Solar Power posts, articles, and infographics

Raising the Efficiency of Solar Cells

February 3, 2012 by Nino Marchetti
with 119 views

There’s a cottage industry in solar research involving the manipulation of quantum dots. Solar cells using these tiny particles of semiconductors are much less expensive to produce than traditional ones, because they can be made using simple chemical reactions. And scientists for a number of years now have been drawn to their ability to... [read more]

India’s Solar Power Revolution Could Have Global Effect

February 3, 2012 by Antonio Pasolini
with 135 views

Photo: Ashden Awards/FlickrIndia 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... [read more]

Cleantech Firms Paying the Price for Subsidies

February 2, 2012 by Geoffrey Styles
with 179 views

In observing the recent struggles of various segments of the global cleantech industry, including renewable energy and advanced energy technology firms, a pattern is emerging. Today's Wall St. Journal reports "Wind Power Firms on Edge," as the US wind industry hunkers down pending the renewal or expiration of a key subsidy at the end of... [read more]

Solar Energy Trade Battle Heats Up Again

February 2, 2012 by Christina Nunez
with 130 views

The group fighting SolarWorld’s bid for duties on Chinese-manufactured crystalline photovoltaic cells and modules on Monday released a report that claims protectionist measures would result in between 14,000 and 60,000 fewer American jobs than would otherwise exist by the end of 2014—but that wasn’t the only news in the solar trade... [read more]

Why Google invests in clean energy

February 1, 2012 by Marc Gunther
with 394 views

Last year, Google invested more than $915 million in clean energy projects–solar, wind and transmission. That’s a lot of money, even for Google, which had $38 billion in revenues in 2011. The investments don’t appear to be core to the company’s mission of organizing information, and they have attracted criticism, as well as some... [read more]

PACE Solar Financing Shows Signs of Life

January 31, 2012 by Chip Gaul
with 168 views

Communities and homeowners have more reason to be optimistic about solar financing. In the summer of 2010, the Federal Housing Financial Authority (FHFA), which is the regulatory arm of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, unilaterally wiped out PACE financing programs that were just gaining fruition in communities (... [read more]

Why the Clean Energy Sector Has “Rolling Uncertainty”

January 31, 2012 by Joseph Romm
with 370 views

If the 2008 financial crisis was a swift punch to the face for the clean energy industry — and for the whole energy sector — the global uncertainty of 2011/2012 is more like a rolling series of blows to the body. In both cases, the sector continues to stand back on its feet. But it’s still going to be a hard fight to the top. [read more]

Super Hot Salt: The Newest Energy Storage Innovation?

January 31, 2012 by Joseph Romm
with 634 views

Policymakers and energy industry experts often talk about clean energy as though it isn’t reliable. In fact, while an MIT study recently found the existing grid would probably be up to the challenge of absorbing clean energy, intermittency does present a real challenge that renewables must address to get to high levels of... [read more]

Huhne Keeps Solar Industry in Limbo

January 30, 2012 by Vicky Portwain
with 331 views

Chris Huhne, energy secretary, has taken another step to undermine the solar industry in seeking to appeal to the Supreme Court to defend his feed in tariff cuts. The saga of the cuts started back in October when Chris Huhne first proposed that the rate that home-owners received for their excess energy should be halved. Although the... [read more]

Renewable energy projects get green light

January 30, 2012 by Matthew Cook
with 172 views

The Executive Council recently approved a number of projects that support the UAE’s global role as an energy provider. The Shams solar power plant is scheduled to be operational by August and will contribute 100 megawatts to the Abu Dhabi power grid. Approval has also been given for the construction of the Sir Baniyas wind farm.... [read more]

GE: Like A Little Solar With Your Wind?

January 29, 2012 by Nino Marchetti
with 617 views

“Expertise in multiple technologies is the future of the renewable energy landscape,” Victor Abate, vice president of GE’s Renewable Energy business, said in a statement. “At GE, we’re uniquely able to partner on both wind and solar projects with customers like Invenergy.” [read more]

Solar is Ready for Prime Time in New York

January 26, 2012 by nrdc switchboard
with 146 views

What's the wait? New York needs to take the next step to invest in solar. Policies such as the New York State renewable portfolio standard (RPS) have done a lot to bring new renewables like wind and biomass into the state's clean energy economy, but they have fallen short in valuing localized economic, jobs and air quality... [read more]

Is PV Solar Energy a Success Story in Germany?

January 26, 2012 by Willem Post
with 995 views

German households and businesses are increasingly concerned and upset with the rising cost of electricity as a result of the energy policies pursued by their government. Whereas some people felt good about phasing out nuclear plants, the estimates of capital and other costs of doing so are steadily increasing as energy... [read more]

U.S. Government Downgrades Projections for Coal. Again.

January 26, 2012 by Joseph Romm
with 320 views

Current proposed and forecasted coal-fired capacity in the U.S., as projected by the Energy Information Administration’s scenario in 2011. In 2010, the U.S. Energy Information Administration projected that coal would drop to 44% of America’s electrical generation by 2035. Actual generation dropped to that level in 2011. This week, the... [read more]

Are Hybrid Ribbons the Future of Renewables?

January 24, 2012 by George Green
with 386 views

Weather based renewables tend to be, by their nature, unpredictable. Your solar panel works most efficiently when there are clear skies and no clouds, while wind power clearly needs wind. Anything based on rain requires a good downpour. This means that, although you can store energy in batteries for later, these renewables are... [read more]