May 25, 2012 The limitations of conventional and current solar cells include high production cost, low operating efficiency and durability, and many cells rely on toxic and scarce materials. Northwestern University researchers have developed a new solar cell that, in principle, will minimize all of these solar energy technology limitations. “This is the first demonstration of an all solid-state dye-sensitized solar cell system that promises to exceed the performance of the Grätzel cell,” Chang said. “Our work opens up the possibility of these materials becoming state of the art with much higher efficiencies than we’ve seen so far.” May 25, 2012 The cost of energy generation from clean sources such as solar power is edging ever closer to costs attributed to traditional sources, fostering growth in the renewable energy sector, according to a new report from GlobalData. The report shows that the global cumulative installed solar PV capacity increase of 100% demonstrated during 2009-2011 is likely to grow even further, as mass power consumers China and the U.S. reach grid parity within the next few years. 
May 22 (Reuters) - Morocco plans to speed up tender processes for the development of a 2,000-megawatt solar energy plan, starting with the award this year of a first contract for 160 megawatts to be generated using concentrated-solar technology (CSP).Mustafa Bakkoury, who chairs the Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (Masen), said a winning consortium for that first phase of a 500-megawatt solar power plant, in the southern region of Ouarzazate, would be announced by the start of summer. 
Solar-powered military units operating in war zones are the next move for the U.S. Army’s Net Zero program, which is gathering steam this spring. Last year, the Army began issuing backpack solar kits to soldiers in Afghanistan for operations on the go, and now the program is ramping it up a level with hybrid solar and wind power equipment designed to provide enough energy to help power small remote outposts. May 22, 2012 An Israeli solar company says it has raised more than $200 million to build eight solar energy fields in the country's southern desert. Arava Power Co. says the deal is by far the biggest ever in Israel's solar power industry. The company says the fields will generate 58.5 megawatts of power. Investors include the Noy investment fund, French energy company EDF, Bank Hapoalim, Israeli insurer Migdal and pension fund manager Amitim. 
May 21, 2012 As the race to find real renewable energy keep increasing its pace, some really innovative ideas have come out of some pretty poisonous materials. Take the University of Southern California’s development with cadmium nanocrystals that are stable enough to conduct electricity and are able to float in a liquid solution, making them printable. This means “solar paint” is nearly within reach. 18 May 2012, 15:26 The report said Lukoil has prepared a proposal to build a 100MW solar power plant and create a national institute of solar energy near the city of Navoi on the proposal of the government of Uzbekistan. A draft memorandum of understanding between the Lukoil and the Government of Uzbekistan has been prepared. Proposals for adjustment of Uzbek legislation relating to alternative energy have been developed with the assistance of external consultants (Spanish Mercados). 
May 19, 2012 DES MOINES, Iowa -Less than two weeks after its official groundbreaking ceremony, MidAmerican Solar and First Solar, Inc. (Nasdaq: FSLR) marked another milestone at Topaz Solar Farms, located in San Luis Obispo County, Calif. On Wednesday, the first solar panel was installed on what is the largest solar project under construction in the world. When complete, the 550-megawattAC project will include nearly 9 million photovoltaic panels. “Solar projects such as Topaz will allow us to continue to deliver one of the cleanest energy portfolios in the nation to our customers and help the state meet its green energy goals.” To mark this significant event, the first solar panel was installed by Greg Abel, chairman, president and CEO of MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company, and Walter Scott, Jr., who serves on the boards of directors for Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and MidAmerican. 
May 18, 2012 Twenty-seven Walmart stores in Massachusetts will receive photovoltaic installations before the summer is over, if all goes according to plan. The total number of megawatts for the new store solar arrays is expected to be 10.5. These solar projects are in their infancy and still require permits, but if they are constructed, it is expected that between 10 and 15 percent of each store’s energy would be provided by them. Twenty-seven stores is a little over half of Massachusetts’ fifty Walmarts. The big box retailer’s director of energy programs said he is optimistic they will save money in the long term using solar energy. 
May 17 (Reuters) - Apple Inc plans to power its main U.S. data center entirely with renewable energy by the end of this year, taking steps to address longstanding environmental concerns about the rapid expansion of high-consuming computer server farms. The maker of the iPhone and iPad said on Thursday it was buying equipment from SunPower Corp and startup Bloom Energy to build two solar array installations in and around Maiden, North Carolina, near its core data center. 
The U.S. Commerce Department imposed tariffs of 31 percent to 250 percent on Chinese solar-product imports, siding with companies including SolarWorld AG in the U.S. that said the items were sold below the cost of production. 
DARPA’s Very High Efficiency Solar Cell (VHESC) program targets the development of photovoltaic devices with efficiencies significantly greater than those found today. The more common stuff that you will buy at large scale is between 14 and 15 percent. And what they call ‘low-cost’ solar cells – so-called ‘thin-film’ solar cells – are typically around 10 percent. VHESC program is pursuing the development of 50 percent efficient solar-cell modules for near-term application as a battery charging module in tactical electronic devices. 
All four major trade associations representing UK solar PV—the British Photovoltaic Association (BPVA), the Micropower Council (MPC), the Renewable Energy Association (REA) and the Solar Trade Association (STA)—have joined together to clarify the... |
May 25, 2012 Both Suntech Power (NYS: STP) and Trina Solar (NYS: TSL) reported earnings yesterday, and they didn't paint a good picture for two of China's leading solar manufacturers. The companies lost money, which is to be expected, but I'm concerned about the direction both are heading. 
May 24, 2012 LIVE - The Solar plane Solar Impulse took off this morning from Switzerland (Payerne) with final destination in Morocco (Rabat). It will be a stop in Madrid where Pilot André Borschberg will leave and be replaced by Bertrand Piccard. Follow the flight on "Live" as this is a Pioneer experience preparing the Solar Impulse plane HB-SIB on his flight around the World powered only with Solar Energy ! 
May 22, 2012 In an interview with German public TV channel ARD, Germany’s Minister of Economy Phillip Rösler said that his ministry will not backpedal on its proposal to reduce incentives for photovoltaics (PV). According to Rösler, the annual cost of PV incentives has grown to €6 billion ($7.7 billion), accounting for half of the total budget for renewable energy incentives. 
May 22, 2012 Following the latest round of changes to the Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Feed-In-Tariff (FiTs) there is time to still consider PV as a viable, sustainable and affordable renewable technology at both domestic and commercial levels. The next change in FiTs for PV comes on the 30th June 2012, and while this is a tight timescale, the two historic delays to the process are now more streamlined. Qatar Electricity and Water Co. and Qatar Solar Technologies said they signed an agreement to study developing solar power in the Persian Gulf emirate, according to a news release the companies issued today. 
May 21, 2012 A team of students from San Juan College (New Mexico) are planning a photovoltaic (PV) installation at a medical clinic in the town of Sihurong, located on the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau. The group is travelling with Conscious Journeys, a "volun-tourism" organization that recruits groups to do service project in rural Tibetan villages. 
Bahrain, May 20 -- The National Oil and Gas Authority (NOGA), the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) and Caspian Energy Holdings inked an agreement for a five megawatt with distributed smart solar energy project that will bring solar and smart grid benefits to the BAPCO township of Awali, the University of Bahrain and other locations in Bahrain. 
May 20, 2012 (in French) Des chercheurs du laboratoire de Chimie des Polymères Organiques* en collaboration avec le laboratoire de l'Intégration du Matériau au Système**, viennent de mettre au point un additif permettant d'améliorer le rendement des cellules solaires organiques tout en simplifiant le procédé de fabrication. Les cellules photovoltaïques organiques sont une alternative aux cellules classiques à base de silicium. Elles présentent l'avantage de nécessiter des processus de fabrication plus doux, à partir, par exemple, de véritables encres électroniques, ce qui permet ainsi d'envisager des cellules solaires sur toutes sortes de supports comme, par exemple, des supports flexibles. May 18, 2012 Yes, it is possible and will happen more frequently! Spain’s Extremadura region will support a 450 million-euro ($571 million) photovoltaic plant planned by German and local developers, its third solar project that won’t rely on subsidies. 
May 18, 2012 In some forms of blindness, including age-related macular degeneration, most of the eye is perfectly fine. The cells of the retina that convert light into electrical pulses may die off, but the cells that support them, including the nerves that process these signals and relay them to the brain, are still intact. This raises the prospect that the eye's infrastructure can be used to help restore vision. Stimulate the remaining neurons in response to light, and they'll happily take the signals and feed them into the visual centers of the brain. Photovoltaic devices work by converting light energy into free electrons, producing a current. 
May 15, 2012 EDF joined forces with Idinvest Partners, a well-known expert when it comes to funding SMEs, to create a venture capital fund called Electranova Capital. The aim of this fund, endowed with a minimum investment capacity of €60 million, is to encourage the emergence of innovative projects focusing on new technologies with a view to embracing the challenge of a low-carbon energy model, for both energy production and usage. The goal of this fund is to finance innovative young companies in the energy sector with strong potential for growth, both in France and in Europe, via minority shareholdings. 
May 15, 2012 The Romanian government will probably reduce the number of tradable green certificates per MWh of electricity generated in photovoltaic (PV) capacities, the head of the solar energy producers' association RPIA, Robert Cruceru, told Ziarul Financiar daily. Even if their number is reduced to four certificates per MWh from current six, the PV projects remain viable according to Cruceru, who does not expect a deeper cut in certificate numbers under the revised regulations |
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