The solar energy industry has been a hot topic of late. Now that global warming is widely recognized to be a very serious environmental issue, many people believe that solar power will be a big part of the solution. Solar panel installations around the world have already been growing at a rapid pace and that trend is expected to continue in the foreseeable future. Governments around the world have instituted a variety of policies, including feed in tariffs, in order to support solar energy growth, and companies continue to invest billions of dollars in more efficient solar PV and thermal technologies. Solar electricity provides a number of benefits that other clean technologies simply cannot claim, and it is becoming increasingly likely that we will depend on solar energy for our future electricity needs.
Wednesday, February 8th, 2012
Sunny California is prime real estate for solar energy, and a number of California rebates make home solar systems highly affordable for Golden State residents. The only downside to these programs is that some have limited funding. Homeowners interested in solar panels will want to act soon to take full advantage of all the savings. (more…)
Posted in North America, Solar | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 7th, 2012
Gehrlicher Solar America has announced the completion of two additional commercial solar energy installations in the United States. The company completed a 151 kW ground-mounted system in North Dartmouth, intends to add another 5 MW of projects in the state over the course of 2012. (more…)
Posted in North America, Solar | No Comments »
Monday, February 6th, 2012
A new record has been set by the high concentration photovoltaic (HCPV) solar module industry. A module made by Semprius, a company in which Siemens invested as a strategic partner in June 2011, reached 33.9 percent, breaking the previous record of 32 per cent. The module was tested by the Instituto de Energía Solar at the Universidad (more…)
Posted in Europe, Solar | 1 Comment »
Friday, February 3rd, 2012
San Jose added more residential solar photovoltaic (PV) systems last year than any other city in California, according to the latest PV Solar Report, a quarterly analysis conducted by solar company SunRun.
San Jose’s number of home solar systems in 2011 was up 45.4% from just the year before, a dramatic (more…)
Posted in North America, Solar | No Comments »
Friday, February 3rd, 2012
India has a Solar Mission to install 20,000 MW of solar power by 2022. Solar electricity is already cheaper than electricity produced with diesel generators.
These optimistic figures from India, the second most populated country in the world, has led the New Scientist magazine to write an in-depth article about it (more…)
Posted in Asia-Pacific, Solar | No Comments »
Thursday, February 2nd, 2012
Today global thinking on sustainability is undergoing a revolution. Whereas once we may have looked at water efficiency, alternative energy and land use as separate issues, today our understanding is growing that in order to truly address sustainability, we need to look at all three together. McKinsey & Company recently issued an important report on this (more…)
Posted in Middle East, Solar | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 1st, 2012
San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) has filed two proposals with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) that, if approved, may allow you to choose electricity generated by solar energy instead of fossil fuel-based energy, whether you own a home or not.
(more…)
Posted in North America, Solar | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, February 1st, 2012
The photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing process typically requires solar cells to be heated to extremely high temperatures. Traditional methods for heating involve utilizing conventional electric or infrared furnaces to heat the cells for long periods of time.
The heating process allows for the fabrication of the (more…)
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Monday, January 30th, 2012
You may not have solar photovoltaic panels on your rooftop, but you can enjoy the benefits of solar power in several other ways. One of them is the FreeLoader Pro, a solar charger that powers most electrical devices, from the comfort of your home or during a expedition in the jungles of Africa.
It uses high power solar panels or USB (cable (more…)
Posted in Gadgets, Solar | No Comments »
Monday, January 30th, 2012
Remember that special charge that SDG&E wanted to impose only on people that invested in solar? The one that would have made it much harder to go solar? (Here was our take and here was CCSE’s)
Many parties (including Vote Solar) intervened, arguing it was not only bad for solar and bad for San (more…)
Posted in North America, Solar | No Comments »
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