Dynegy and EPRI will collaborate on testing the scalability of solar thermal power generation methods. ...
... "The study won’t involve construction of the solar equipment --- at least not yet --- but rather will examine the economics of using solar power to generate steam to spin turbines at Dynegy’s 578-megawatt Kingman, Ariz., plant. " ...Via Houston Chronicle: Solar Test
" ...the first solar panels have been installed on the Paul VI auditorium at the Vatican. ... BBC News reports Pope Benedict has become the first pontiff to harness solar power to provide energy for the Vatican."
"Roof tiles on the Paul VI auditorium, ... are being replaced by 2,700 solar panels ... photovoltaic cells ... generating enough power to light, heat or cool the 6,000 seat hall ..."
" .... When ... not in use, the surplus energy produced will reportedly be fed into the Vatican's power network."
Via: CathNews.com Link
In addition to Federal tax credits, grants, loans, etc ... many states and or local utilities offer programs to help homeowners get into solar, wind or geothermal energy.
" ... Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency is an ongoing project of the North Carolina Solar Center and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) funded by the U.S. Department of Energy."
" IREC's mission is to accelerate the use of renewable energy sources and technologies in and through state and local government and community activities...."
>>> Federal Programs LINK
>>> State Programs LINK
Via: DESIRE LINK
Energy Conversion Devices sees doubling of revenue on year over year basis and leverages good, old-fashioned operational excellence in its manufacturing facility to drive profitability. Sustaining profitability will enable the company to continue providing thin-film flexible solar products to the building integrated and commercial rooftop markets. ...
... "For example, our ongoing commitment to operational excellence enabled us to complete the retrofit of our Auburn Hills 1 facility quickly, while simultaneously ramping a new production line in Greenville ahead of schedule. These improvements elevated our productivity during the quarter and contributed to stronger than anticipated gross margins. " ...Via Energy Conversion Devices: Revenues Double in First Quarter of Fiscal 2009
Storing power generated by solar photovoltaics is one of the challenges facing our transition to alternative energy. Fuel cells, batteries, molten salt are all viable alternatives being considered for this purpose. Caltech researchers are exploring the use of nano-rods to catalyze the fuel cell chemistry - splitting water. ...
... "But there’s a bigger problem. Even if we had all the cheap photovoltaics we could ever need, we can’t store electricity in large quantities - you either use it or lose it. " ...Via Cal Tech: Quest for Catalysts, By Harry Gray
Suntech implements strategy to expand in the U.S. solar market by serving market segments with cost-effective photovoltaic solutions. ...
... "Suntech continues to invest in cost reduction technologies, the company is also increasing its efforts to seek out those balance-of-system components that best meet customer demand for a truly integrated offering. This vertical integration will enable Suntech to optimize solar system composition and performance, and drive down costs throughout the solar value chain. As a result of these initiatives, Suntech plans to triple sales to the U.S. in 2009. " ...Via Suntech: Major Initiatives to Significantly Expand Share
... "SolarWash attaches directly to an array of PV panels and is controlled by a microprocessor, providing PV system operators a turnkey cleaning solution without having to manually wash each panel. Solar PV is often hyped as requiring virtually no maintenance; when, in fact, PV installations need regular cleanings to maintain optimal performance. The accumulation of dirt on solar panels has a significant, detrimental impact on the performance of solar power systems. Dirt, however, is only part of the problem. PV system operators must also compete with the build]up of dust, tree debris, moss, sap, bugs, bird droppings, water spots, mold and more. " ...Via OCS Energy: SolarWash
... "Working with the non-profit organization Climate Cycle, the Motorola-funded solar panels will be installed by the end of this year. Part of a one- to two-kilowatt photovoltaic system, the solar panels come with a display showing how much power the panels are providing and when, offering real-time educational observation for the students. Along with daily observation, new lesson plans will include coursework on green and solar technologies, further driving student interest in the field. " ...Via Motorola: Chicago Public Schools
Professor Martin Green and his team at the ARC Photovoltaics Centre of Excellence at the University of New South Wales continue their research into high efficiency silicon solar cells, looking a alternate substrates to seek the best performance. ...
... "In the past two years, the High Efficiency Group at the Centre has been focusing on fabricating solar cells on n-type CZ silicon substrates, also completely avoiding boron dopant. PERT cells on CZ and FZ n-type silicon substrates, as shown above, have demonstrated high efficiencies of 21.1% and 21.9% " ...Via Centre for Photovoltaic Engineering, UNSW: High Efficiency Solar Cell Substrates
The Governator and Ausra's CEO launch solar thermal technology power plant in Bakersfield, California. Ausra is refining its technology through simplification and quick construction techniques. The Kimberlina facility was built in seven months. Solar thermal technology is comprised of large fields of mirrors that concentrate sun's heat on tubes of water creating steam. The steam drives power turbines to generate electricity. ...
... "At full output, Kimberlina will be able to generate 5 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 3,500 homes in central California. The Kimberlina plant is the first solar plant in the country to utilize Ausra's next generation technology, and it is the first solar thermal power plant of any type built in California in nearly 20 years. " ...Via Ausra: Solar Thermal Plant in California
Continue reading "California Solar Thermal Generates Five Megawatts" »
Sharp commits to thin flim solar manufacturing capacity increase through new production line at its Katsuragi facility, bringing site capacity up to 160 mega-watts. Construction of its Sakai facility continues and this solar manufacturing capacity will come on-stream in 2010. The company plans on introducing its advanced thin-film solar products into the U.S. market. ...
Via Sharp: 2nd Generation Thin Film Solar Cells
... "The company’s rooftop concentration modules aim to be the market’s most efficient, and will deliver the highest total energy yield when integrated into complete rooftop systems. Compatible with conventional racks and inverters, its modules leverage high efficiency solar cells and integrated two-axis tracking to maximize the total energy harvest. This increased performance results in lower system costs, high energy density and corresponding high return on investment. Soliant plans to open a 40-megawatt production plant late next year. " ...Via GE: Solar Power Pioneer Soliant
"Applied Materials ... announced completion of two SunPower solar power systems totaling 2.1 megawatts at Applied Materials' corporate facilities in Sunnyvale, Calif. ...the largest solar power deployment at a corporate facility in the United States."
" ... includes a 950 kilowatt SunPower PowerGuard(R) installation
and a 1.2 megawatt SunPower(R) Tracker installation atop an
elevated parking canopy. ... follows the sun as it moves across the
sky, increasing sunlight capture by up to 25 percent over
conventional fixed-tilt systems. Both systems use SunPower solar
panels, ... SunPower uses Applied Materials' Baccini technology in
its solar cell manufacturing process.
" ... reports that its solar installation has generated 1,413 megawatt hours of power. ... system is
expected to replace more than 2,700 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year, ... equivalent to
the annual carbon emissions from approximately 450 passenger cars."
Via: PRNewsWire Link
"TUV Rheinland’s collaboration will connect ASU’s PTL facility to the company’s global network. The new company substantially expands PTL’s testing capabilities in volume and scope by adding state-of-the-art test equipment, as well as the capacity to test and certify PV panels and electrical components for Europe, Asia and North America. "
Via Arizona State University: Solar facility
Colorado Governor Bill Ritter creates the Solar Technology Acceleration Center (SolarTAC) in Colorado, where public-private colllaboration will develop and commercialize solar-energy technology. ...
... "Last year, a report on Colorado's renewable energy resources revealed that if Colorado developed just 2 percent of the land area in San Luis Valley and the area southeast of Pueblo with solar technologies, it has the potential to produce 26 gigawatts of capacity. Colorado's electric demand peaks at just over 11 gigawatts in the summertime. " ...Via State of Colorado: GOV. RITTER WELCOMES SOLARTAC
" ... world's first and only 100 percent solar-powered Web hosting company, has completed a massive data center consolidation initiative using IBM technology, resulting in a 60 percent reduction in overall power and cooling costs associated with the company's IT operations.
" ... AISO.Net worked ... to overhaul its data center and implement ... IBM's Cool Blue ... to increase their energy efficiency in the data center.
"
"For the past decade, AISO.Net has used solar power to power our data center and network, ... As a result of the tremendous growth in Web hosting ... were faced with the dilemma of how to remain true to our commitment to the environment and continue to see rapid, top-line growth. ... Data center consolidation through virtualization eased the strain on AISO.Net's solar panel system and helped ensure the company's 100 percent commitment to solar power. ... "
Via: IBM Link
... "The San Diego Solar Homes Tour is quite possibly the longest running and most popular tour in California. Celebrating our ninth year of the tour, over 40 homes throughout San Diego County are participating. " ...Via Solar Energy Week: Event Schedule
... "Successful development in wind energy has allowed B&B to acquire all the competencies and skills necessary along the solar value chain for a successful entrance (i.e., site identification, engineering, project management, procurement and project finance) " ...Via Babcock & Brown: European Renewable Energy Market (PDF)
Konarka Technologies opens its large-scale manufacturing plant in Polaroid's facility in New Bedford, Massachusetts, where its thin film solar material, Power Plastic, will be produced. ...
... "With this U.S. based manufacturing location, Konarka further expands its presence in Massachusetts and accelerates its aggressive plans to develop and commercialize its polymer-based organic photovoltaic (OPV) technologies worldwide. In addition to acquiring the fully automated roll-to-roll manufacturing line, the company has also hired the leading technology and process engineering teams from Polaroid, with plans to hire over 100 additional employees as production increases toward capacity over the next two to three years. Konarka’s advanced photovoltaic technology started with the work of the late Dr. Sukant Tripathy, an internationally known polymer materials scientist, provost at UMASS Lowell and founder of the Plastic Innovation Center and Dr. Alan Heeger, Konarka’s chief scientist, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 2000. " ...Via Konarka Technologies: Largest Roll-to-Roll Thin Film Solar Manufacturing Facility
Solyndra targets commercial rooftop market with new solar photovoltaic (PV) system that uses a cylinder shape to generate significantly more solar power. ...
... "Solyndra's panels employ cylindrical modules which capture sunlight across a 360-degree photovoltaic surface capable of converting direct, diffuse and reflected sunlight into electricity. This self-tracking design allows Solyndra's PV systems to capture significantly more sunlight than traditional flat-surfaced solar panels, which require costly tilted mounting devices to improve the capture of direct light, offer poor collection of diffuse light and fail to collect reflected light from rooftops or other installation surfaces. Conventional flat PV panels must be mounted at an angle and spaced apart for optimum energy production. The sunlight striking the spaces between the panels is not collected and thus is wasted. Solyndra's panels perform optimally when mounted horizontally and packed closely together, thereby covering significantly more of the available roof area and producing more electricity per rooftop on an annual basis than a conventional panel installation. " ...Via Solyndra: SOLAR PANELS FOR COMMERCIAL ROOFTOPS
... "Analysts agreed that a U.S. tax credit extension removes a key concern for solar investors. " ...Via Reuters: Solar stocks rally
... "The 40-kilowatt solar panels, the largest photovoltaic system on campus, were energized earlier this month with the flip of a switch that sent photovoltaic electricity flowing to the house and the PG&E grid. The 252 polycrystalline solar panels, manufactured by Evergreen Solar and installed by REC Solar, are mounted on the flat roof of a partially buried water tank (known as the San Juan Reservoir) near the house. The multiple levels and terraces of the historical house, built by Herbert Hoover and his wife in 1920, before he became president, make it impractical to place the panels there. The project is an example of smart sustainability that works both environmentally and financially, said Joe Stagner, Stanford sustainability czar. " ...Via Stanford: Presidential home goes solar
... "Shearburn recommends the solar hot water system as a good starting place because it's more affordable. Geothermal heat pumps are also affordable and provide the best savings with new construction or replacing an HVAC unit. " ...Via Huntsville Alabama Times: Solar Power Savings