Thin-film solar startup NuvoSun was recently acquired by Dow Chemical. Founded in 2008 by former MiaSole CEO Dave Pearce, NuvoSun designs PV cells and modules based on flexible Copper Indium/Gallium di- Selenide (CIGS) technology.

NuvoSun owns at least two pending U.S. patent (more…)

A team of U.S. scientists says it has developed a class of biodegradable electronics technology that could be utilized for a wide range of products — from consumer devices to medical implants — and that ultimately would dissolve completely, leaving no environmental impacts. (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…)

Very few people ever considered the possibility of a plane being completely reliant on solar energy. Such a plane would remove the need for tons of oil, and it would heavily reduce the amount of air pollution caused by planes. Solar Impulse recently made a plane that only used solar panels. It doesn’t have any oil, and it flies surprisingly well. Two pilots recently tested the plane (more…)

In the search for more efficient solar cells, UCLA researchers have developed a new transparent solar cell that points towards the age when windows could become small solar energy farms without blocking the view. They have developed a new kind of polymer solar cell (PSC) that produces energy by absorbing mainly infrared light (not visible light), (more…)

Discovering new materials to make cheaper and more efficient solar cells is the holy grail of the photovoltaic solar industry and recent news indicate that some significant steps in that direction are being taken.

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (more…)

Another milestone for solar-charged travel was eclipsed last week when the solar-powered plane “Solar Impulse” landed in Morocco on June 5, 2012.

The plane took off from Madrid and landed safely in Morocco after an amazing 19-hour flight over the Straight of Gibraltar. (more…)

By adding microscopic folds onto the surface of photovoltaic materials, a design variation borrowed from a
natural leaf, researchers say they have been able to boost the solar output of flexible plastic solar cells by 47 percent.

According to the scientists, who published their (more…)

The quest for more efficient solar cells is on. Currently the typical rate of conversion of sunlight into electricity is around 12% and in order to make solar power more competitive the industry works to increase this rate.

The scientific assumption is that there is a limit to the amount of energy that can be produced by a solar (more…)

A German startup has developed a new type of lightweight solar panel its developers say can be integrated into the design of buildings and even used in electricity-producing tinted windows.

Designed by Dresden-based Heliatek, the technology utilizes small, organic molecules in the (more…)