy.The three projects, which will consist of photovoltaic ground-mounted solar panel power systems, will generate a combined peak output of 50 megawatts of DC power. Two of the projects will be located in the state's Kern County, while the third station will be built in San Bernardino County.The projects will begin cons
Solar Business
World Leading Cement Maker Goes Solar in Colorado
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
The Holcim Portland cement plant near Penrose, Colorado, owned by Swiss-based international cement giant Holcim, is reportedly the first cement plant in the United States to go solar.The item wouldn’t even be news, if not for the fact that cement-making facilities are among the world’s biggest greenhouse gas emitters, second only to power plants and oil refineries. Not only do cement plants produce record amounts of carbon dioxide by burning cheap, high-sulfur coal to heat kilns, but they also e
Solar Energy
Solar Living Institute introduces online capabilities to PV training program
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
Sify Technologies Limited has announced a partnership with the Solar Living Institute to create a brand-new online solar energy training course that teaches consumers and businesses how to install solar panels and which will be eventually available to customers all over the world.The online education and training course, titled PV Design and Installation Training, will initially be developed for U.S. markets before it is eventually translated and localized for various markets in India, China, La
Green Energy
Dayton Power & Light Invests in a 9,000 Solar Panel Sized System
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
Dayton Power & Light, has 1.1 megawatts of solar photovoltaic (PV) power currently under construction on seven acres near its Yankee substation, about 10 miles south of downtown Dayton in Springboro.DP&L, founded in 1911 and operating as a subsidiary of DPL Inc., serves about 515,000 retail electric customers in the area from 3,213 megawatts of generation comprised of 78 percent coal and the balance from natural gas and oil. The addition of even 1.1 megawatts of clean, “green” renewable solar en
Green Energy
Solar Panels Lower Low Income Housing Bills $15 a Month
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
In Eugene, Oregon the St. Vincent de Paul Society, Lane County’s largest humanitarian organization, has facilitated a solar water heater system that will help lower rents at one of the city’s largest, low-income apartment complexes.The systems, fitted to 40 units at the Mary Skinner Apartments, are expected to reduce utility fees by about $15 a month – a paltry amount to most, but to Mary Skinner residents, the potential difference between buying needed monthly medications or milk.The panels cos
Solar Energy
UC Boulder installs nearly 500 solar panels to reduce carbon footprint
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
New solar panels that have been installed on a variety of buildings at the University of Colorado at Boulder will allow the company to reduce its carbon footprint while getting green energy at a discounted price.The solar panels, which were manufactured by Suntech Power and installed by Bella Energy of Louisville, Colorado, were completed in the final months of 2009. The panels will produce 140,000 kilowatt-hours of energy per year, or enough to power approximately 20 medium-sized houses.The pan
Solar Business
Boston Water & Sewer Going Solar Power with $1,075,000 Installation
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
According to recent reports, in the near future the Boston Water and Sewer Commission (BWSC) building at 980 Harrison Avenue will be taking advantage of clean, renewable solar energy to provide about seven percent of its electricity.Seven percent may seem like a tiny amount, until you consider the size of the water and sewer commission’s new building, or the fact that the utility, established in 1977, serves more than one million residents; that is, 88,000 drinking water ratepayers, and a reside
Solar Business
Sedona Red Rock HS Greens on Solar Power Array
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
Red Rock High School in Sedona, Arizona will soon be getting a 3,600-panel solar array, giving the high school – and the distinctly pro-environmental community that surrounds it – a huge shot of clean, “green” energy.The project, announced by Sedona Unified School District Superintendent Michael Aylstock, outlines a ground-mounted array of solar panels as big as the school’s football field. With a nameplate rating of 820 kilowatts, the solar farm will reportedly be the third largest in the natio
Green Energy
New Haven public schools to receive green energy and heating installation
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
Public schools in New Haven will soon be getting a bit greener, as the school district has announced a partnership with a Holyoke, Massachusetts based green energy company to renovate the schools' heat and power systems.New Haven Public Schools and Aegis Energy Services announced their partnership on January 26 and will focus on the installation of a total of six 75-kilowatt Combined Heat and Power plants at schools throughout the city.The power plants will utilize cogeneration, or the "sim
Solar Business
Quantum achieves industry standard with photovoltaic modules
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide revealed on Friday that its photovoltaic solar panel modules had achieved important certifications that will enable it for mass production in the near future.The Lake Forest, California company announced that its 230-watt crystalline silicon solar photovoltaic modules had achieved the industry standards of UL in the U.S. and C-UL in Canada. Additionally, the company's modules also became listed as "eligible photovoltaic modules" under the Ca
Solar Energy
Solar companies join forces for rooftop solar panel projects in Ontario
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
Energy Conversion Devices and the Efinity Corporation have announced a partnership to create a multitude of solar energy rooftop installations in Ontario, Canada.The agreement between the two companies was spurred somewhat by the recently passed feed-in-tariff program, which the Ontario Power Authority describes as "North America's first comprehensive guaranteed pricing structure for renewable electricity production."According to Rafael Dobrzynski, CEO of Enfinity Corp, the new tariff
Solar Energy
Agreement between two companies to explore solar capabilities of landfills
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
Months after creating a one-of-a-kind sustainable energy park at a Texas landfill, Republic Services has announced it will be transferring ownership of the park to Carlisle Energy Services Inc.After taking control of the Tessman Road Landfill in San Antonio, Texas, Republic combined flexible solar cell technology that converts sunlight directly into electricity onto a solar cap covering closed portion of the landfill along with a pre-existing gas-to-energy system to transform it into an energ
Solar Energy
Solar energy experts optimistic following State of the Union speech
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
In the wake of President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech last week in which he stated that it was "time for America to lead again" in regard to solar power use, industry experts are rushing to add their opinion to the matter.According to photovoltaic analyst and PHOTON Consulting CEO Michael Rogol, solar energy has re-emerged as a force in America after lying dormant for so long."Solar power has reached a scale in the U.S. at which it is capturing national attention as an
Solar Energy
Carlisle Energy Services announces partnership to sell UNI-SOLAR laminates
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
A newly formed division of Carlisle Construction Materials has signed a deal to receive UNI-SOLAR photovoltaic laminates from Energy Conversion Devices.Carlisle Energy Services has signed a multi-year deal to utilize the solar laminated panels so it can offer a number of new services involving the sales and distribution of the photovoltaic panels with its already established roofing and rooftop products, Solarbuzz recently reported"UNI-SOLAR products are a natural fit for both our EPDM and
Green Energy
'Green' Baltimore hotel awarded by USGBC for renewable energy efforts
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
Maryland's chapter of the United States Green Building Council has singled out Baltimore's Green Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriot with a Special Accomplishment Award last week for its efforts to lead a green revolution in the Old Line State.Ever since the opening of the hotel in July 2009, the Green Fairfield Inn has drawn its fair share of attention for its renewable energy initiative.Last November Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley awarded the hotel with a sustainable tourism award. It was
Solar Energy
Canadian Solar partners with Spain-based Fire Energy Group
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
Two solar energy companies from Canada and Spain have agreed to enter into a sales contract that could lead to the creation of solar energy modules that create 60 megawatts of power.Canadian Solar Inc. announced on Tuesday that it had entered into an agreement that will send the company's photovoltaic panel products to the Spain-based system integrator Fire Energy Group. By the end of 2010, Fire Energy is expected to have enough products to supply 60 megawatts worth of photovoltaic modules.The m
Solar Energy
Suniva and GS Battery to create solar energy storage device
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
While the Achilles heel of many power systems using solar energy has been their inability to retain energy without sunlight, and reliance on a backup form of energy, a new product by Suniva Inc. may help to alleviate the issue. The U.S.-based solar manufacturer announced on Thursday that it would be partnering with GS Battery, a U.S. subsidiary of the Japan-based GS Yuasa Group, to create a system that could store solar energy gathered by solar panels. "Solar system owners that are able to
Solar Energy
LDK Solar signs supply contract with subsidiary of Oneworld
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
A leading manufacturer of multi-crystalline solar wafers - the materials used to produce cells in photovoltaic solar panels, has announced it will supply parts to a Canadian based subsidiary of Oneworld Energy Inc.The agreement between the two companies, which was announced on Wednesday, will deliver enough solar modules Ontario-based COU Solar to create products capable of providing 30 megawatts of solar energy."We are very excited to expand our relationship with COU/Oneworld. This relatio
Solar Energy
Survey finds increased interest in harvesting materials for renewable energy products
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
After years of wallowing in relative obscurity to many, renewable energy harvesting materials have begun to receive increased attention from companies looking to create smarter and cheaper energy solutions for themselves.According to a recent report published by Frost & Sullivan on Tuesday as part of its Technical Insights sector, titled Energy Harvesting Materials - The Road Ahead, the company found that several companies had begun showing interest in harvesting certain products for commerc
Solar Energy
Oregon-based company to use solar energy to power majority of facility
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
SEKO Worldwide has announced that it will utilize a number of available tax credits to convert its Portland, Oregon-based facility to one that runs on solar energy.The company, which offers supply-chain solutions to companies across the world, installed 143 solar panels on the company's 33,000 square-foot facility. After going into effect last month, the system can generate 31 kilowatts of electricity, approximately 80 to 90 percent of the electricity needed to power the facility.In total, the c
Solar Energy
Suntech to open photovoltaic solar panel plant in Arizona
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
The world’s largest manufacturer of crystalline silicon photovoltaic solar panel modules has decided to utilize the opening of its first U.S. manufacturing plant in Arizona as a showcase for how efficient solar energy can be used.China-based Suntech Power Holdings Co. announced on Wednesday that it would locate its U.S. plant in Goodyear, Arizona bases on the state's forward thinking philosophies regarding solar power usage."I am pleased to welcome Suntech to Arizona, and commend the c
Solar Energy
Massachusetts Audubon Society Heavily Vested in Solar
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
It isn’t “new” news, but the Massachusetts’ Audubon’s investment in solar energy – 98.5 kilowatts (not counting solar hot water) – is one of the more surprising quiet revolutions in solar energy.The largest solar photovoltaic array in the system is at the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary’s Esther Underwood Nature Center. There, a full 21.1 kilowatts of ground- and roof-mounted arrays are visible on top of the Platinum-certified LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) building and al
Solar Energy
Washington D.C. company sells first carbon neutral home in district
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
A leading Washington D.C. real estate company has announced the sale of the district's first ever "carbon neutral" home that ranks in the top one percent of the most energy efficient homes in the country.According to Urban Pace, the energy efficient home is not a modern structure, but actually a very old pre-Civil War home located at 19 4th Street, NE that underwent a vigorous energy conservation-oriented makeover by local build firm Greenspur.Among the changes made to the property dur
Solar Energy
NM Governor Richardson introduces solar energy project
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson has announced that a Spanish renewable-energy company has invested $1 billion to construct one of the largest photovoltaic solar panels on earth in the state and create solar power for the use of its residents.GA-Solar will be investing in the project, which will take four years to fully construct and be located on 2,500 acres of land in the state's Guadalupe County. Once completed, the project will be capable of generating 300 megawatts of solar energy, or en
Solar Policy
Intel To Install 6 Acre Solar Installation in CA
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
The newest news from world-leading semiconductor chip manufacturing Intel Corp., the inventor of the x86 microprocessor found in most PCs, is that its Folsom, California location will soon sport the largest of eight new solar power systems the company plans to install in four states.Santa Clara, California-based Intel, which has U.S. facilities in Arizona, California, Colorado, D.C., Illinois, Mass., New Hampshire, New Mexico, N. Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, S. Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia
Solar Policy
Phoenix Paradise Village Goes Solar
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
It would be a surprising development if public housing “greened” faster than private residential units, given the typical disparity in income between the two groups and the likelihood that affluent homeowners are better positioned to take advantage of renewable energy technologies like solar. But that’s exactly what seems to be happening in some areas of the nation, notably Phoenix.The city’s 62-unit Paradise Village, aimed at low- to middle-income Phoenix residents, has been retrofitted with so
Solar Energy
Chinese photovoltaic manufacturer to open new laboratory
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
A leading manufacturer of the photovoltaic products used to create solar panels will be establishing a new laboratory to further its research on solar energy-related products.China-based manufacturer Trina Solar Limited announced on Tuesday that it had received the necessary documents from China's Ministry of Science and Technology to begin the establishment of the State Key Laboratory in the Changzhou Trina PV Industrial Park.While specific commercial terms of the structure have not yet been fi
Solar Business
Energy harvesting materials seeing increase in demand, says study
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
Rising energy prices and a desire to become more environmentally friendly are among the reasons that a new survey has found that energy harvesting materials such as solar panels have become increasingly popular in recent years.According to new analysis from Frost & Sullivan titled Energy Harvesting Materials - The Road Ahead, it was determined that materials that are used to create self-powered devices have been on the rise due to continued developments in numerous fields, including the sola
Solar Energy
Apple looking to use solar power for portable devices?
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
While many are awaiting the announcement of new products from Apple, potentially including new iPhones and a tablet computer, the company has apparently already set its sight on its next technological breakthrough: the ability to run portable devices using solar power.According to The Atlantic, Apple recently submitted patent applications for a new system that could attach miniature solar panels onto their iPod and iPhone products to charge them without the need to plug anything into a power sou
Solar Energy
U.S solar technology company to help power Belgian expo center
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
The second largest exhibition complex in Belgium has reached a deal with a U.S. rooftop photovoltaic solar panel producer to install solar power membranes to produce nearly 2 megawatts to power the structure.Energy Conversion Devices Inc. has been tapped by the Flanders Expo in Ghent, Belgium to install the solar power system, which will generate 1.87 megawatts of solar power for the structure. The system will utilize ECD's Uni-Solar photovoltaic laminates along with a durable roofing membrane t
Green Energy
More than 200 international experts pave the way for photovoltaic module recycling
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
More than 200 experts in photovoltaic (PV) energy, waste management and recycling participated today in the 1st International Conference on PV module recycling organized by PV CYCLE and EPIA in collaboration with the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre. Attendees had the opportunity to learn first-hand from different industry associations and companies what is currently being done to implement recycling mechanisms and to minimise the environmental impact of end-of-life solar panels.“Sinc
Green Energy
Minneapolis To Build 2,600 Solar Panel Installation on Convention Center
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
On Jan. 21, the Minneapolis (Minnesota) City Council again voted to approve a solar project on top of the city’s convention center that would provide about 5 percent of the power the facility uses.The newest deal, aimed at St. Paul, Minnesota-based Best Power International LLC, a design-build solar energy company owned by Mario Monesterio, intends to provide a 600-kilowatt rooftop solar photovoltaic system delivered via 2,600 solar panels installed on the flat portions of the convention center r
Solar Energy
Duke Energy Buys 14Mw Blue Wing Solar Project
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
On Monday, Jan. 25, Charlotte, North Carolina-based Duke Energy announced plans to buy its first solar project.Duke, a publicly owned utility with about 35,000 megawatts of electricity generating capacity, serves about 4 million customers in North Carolina, western South Carolina, southwestern Ohio, Indiana, and northern Kentucky.Duke’s electricity generation profile (53.3 percent coal, oil and gas, 46.4 percent nuclear, 0.1 percent hydro, .02 percent wind, and .001 percent solar) is very brown,
Solar Policy
Sequoia Solar Absorbing San Diego Solar Permit Rate Increase, Saving Customers $472
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
In response to the city of San Diego’s solar permit rate increase from $93 to $565, Sequoia Solar will absorb the increase and pay the $472 difference through April 1, 2010.“This was a no-brainer for us,” said Sequoia Solar CEO Marty Reed. He added, “There is so much momentum going with solar in San Diego right now that we want to do our part to keep that moving forward and keep solar within the reach of San Diego homeowners. This is our Sequoia Solar stimulus package so to speak.”For more in
Solar Energy
New Jersey resident offered solar energy at discounted rate through 1BOG
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
New Jersey may see its share of unflattering environmental stereotypes, but it is also quickly becoming one of the nation's leaders in solar energy initiatives to reduce carbon emissions by homes and businesses throughout the state.One Block Off The Grid, one of the nation's largest solar consumer advocates in the country, announced on Monday that it would be implementing its first solar group purchasing program on the East Coast in the Northern part of New Jersey. The program will run through A
Solar Energy
Duke Energy to enter into solar power business following acquisition
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
A large-scale renewable energy corporation has announced the addition of solar power to its commercial renewable energy options following its purchase of a large-scale photovoltaic solar panel company.Duke Energy Generation Services announced on Monday that it intends to purchase the Blue Wing Solar Project from Boulder, Colorado-based Juwi Solar Inc. in order to begin offering solar power services under their Duke Energy Commercial Businesses unit.The project, which will generate 14 megawatts o
Solar Energy
Ontario signs agreement for large-scale solar power project with Samsung
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
A new green energy investment agreement between Samsung C&T Corporation and the Government of Ontario, Canada will result in the creation of wind and solar power projects that will be among the most substantial green energy projects in North America.The agreement was signed into effect last week by Ontario Minister of Energy and Infrastructure Brad Duguid, Premier Dalton McGuinty, Samsung C&T Corporation President & CEO Sung-ha Chi, and Korea Electric Power Corporation Executive Vice
Solar Energy
Golden State Warriors complete solar project to power practice facility
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
The NBA's Golden State Warriors have unveiled their new solar power installation at their Oakland, California practice facility that could save them more than $2 million in the next 25 years.The project was the culmination of a partnership between the NBA franchise and California-based solar energy company The Solar Company and led to the creation of the first-ever solar installation to be used at an NBA practice facility. The solar system will supplement 26 percent of the facility's current ele
Solar Energy
New solar power dish unveiled in Arizona, to go into production this summer
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
A partnership between Stirling Energy Systems and Tessera Solar has resulted in a new solar power plant featuring new solar energy systems that can generate up to 25 kilowatts each.Last week, the two companies unveiled their Maricopa Solar power plant to company partners and media only four months after breaking ground on the project. One of the project's centerpieces was the new SunCatcher solar panels produced for SES by Tessera.The solar energy systems consist of 38-foot mirrored parabolic di
Solar Energy
Colorado State University Dedicates One of Nation’s Largest Solar Plants on a University Campus
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
Colorado State University today dedicated one of the largest solar plants in the nation at a university – a two-megawatt operation that will help the state meet goals for renewable energy and keep the university’s utility rates stable and affordable during the next 20 years. The solar power plant, owned and operated by Fotowatio Renewable Ventures, features more than 8,000 Trina Solar (NYSE: TSL) panels that cover 15 acres of the university’s Foothills Campus – about three miles west of the main
Green Energy
PSEG Opens New Energy and Environmental Resource Center
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
PSEG today hosted the grand opening of its new Energy and Environmental Resource Center (EERC) featuring hands on, interactive exhibits designed to promote conversations about energy, the environment and solutions for meeting the challenges of climate change.“The EERC reinforces PSEG’s belief that it takes a multi-faceted approach to combat climate change,” said PSEG CEO Ralph Izzo. “The exhibits highlight the importance of clean baseload power like nuclear as well as the role of renewables and
Solar Energy
California introduces solar water heating system incentive program
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
The California Public Utilities Commission has announced that it will be establishing a new initiative that will establish monetary incentives for homes and businesses that install solar water heating systems.The California Solar Initiative Thermal Program applies to all homes in the areas covered by the four major gas and electronic companies throughout the state. It will be funded through $250 million in collections from natural gas ratepayers as well as $100.8 million through a separate photo
Solar Business
Jackson Hole, Facing 2011 Energy Cap, Looks to Solar
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
In 2011, the residents of Jackson Hole, Wyoming will face what are likely to be astronomically inflated energy prices.Why? Because the local utility, Lower Valley Energy (LVE), a regional electric cooperative, will see itself operating in a new climate in which the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) – a federal entity that operates the Northwest U.S. grid and sells power from a series hydroelectric, nuclear and wind energy plants – caps energy purchases and changes its pricing structure to in
Solar Business
EOS Ventures Launches $4.5 Million Solar Energy Installations Across Mass.
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
On January 20, officials with Hancock, Massachusetts-based EOS Ventures announced the completion of a $4.5-million solar power package comprised of seven solar installations across the state – five in Berkshire County, one in Waltham and one in Seekonk.Design-build EOS, a two-year-old renewable energy startup which also offers project financing in the form of power purchase agreements, or PPAs, has so far built more than 1.3 megawatts of solar power systems across the Northeast.One of these syst
Solar Energy
SunRun to offer residential solar energy service in New Jersey
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
In an attempt to broaden the use of solar panels from primarily corporate entities to residential homes, residential solar energy company SunRun has announced that it is expanding its service into New Jersey.Residents in the Garden State will now have the access to SunRun's unique solar energy services. After signing up for the service, homeowners will have solar panels from the company installed on their property to collect energy for costs as low as $500. Following the installation costs, home
Solar Energy
Solar energy summit to be held in San Francisco for 4th straight year
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
Looking ahead toward what will be coming out of the renewable energy industry in the coming year, 650 concentrated solar power industry leaders will converge on San Francisco this June for the 4th Annual Concentrated Solar Power Summit.One topic that will likely headline the event will be discussion on how to handle the market potential for solar power throughout North America in the wake of new political and financial support the industry has received in the last year.A press release announcing
Solar Business
PG&E Corp. Venture Capital Arm to Finance SolarCity
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
Think of Ford agreeing to fund mass transit expansions and you’ll come close to understanding the nature of PG&E Corp.’s (parent of California utility Pacific Gas & Electric) agreement to finance SolarCity solar panels on homes and businesses.Or perhaps you won’t. In any case, the recent announcement by PG&E Corp. subsidiary Pacific Venture Capital LLC – that it will provide $60 million in tax equity financing for design/build solar panel firm SolarCity – seems like either a timely and environme
Solar Energy
First Solar reaches agreement with New Mexico utility company to build solar power plants
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
First Solar has solidified a deal with the largest electric utility company in New Mexico to construct five separate utility scale photovoltaic solar power plants across the state by the end of 2011.Pending the approval of state regulators, the agreement would allow the Tempe, Arizona-based company the ability to construct the power plants that would generate 22 megawatts of solar power - enough to power 7,000 average-sized homes - that will be utilized by PNM and its 500,000 customers across th
Solar Energy
Western NY company signs agreement with Chinese solar power group
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
A Western New York real estate and solar development company has agreed in principle to work with the Shanghai New Energy Industry Association to equip a Buffalo, New York-area business park with solar power.Montante Development announced on Monday that it had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Chinese organization, which is made up of 300 companies specializing in the renewable energy sector, to begin incorporating solar energy developments into New York to help consumers and compani
Solar Energy
SolarCity to install 1,000+ solar energy systems through new $60 million agreement
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
A subsidiary of PG&E Corporation has announced a partnership with SolarCity Corp. intended to fund solar panel installations in homes and businesses across the country that require no upfront investments and will cut down on energy costs.Pacific Venture Capital LLC announced on Tuesday it would be investing $60 million in tax equity financing into SolarCity, one of the leaders in solar power system design and installation. The money will be funded by shareholders of PG&E and will be used
Solar Policy
10 Vermont Schools Get ARRA Solar Power Grants
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
According to an announcement by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders (an Independent), 10 Vermont schools have been selected by the state to receive $50,000 solar power grants, each as a result of winning renewable energy proposals submitted last year. The funding, which will come from the U.S. Department of Energy via the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, or ARRA (also known as the stimulus), will help the schools install small-scale solar photovoltaic arrays which – though not large enough to
Solar Energy
DuPont commits nearly $300 million to photovoltaic-related production facility
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
In an attempt to grow along with the burgeoning interest in solar energy, science-based product and service company DuPont has announced it has committed $175 million in additional funds to expand its photovoltaic product lines.The newly invested money will join $120 million that had previously been invested for capacity expansions announced last August to build a DuPont Tedlar PV2001 oriented film capacity, which is used as an essential component for the photovoltaic backsheets used in solar pa
Solar Business
Royal Caribbean Goes Solar
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
It’s probably not surprising, given that the cruise ship company was the first in history to equip two of its Celebrity Solstice-class ships with solar panels in 2009, but the addition of 21,000 square feet of solar thin-film panels to the Oasis of the Seas – the world’s largest cruise ship at 225,282 tons and 5,408 passengers – marks a sustainability high point for Royal Caribbean.Passengers can’t see the solar photovoltaic installation, which is on top of deck 19 (the ship’s uppermost deck), b
Solar Policy
Abound Solar Picks up $12.6 Million Tax Credit
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
On January 18, Abound Solar Inc. of Loveland, Colorado, announced that it would be getting $12.6 million in the form of a tax credit from the U.S. Energy Department, via the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (also known as the economic stimulus program, or ARRA).The credit was reportedly awarded through a competitive selection process that examines how many “green” jobs a firm creates, the cost effectiveness of its operations, the speed at which it implements manufacturing processes
Solar Energy
Aerojet, Solar Power commissioned by EPA for help after successful solar project
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
The Environmental Protection Agency has asked for the continued partnership of two companies to help with its research on creating renewable energy production projects on land they controlDuring an event last week in Los Angeles hosted by the EPA, Aerojet and Solar Power announced they would be partnering up to help streamline the development process of almost 15 million acres of EPA-tracked land for potential renewable energy production projects.The two companies were chosen to work on the proj
Solar Business
Tower Automotive To Bring 200 New Solar Jobs to Arizona
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
According to Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, her administration has secured an agreement with Tower Automotive to locate a manufacturing facility in Arizona that is likely to produce at least 200 local jobs.In September of 2009, Livonia, Michigan-based Tower Automotive, a global supplier of vehicle structural parts and assemblies, announced a strategic diversification which would see it manufacturing parts for Stirling Energy Systems under a long-term agreement.Stirling Energy Systems, or SES, head
Solar Energy
Golden State Warriors Go Solar At Team’s Practice Facility
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
New, Solar-Powered Practice Facility will save more than $2,000,000 in electricity costs over 25 yearsJANUARY 21 (Oakland, CA): A ribbon-cutting ceremony to unveil the new solar installation at the Golden State Warriors practice facility in downtown Oakland, California, will be on Thursday, January 21 at 10:00 a.m. Warrior’s President Robert Rowell and rookie guard Stephen Curry will be joined by Mark Danenhower, President of the Solar Company, at the unveiling of the new solar system.About the
Solar Energy
Shanghai World Expo to be powered by solar energy
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
Showing that solar energy is by no means an inferior or limited form of energy production, Suntech Power Holdings has completed two solar systems that will power the China and Theme Pavilions at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo.Suntech, the world’s largest crystalline silicon photovoltaic solar panel manufacturer, had initially been engaged by the Shenergy Group, one of the city’s largest power companies, to develop and build the two solar systems.Each system will be building-integrated an
Solar Energy
First Solar acquires projects from Edison Mission Group
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
One of the world’s largest solar module manufacturers has announced its acquisition of a number of solar projects located in California and the Southwest.First Solar announced on Thursday that the solar power projects it had acquired had been through an agreement with Edison Mission Group that gave them control of a portion of their solar project development pipeline.The acquisition was done primarily to increase First Solar’s portfolio of solar panel projects. The projects that will f
Solar Energy
JA Solar exec sees solar energy growth in 2010
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
An executive for a Chinese solar energy company is predicting that demand for sun-fueled power will rebound in the new decade as worldwide interest in the technology continues to grow.Ming Yang, the vice president of business development for JA Solar Holdings, told a New York news conference this week that he expected the global market for solar power to grow at "a 30 percent per year clip over the next two to three years," Reuters reported.Already, he said that overseas sales had been
Solar Business
First Solar Buys Out All EMG Joint Solar Projects
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
In what has to be one of the biggest pieces of solar news this year, at least from a business standpoint, First Solar announced on Thursday, Jan. 14, that it had bought all the shares of its development partner, Edison International.The terms of the purchase have not been disclosed, but stocks for both Tempe, Arizona-based First Solar and Edison International’s Edison Mission Group (EMG), headquartered in Irvine, California, were recently trading lower; First Solar down 56 cents, and EMG down 24
Solar Energy
Maryland Staples facility completes solar energy project
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
A Maryland Home Depot is ringing in the new year with a newly green energy initiative, as it has completed the construction of the largest solar power station in the state.Earlier this month, the Staples fulfillment center in Hanover unveiled its 175,000-square-foot photovoltaic rooftop solar panel installation that had been born out of a partnership between the retail giant and SunEdison.The installation, which covers most of the 200,200-square-foot roof of the building will be able to generate
Green Energy
Personal carbon credits may be sign of things to come
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
Well aware that preaching only does so much good, a website has decide to up the ante in its offerings for those who use means such as solar panels to reduce their carbon emissions: Cash.Such is what happened to the Wilson family from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. According to USA Today, after installing $58,000 in solar panels to decrease their carbon footprint, the family input their utility information into the website of My Emissions Exchange (MyEex.com) and eventually received a check in the ma
Solar Policy
Harvard University completes construction of solar power system
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
Harvard University has announced the completion of its first large rooftop solar power system, which had been in the works for most of the last year.The system, which is comprised of SunPower T5 Solar Roof tiles, was installed by solar power developer CarbonFree Technology and was designed along with the help of SunPower, a San Jose-based solar technology company. In total, the 500-kilowatt system will generate enough energy to power 83 homes per year while also offsetting 367 metric tons of car
Solar Energy
Jemez Tribe of New Mexico to Build 14,850 Solar Panel, $22 Million Solar Power System
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
In New Mexico, the 3,000-member Jemez tribe of Native Americans is planning the nation’s first utility-scale solar project on tribal land.For residents of New Mexico, it represents a future of cleaner energy. Most of the state is now powered by Colorado-based Tri-State Generation, whose generation mix includes approximately 70 percent coal, 24 percent natural gas and 5 percent oil.Other utilities include Arizona Public Service (APS), which operates Units 1, 2 and 3 of the notoriously pollutive F
Solar Business
Grande River Vineyards 70% of Energy Supplied from Solar Power
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
In western Colorado, a regional vineyard has chosen solar photovoltaic panels to reduce its energy burden and deliver clean, renewable energy.Grande River Vineyards, near Palisade on the Western Slope, was founded in 1987 when Denver growers Stephen and Naomi Smith decided to take advantage of the Slope’s arid hillsides and moderate winters to produce some of the finest wine grapes in the nation.Under the hands of vineyard manager Jim Mayrose, the enterprise was a success, and by 1990, Grande Ri
Solar Business
SolarAttic's Conservation Technology Projected To Save
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
As the cost of energy continues to increase, so does debate over the issue of drilling versa implementing conservation technologies. Recently, the national dialogue was focused on painting roofs white to reduce the sun's energy impact on buildings. However, there are technologies in existence, which can make use of the solar heat on building roofs. Ironically, painting roofs white would actually increase energy costs by eliminating the energy savings that the hot roofs represent. SolarAttic's co
Solar Energy
200-acre solar farm proposed at Long Island laboratory
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
Long Island may soon be the site of the largest solar energy farm in the Northeast if plans for a new solar energy project become a reality.The Brookhaven National Laboratory, the Long Island-based lab that qualifies as one of ten national laboratories that is overseen and primarily funded by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy, has announced it intends to construct a 200-acre solar energy farm and generator in the island's Pine Barrens.According to NBC New York, the proposal
Solar Energy
New Mexico tribe investing in solar energy project
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
Leading the initiative in bringing solar power projects to Native American communities across the country, the Jemez Pueblo tribe in New Mexico has announced a new large-scale solar energy project. According to the Associated Press, the proposed 30-acre site for the project will contain 14,850 solar panels that will be able to generate four megawatts of solar energy or enough to power approximately 600 homes.The project will cost $22 million that will be financed through various government loans
Solar Policy
Duke Energy Announces Second Round of Rooftop Solar Program
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
In response to a 2007 North Carolina state law which says that, by 2012, three percent of all retail electric sales by a utility must come from renewable energy resources, Duke Energy in 2008 established the North Carolina Solar PV Distributed Generation Program, which aims to install small solar arrays on public and private roofs across the state.Under the terms of its program, Duke Energy will own and maintain the systems during their 25-year lifetimes. Duke will also claim all renewable energ
Solar Energy
Minnesota Pushes Solar Energy Industry
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
A September, 2009 article by Fresh Energy (a nonprofit organization leading the transition toward a clean, efficient and fair U.S. energy system) reported that Minnesota was slated to get about $26 million for “green” energy projects.Of that amount, $3 million was part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Cities program, which aims to increase solar participation in selected cities.Other project categories included: residential and small business renewable energy rebates for systems 40 kilow
Solar Energy
China solar power project will generate 2 gigawatts of solar energy
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
A U.S.-based solar power company has entered into a large-scale agreement with a Chinese power equipment manufacturer that will lead to the creation of solar thermal power plants across China that will generate at least 2 gigawatts of power.The deal, which was signed last week in the Chinese State Council building, will partner U.S. solar power plant builder eSolar with Penglai Electric to make official what will become China's largest concentrating solar power project.The first part of the proj
Solar Policy
San Diego City Increases Solar Installation Fee 500%
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
In a move that solar aficionados find inexplicable and dangerous, the City of San Diego in December upped its solar installation fee, from $93 to $565, according to the San Diego Union Tribune.San Diego City officials say the inflated cost reflects the actual cost by the city to insure that solar systems are installed in a safe and appropriate manner. The rate increase, they insist, has nothing to do with the city’s general fund.Still, it’s surprising the city would make such a move, given last
Solar Business
Wyoming's Biggest Solar Rooftop Array Installed on Padnos Iron & Metal
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
Some are calling it the biggest solar array in the state. Unfortunately, that award may already have gone to Galesburg residents Sam and Conor Field, whose ground-based solar array of 700 panels provides enough energy to power 20 to 25 homes, at least according to local utility Consumer’s Energy.Still, the solar rooftop array at Louis Padnos Iron & Metal in Wyoming – of 636 Sharp solar panels across 15,000 square feet of roof – is nothing to sneeze at, particularly in a state where 10-kilowatt s
Solar Energy
New Jersey university agrees to 3.5 Mw energy panel constructions
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
An agreement has been reached between William Paterson University, Nautilus Solar Power, and SunDurance Energy to construct the largest solar energy facility at a university in the U.S.The project, which will include the installation of solar energy projects on the rooftop and parking lot of the Wayne, New Jersey university campus, will initially aim to generate three megawatts of solar power with the completion of its first phase this summer.The second part of the project, which will add anothe
Solar Energy
Walmart completes part of California solar energy project
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
Walmart has announced that is has completed a part of a solar power initiative with the installation of solar panels onto three California store locations. The three solar power projects - which are located at store locations in Paramount, Baldwin Park, and Highland - are part of a program announced by the retail giant last Earth Day. As part of the project, 10 to 20 Walmart facilities will be outfitted with enough solar power technology to almost double its use of solar energy use in Californi
Solar Business
ShopRite Supermarket Installs 1,024 Panel Solar Array
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
The ShopRite of Garwood, New Jersey, just completed installation of a 276-kilowatt rooftop solar photovoltaic array.The building, at 563 North Ave. East in Garwood, now sports 1,024 solar panels which jointly deliver 303,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity annually to operate lighting and refrigeration units at what is primarily a highly diversified grocer, selling everything from baby food to fresh vegetables, with electronics and pharmacy offering one-stop shopping.The 276-kilowatt array also pr
Solar Business
SunWize Gets $7.8 Million in Solar Energy Contracts from VA
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
Kingston, New York-based SunWize Commercial Power Systems, the installation arm of SunWize Technologies, recently announced the acquisition of $7.8 million more in solar power contracts awarded by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, or VA.SunWize, which operates as a solar power innovator, manufacturer and installer, said the funds will go to installing solar photovoltaic (PV) systems at 10 VA hospitals nationwide, for a total of more than 1.1 megawatt of solar energy. The company has, over
Solar Policy
ARRA Provides $4.8 Million for Texas Green Jobs
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
Under a provision in the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, or ARRA, the state of Texas will get $4.8 million to train workers to fill jobs in the renewable energy industry.The funding, recently announced by Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), will be used to train about 1,000 workers at solar power plants in Austin and San Antonio. Once trained, workers will fill gaps in a Texas workforce depleted by the recent recession.According to Representative John Culberson (R-TX), the state ha
Solar Energy
Solar energy portable device chargers may gain popularity in 2010
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
Energizer has introduced new charging devices that utilize solar energy instead of traditional electric to provide extra power to consumers' portable devices.The solar energy devices, which were recently featured at the Digital Experience! and Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, are part of Energizer's Energi To Go line of products that provide on-the-charging of portable devices such as mp3 players and cell phones.The company's Energi To Go SP Solar Power Packs will be able to charge variou
Solar Energy
New Jersey electric company forges ahead with solar farm projects
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
New Jersey's oldest and largest gas and electric utility company has announced its selection of four sites on which it hopes to construct ground mounted solar farms as part of a 12 megawatt grid-connected solar energy project.Public Service Electric and Gas Company said on Wednesday that it hopes to begin construction on the four energy farms in the spring so they can be ready at some point during the summer. Each of the farms - which will be located in Edison, Hamilton, Linden, and Trenton - w
Solar Business
Jacksonville Electric Association to Buy Solar From PSEG Array
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
In Jacksonville, Florida, the city’s electric coop, Jacksonville Electric Authority, will soon begin buying “green” power from a 15-megawatt solar farm being built along U.S. 301, near JEA’s 1,270-megawatt natural-gas generation facility called Brandy Branch.The 200,000 solar photovoltaic (PV) ground-mounted panels, on 100 acres owned by JEA on Jacksonville’s Westside, are being installed by New Jersey-based solar firm PSEG Solar Source LLC, with initial power provided as early as March and the
Solar Energy
Military To Rely On Solar Power To Decrease Vulnerbility
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
On January 5, members of Ohio’s Air National Guard's 180th Fighter Wing joined Representative Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo) to dedicate Phase IV of the unit’s massive, ground-mounted solar array currently rated at 1.2 megawatts.The solar farm, which will provide 37 percent of the electric needs of the base, is the largest of its kind at any Air National Guard station in the United States, and also the largest installed or projected solar installation in the state. The next largest is Dayton Power an
Solar Business
PSE&G Selects Sites and Developers for 4 NJ Solar Projects Totaling 12 MW
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
(Newark, NJ) PSE&G is starting the New Year by announcing it has selected four sites and developers for over $50 million in investments in 12 megawatts of grid-connected solar energy. PSE&G hopes to start construction at its sites in Edison, Hamilton, Linden and Trenton this spring, with projects completed this summer and fall. All four ground-mounted solar farms would be among the largest to be developed in New Jersey, with the Hamilton project being the largest in the state and the project in
Solar Energy
SEI completes solar panel project for Colorado school district
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
Solar Energy Initiatives has announced the completion of an 80 kilowatt project for the Canon City School District in Colorado that will reduce the city's schools reliance on fossil fuels through the use of solar panel technology.The project was completed as part of SEI's "Renew The Nation" campaign that hopes to decrease the nation's reliance on fossil fuels while adding to the workforce through the spearheading of thermal and photovoltaic technology installation projects.The completi
Solar Energy
Nevada water company considering construction of 100 megawatt energy farm
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
One of the nation's leading private water resource companies has proposed the construction of a privately financed solar energy farm that would be among the biggest in the country.Vidler Water Company, which handles the acquisition of strategic water resources and water storage facilities for the Western part of the United States, recently announced its intent to build a 100-megawatt solar farm at its Fish Springs Ranch in Reno Nevada, the Reno Gazette-Journal recently reported. The 2,670 acre r
Solar Business
OPDE signs the biggest Project Finance in Spain in 2009 for €100 million solar photovoltaic project
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
The Spanish multinational OPDE, dedicated to the promotion, development, construction, operation and maintenance of solar photovoltaic plants, has just signed the largest Project Finance in Spain for a solar photovoltaic project in 2009. The agreement has been signed with Banco Santander, La Caixa and BBVA for two solar photovoltaic projects in Tordesillas (Valladolid) and Valtierra (Navarra), which together have a capacity of 22 MWp. The capital financed amounts to €100 million.This signing is
Solar Energy
Partnership of companies could lead to increased solar panel use in commercial and residential properties
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
A leading designer of solar panels has announced a partnership that it hopes will lead to an increased use of energy-saving photovoltaic products on residential, commercial, and utility industries.Solar Panel Plus has announced that it will be integrating its solar panel technologies with grid-tied inverters from Solectria Renewable LLC as part of the new partnership. Together, the products from the two companies will make it easier for customers to install solar paneling technologies and take a
Solar Energy
Massachusetts School Opts for 10 Kilowatt Solar System for Education
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
In Ashburnham, Massachusetts, the successful installation of a solar photovoltaic system at the town’s municipal light plant has inspired town and light plant officials to ask for a federal grant to take solar a step further; installing solar panels at both Oakmont Regional High School and the Ashburnham Public Safety Building.The system at the light plant on 24 Williams Road, rated at 13.68 kilowatts, was a project of Evergreen Solar and installed by Allain & Son, Inc. The installation is the r
Solar Policy
Benicia, California Offers $75,000 for Solar Installation
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
In California, the mid-sized town of Benicia (Solano County) has agreed to participate in a California Communities solar program called CaliforniaFIRST, which will provide loans to homeowners to install solar systems via their property taxes.The loans offer up to $75,000 worth of solar financing power (or 10 percent of the property’s value, whichever is smaller), and are repaid over 20 years. A $10,000 solar system would cost an additional $500 per year, plus interest (at an unspecified rate) –
Solar Business
Deutsche Bank Completes 1,066 Panel Solar Array
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
Deutsche Bank, a leading global investment firm, recently finished installing a 250-kilowatt solar photovoltaic (PV) system at its Piscataway, NJ, office as part of its commitment to be carbon neutral by 2012.The roof-mounted solar array consists of 1,066 solar panels generating about 270,000 kilowatt-hours per year of electricity. This is reportedly enough to provide all the electricity the facility needs during daylight hours (and, of course, on sunny days), and will offset 12-percent of the b
Solar Policy
Hawaii becomes first state to mandate solar water heaters
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
Under a law that took effect on New Year's Day, new homes in Hawaii will have to have solar water heating systems.Hawaii is the first state to have such a requirement.Rebates and incentives offered by utility Hawaiian Electric Company and the state will be phased out, said Inter-Island Solar Supply manager Ron Richmond to the Honolulu Advertiser. The cost of solar hot water heaters - about $5,000 to $6,000 - will be absorbed into the cost of new homes.But, said Blue Planet Foundation executive d
Green Energy
GRID Provides Solar Power at No Cost to Low-Income Homes in CA
Posted 2 years ago — Read Full Story
California is the nation’s solar energy leader, and groups like GRID Alternatives are the reason why.GRID, a nonprofit, clean energy organization (and program manager for the Single-family Affordable Solar Homes (SASH) Program), works with California communities and local organizations to identify needs and develop renewable energy solutions that are environmentally, socially and economically sustainable for low-income individuals and families.The SASH program is funded by California ratepayers,

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