From the end of 2010 until the first quarter of this year, leading Chinese solar companies were able to drop the cost of manufacturing multicrystalline solar modules by 54 percent. Their ability to finally break the dollar-per-watt barrier in 2011 and continue moving costs downward through 2013 came from one simple factor: price crashes for … Continue reading How Chinese Firms Will Produce Solar Photovoltaic for 36 Cents per Watt
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Powering up the drones with solar photovoltaic
Advances in solar cell technology can make drones a more powerful tool not only for the battlefield but also for civilian uses, such as firefighting, crop surveying and oil and gas field monitoring. A Silicon Valley company called Alta Devices has been working with AeroVironment to engineer a drone that can stay airborne longer and … Continue reading Powering up the drones with solar photovoltaic
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U.S. President Obama installs solar PV system on White House
U.S. President Barack Obama has authorized the installation of a rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) system on the White House, the traditional residence of U.S. presidents and their families. Reports state that the PV modules will be American made. The White House has said that the PV system is part of an energy retrofit to improve … Continue reading U.S. President Obama installs solar PV system on White House
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Installed price of solar photovoltaic systems in the US continues to decline
Installed prices for PV systems in 2012 fell by a range of roughly $0.30 per Watt (W) to $0.90/W, or 6 to 14 percent, from the prior year, depending on the size of the system. “This marks the third year in a row of significant price reductions for PV systems in the U.S.,” explains Galen … Continue reading Installed price of solar photovoltaic systems in the US continues to decline
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What is the best solar power technology to cut land costs?
As the price of photovoltaic solar levels out and the value of concentrating solar power’s storage improves, it is possible that the price of land could become a decisive factor in a solar project’s overall energy costs. A new land-use analysis demonstrates the choice of technology could be crucial. Researchers at NREL drew on acreage … Continue reading What is the best solar power technology to cut land costs?
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Belectric inaugurates 128 MW solar power plant in Templin (Germany)
The Templin thin film park has been developed on a former Russian military airfield, Gross Dölln and is equipped with more than 1.5 million thin film modules from First Solar and 114 solar inverters from SMA. BELECTRIC has successfully connected the largest and most state-of-the-art Thin-Film ground-mounted solar power plant in Europe to the energy … Continue reading Belectric inaugurates 128 MW solar power plant in Templin (Germany)
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Solar energy topped 100,000 megawatts in 2012
The world installed 31,100 megawatts of solar photovoltaics (PV) in 2012—an all-time annual high that pushed global PV capacity above 100,000 megawatts. There is now enough PV operating to meet the household electricity needs of nearly 70 million people at the European level of use. While PV production has become increasingly concentrated in one … Continue reading Solar energy topped 100,000 megawatts in 2012
Continue readingChina, EU reach deal on solar photovoltaic
“After weeks of intensive talks, I can announce today that I am satisfied with the offer of a price undertaking submitted by China’s solar panel exporters,” EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht said in a statement, referring to an agreement for a minimum price for China’s imports. “We found an amicable solution … that will … Continue reading China, EU reach deal on solar photovoltaic
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Rainbow Power Company to provide solar PV systems to Papua New Guinea
Rainbow Power Company has signed a contract to provide consultancy, training services and solar photovoltaic (PV) equipment to a project to provide PV-powered mini-grids to 49 villages in Western Province, Papua New Guinea. Villages will receive a three-phase solar/battery/inverter system that will supply electricity for lighting, television, phone charging and a community cool room. The … Continue reading Rainbow Power Company to provide solar PV systems to Papua New Guinea
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Renewables outpace coal, oil and nuclear in U.S.
Renewable energy sources, including wind energy, solar power, biomass, hydro and geothermal energy, accounted for 24.93% of all new U.S. electrical generating capacity installed in the first six months of this year for a total of 2,144 MW, according to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) latest Energy Infrastructure Update report. Thus far this year, … Continue reading Renewables outpace coal, oil and nuclear in U.S.
Continue readingUS Photovoltaic capacity has reached 10 Gigawatts
The United States has now a 10 Gigawatts solar photovoltaic capacity. It is the fourth country to reach this threshold. According to the North America PV Market Quarterly report published by NPD Solarbuzz, the United States are now the fourth country to reach the 10 gigawatts solar power capacity after Germany, China and Italy. Since … Continue reading US Photovoltaic capacity has reached 10 Gigawatts
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China eyes fivefold jump in solar power capacity
China is aiming for a fivefold increase in solar power generating capacity by 2015 to shore up domestic solar panel makers that are struggling with overcapacity. The country aims to install about 10 gigawatts of solar capacity annually from 2013-2015, bringing the total to more than 35 GW by the end of 2015, according to … Continue reading China eyes fivefold jump in solar power capacity
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Spain kills Feed-in Tariff for renewable energy
Spain is preparing cuts in subsidies for renewable energy (concentrated solar power or CSP, PV, wind energy) production in an attempt to diminish their threat to public coffers expected to be announced as early as Friday. The government would unveil a more complex formula for determining the guaranteed income that producers receive for the electricity … Continue reading Spain kills Feed-in Tariff for renewable energy
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Wind Energy to Double and Solar Power to Triple in 6 Years, Says IEA
The headline summary of the new Medium-Term Renewable Energy Market Report 2013 from the International Energy Agency (IEA) has been well reported: Renewables will surpass natural gas for electricity generation globally by 2016, doubling nuclear output and coming in second only to coal in power generation. Total renewable capacity is expected to grow from 1,580 … Continue reading Wind Energy to Double and Solar Power to Triple in 6 Years, Says IEA
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Photovoltaic Technology and Cost Outlook
The global PV industry’s recent past has seen wafer, cell, and module suppliers at the mercy of an inhospitable supply-demand imbalance throughout the global market. With supply consistently 200% of demand annually, c-Si module prices have fallen approximately 70% in two years. One positive externality of this cutthroat pricing is that manufacturing costs have fallen … Continue reading Photovoltaic Technology and Cost Outlook
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Apple to build solar energy plant to power data center
Apple will pay for construction of an 18-megawatt photovoltaic solar energy plant in northern Nevada to provide power for a data center the technology plans east of Reno. The Fort Churchill Solar Array, to be built in Yerington, was included in a filing Monday by NV Energy Inc. with the Public Utilities Commission. Apple announced … Continue reading Apple to build solar energy plant to power data center
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The wind energy produced 19,3% of of electricity in June in Spain
The peninsular electricity demand in the month of June, after taking into account the effects of timing and temperatures fell by 1.8% over the same month last year. Gross demand has been from 19,239 GWh, 7.3% lower than in June 2012. In June, the generation from renewable energy sources in Spain has accounted for 45.2% … Continue reading The wind energy produced 19,3% of of electricity in June in Spain
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Renewables energies to surpass gas by 2016 in the global power mix
Calico solar power project has been canceled
The developer of a huge proposed solar power project that was once slated to cover 12.5 square miles of still-intact desert habitat has walked away from the idea, according to documents released by the California Energy Commission (CEC). The Calico Solar Project was proposed for land north of Interstate 40 between the hamlets of Ludlow … Continue reading Calico solar power project has been canceled
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Total renewable power capacity worldwide exceeded 1,470 gigawatts (GW) in 2012
While renewable capacity rises at a rapid rate from year to year, renewable energy’s share of total generation is increasing more slowly because many countries continue to add significant fossil fuel capacity, and much of the renewable capacity being added (wind power and solar energy) operates at relatively low capacity factors. Even so, wind energy … Continue reading Total renewable power capacity worldwide exceeded 1,470 gigawatts (GW) in 2012
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