April 29, 2012

Ambitious Solar Program in India Drives Prices to Impressive Lows Washington DC (SPX) Apr 26, 2012 - India's ambitious national solar program has catalyzed rapid growth in the solar market, driving prices for solar energy to impressive lows and demonstrating how government policy can stimulate clean energy markets, according to a report released by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW). In only two years, competitive bidding u ... more

Researchers develop a path to liquid solar cells that can be printed onto surfaces Los Angeles CA (SPX) Apr 26, 2012 - Scientists at USC have developed a potential pathway to cheap, stable solar cells made from nanocrystals so small they can exist as a liquid ink and be painted or printed onto clear surfaces. The solar nanocrystals are about four nanometers in size - meaning you could fit more than 250,000,000,000 on the head of a pin - and float them in a liquid solution, so "like you print a newspaper, y ... more

Scientists discover bilayer structure in efficient solar material Upton, NY (SPX) Apr 26, 2012 - Detailed studies of one of the best-performing organic photovoltaic materials reveal an unusual bilayer lamellar structure that may help explain the material's superior performance at converting sunlight to electricity and guide the synthesis of new materials with even better properties. The research, published in Nature Communications, was conducted by scientists at the U.S. Department of ... more

Graphene boosts efficiency of next-gen solar cells Houghton MI (SPX) Apr 26, 2012 - The coolest new nanomaterial of the 21st century could boost the efficiency of the next generation of solar panels, a team of Michigan Technological University materials scientists has discovered. Graphene, a two-dimensional honeycomb of carbon atoms, is a rising star in the materials community for its radical properties. One of those properties is electrical conductivity, which could make ... more

SunWize Completes the Largest Solar Installation for American Samoa Power Authority Pago Pago, American Samoa (SPX) Apr 26, 2012 - SunWize Technologies recently completed the largest solar installation on the island of American Samoa in the South Pacific. Backed by the United States Department of Energy and the American Samoa Power Authority (ASPA), the new 1.75-MW solar electric system took over five months to install. According to Andra Samoa, ASPA CEO, the installation marks a new beginning for the ASPA and the peo ... more

Russian RESONANCE and Interheliozond projects: linking Sun and Earth Moscow, Russia (Voice of Russia) Apr 25, 2012 - Not nearly as spectacular as astrophysical or planetary missions, magnetospheric studies are nevertheless closer to the Earthling's wellbeing, since plasma environment in the immediate vicinity of the Earth is far greater factor than distant supernovae explosions or methane in the Martian atmosphere. Earth's magnetosphere shields us from space and solar radiation, acting as an interface be ... more

Geostellar Teams with GeoEye to Map the Solar Power Potential of Every Rooftop in the United States Herndon, VA (SPX) Apr 24, 2012 - GeoEye, has announced a strategic relationship with Geostellar, an innovative technology company that is transforming the solar energy industry. Under the terms of the agreement, GeoEye will supply high-quality Earth imagery, digital surface models and other mapping data to help Geostellar dramatically expand its service. GeoEye also intends to take a small equity position in the company. ... more

The solar cell that also shines: Luminescent 'LED-type' design breaks efficiency record Washington DC (SPX) Apr 24, 2012 - To produce the maximum amount of energy, solar cells are designed to absorb as much light from the Sun as possible. Now researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, have suggested - and demonstrated - a counterintuitive concept: solar cells should be designed to be more like LEDs, able to emit light as well as absorb it. The Berkeley team will present its findings at the Conference o ... more

Opportunity Benefits From Brighter Skies and Small Dust Cleaning of Solar Panels Pasadena CA (JPL) Apr 23, 2012 - Opportunity is positioned on the north end of Cape York on the rim of Endeavour Crater with an approximate 15-degree northerly tilt for favorable solar energy production. The solar insolation has been improving and the rover has benefitted from some small dust cleaning events. Radio Doppler tracking passes for the geo-dynamic investigation were performed on Sols 2922, 2924, and 2925 ... more

La Vina Ranch and SPG Solar Install Solar to Power Cold Storage Facility Novato CA (SPX) Apr 23, 2012 - La Vina Ranch in Madera, CA and SPG Solar, a national solar energy company serving commercial solar clients, have completed a 396 kilowatt (kW) DC ground-mounted solar power system, which will provide up to 75 percent of the electricity needed at La Vina's adjacent cold storage facility. This solar power system is expected to save La Vina Ranch over $66,500 annually. "Our partnership with ... more

'Super-nano' plastic fibres touted for next-generation IT Paris (AFP) April 22, 2012 - Materials scientists in France said on Sunday they had made highly-conductive plastic wires on the nanoscale, an invention with potential for mobile devices, computing and solar energy. Just a few billionths of a metre across, the fibres are light, inexpensive, flexible and easy to handle, in contrast to carbon nanotubes, the team said in the journal Nature Chemistry. The wires are deri ... more

1.5MW Solar Generation Project from Constellation Energy Dedicated in New Jersey Cape May Court House NJ (SPX) Apr 23, 2012 - Constellation Energy and Middle Township Board of Education have announced the completion of an aggregate 1.5-megawatt (DC) solar generation project. Baltimore-based Constellation Energy owns and will maintain the solar power systems. In return, the school district will purchase and receive all of the electricity generated by the solar panels at a fixed rate from Constellation Energy under a 15- ... more

Opportunity Left-Front Wheel Stabilized Pasadena CA (JPL) Apr 20, 2012 - Opportunity is positioned on the north end of Cape York on the rim of Endeavour Crater with an approximate 15-degree northerly tilt for favorable solar energy production. The solar insolation has been improving and the rover has benefitted from some small dust cleaning events. Radio Doppler tracking passes for the geo-dynamic investigation were performed on Sols 2916 and 2918 (April 6 and ... more

New Program Expands Ability to Tap into City's Abundant Sunshine Los Angeles CA (SPX) Apr 20, 2012 - The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) Board of Water and Power Commissioners have approved the creation of a Solar Feed-in Tariff (FiT) Demonstration Program for 10 megawatts (MW) of solar power, further opening up solar power generation to a broad array of customers and solar developers in Los Angeles. A workshop is scheduled tonight at LADWP's downtown headquarters to ens ... more

EMCORE Awarded Solar Panel Manufacturing Contract Albuquerque NM (SPX) Apr 20, 2012 - EMCORE has announced that it has been awarded a contract by Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corporation (BATC) to design, manufacture, test and deliver solar panels for a new spacecraft. The period of performance for this program is about 2 years, with a total contract value of nearly $6 million. The solar panels delivered to BATC will be populated with EMCORE's ZTJ multi-junction solar ce ... more

McCormick Achieves Net-Zero Energy Use with Constellation Energy Baltimore MD (SPX) Apr 20, 2012 - McCormick and Company and Constellation Energy have announced that McCormick's 363,000-square-foot distribution center in Belcamp, Md., now generates more electricity than it uses. The center is considered a net-zero energy building, which means it produces as much or more electricity than it consumes from the grid. For McCormick's Belcamp facility, this was achieved through energy conserv ... more

Surplus Supply of Polysilicon Pressures Pricing - but not all Polysilicon Prices are Equal El Segundo CA (SPX) Apr 20, 2012 - An ongoing surplus in the production of polysilicon-the key raw material in the photovoltaic (PV) industry-will lead to excess supply, leading to further erosion in its pricing, according to an IHS iSuppli PV Perspectives Market Brief and the IHS iSuppli Polysilicon Price Index from information and analytics provider IH. Polysilicon prices on both the spot market and in contract negotiatio ... more

EU: $65M for Third World green energy Brussels (UPI) Apr 18, 2012 - The European Union said this week it will commit $65 million to a technical assistance fund for setting up sustainable energy projects in developing countries. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso announced Monday in Brussels the European Union will provide expertise to poor countries that take part in the United Nations' initiative. That plan seeks to extend sustai ... more

Solar Manufacturers No Longer Slashing Price to Bring In Orders Bonn, Germany (SPX) Apr 20, 2012 - According to EnergyTrend, a research division of TrendForce, slowed demand on the German market, the uncertainty towards the future market in Italy, and unclear demand in other regions has resulted in fewer deals on the spot market. However, the situation is an improvement over last year - as manufacturers are no longer blindly slashing price to bring in orders, spot price is stable. Relat ... more

Hanwha Solar Deepens Roots in North America Santa Clara CA (SPX) Apr 20, 2012 - Hanwha Solar has opened a state-of-the-art PV research and development (R and D) laboratory in Santa Clara, Calif. The facility will explore a variety of next-generation PV concepts for efficient, low-cost conversion of solar energy into electricity. "Hanwha Solar located this facility in Silicon Valley to tap into the region's culture of innovation and technical expertise," said Hee Cheul ... more