Top 10 Utilities Reported Adding More Than 1,000 MW of Solar Capacity Today, SEPA released the findings of 2011 Top 10 Utility Solar Rankings survey. According to the findings, utilities interconnected more than 62,000 PV systems of all sizes in 2011. These new systems resulted in almost 1,500 megawatts of new utility solar capacity, more than twice as much as …

Let’s face it in earthly terms as well as in business terms the solar energy industry is in its infancy as a maturing market for supplying and allaying the need for other energy such as oil. It is barely walking yet. There are many who would like to belittle its growth and even discount the eventual contribution of solar energy …

The solar power industry sustained an impressive growth in installed capacity with new capacity of 27.7 Gigawatts (GW) coming on line in 2011, on top of over 17 GW in 2010. This takes the total installed capacity worldwide to 67.44 GW. The capital cost of solar photovoltaic power plants have declined to around $2430 / kilowatt, which makes it possible …

Renewable energy projects such as solar and wind farms have been pumping increasingly more electricity into the grid. For example, data from the U.S. Energy Information Agency show that the output of American solar farms grew 16 times over the last decade. But challenges remain. One of the largest is making sure that customers have enough power when the sun …

With a series of intensive solar projects under way, as much as 7.5GW in PV capacity could be added to the local power grid by 2015, more than half the state’s announced goal of achieving 12GW from all renewable sources—and with five more years to spare before the targeted 2020 deadline. What this shows is the likelihood of PV accounting in the future for a great portion of clean energy in California, Sheppard noted.

According to this report released by the Solar Energy Industries Association last year was a record year for solar power installations in the US. One would think that after the Japanese nuclear power plant crisis that 2011 might become even bigger for solar power in this country. What do you think? Photovoltaic installations double over 2009; Largest concentrating solar power …

Michelle Bery asked: Wind energy is an environmentally inert, clean, and inexhaustible source of electric power that, as it turns out, is really just another form of solar energy. The sun creates wind by its uneven heating of the planet’s atmosphere. It’s moderated by the earth’s rotation and irregularities in its surface. The planet’s terrain, water bodies, and vegetation then …

TENNESSEE’S LARGEST SOLAR ARRAY UNDER CONSTRUCTION IN JACKSON 4,914 Panels from Sharp® to Provide Enough Clean, Renewable Energy for 250 Homes JACKSON, TN, October 11, 2010 – Tennessee’s largest solar energy farm is currently under construction in Jackson. The project, located at the American Drive Business Center, consists of 4,914 Sharp solar modules manufactured at Sharp’s Memphis, TN IBEW union-supported …

Eurus Energy and NRG Solar Partner to Build California’s Largest Solar Photovoltaic Generating Facility Full Notice to proceed issued today; Construction to start by end of September PRINCETON, N.J., Sep 23, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Eurus Energy America and NRG Solar, a subsidiary of NRG Energy, Inc. (NRG) , have joined forces to build what will be, upon completion, the …

Many of our posts and articles here at AEHQ deal with the home residential solar power market and how folks are using solar to get off the grid for their power generation. But today we look at the larger commercial market place. AEHQ interviewed Tom Rooney, CEO for SPG Solar, to get his insights to the rapidly growing commercial solar …

When operational, the 70 megawatt gross capacity biomass facility in Berlin will be the largest wood-burning power plant in the state, and will move New Hampshire closer to its goal of 25 percent renewable energy by the year 2025.

Geothermal power generation capability worldwide rose from 7,972.seven MW in 2000 to 8,933 MW in 2005, with eight,035 MW running. This is about 0.2% of the total world installed power generating capacity. The geothermal heat pump (GHP), additionally referred to as the Ground-Supply Heat Pump (GSHP) or generically as geoexchange, is the fastest growing geothermal application today. GSHP may be …

The power to supply electricity is measured in watts. The output of a wind turbine is directly dependent on the turbine’s size and the wind’s speed via the rotor. Ranging from 250 watts to five megawatts (MW), wind turbines are currently being manufactured with varied power ratings. Wind Speed Wind speed is the most necessary component in analyzing the turbine’s …

Photovoltaic Solar Project Generates Renewable, Clean Electricity First Solar, Inc. and NRG Energy, Inc. today announced the start of commercial operation for the largest photovoltaic (PV) solar project in California. First Solar developed and built the 21-megawatt (MW) power plant in Blythe, Calif., which was acquired last month by NRG through its wholly owned subsidiary NRG Solar. Electricity generated by …

In December 2004, a UNECA sponsored study conducted by CEMMATS Aggroup Ltd., a local consulting firm, involved various stakeholders in the sector to formulate an energy policy. The CEMMAT’s energy agenda for Sierra Leone in terms of policy and management represents an significant set of instruments that fundamentally encapsulates a multi-disciplinary structure bringing together sectors of the energy community – …

Today’s most significant sources of power is the wind energy It is fueled by the wind, meaning it doesn’t pollute the air unlike power plants which depends on combustion of fossil fuels like natural gas and coal. Wind is formed by the heating of the atmosphere and the earth’s rotation, making it an inexhaustible and least expensive renewable energy source today.

Photovoltaic cells—those black squares an array of which comprises a solar panel—are getting more efficient, and gradually less expensive, all the time, thanks to ever-better designs which all them to focus the gathered sunlight on a more and more concentrated point. The size of the cells is decreasing as their efficiency rises, meaning that each cell becomes cheaper to produce …

The city of San Francisco put the pedal to the metal on its commitment to using and buying solar power this week, choosing Recurrent Energy to build what will be the country’s third-largest solar photovoltaic system. The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission selected Recurrent Energy to install 30,000 solar panels on the roof of the Sunset Reservoir, and on top …

High-capacity plant to double worldwide output, create green collar jobs LAS VEGAS—Dec. 13, 2007—Ausra Inc., the developer of utility-scale solar thermal power, announced today it is building the first U.S. manufacturing plant for solar thermal power systems in Las Vegas. The 130,000-square-foot, highly automated manufacturing and distribution center will produce the reflectors, towers, absorber tubes, and other key components of …

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.—Nov. 5, 2007—Pacific Gas and Electric Company today announced that it has entered into a 177 megawatt solar thermal power purchasing agreement with Ausra Inc. The project, to be located in central California, is being developed by Ausra. “Today’s agreement between PG&E and Ausra highlights how clean energy will create jobs in California while delivering a reliable source …