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Solar News

See also Directory:Solar#News Sources

As of Aug. 27, 2009, we began posting all solar news stories here, then archiving the older content as it gets too long.


2012

  • Nanotech / Solar >
    A Nano-Approach to Solar Rivals the Entire Market - A small team of experts at Magnolia Solar have come together to develop a nanostructure-based coatings to replace silicon and thin-film approaches. They are working on a concept that would allow for the full absorption of all light, boasting efficiencies of 15 to 20 percent as low as 50 cents per watt. (EnergyDigital; March 19, 2012)
  • Featured: Storage > Hydrogen >H Storage / Solar > Concentrated > Thermal > SHEC >
    NEST Lines up Grid-Parity Solar - The first success story of the New Energy Systems Trust (NEST) seems to have already commenced with us lining up a breakthrough grid-parity solar company with an order for 4500 one-megawatt systems in India. SHEC Labs is a likely vendor of the biomass-to-H technology, if not using their solar thermal storage breakthrough. (PESN; May 9, 2012)
  • Emergency Preparedness > Vehicle-to-Grid / PV >
    Tsunami steers Japan tech innovation - On the March 11 anniversary, let's take a look at some innovations spurred by a desire not to be so vulnerable to disaster. They include Nissan's converter to enable an electric car to power up your house for 2 days, transparent solar panels that you can put on your windows, a cell phone app that can detect radiation levels, and other apps for emergencies. (BBC; March 9, 2012)
  • Lighting > LEDs >
    LED's efficiency exceeds 100% - For the first time, researchers have demonstrated that an LED can emit more optical power than the electrical power it consumes. Although scientifically intriguing, the results won’t immediately result in ultra-efficient commercial LEDs since the demonstration works only for LEDs with very low input power that produce very small amounts of light. (PhysOrg; March 5, 2012)
  • Solar > Problems / Wind > Farms > Downsides >
    Renewable "Green" Energy Yields Very Poor Results - A 1 GW wind farm would require 500 windmills, each producing 2 MW -- assuming the farm operates at full capacity, which doesn't happen continually in reality. Since wind turbines must be spaced apart to maximize production, a 1 GW farm needs from 48,000 to 64,000 acres of land (75 to 100 square miles). In contrast, a 1 GW gas-fired plant needs about 10 to 15 acres. (MadIsle / Newsmax; January 30, 2012)

2011

  • Solar / Trends > Zeitgeist >
    U.S. Solar Energy in 2011 - Rhone Resch of the Solar Energy Industries Association writes: "In contrast to some of the recent headlines, the solar energy industry is a strong, thriving industry in the United States that is creating jobs and lowering costs for the consumer. In 2011, a number of myths about the solar energy industry circulated nationally. Let’s set the record straight." (CleanTechnica; December 30, 2011)
  • Nanotech / Solar > Solar Paint > Quantum Dots >
    Researchers develop paint-on solar cells - A team of researchers at the University of Notre Dame have developed an inexpensive solar paint that uses semiconducting nanoparticles to produce energy. "By incorporating power-producing nanoparticles, called quantum dots, into a spreadable compound, we've made a one-coat solar paint that can be applied to any conductive surface without special equipment." (PhysOrg; December 21, 2011)
  • Trends > Zeitgeist >
    The Year in Energy - Surprising successes helped offset disappointing failures in solar, biofuels, and nuclear power. This was supposed to be a big year for energy-related technology. Fukushima set back nuclear. In 2011, average prices for solar panels dropped by almost 50 percent from 2010 levels. (MIT Technology Review; December 27, 2011)
  • Solar > PV > R&D >
    Scientists create first solar cell with over 100 percent quantum efficiency - Researchers over at the National Renewable Energy Lab have claim to have recorded an efficiency topping out at 114 percent, by creating the first working multiple exciton generation (MEG) cell. Using MEG, a single high energy photon can produce more than one electron-hole pair per absorbed photon. (Engadget; December 19, 2011)
  • Solar > PV > Trends >
    A Bad Year for Solar Energy - By virtually any yardstick, 2011 was probably a year the PV solar panel industry may like to forget. First and foremost, of course, there was the Solyndra case, which quickly morphed into a major political issue that will likely be continually revisited during the upcoming U.S. presidential campaign. China's heavily-subsidized solar panel industry may present significant ongoing challenges... (Environmental Leader; December 13, 2011)
  • Featured: Nanotech >
    The Less than Exotic Free Energy Technologies of Nanoholdings - Nanoholdings is a company that has developed multiple technologies that incorporate nano-materials. Their CEO, Justin Hall, recently gave a TED talk discussing their discoveries. It seems when it comes to energy technology, they are still thinking too far "inside of the box" -- ignoring more exotic, and more robust solutions. (PESN and BeforeItsNews; December 5, 2011)
  • DIY / Solar > Thermal >
    Cansolair Provides Solar Heating With Pop Cans - Hank notes that the Canadian company Cansolair has developed a technology that utilizes panels composed of recycled aluminum pop (soda) cans, that absorb solar radiation to provide heating for a home. This technology is affordable and easy to replicate. (YouTube / MartineBlue; February 20, 2008)
  • Solar > EnviroMission Tower >
    Big solar tower coming to Arizona - An ambitious solar energy project on a massive scale is about to get underway in the Arizona desert. EnviroMission is undergoing land acquisition and site-specific engineering to build its first full-scale solar tower, 800-plus meter (2625 ft) tall (2x Empire State Bldg.). Its 200-megawatt power generation capacity will reliably feed the grid with enough power for 150,000 US homes. (Changing Power and GizMag (Video); July 21, 2011)
  • Ink Jet / Solar > Chalcopyrite / CIGS >
    Inkjet Printing Solar Cells - Engineers at Oregon State University (OSU) have developed a process to create 'CIGS' solar cells with inkjet printing technology that allows for precise patterning to reduce raw material waste by 90 percent and significantly lower the cost of producing solar cells with promising, yet expensive compounds. (GizMag; June 28, 2011)
  • Emergency Preparedness / Grid > Vulnerabilities >
    'Controlled' power cuts likely as Sun storm threatens national grid - Officials in Britain and the United States are preparing to make controlled power cuts to their national electricity supplies in response to a warning of a possible powerful solar storm hitting the Earth. The controlled power "outages" will protect the National Electricity Grids against damage which could take months or even years to repair should a large solar storm collide with the Earth without any precautions being taken. (Independent; UK; June 13, 2011)
  • Solar > Concentrated >
    Google Ups R&D to Make Solar Cheaper than Coal Google's new patented concentrated solar technology makes use of a camera to adjust mirrors that optimize a given plant’s efficiency. The camera and a processing computer are located within the central tower of the solar thermal plant, and if a misalignment, or better (more efficient) angle is detected, then the mirrors are adjusted by robotic actuators. (Inhabitat; June 9, 2011)
  • Solar / Ethanol / Hydrogen > Production >
    Hydrogen generated from sunlight and ethanol - An international team of scientists has announced success in creating hydrogen at ambient temperature and pressure using a combination of sunlight and ethanol. The method is potentially cheaper, produces higher yields and, because no high temperatures or pressures are required, uses less energy than conventional methods. (GizMag; May 30, 2011)
  • Solar / Human Powered >
    Could Human Photosynthesis power the future? - Dr. Arturo Solis Herrera has developed a technology that utilizes the properties of melanin – the animal analogue to chlorophyll. His melanin based (polihydroxyindol) photo-cell absorbs a broad spectrum of electromagnetic radiation, and converts it into electricity. He has also developed a pharmaceutical claimed to enhance human "photosynthesis" for increased health. (PESN and BeforeItsNews; May 3, 2011)
  • Solar >
    Solar Panels Increase Home Value - A study by Berkeley National Labs has found that homes sold in California earned a premium for solar panels. The benefit ranged from $3900 to $6400 per kW of capacity. An earlier study found that proximity to solar or wind power may also raise home values. (Venture Beat; April 22, 2011)
  • Solar > Thin Film >
    Spray-on film turns windows into solar panels - Norweigan solar power company, EnSol, has patented a thin film solar cell technology designed to be sprayed on to surfaces such as windows and exterior walls. Unlike traditional silicon-based solar cells, the film is composed of metal nanoparticles embedded in a transparent composite matrix, and operates on a different principle. (GizMag; April 17, 2011)
  • Solar / Magnetism >
    Solar power without solar cells: A hidden magnetic effect of light could make it possible - A dramatic and surprising magnetic effect of light discovered by University of Michigan researchers could lead to solar power without traditional semiconductor-based solar cells. At the right intensity, when light is traveling through a material that does not conduct electricity, the light field can generate magnetic effects that are 100 million times stronger than previously expected. (PhysOrg; Apr. 14, 2011)
  • Solar > Thin Film >
    Wysips technology can turn any surface into a PV power plant - A French company recently showed off a prototype phone where the touchscreen display itself housed the solar-soaking cells. Wysips technology allows light to pass through a semi-cylindrical lens onto thin strips of photovoltaic cells below, while also allowing the surface underneath to show through; enabling many to potentially become self-sufficient power producers. (GizMag; March 29, 2011)
  • Solar > new: Solar Windows >
    Chicago’s Willis Tower to Become a Vertical Solar Farm - Formerly known as Sears Tower, the world's tallest building (1451 feet or 442 m) from 1974 to 1998 has enough window area for a 10 acre solar power plant. As a pilot project, the south facing windows of the 56th floor will be replaced with Pythagoras Solar's transparent solar windows which cut down on heat gain – and therefore cooling costs – while harnessing energy from the sun. (GizMag; March 22, 2011)
  • Featured: Events > COFE >
    4th International Conference on Future Energy (COFE) - Upcoming SPESIF conference at the University of Maryland on March 15-17, 2011 includes plenary session organized by Tom Valone. Topics include: emerging energy, field propulsion, fission & fusion, space tech, energy medicine, tidal, hydrogen, solar power, magnetic motor, zero-point energy, space power, astrosociology, space settlement topics. (PESWiki; February 6, 2011)
  • Solar / Water / Alt Fuels >
    New Reactor Paves The Way For Efficiently Producing Fuel From Sunlight - Using a common metal most famously found in self-cleaning ovens, Sossina Haile hopes to change our energy future. The metal is cerium oxide-or ceria-and it is the centerpiece of a promising new technology developed by Haile and her colleagues that concentrates solar energy and uses it to efficiently convert carbon dioxide and water into fuels. (Energy Daily; January 21, 2011)
  • Trends / Wind / Solar >
    Study claims 100 percent renewable energy possible by 2030 - New research has shown that it is possible and affordable for the world to achieve 100 percent renewable energy by 2030, if there is the political will to strive for this goal. It would entail building around four million 5 MW wind turbines, 1.7 billion 3 kW roof-mounted solar photovoltaic systems, and around 90,000 300 MW solar power plants. (PhysOrg; January 19, 2011)
  • Solar / Nanotech > R&D >
    MIT: Get Lots of Solar Energy in a Little Light - Researchers at MIT will use a way to concentrate sunlight so they can get a more powerful solar energy -- up to 100 times than current traditional photovoltaic cells. They use a solar funnel with carbon nanotubes - hollow tubes made of carbon atoms to capture and focus light energy. The drawback is the price of carbon nanotubes. (Solar Energy Utilize; January 11, 2011)
  • Solar > Thin Film > Dye Sensitized >
    Oxford develops affordable thin-film solar tech - An innovative OU (Oxford University) company has developed new solar cell technology that is manufactured from cheap, abundant, non-toxic and non-corrosive materials and can be scaled to any volume. Oxford PV predicts that manufacturing costs will be around 50% less than the current lowest-cost thin film technology. (PhysOrg; January 6, 2011)

2010

  • Solar > PV > R&D >
    Solar powered microchips put batteries in the shade - In a new, more efficient approach to solar powered microelectronics, researchers in China have produced a microchip which directly integrates photovoltaic cells. What sets this device apart is that high-efficiency solar cells are placed straight onto the electronics, producing self-sufficient, low-power devices which are highly suitable for industrial serial production and can even operate indoors. (GizMag; December 30, 2010)
  • Solar > Infrared >
    New solar cells could even work at night - Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory say they've developed a new kind of solar cell that can generate energy even at night. The key is the ability to harvest infrared radiation as well as visible light. Almost half of the available energy in the spectrum of solar radiation resides in the infrared band, and infrared is re-emitted as heat by the Earth's surface after the sun has gone down. (UPI; December 20, 2010)
  • Solar Hydrogen / Algae >
    OriginOil Achieves Hydrogen Production Comparable To Photovoltaics - OriginOil intends the Hydrogen Harvester to be deployed as an additional system output in algae production settings, approaching an efficiency of 12 percent when exposed to the sun. An advantage is that algae stores up energy during the day and will continue to generate hydrogen throughout the night. (Biofuel Daily; November 11, 2010)
  • Solar > PV >
    Boeing to mass-produce record-breaking 39.2 percent efficiency solar cell - Boeing subsidiary Spectrolab is bringing multi-junction solar cell efficiencies seen in the lab into mass production with the announcement of its C3MJ+ solar cells which boast an average conversion efficiency of 39.2 percent. Boeing hopes to transfer its satellite success to the terrestrial solar cell market with these new high-efficiency solar cells that are expected to be available beginning in January. (GizMag; November 24, 2010)
  • Solar > PV / Concentrated >
    Solergy Launches Next-Gen CPV With Record-Breaking Efficiency - Solergy's CPV systems featuring an all-glass optical concentrating lens - the world's first. The all-glass optics, high-precision tracking and optimized basic energy unit ensure that Solergy's system consistently produces more energy than any other PV or CPV product in existence. (Solar Daily; Nov. 17, 2010)
  • Oil >
    300 Years of Fossil-Fueled Addiction in Five Minutes - Fossil fuels have powered human growth and ingenuity for centuries. Now that we're reaching the end of cheap and abundant oil and coal supplies, we're in for an exciting ride. While there's a real risk that we'll fall off a cliff, there's still time to control our transition to a post-carbon future. (YouTube / PostCarbonInstitute; Nov. 8, 2010)
  • Solar / Storage / Thermal >
    Thermo-Chemical Solar Energy could be efficient and indefinitely storable - Researchers at MIT are working on a new process in thermo-chemical solar energy that uses a molecular structure reconfiguration to capture energy from the sun, potentially storing it forever. A molecule of fulvalene diruthenium changes its configuration when it absorbs heat, and later releases heat when it snaps back to its original shape. (MIT News; Oct. 26, 2010)
  • Solar > Largest >
    South Africa Unveils Plans For World’s Largest 5GW Solar Field - South Africa just unveiled their very own large-scale solar project – a 5GW solar field. The massive project would see solar panels installed across the Northern Cape province, which is one of the sunniest regions in the world. The $29.25 billion project could potentially generate a tenth of the country’s energy needs. The first 1 GW is expected to be done by the end of 2010. (Inhabitat; Oct. 28, 2010)
  • Solar > Space-Based >
    Massive Lunar Solar Power Tower Beams Energy to Earth - This massive astral power tower just won the 2010 Moon Capital International Design Challenge. Designed by Bryna Anderson, a graduate student from Columbia University, the concept is based on American physicist Dr. David Criswell’s proposal for a Lunar Solar Power System. It works by collecting energy on the lunar surface using photovoltaic converters and then transmitting it to Earth via microwave generators. (Inhabitat; Oct. 26, 2010)
  • Solar > Applications > Roadways >
    Photovoltaic Paving Tiles Coming Soon a Sidewalk Near You - Onyx Solar recently teamed up with Butech to launch a new line of photovoltaic paving stones made from ceramic and glass. The streamlined solar stones are manufactured using a process that produces less CO2 and uses less energy than traditional pavement, making this energy-generating material even better for reducing the environmental impact of building projects. (Inhabitat; Oct. 2, 2010)
  • Featured: Events > 2010 >
    Next Gen Expo -- turning a lemon to lemonade - Though a great idea (new media for rising generation), the execution of this event was juvenile, though not a complete waste of time. Highlights included Howard Bloom, Space Solar, domestic-spy-cam-disabling lasers, and a screening of a film about Wall Street criminality. (PESN; Oct. 22, 2010)
  • Magnets > Vulnerabilities >
    China Lowers the Boom on Rare Earths - Monday, China embargoed exports of rare earth elements to the United States. Rare earths are integral to most all cutting edge technologies including renewable energy systems (e.g. magnet motors), and China controls 93-97% of the world supply. "Whenever you have a shortage of raw materials in the world, it historically has led to war." (5 Min. Forecast; Oct. 20, 2010)
  • Solar > Concentrated >
    ZenithSolar Creates Solar Generator with Incredible 72% Efficiency - Israel-based energy company ZenithSolar has broken records with its 3rd generation CHP solar energy generator (Solar Z20) that combines heat and power systems to create an incredible 72% solar conversion efficiency by using a “semi-parabolic optical mirror for collecting solar energy” to power the local community’s electric and hot water use. (Inhabitat; Oct. 20, 2010)
  • Solar > PV >
    Solar school dedicated - We offer our congratulations to our associate, Jim Dunn, who's hard work has finally materialized in a 100 kW photovoltaic system at Bancroft School in Massechussets. Dunn serves as president of Future Solar Systems of Millbury, which designed, installed and secured investors for the project, will save the school about $8,000 to $10,000 annually in energy costs. (Telegraph; MA; USA; Oct. 9, 2010)
  • Solar > Space-Based > Solar Sails >
    Solar Winds Could Provide 100 Billion Times Earth’s Energy Needs - Researchers from Washington State University have published a paper in the International Journal of Astrobiology stating that energy from solar winds could replace conventional forms of renewable energy produced on Earth such as solar, wind and biofuel power; theorizing that a giant solar sail 5,220 miles (8,400 km) wide, designed to harness solar winds, could generate 1 billion gigawatts. (Inhabitat; Oct. 5, 2010)
  • Solar > PV > Largest >
    Worlds Largest Solar Plant Now In Ontario, Canada - Canada may not be the first place you would guess to have the world’s largest photovoltaic facility. However, the Canadian firm Enbridge Inc. and Arizona-based First Solar Inc.'s 80-megawatt Sarnia Solar Project is now the largest operational PV plant in the world. With 1.3 million modules spread over 950 acres of land, the project has the potential to supply the energy needs of up to 12,800 households. (Inhabitat: Oct. 1, 2010)
  • OS / DIY: Solar >
    Solar tracking circuit - Developed as an open source project, this inexpensive device accurately tracks the position of the sun and can be applied to a wide range of solar tracking devices. It uses GaP LEDs as sensors which feed a comparator chip which in turn drives transistors providing simple bi-directional motor control. The device has been used on solar PV, solar cookers, solar concentrators and more. (GreenWatts)
  • Solar > Overviews >
    Here Comes the Sun - Here's a great documentary by a Dutch public service TV station, VPRO, about how the sun could easily provide the planet with sufficient energy, if only we are willing to change and to invest in harvesting that solar energy. "This documentary will leave you feeling totally refreshed and recharged. Show's how fear is striking the hearts of oil producers already." -- Andrew Lee (YouTube / VPRO Backlight; Oct. 21, 2008)
  • Nanotech / Biomimetics / Solar >
    Plant-Mimicking Solar Cells Can Self-Assemble - Scientists at MIT have created a breakthrough solution to one of the biggest problems facing solar cells by mimicking the world's best harvesters of solar energy: plants. Over time, sunlight breaks down the materials in solar cells, leading to a gradual degradation of devices aiming to harvest the energy in that light. Plants don't have this problem. (EcoGeek; Sept. 7, 2010)
  • Solar > Dye / BioElectricity > Algae >
    Solar Cells Made From Bioluminescent Jellyfish; Algaelectricity - Swedish researchers have devised a way to turn the green fluorescent protein (GFP) from bioluminescent jellyfish into solar cells. The GFP-powered cells work like dye-sensitized solar cells, but don't require expensive materials such as titanium dioxide. Also, a look at biophotovoltaic devices based on algae and photosynthetic bacteria. (New Scientist; Sept. 7, 2010)
  • Solar > PV >
    New Stick-on Solar Panels Make Installations a Snap - Global Solar unveiled a new type of flexible solar module that builders can stick directly on the roof, rather than constructing racks to hold heavy glass-covered cells. The modules won’t cost less than traditional arrays, at least initially, but they make it easier to include solar power at the time of construction and, without the racks, can cover a greater portion of the roof and provide more power. (Inhabitat; Aug. 31, 2010)
  • Solar > Tools >
    Self-Cleaning Technology from Mars Can Keep Terrestrial Solar Panels Dust Free - In a report at the 240th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS), scientists described how a self-cleaning coating on the surface of solar cells, based on technology developed for space missions to Mars, could increase the efficiency of producing electricity from sunlight and reduce maintenance costs for large-scale solar installations as well as residential panels. (Solar Daily; Aug. 24, 2010)
  • Solar > PV > R&D >
    PETE Process adds thermal gain to photovoltaics - Stanford engineers have come up with a new solar energy conversion process that can potentially double the efficiency of solar cells by harvesting the wasted heat energy and keeping up and utilizing the high temperatures which are reached during conversion in a process that is called ‘photon enhanced thermionic emission’ (PETE). (Alt Energy News; August 24, 2010)
  • Solar > PV > Residential >
    User-Installed Panel Kit Aims to Slow Meter - Clarion Technologies aims to introduce a product next Spring that plugs into a regular outlet as its means of helping supply the home power needs. As a reasonable 'getting your feet wet' approach, the three-panel system, costing around $800, mounted as an awning or on top of a roof, will produce up to 600 Watts which are fed into the home through a microinverter. (CNet; August 16, 2010)
  • Nanotech / Solar > Thin Film >
    Transparent Solar Spray Transforms Windows Into Watts - Norwegian Company EnSol AS has developed a remarkable new spray-on solar film that allows windows to generate solar power without clouding the view. The material consists of metal nanoparticles embedded in a transparent composite matrix that can be easily sprayed on. And the cells don’t just work on glass — they can be used on the rest of the house, too! (Inhabitat; Aug. 10, 2010)
  • Feature DIY: Emergency Preparedness / Solar > PV >
    Super cheap DIY solar cells for the common man - Could it be that Solar cells have gotten cheaper than 40 cents per watt if your a DIY guy? Or is that because they are 'seconds' with a lot of downsides that outweigh the advantages of just buying completed units? eBay pioneer seller, Fred480V, says the cells in his 1kW are not seconds but are the best available from Schott Solar. (PESN; Aug. 11, 2010) (Comment)
  • Feature: > Solar / Lighting >
    Solar Lighting Directory - Here's a compilation of links that we've put in our news over the years, now on one page. If you know of a technology or company that should be listed there, feel free to add it. This is a publicly editable site, after all. (PESWiki; Aug. 5, 2010)
  • Solar > Applications > Freeways >
    Solar Roadways Prototyping Video - The Solar Roadways project is working to pave roads with solar panels that you can drive on. Co-founder Scott Brusaw has made some major steps forward since our first visit back in 2007, so we visited him again earlier this year for an exclusive update on the project, including the first ever video recorded of the Solar Roadways prototype! (ConsciousMedianNetwork; June 18, 2010)
  • Solar > R&D >
    Fly Eyes Used For Solar Cells - Researchers took corneas from blow flies, fixed them on a glass substrate, added a polymer to protect the shape and then coated nine-eye arrays in nickel within a vacuum chamber. The result was a master template that retained those useful nanoscale features and can be used to make solar cells. (Discovery; July 28, 2010)
  • Biomimicry >
    Design Inspiration from Nature – Biomimicry for a Better Planet - From buildings and bridges to materials and medicine – examining the design of nature has aided in the development of almost every aspect of our lives, and most of us – often without realizing – benefit from these inspired revelations several times a day. A overview, including energy applications. (Inhabitat; July 16, 2010)
  • Solar > Concentrated > PV >
    Truly Amazing Advanced Solar Cell from Israel - Prof David Faiman of Zenith Solar says: "When we collect the light, instead of using a huge area of solar cells, we use an equal area of cheap glass mirrors and they are curved in such a way as to concentrate the light onto a very small solar cell, the size of just one cell, and in this way you concentrate the light a thousand times and you can get a thousand times more power out of a small cell." (iPlanet Energy News; Apr. 26, 2010)
  • Solar > Solar Hydrogen / Photosynthesis Imitation >
    Breakthrough in using sunlight to split water - A team of MIT researchers has managed to mimic the photosynthetic process in plants by engineering M13, a simple and harmless virus, to help splitting water into its two atomic components - hydrogen and oxygen - using sunlight. The virus acts as the chlorophyl by capturing light, then transfers the energy down its length, acting like a wire. (GizMag; Apr. 16, 2010)
  • Conventional Renewable Energy >
    Ten PowerPoint Slides That Shook the Earth - If you attend enough cleantech events or are pitched by enough startups, you start to see the same few PowerPoint slides over and over again. Here is a collection of the best or at least the most notorious and historically significant slides in our industry. (GreenTechMedia; July 8, 2010)
  • Solar / Trends >
    Solar's Great Leap Forward - Suntech CEO Zhengrong Shi made China a powerhouse in photovoltaic technology--and became a billionaire in the process. His next ambition: to make solar power as cheap as conventional electricity. (MIT Technology Review; July/Aug 2010)
  • Solar > PV >
    Harnessing Solar Power in a Condo - To get around the homeowners' association, Jack Lee merely places a solar panel in the window of his condo, and gets enough sunlight to power all the devices in his bachelor's pad. And he can pull from the battery of his hybrid car if he needs to; so he never hooks up to the grid power available in his sockets. (CBS News; Oct. 3, 2007)
  • Solar > PV / Hydrogen > Solar Hydrogen >
    Jack Nicholson's 1978 Hydrogen Car - Step back in time to when solar panels were new and needed to be explained as part of a presentation on how the energy of sunlight could be used to generate electricity to electrolyze water to generate hydrogen which could run a car, using a metal catalyst to stabilize the storage of hydrogen. (GreenEnergyTV; 9/9/9)
  • Solar > Space-Based / Flight > Propulsion >
    First solar powered spacecraft successfully launched - Today, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched Interplanetary Kite-craft Accelerated by Radiation Of the Sun (IKAROS) craft. IKAROS is a space yacht that gathers energy for propulsion from sunlight pressure (photons) by means of a square membrane measuring 20 meters (65.6 ft) diagonally. (GizMag; May 21, 2010)
  • Solar > R&D >
    "Light Pipes" Boost Organic Solar Efficiency - Researchers at Wake Forest University in North Carolina have developed a way to more than double the performance of organic solar cells by adding a layer of upright optical fibers that act as sunlight traps. "It's the same thing as taking a flat device and pointing it directly at the sun all day long." (MIT Technology Review; May 12, 2010)
  • Solar > Dye >
    MIT researchers print solar cell on paper - Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a technique in which paper is coated with organic semiconductor material using a process similar to an inkjet printer, which could lower the cost and weight of solar panels. Still in the research phase, they are years from being commercialized. (CNET; May 5, 2010)
  • Solar > PV / Emergency Preparedness > EMP >
    Can solar panels withstand an EMP attack? - Forum responses: Most panels have bypass diodes fitted to the discrete series arrays within the panel. Panels are not normally just a mass of cells. With EMP exposure the inverter is the biggest concern since the PN junction of a microchip/fet/transistor is much much smaller than a PN wafer of a PV panel... (EnergyMatters; May 03, 2010)
  • EVs / Solar > Paint >
    Renault Solar Paint Car - An environmentally friendly design car of the Renault combines electric power and renewable energy from solar energy through nano solar paint on car. Renault 2010 Sand Jumper uses next-gen renewable energy technology and recycled, recyclable ecological materials. (Alt Energy News; Apr. 27, 2010)
  • Solar > PV >
    PV Cell Prototype Generates Electricity from IR and UV Light - Scientists at the Kyoto Institute of Technology are developing a way to create a photovoltaic cell that can capture visible, infrared and ultraviolet light of the sun via a nitride semiconductor added with transition metals as a photoelectric conversion material. (Alt Energy News; April 26, 2010)
  • Solar > PV >
    Carbon-based Solar Cells - Graphene is a single sheet of carbon, one atom thick, which has potential to be utilized as an effective, less toxic and cheaper than other alternatives for solar cells. Chemists at Indiana University Bloomington are trying to develop non-sticky graphene sheets that are stable. (Alt Energy News; April 19, 2010)
  • Top 100: Solar > PV / Concentrated > SES >
    Stirling Energy Systems and Boeing cooperate on solar - Stirling Energy Systems (SES) and the Boeing Company are cooperating to complete the commercialisation and deployment of Boeing’s high concentration photovoltaic (HCPV) solar power technology. SES will have exclusive rights to develop, manufacture and deploy Boeing’s XR700 HCPV solar technology, which will be aimed at smaller scale projects of 50MW and below. (Renewable Energy Focus; Apr. 6, 2010)
  • Pollution / Recycling / Solar >
    Solar’s Dirty Little Secret - "Green" solar panels can have their dirty side in terms of disposal and manufacturing. A report by the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition ranks solar manufacturers on environmental health and safety, and urges solar companies to start investing in recycling efforts. (GreenTechMedia; March 23, 2010) (See Citizens at Risk, a 15-minute film about the dangerous electronics recyler industry in India.)
  • Top 100: Solar > Concentrated > SHEC >
    Higher Temperature Solar Thermal from SHEC - SHEC claims a concentration level of 5,000 to 22,000 suns with a "new counterintuitive and elegant design that uses no exotic materials." SHEC also claims a dramatic improvement in the power distribution curve, delivering five times as much energy over a 24-hour block of time. (GreenTechMedia; March 22, 2010)
  • Trends / Solar >
    Utility-Scale Solar Soaring in U.S. - There are over 100 utility-scale solar projects in the U.S. totaling 17,000 MW now in the planning stage. 75 percent of Americans, across the political spectrum, support utility-scale solar on public lands. (GreenTechMedia; March 18, 2010)
  • Solar > PV > Largest >
    Scaling Up Solar Power - Applied Materials has developed the equipment to produce extremely large photo­voltaic panels in order to lower the price of solar power in two ways. The equipment for manufacturing thin-film solar cells operates more efficiently when the panels are bigger. And larger modules need less hardware and labor to wire them together and support them. (MIT Technology Review; Mar/Apr 2010)
  • Plastic / Solar > PV >
    Low-cost, more efficient solar cells mostly plastic - By growing arrays of silicon wires in a polymer substrate, researchers at Caltech have demonstrated what they say are flexible solar cells that absorb up to 96 percent of incident light and harvest over 90 percent quantum efficiency, compared with 25 percent for the best silicon solar cells. The wires are made up of 98 percent plastic, potentially lowering the cost of photovoltaics by using just 1/50th the amount of semiconductor material used today. (EETimes; Feb. 18, 2010)
  • Nanotech / Solar > R&D >
    Scientists turn light into electrical current using a golden nanoscale system - Material scientists at the University of Pennsylvania have demonstrated the transduction of optical radiation to electrical current in a molecular circuit. The system, an array of nano-sized molecules of gold, respond to electromagnetic waves by creating surface plasmons that induce and project electrical current across molecules, similar to that of photovoltaic solar cells. (PhysOrg; February 12, 2010 )
  • Solar > PV >
    Millimeter-scale, energy-harvesting sensor could operate almost perpetually - Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a solar-powered sensor system that is just nine cubic millimeters in size. It is 1,000 times smaller than comparable commercial counterparts and can harvest energy from its surroundings to operate nearly perpetually. Applications include medical device implant power, remote sensors. (GizMag; Feb. 9, 2010)
  • Featured: Solar > Applications / Building >
    Walipini Underground Greenhouses - The Walipini utilizes nature’s resources to provide a warm, stable, well-lit environment for year-round vegetable production. Locating the growing area 6’- 8’ underground and capturing and storing daytime solar radiation in the soil and water barrels are the most important principles in building a successful Walipini. (PESWiki; Jan. 14, 2010)
  • Solar > Applications >
    SOLAR EAR: Affordable Sun-Powered Hearing Aids - Solar Ear, a Brazilian company, creates low-cost hearing aids that get their juice from solar-powered batteries, seriously cut back on battery waste, while being more affordable than traditional hearing aids. Two AA batteries are recharged by solar power; and the AA batteries recharge the hearing aid batteries. (Inhabitat; Jan. 6, 2009)

2009

See News:2009:Solar

2006 - 2008

See News:2006-2008:Solar

See also

SOLAR GENERAL:

SOLAR MODALITIES:

SOLAR INFRASTRUCTURE

SOLAR APPLICATIONS:

NEWS FOOTER


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