Tag Archives: Solar Power

Reacting to today’s presidential memorandum requiring the federal government to get 20 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020, SEIA President and CEO Rhone Resch released the following statement: “This is a landmark moment in our nation’s history. Today, climate change is a real and growing threat to America and the rest of the world. It’s indisputable. Sea …

HALFWAY TO CROWDFUNDING SUCCESS FOR NRDC SOLAR SCHOOLS INITITAVE: LOS ANGELES, PHILADELPHIA AND CHARLOTTE LEAD VOTING FOR PILOT PROGRAM Just 8 Days Left to Show Support: NRDC Campaign Aims to Pave the Way for Solar Power for Every School in the U.S. That Wants It The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) campaign to bring solar power to more of America’s …

Sometimes we’re spot-on when we predict the future. Other times we blow it horribly. Take smart homes, the forerunner of today’s smart grid. Back in the 1980s, prognosticators thought we’d have millions of smart homes by now and that they would achieve remarkable feats. For example, a United Press International article from 1986 said that a child would be able to stick …

By Mark Jaffe Workers with Bella Energy install solar in Boulder in 2011. (Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post) The plan to auction rights to federal land across the West for solar power plants got off to a rocky start Thursday when no bidders showed up for the first auction in Colorado. Uncertainties about the solar market and federal rules …

Solar energy leader showcases innovation. American Solar Showcases Innovation at Southwest Builders Show “Working with American Solar, we can give consumers the best money-saving options in the business.” Roger Cregg, AV Homes American Solar, Arizona’s leader in residential solar installation and innovation, delighted home builders and business dignitaries during this week’s Southwest Builders Show at the Phoenix Convention Center. Showcasing …

 Today, the Center for American Progress released an analysis of solar installation data from Arizona, California, and New Jersey that found that solar installations are overwhelmingly occurring in middle-class neighborhoods. Interestingly, this finding is in contrast with the current utility industry narrative that distributed solar is mainly being adopted by wealthy customers. Concerned by the threat that rooftop solar’s rapid growth poses …

What are Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV)? Some homeowners are turned off by how solar panels affect the appearances of their homes. Building-integrated photovoltaics – basically solar panels incorporated into the construction of new buildings – can eliminate the negative visual impact of traditional solar panels; improve appearance and boost resale value. The installed capacity of building-integrated photovoltaics is expected to boom …

What are Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV)? Some homeowners are turned off by how solar panels affect the appearances of their homes. Building-integrated photovoltaics – basically solar panels incorporated into the construction of new buildings – can eliminate the negative visual impact of traditional solar panels; improve appearance and boost resale value. The installed capacity of building-integrated photovoltaics is expected to boom …

Global Solar Installation Growth Set to Hit Three-Year High in 2014 Global photovoltaic (PV) installations are forecast to rise at the fastest pace in three years in 2014, exceeding 40 gigawatts (GW) for this first time and generating installation revenue of more than $86 billion, according to IHS Inc. (NYSE: IHS). Annual solar installations are predicted to expand at a …

Investors to earn returns from solar panels on a major U.S military base Mosaic, America’s first online marketplace to offer solar investments to the public, presents the first major US military solar project to be funded by the public. This is a historic opportunity for Americans to invest in the nation’s energy independence and troop preparedness. Online today, investors large and small …

The next big opportunity for growth in the global solar business lies in small, emerging markets where photovoltaic (PV) installations are forecast to rise at about triple the global average during the period from 2012 through 2017. Annual installations in these emerging countries are expected to increase to 10.9 gigawatts (GW) in 2017, expanding at a compound annual growth rate …

Unique Program Reduces Costs for Customers by About $7500 Each, Making Solar Power More Affordable and Attractive To Homeowners The Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority (CEFIA) and SmartPower released today a report that reveals a proven model for dramatically reducing the cost barrier that has stood in the way of wide-scale adoption of residential solar power in the United …

Solar Modules Prove Long-Term Reliability in Colorado Mountains KYOCERA modules continue performing efficiently after 10 to 22 years in the field Kyocera Solar Inc. today announced that its solar modules installed on three individual sites in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains have demonstrated long-term reliability and longevity despite extreme circumstances including a racking failure, high irradiance, freezing temperatures and heavy snow for …

The European Union’s antidumping tariffs are spurring an increase in prices for Chinese solar modules, marking the end of a period when available inexpensive photovoltaic (PV) devices enabled fast growth of installations in the region. After declining for 48 months since the first quarter of 2009, with a seasonal uptick in February 2013) , average pricing for Chinese crystal polysilicon …

Gerard D’Aboville is an experienced navigator — he’s rowed alone across both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. He’s accustomed to monitoring the wind and the current. But as the captain of the Turanor PlanetSolar, the world’s largest solar-powered boat, he’s had to factor in something else: the sun. And he marvels at its power. “I can feel it some days,” …

Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) announces that it has installed a Smart Mobility Park electric mobility charging station at Toyota Ecoful Town, its low-carbon society model district located in Toyota City. While functioning as a hub for electric mobility sharing, the Smart Mobility Park can also generate and store electrical power, making it possible to reduce the burden on the electricity …

Japan Set to Become World’s Largest Solar Revenue Market in 2013 as Installations Boom in Q1   Japan’s solar installations surged by a stunning 270 percent (in gigawatts (GW)) in the first quarter of 2013, positioning the country to surpass Germany to become the world’s largest photovoltaics (PV) market in terms of revenue this year.   Although Japan is forecast …

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 …

Initiatives aimed at cutting carbon emissions and establishing long term energy security will see renewable energy claim a 36% share of global cumulative installed capacity by the end of the decade, states the latest report from business intelligence firm GBI Research. The new report* explains that solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind energy will be the primary technologies forecast to drive …

Automation, Transparency Transform Solar Photovoltaic Shopping for Homeowners, Businesses and Non-profits   EnergySage, a free-to-the-consumer online marketplace for solar photovoltaic and other clean energy technologies, announced the release of the EnergySage Solar Marketplace, a first-of-its-kind, comprehensive platform for researching and shopping for solar PV (also referred to as solar panel and solar power) systems for homeowners, businesses and non-profits. Through …