Solar Panels Breaking Out of ‘Niche’ to Match Apple’s iPad-Fueled Growth. Solar-panel installations may rise by more than 50 percent this year, matching Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s 2010 sales increase after launching the iPad, as the technology emerges as a mainstream consumer product. Builders may add as much as 28 gigawatts of new generating capacity, the equivalent of about 25 new nuclear reactors, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. The London-based analysis company raised the top of its forecast range to 28 gigawatts from 21.5 gigawatts in January. About 18.5 gigawatts were installed last year. Power users in the sunniest parts of California, Italy and Turkey for the first time can generate solar electricity for about the same rate utilities charge for conventional power, New Energy Finance Chief Solar Analyst Jenny Chase said.
Panel makers including China’s JA Solar Holdings Co. and First Solar Inc. (FSLR) of the U.S. more than doubled global manufacturing capacity in 2010, helping drive down prices for homes and companies. Nuclear Comparison Merkel’s Halt. Snsanalytics. The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) a global NGO in collaboration with the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) is setting up 1 KV solar power generation plants in 20 tribal ashram schools in the Agency area in the district as a panacea to the power cut problem which is adversely affecting the studies of tribal students.
This has taken up it as a pilot project by spending Rs. 2.75 lakh on each 1 KV plant and TERI expects to complete the project around August. The district administration would eventually cover all the Ashram schools depending on availability of funds. TERI State Coordinator V.V.K.B.N. Murthy told The Hindu that solar energy based lighting will be a boon to the students in tribal areas and would solve the problem of frequent interruption to power supply.
TERI is imparting training to entrepreneurs and technicians selected by NGO’s through which the solar lights project is being implemented. Hawaii Drives Past Solar Power Cost Barrier, Surprised by Additional Roadblocks | john-farrell-ilsr. Seconds From Disaster : Meltdown at Chernobyl - FULL. Best Chernobyl Documentary 2006 The Battle of Chernobyl (HQ) 1hr 32min 1 clip. Space Based Solar Power - Alternative Energy Solution. Solar Energy Cheaper than Coal,good. Broadcast Yourself. News. Solar Deal Challenges Georgia Power. India's panel price crash could spark solar revolution - environment - 02 February 2012. SOLAR power has always had a reputation for being expensive, but not for much longer. In India, electricity from solar is now cheaper than that from diesel generators. The news - which will boost India's "Solar Mission" to install 20,000 megawatts of solar power by 2022 - could have implications for other developing nations too.
Recent figures from market analysts Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) show that the price of solar panels fell by almost 50 per cent in 2011. They are now just one-quarter of what they were in 2008. That makes them a cost-effective option for many people in developing countries. A quarter of people in India do not have access to electricity, according to the International Energy Agency's 2011 World Energy Outlook report. Now the generators could be on their way out. It is all largely down to economies of scale, says Jenny Chase, head of solar analysis at BNEF. More From New Scientist Treasure aplenty in ancient Spanish tomb raid () Promoted Stories Recommended by.
Kodak’s New Film: Solar. China Makes U.S. Green Tech Companies an Offer They Can’t Refuse. China Makes U.S. Green Tech Companies an Offer They Can’t Refuse Invest in China now. China’s economic rise already has the United States shaking in our boots, and they’re about to deliver their K-O punch by emerging as the global leader in green technology. In 2009, China invested $34.6 billion in clean technology and is becoming the world's leading investor in renewable energy technologies. China produces more wind turbines and solar panels each year than any other country.
Now, they’re offering something most countries can’t: private and government grants, low-interest loans, and financial and tax incentives to lure green tech companies to open shop in the country. According to MIT’s Technology Review, Boston Power, a Massachusetts-based lithium-ion battery maker, is one of those companies. “We have a seat at the table as China is thinking about global policies,” Boston Power founder and international chairman Dr.
Investors are also expanding to China. Solar power could provide half of NYC's energy needs. According to a new survey taken by laser-equipped planes, solar panels on rooftops could provide nearly half of NYC's energy needs. If only installing them was easier and cheaper. An interactive map lets residents search to see if their building has a suitable roof for solar panels. The map can then tell them how much they can save annually on energy costs, and how much carbon they'll be saving. It's pretty handy! Unfortunately, solar panels are still pretty expensive, and the permit process for getting them installed can take up to a year. But the city is working to make them cheaper and easier to get approval for, as getting that many people to get on board with solar is good news for pretty much everybody. NYC Solar Map via NY Times. Response: It is shameful that this government is resisting a solar revolution.
You report that "subsidies for large-scale photovoltaic installations are to be cut drastically" (Solar power industry dismayed as subsidy for large plants cut, 10 June). However, the most devastating impact of the government's actions will be on "community-scale" solar – which is poorly understood but crucial to building a modern green electricity infrastructure. As you state: "The government said its review of feed-in tariffs (FITs) for renewable energy would divert funds from field-sized ... solar power plants to panels on house roofs.
" The Renewable Energy Association campaigned alongside Friends of the Earth for the FIT legislation to ensure that diverse people and groups can invest easily in renewable power, including solar. Solar projects in schools, farms, businesses and local councils were beginning to flourish. Overseas, FITs have proven incredibly successful at driving renewables forward and opening up the electricity sector to millions of new investors.
Telecom towers urged to shift from Diesel to Solar energy. Telecom towers urged to shift from Diesel to Solar energy Nearly 60% of energy consumed by mobile towers is from diesel sets which naturally emit copious fumes. This effectively makes mobile towers major air polluters. For long, the issue has been in the background but not anymore -- the number of mobile towers is so high there's no option but to power them with renewable energy. While there are hardly any guidelines on consumption of energy by these towers, the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board ( KSPCB ) gives clearance to telecommunication operators to set up towers depending on consumption of diesel and how they impact air quality.
Due to high diesel consumption and resultant pollution, environmental watchdog Greenpeace now wants mobile towers to shift to solar energy. There are around 4 lakh mobile towers in the country. Bangalore Telecom district alone has 1,180 sites where mobile towers are installed. Read more → 0 Comments What next? Don johnston: "As cost of #solar energy d. Redirect Notice. Snsanalytics. Thin film solar PV - 10 kW installed in one day. Don johnston: "#solar Solar-panel makers. U.S. coal supply may last only 10-20 years. The imminent reality of peak oil production should be clear to all by now. Now some very serious people are suggesting that there is a lot less accessible coal out there than most folks believe. If we are nearing peak coal (and peak oil), then we would need to embrace the rapid transition to a clean energy economy almost as urgently as we need to embrace it to avoid destroying the climate.
Let’s start with the U.S. Geological Survey’s stunning 131-page analysis from December, “Assessment of Coal Geology, Resources, and Reserves in the Gillette Coalfield, Powder River Basin, Wyoming” [big PDF]: The Gillette coalfield, within the Powder River Basin in east-central Wyoming, is the most prolific coalfield in the United States. In 2006, production from the coalfield totaled over 431 million short tons of coal, which represented over 37 percent of the Nation’s total yearly production.
Ouch! The Group has equally pessimistic conclusions about American coal reserves: Redirect Notice. Smaller particles could make solar panels more efficient. Studies done by Mark Lusk and colleagues at the Colorado School of Mines could significantly improve the efficiency of solar cells. Their latest work describes how the size of light-absorbing particles--quantum dots--affects the particles' ability to transfer energy to electrons to generate electricity.
The results are published in the April issue of the journal ACS Nano. The advance provides evidence to support a controversial idea, called multiple-exciton generation (MEG), which theorizes that it is possible for an electron that has absorbed light energy, called an exciton, to transfer that energy to more than one electron, resulting in more electricity from the same amount of absorbed light. Quantum dots are human-made atoms that confine electrons to a small space. They have atomic-like behavior that results in unusual electronic properties on a nanoscale. These unique properties may be particularly valuable in tailoring the way light interacts with matter. UK solar panel subsidies slashed. 18 March 2011Last updated at 16:54 Less cash for large scale solar energy producers 'could deter investment in renewable energy' The UK government has proposed cuts of up to 70% to the feed in tariff for large scale solar energy production.
The proposal would be implemented on the 1 August, reducing payments to farmers or owners of large commercial buildings. The industry has reacted with anger to the proposal. And investors have warned that cutting the scheme just a year after it was created will deter further investment in renewable energy. "The whole investor market was totally disengaged as a result of the feed in tariff being ripped up," said Ben Warren, partner with Ernst and Young, a consultancy. 'Absolute disaster' According to the government's proposal, which is subject to consultation, payments for any solar installation over about 50kW would be reduced. The full reduction would apply to installations from 250kW to 5MW - the standard size for a farm based scheme. 'Fast-falling costs'
KW10 | JA Solar to build 3GW PV production facility in Hefei, China Concentrix Solar to Build San Diego Plant. Content / Policy Watch / France Enacts Further Cuts To Solar FIT. French Minister for the Environment Nathalie Kosciuso-Morizet has announced a new, reduced solar feed-in-tariff (FIT) rate: 0.12 euros per kWh for both roof-mounted and ground-mounted systems over 100 kW in capacity. This new rate goes into effect today. Ground-mounted systems will now receive FIT payments at least 57% lower than what was available in September 2010, according to Germany-based market research firm EuPD Research. Rooftop systems now face a 70% FIT reduction from September 2010's rates. "There are difficult times ahead for these projects," says Markus A.W.
Hoehner, CEO of EuPD Research. "These systems were planned using a completely different calculation model, and some of them will partly be recalculated. " FITs for smaller PV systems will be reduced by 20%, and over the course of this year, quarterly declines of 10 percentage points will go into effect, EuPD Research adds. SOURCE: EuPD Research. Content / Policy Watch / State Policy Spotlight: What If Iowa Deployed 300 MW Of Solar Power? Although well known for its thriving wind energy industry, Iowa has yet to become a major player in the U.S. solar market.
With the right policies in place, however, the relatively irradiance-rich state could deploy a significant amount of solar power and, in doing so, add millions of dollars to its economy, according to a new study from The Iowa Policy Project (IPP). Installing 300 MW of PV - which the IPP calls a "reasonable, yet robust target that would have a minimal impact on consumer rates" - over the next five years would create an annual average of 2,507 new jobs, the IPP says.
Approximately three-quarters of the positions would be related to local project development and installation, and thus, would not be at risk of being outsourced. "Solar manufacturing jobs have not been included in the analysis, but they could represent significant additional benefits to Iowa's economy," the report adds. "In fact, solar creates more jobs per megawatt-hour than any other energy technology.
" Content / Policy Watch / SEIA President Testifies Before U.S. House Energy Committee To Oppose Program Funding Cuts. Rhone Resch, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), delivered testimony before the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade at a hearing titled "Made in America: Innovations in Job Creation and Economic Growth. " Resch detailed the private investment, technological and manufacturing innovations, tax and energy policies, and other factors that have contributed to the solar sector's ascent to becoming one of the fastest-growing economic sectors in America and a job creator in all states.
He also outlined policy recommendations for helping to continue the robust jobs creation across the solar supply chain, from engineering and manufacturing to construction, installation and support services. "To succeed, we need tax policies such as the Section 1603 Treasury program to be continued and incentives for solar manufacturing restored," Resch stated. SOURCE: Solar Energy Industries Association. The Florida Senate - The Florida Senate. Solar Industry: Content / Projects & Contracts / REC Solar Completes 1.2 MW PV Installation In Hawaii. REC Solar has inaugurated a 1.21 MW solar installation, the largest system of its kind in the state of Hawaii.
Project partners Kaua'i Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC) and Kapaa Solar LLC, which financed the system and negotiated a power purchase agreement with KIUC, joined REC Solar at the inauguration ceremony. REC Solar designed, procured and managed the installation of the ground-mounted photovoltaic system. The project was sighted on 5 acres of non-productive agricultural land located above old Kapaa Town on the windward side of Kaua'i. The solar power plant was designed with four 250 kW Advanced Energy Solaron inverters and is powered by 5,376 REC Group 225 W Peak Energy series modules.
REC Solar utilized its proprietary SnapNrack fixed-tilt racking, which features extremely thick galvanization to combat the island environment's corrosive components, the company notes. SOURCE: REC Solar. Solar Industry: Content / FYI / Moser Baer Subsidiary Using First Solar's Modules. GreenBizDaily. Another Video You Can Use: Making Solar Hot Water Sexy | Free Hot Water Blog. It’s no secret that the American public has a disconnect between solar hot water and solar PV (photo voltaic) technology. Many assume that when people mention the word “solar,” they’re referring to PV, which is half right and 100% wrong if you’re talking about pool heating.
So how do we get the word out about solar thermal? Well, the video below is one answer: “Solar Cuz it’s Hot” is a video made by The Delta County Film Collective and a small Colorado film company, Hutman Media. Their assignment was to “help promote the use of the sun’s energy to heat water.” The result is a tongue-in-cheek Bay Watch-like video promoting solar hot water installers…who are just like you. Click the “embed” button.Copy the code, and thenPaste that code somewhere on your own Web site.
We thought it was fun, so we thought we’d share it with you. Want another video that’s a bit less “spicy?” Solar Cuzit’sHot from Hutman Media on Vimeo. Photo Sharing for Twitter and Facebook | Plixi.
Lifestyle. Green Living Blog | Reduce Your Carbon Footprint | Carbonfeet. Global Solar Energy - POWER the Possibilities. How to Solar Technic (solartechnic) Lotus builds hydrogen fuel cell taxi for London 2012. Solar Industry: Middle East Countries Putting the Sun to Work Overtime. Solar energy brings power to rural Africa. Installation. Product. New tech. Politics/grants. Home Made Energy: Renewable Energy For The Rest Of Us.