With more and more solar being built in California, new records of peak solar generation are being set and re-set. On September 5, the California Independent System Operator issued a press release (pdf) to celebrate how solar is helping meet the state’s energy needs: “California surpassed a major milestone during a recent heat wave that hit the sun-soaked state. More (more…)

A much anticipated bill that would have expanded access to solar energy to the majority of Californians failed in the final hours of California’s legislative session on Friday.

SB 843, sponsored by Senator Lois Wolk, would have created a 2 GW shared solar program that (more…)

As a writer, I depend on my 14 inch laptop and take it with me everywhere I go. However, lately I’ve become interested in greener alternatives when it comes to my electronics usage. That’s why I decided to invest in a solar charger to charge my laptop—as well as my other small electronics, like my digital camera and my cell phone. (more…)

In just two and a half months, Gehrlicher Solar completed its Perleberg solar park on the grounds of the former Perleberg military airport in Brandenburg, Germany. The solar system has a nominal capacity of 35 MWp.

The farm is expected to produce 33 million kilowatt (more…)

Financing issues remain a problem in solar market growth. While third-party PPAs have become widely accessible and transformed residential and larger commercial sectors, funding still remains a real bottleneck for the small commercial market niche. To explore solutions, Vote Solar commissioned a report looking at the problem in more depth, and exploring (more…)

First Solar Inc., the U.S.-based solar panel manufacturer, plans to expand its role in the global energy industry by developing solar power farms in India, where an emerging industrial sector is looking to shore up energy security in the aftermath of record blackouts.

The company aims to secure 20 percent of India’s (more…)

Hurricane Katrina was especially devastating to the people of New Orleans in Louisiana, USA, and will forever be regarded as a painful episode in American history. It’s been revealed that at least 1,836 people perished as a result of the hurricane, many of whom were from poor minority groups and unable to flee the city. The pictures from the disaster are (more…)

U.S. scientists say that emerging photovoltaic technologies will enable the production of solar shingles made from abundantly available elements rather than rare-earth metals, an innovation that would make solar energy cheaper and more sustainable.

Speaking at the annual meeting of the American (more…)

Just over a month ago, the first SolarKiosk opened near Lake Langano, in Ethiopia. The project was conceived by Germany-based Graft Architects as part of a bigger move to bring clean power to people in regions of the world who live off the grid and rely on burning biomass for cooking and heating. As a consequence, their health suffers due to fumes they breathe in. (more…)

Even in Southeast Asia, the battle for affordable, safe, and clean energy access is generally fought on two fronts: policy and implementation. Attempting to educate myself and to acquire on the ground work, I have found myself living on the front lines of this battle in Mae Sot, Thailand, a border town known as a hub for illicit trade, humanitarian aid, and migrant (more…)