CleanTechnica

Clean Energy Companies Launch Alliance To Protect Solar Choice & Rooftop Solar, Combat Monopoly Utilities

Posted on May 19, 2013 by Guest Contributor

This article was originally published on the website of The Alliance for Solar Choice. The nation’s leading rooftop solar companies today announced the formation of The Alliance for Solar Choice (TASC). TASC believes anyone should have the option to switch from utility power to distributed solar power. Founding members represent the majority of the US rooftop solar market and include SolarCity, Sungevity, Sunrun, and Verengo. TASC is committed to protecting the choice for distributed solar. … Read More

Fluorescent Solar Cells The Future?

Posted on May 19, 2013 by Guest Contributor

Scientists at Yale have improved the ability of a promising type of solar cell to absorb light and convert it into electrical power by adding a fluorescent organic dye to the cell layer. (Image by Teng-Hooi Goh and Jing-Shun Huang)

This article was originally published on the Yale News website. For some solar cells, the future may be fluorescent. Scientists at Yale have improved the ability of a promising type of solar cell to absorb light and convert it into electrical power by adding a fluorescent organic dye to the cell layer. This squaraine dye boosts light absorption and recycles electrons, improving the conversion of light into energy. The results suggest a new route for … Read More

Printing Australia’s Largest Solar Cells

Posted on May 19, 2013 by Guest Contributor

(L-R) Dr David Jones, Professor Andrew Holmes and Dr Scott Watkins.

This article was originally published on the website of CSIRO. Scientists have produced the largest flexible, plastic solar cells in Australia – 10 times the size of what they were previously able to – thanks to a new solar cell printer that has been installed at CSIRO. The printer has allowed researchers from the Victorian Organic Solar Cell Consortium (VICOSC) – a collaboration between CSIRO, The University of Melbourne, Monash University and industry partners – … Read More

South Korea May Launch World’s Most Ambitious Cap And Trade Market

Posted on May 18, 2013 by Silvio Marcacci

South Korea historical and forecast emissions

With roughly 18 months until launch, South Korea appears on the path to launch the world’s most ambitious cap and trade market, with the highest global price on carbon.

The government is still finalizing system design, set to launch in January 2015, but it could ultimately cover 70% of national emissions and reach $90 per ton of carbon.

Tesla Model S Sales Much Higher Than Similarly Priced Cars From Mercedes, BMW, & Audi

Posted on May 18, 2013 by Nathan

It’s near impossible to deny the success that Tesla Motors has been having as of late. The Model S has been selling extremely well. Its stock has been climbing to new heights, it has turned a profit, it has announced that it will be repaying its DOE loan five years early, and the company is gearing up for the release of several new models over the next few years. And now, new data from LMC … Read More

How Adding An Electric Car Cut Solar Payback Time In Half

Posted on May 18, 2013 by Nicholas Brown

Do you think that buying an electric vehicle could reduce the payback time of a solar power system by 50%? Let us explore that. This is the story of a family in Pennsylvania who installed a 9.43 kW solar panel array to offset their electricity usage. They found themselves saving considerably more money than they originally would have. The solar power system was installed in October 2011. It consists of 41 panels. Each of the … Read More

12.2 GW Of New Solar Approved Until February In Japan

Posted on May 18, 2013 by Karl-Friedrich Lenz

This article was originally published on Lenz Blog. The Japanese Ministry of Economy, Industry, and Trade just published figures for renewable energy under the new feed-in tariff law in force since last July. Thanks to this tweet by Hiro Matsubara for the link. To state the result in very short terms, wind is struggling even with the very high tariffs in place, and solar is headed for the “rocket start” former Prime Minister Noda called for last October. The Japanese … Read More

Odd Twist: US Solar Company Sells Solar Panels To China

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Nicholas Brown

Solaria, an American solar panel manufacturer, is going to sell a good chunk of its solar panels to China, counter to the much more common scenario of China manufacturing solar panels (and other goods) for the US. Solaria is based in Fremont, California. Its panels, which are of the STS-AZ type, are being used in several large-scale (in the megawatts) solar power plants that are currently under construction in the Qinghai province of China and in … Read More

Improved Quality Control During Lithium-Ion Battery Production Thanks To New System

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Nathan

"This thermal image was recorded using a new tool developed at Purdue that detects flaws in lithium-ion batteries as they are being manufactured, a step toward reducing defects and inconsistencies in the thickness of electrodes that affect battery life and reliability."
Image Credit: Purdue University

A new tool has been created by researchers at Purdue University that is able to detect flaws in lithium-ion batteries while they are still being manufactured, potentially greatly improving the quality and reliability of the batteries and also cutting down on waste/inefficiency. Specifically, the new tool is able to flag defects and inconsistencies in the thickness of electrodes that can limit the battery’s life and reliability. As a result of the inconsistencies being spotted right … Read More