Tag Archives: solar energy

The solar industry has suffered recent blows as manufacturing plants have closed and capacity has been reduced. The European crisis and the trade war between China and EU have also added themselves to the changing market. Continually falling feed-in-tariffs (FITs) have also caused some conflict. Short-term market uncertainty has made some investors wary of solar, yet, long-term predictions for the …

Annual Top 10 List Ranks Utilities by Megawatts and Watts-Per-Customer of Installed Solar Electricity Capacity Top10-USC2013The Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) today named the Top 10 American electric utilities that have added the most new solar power to their systems and the most solar on a watts-per-customer basis in 2012. This annual ranking, which identifies the companies that are integrating …

Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg, the Swiss pilots and founders of Solar Impulse, announced today that their solar-powered airplane will attempt a coast-to-coast crossing of the U.S. this spring without using a single drop of fuel. It will be the first time that an airplane, capable of flying 24 hours non-stop day and night powered exclusively by solar energy, will …

Alternative Energy HQ has been featured in a list of 101 Terrific Energy sites. Thanks! Techniques for harvesting solar energy, wind energy, and even the tidal movements of the ocean have been around for decades, but the importance of improving their efficiency and increasing their availability is growing rapidly. As oil companies sink more resources into dangerous practices like hydraulic …

The United States and China traded more than $8.5 billion worth of clean energy goods and services in 2011, the latest year for which data are available. According to a report released today by The Pew Charitable Trusts, U.S. companies enjoyed a $1.63 billion sales advantage over their Chinese counterparts. The report, Advantage America: The U.S.-China Clean Energy Trade Relationship …

Caltech Researchers Create Highly Absorbing, Flexible  Cells with Silicon Wire Arrays Using arrays of long, thin silicon wires embedded in a polymer substrate, a team of scientists from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) has created a new type of flexible solar cell that enhances the absorption of sunlight and efficiently converts its photons into electrons. The solar cell does …

Real Goods Solar Selected by Leading Production Homebuilder to Bring Solar to New Communities   Real Goods Solar, Inc. (Nasdaq:RSOL), a nationwide leader of turnkey solar energy solutions, has been selected by a leading production homebuilder to deploy solar in certain of its new communities, beginning in California and with an eye towards broader deployment to other solar friendly states. …

Three Power Sessions to Address Business Strategies at PV America East 2013 in Philadelphia Brian F. Keane of SmartPower, Scott Klososky of Future Point of View and Glenn Thayer Will Motivate Solar Energy Industry to Explore New Ways to Expand Business Opportunities On February 5, 2013, the solar energy industry descends upon the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia for three …

Largest Solar Installation in Tennessee, U.S. Powered by JA Solar‘s PV Modules JA Solar Holdings Co., Ltd. (Nasdaq:JASO) (“JA Solar” or the “Company”), one of the world’s largest manufacturers of high-performance solar power products, today announced the completion of the delivery of 9.5 MW of PV modules to the Volkswagen Solar Park, adjacent to the Volkswagen manufacturing plant at Chattanooga, …

Breakthrough For Hawaiian Solar Power Announced By Clean Energy Groups Barriers should come down for homeowners, businesses wanting to add rooftop solar Honolulu, HI — Today, national organizations Earthjustice and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council, Inc. (IREC) commended the Hawaiian Electric (HECO) utilities’ path-breaking plans to enable more rooftop solar systems to connect to the grid. The utilities and clean …

$10 million directed to innovative solar projects In support of the Obama Administration’s all-of-the-above energy strategy, the U.S. Department of Energy has announced 10 small business-led projects to speed solar energy innovation from the lab to the marketplace. Through the Department’s SunShot Initiative, this $10 million investment will help significantly reduce the total installed cost of solar energy systems and …

SUPERMARKET DISTRIBUTION CENTER POWERS UP IN QUEENS, NEW YORK WITH NEW ROOFTOP SOLAR ARRAY ~ Matspeth Community Welcomes a Completed Renewable Energy Power Plant Project for the Kam Man Food Corporation, Featuring Latest German-Engineered Panels and Cutting Edge Mounting System ~ The Matspeth Community announces the completion of a solar energy system on top of the distribution center for Kam …

The Top 10 predictions for the global photovoltaic market in 2013, from the IHS Solar service at information and analytics provider IHS. “The photovoltaic industry is in the midst of wrenching change—buffeted by government incentive cuts and nose-diving prices that has hurt solar suppliers worldwide, rocked by trade disputes among its major players, and hamstrung by a sputtering global economy,” …

Sierra Club, Earthjustice File Legal Challenge to Protect Solar Tax Credit in Hawai‘i State tax proposal would slam the brakes on solar energy, Hawai‘i jobs Today, the Sierra Club, represented by Earthjustice, filed a legal challenge in state circuit court to the Hawai‘i Department of Taxation’s recent decision to cut back on tax credits for residents and businesses that install …

By Elisa Wood Advanced lighting has brought us not only energy savings, but also a slew of new screw-in-a-light bulb jokes. For LEDs, it usually goes something like this: How many people does it take to screw in a LED light? One. And a roomful of deep wallets to pay for it. To be fair, the cost of LEDs (light-emitting …

‘The challenge of our generation’ – why the Australian government is finally taking climate change seriously Historically Australia has not been particularly proactive when it comes to tackling human-influenced climate change. The country didn’t have a price on carbon pollution or fixed targets for greenhouse gas reduction and the government bowed to increasing pressure from the oil, gas and coal …

The STEM principles of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math are all demonstrated through the use of solar Motech Americas has announced the completion of a large solar PV project by Pacific Power Renewables that is now providing all the energy needs for the Aerospace Museum of California in McClellan, California just north of Sacramento. The museum is also playing a …

A while back I wrote a post on the need to get India’s solar boom right. I wrote it because it was obvious that solar energy was primed to take off in India and it was clear there were two paths the country could take – distribute that boom to benefit the 300 million people still waiting for the grid, …

By Michael Gorton, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Principal Solar Despite the sluggish economy, the US solar industry has seen massive growth in the past two years, creating jobs across the country, driving innovation and attracting investors. In fact, solar installations reached 742MW in the second quarter, up 45 percent over the prior quarter, and a 116-percent increase over …

Likely voters in the 2012 election cycle overwhelmingly support solar energy and would like to see the federal government to do more to foster the growing industry, according to a national poll released today. The survey, conducted by independent polling firm Hart Research Associates, showed for the fifth consecutive year that Americans maintain a very favorable view of solar energy …