Archive for the Solar Energy Category
California Solar Energy Costs Are Down
Scientists at Berkeley Lab’s Environmental Energy Technologies Division, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and Neenan Associates have reviewed data from 18,942 grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) systems in California and the results are in: PV system costs have declined substantially over ti
Bill Gross’s Solar Breakthrough
"We are producing the lowest cost solar electrons in the history of the world," Bill Gross is telling me. "Nobody's ever done it. Nobody's close." Bill Gross is nothing if not an enthusiast, which makes him a great salesman for whatever it is he happens to be selling. A lifelong entrepreneur, a l
NASCAR Track Puts Solar Power in the Pole Position
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that the overlap between NASCAR fans and environmentalists is not large. But now they've got at least one shared topic of conversation: Pennsylvania's Pocono Raceway, which hosts two NASCAR events each year, plans to build a three megawatt solar power pl
Astronauts install solar tower on ISS
Spacewalking astronauts bolted a solar power tower to the international space station on Tuesday, completing an ambitious three-day moving process that ended with elation when the beam's giant solar panels began to unfurl. NASA needs to get the tower up and running to prevent malfunctioning stati
Tuvalu plans to be first 100% solar-powered nation
Ask the people of Tuvalu, a small island nation in the South Pacific, what they think about climate change and many of them will simply point to their disappearing shoreline. Only three feet above sea level, the island has suffered in the wake of rising waters -- and even went so far as to sue the B
California solar program has bright start
California’s new solar capacity project almost doubled last year, a better-than-expected performance as the state aims to reach 3,000 megwatts from solar panels by 2017. California added 156 megawatts in 2008, compared with 81 in 2007, despite the growing global recession. Energy officials
Intel Tests Out Sharp PV for Solar-Powered Data Center
Chip giant Intel Corp. unveiled a 10-kilowatt solar installation near its New Mexico manufacturing plant this weekend, launching its latest foray into clean energy for power-hungry data centers. While energy generated by the array’s 64 Sharp solar panels will feed into the local electricity gr
SolFocus Raises $47.5 Million to Push Concentrator Photovoltaic
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SolFocus, the leading developer of Concentrator Photovoltaic (CPV) systems, today announced that it has raised $47.5 million in the first close of its Series C financing and appointed Mark Crowley chief executive officer. SolFocus will use the new funding
World’s Most Ambitious Solar Plan in LA
The city of Los Angles is taking up the world’s most ambitious solar power project. Till date this project will be the largest solar power plan started by any city in the world. They are planning to install 1.3 Giga Watts (GW) of solar power and register their city’s name in the book of green
Wells Fargo Contributes 80,000 Dollars To GRID Alternatives
Wells Fargo and Company contributed $80,000 to GRID Alternatives, a nonprofit that installs solar electricity systems for low-income homeowners, to expand its Solar Affordable Housing Program and build a model that can be replicated nationwide. The non-profit has installed over 200 solar electric
