CSPcontinues to be somewhat of a Cinderella alternative energy technology in South East Asia. This is despite some heavyweight supporters, not least the Asian Development Bank’s US$2mn investment in 2010 to develop its so-called Asia Solar Energy Initiative in the Asia-Pacific region and events such as the 2010 (more…)

Ubbink East Africa has built a $2.7 million solar panel factory in Naivasha, Kenya. Ubbink East Africa Managing Director Haijo Kuper said during the official opening ceremony that the company will be producing 100 solar panels per day at the new facility, noting, “Our prices are at par with our (more…)

The bankruptcies of three major U.S. solar companies in recent weeks have propelled China into a dominant position in the global market for solar panel production, with the Chinese now commanding nearly three-fifths of the world’s production capacity.

While many U.S., Japanese, and European solar (more…)

As the CSP industry expands across the globe, so too are the incentive mechanisms on offer by countries grabbing a slice of the action. The recently published CSP Today feed-in tariff guide provides information regarding regulators, types of incentive and the tariffs offered by the USA, Spain, South Africa, India, (more…)

It’s a debate dating back decades – can a modern company be both financially successful as well as socially and environmentally friendly?

Chris “Chip” Fraga says the answer is in, and it is a definitive yes.

Fraga, a 22-year veteran of start-ups and large (more…)

Ohio’s solar market is very similar to those of neighboring states in that it is premised upon a RPS solar carve-out. 0.5% of Ohio’s total electricity supply by 2024, that is; half of which must be derived from in-state solar resources.

As we reported on back in March, there has been (more…)

The Earthquake followed by a tsunami that devastated Japan back in March has spawned a veritable cleantech revolution, both on the research and governmental fronts.

Now Mitsubishi Chemical Corp has announced it has developed a spray-on solar power technology (more…)

The U.S. stands at an energy crossroads. With or without new direction from policymakers, huge sums will be invested in the electricity system as aging infrastructure is replaced and new infrastructure is built to meet our country’s growing energy needs. In the 11 states that comprise the Western (more…)

I had such a great response to my recent commentary that I thought it would be worth the time to take an in depth look at the implications of such a massive undertaking.

Now that we know it’s physically possible for solar photovoltaics (PV) to supply all of the electricity (more…)

I was disappointed to learn that the gigawatt solar project in Blythe, CA decided to switch from CSP to PV.

The issue, at least on the surface, is “bankability,” i.e., maturity of the technology, along with the obvious fact that the price of PV is falling sharply – 30% in 2010 alone. But at a certain point, I’m hoping (more…)