Retail giant Wal-Mart will nearly double the number of stores where it uses solar energy technology, including numerous locations where it will deploy next-generation thin-film panels. Wal-Mart has also begun installing wind turbines at some of its stores and is experimenting with geothermal energy systems to reduce heating and air conditioning use, the
Tag:
solar energy
Ontario solar power company, Enfinity Canada, Ltd., has expanded its business to include outreach and education initiatives. Earlier this month, Enfinity made available for download the Executive Brief portion of its document entitled “Key Considerations for Developing Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic Installations.” Enfinity hopes that this report will act as a blueprint, enabling building
SunEdison, a global provider of solar energy services, announced Tuesday that it was awarded a ground-mounted 14.5 megawatt (MW) solar service contract with Davis-Monthan Air Force Base (DMAFB) in Tucson, Arizona.
Construction will begin in 2011 and when ready, the solar farm will produce
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) report that they have used carbon nanotubes to concentrate solar energy 100 times more efficiently than regular photovoltaic cells. The researchers, reporting in the journal Nature Materials, said that the nanotubes — hollow tubes of carbon atoms — could form antennas that effectively capture and focus light energy,
Miguel Sebastian, the Spanish minister of Industry, recently announced his plans to cut the feed-in tariff for solar energy in Spain. His decision will not be effective until sometime this month, when the National Energy Commission and the Estate Commission give the last word.
The decision is part of the government’s
After years of delay, things are finally heating up for large-scale solar thermal power plants in California’s remote deserts. In the last month, a California Energy Commission (CEC) siting committee has recommended at least five solar plants for approval. Last week the first of these projects gained official go-ahead from the agency. The Beacon Solar Energy project
From a technological point of view, India is an excellent place for the development of solar energy. It gets plenty of sunshine for most parts of the year, with the summer temperatures well in excess of 1000 F in most parts of the country. To the northwest, India has the Thar Desert that has been identified as a feasible spot for the development of solar power, since the area is mostly an arid land and gets plenty of sunlight.
Apart from the solar power generation potential at a large scale, there is plenty of scope for household solar harvesting.
A very interesting and controversial study emerged recently, comparing nuclear and solar costs no less.
The study, “Solar and Nuclear Costs – The Historic Crossover“, was prepared by John O. Blackburn and Sam Cunningham for NC Warn, a climate change nonprofit watchdog. The paper, focused on the costs of electricity in North Carolina (US), describes the
Monday was a day for the solar history books.
The country’s first community-owned solar installation began delivering clean, renewable electricity to the grid in El Jebel, Colorado. The 340-panel solar installation is unique because it is owned by an array of local residents rather than any single
Last Wednesday, the New York State Research Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) made details about new financial incentives for solar installations (PON2112) available on its site.
Putting forth a strong commitment to solar energy in the state, NYSERDA is offering
I recently attended a talk at Tesla Motors about the state of the electric car industry and the history of Tesla. Wow, was I impressed. Driving an electric car fueled entirely by solar power no longer is a dream of the future. It’s here today, it’s happening around the country, and I can’t wait to join in!
Solar power is helping out the environment in more ways than one. In addition to producing green electricity, solar energy is helping to cure brownfields, or industrial or commercial properties that have been compromised by environmental contamination. The worst of these plots of tarnished land have been designated for special attention by the EPA as part of the
On Saturday July 31st, the Residential Solar 101 team joined about 150 other volunteers for Grid Alternatives’ Solarthon 2010. In the eight hours we were there, the teams worked to install solar panels on nine different houses in West Oakland. On average, each system was 2 kW in size. A total of 18 Kilowatts (kW) of solar generating capacity was installed
Thanks to the Green Energy Act, Ontario is rapidly becoming the leading solar energy producer in North America. Canada’s first fully operational large scale solar installation, in Stone Mills, Ontario, began to produce clean power last fall, and two more sites are now slated for construction.
First Light Solar Park, the 48-hectare site