CleanTechnica

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

Solar Power Windows Fast Approaching Commercial Production

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Nathan

Commercial production of solar windows, using the patented SolarWindow spray-on solar power coating system, may be just around the corner. A recent announcement from US building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) developer New Energy Technologies Ltd. (which we’ve been following for years) has us feeling that the time may soon come. As per New Energy Technologies’ recent announcement, the big news is that the fabrication time of the technology has been greatly reduced. The fabrication process, which … Read More

New Report Outlines U.S. Miltary’s Solar Powered Might

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Tina Casey

new SEIA report outlines military solar power

If you have any doubts about solar power’s place in the U.S. energy landscape, check out the new report from the Solar energy Industries Association (SEIA). Titled “Enlisting the Sun: Powering the U.S. Military with Solar Energy,” the report details solar power systems at Army, Navy, and Air Forces in more than 31 states and Washington, D.C. that add up to more than 130 megawatts. Though not a great deal relative to the Department of … Read More

SolarCity Earnings – Mixed Results But Good Prospects

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Guest Contributor

This article first appeared on the Roen Financial Report by Harris Roen SolarCity (SCTY) has been one of the hottest alternative energy stocks since its Initial Public Offering five short months ago. Yesterday it shot up 24% in one day, on the largest one-day volume since it opened, in anticipation of its quarterly earnings release. It is up 95% in the past three months, and has more than tripled from its initial trading price. As … Read More

Net Metering: A Net Positive

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Guest Contributor

This article first appeared on Mosaic by Rosana Francescato There’s been a lot of talk lately about net metering. What’s so special about net metering, and why all the fuss? Net metering is a simple concept that’s policy in 43 states. It’s like rollover minutes on a cell phone bill — it lets utility customers who install solar systems feed energy they generate into the grid if they don’t need it at the time they’re generating … Read More

New “Artificial Leaf” Concept Could Blow Up Fuel Cell Market

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Tina Casey

artificial leaf converts water to hydrogen

The idea of an “artificial leaf” sounds simple enough: Take a small, cheap, light-collecting device the size of a typical leaf, dunk it in a quart of water, and use solar energy to generate enough hydrogen gas for powering a small fuel cell. Scaled up, these solar-derived fuel cells would provide an energy storage solution that puts solar power on the same consistent, reliable footing as any fossil fuel. Various researchers have gotten most of … Read More

Did Energy Efficiency Drive 75% Of US CO2 Cuts In 2012?

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Guest Contributor

This article originally appeared on RenewEconomy. By Sophie Vorrath Ever since the US saw its CO2 emissions hit a 20-year low last year, the widely held belief has been that natural gas played the dominant role by pushing coal out of the market. But, as Stephen Lacey reports over on GreentechEfficiency, researchers at CO2 Scoreboard have come to rather a different conclusion. They found that, on a nationwide level, more than 50 million megawatt-hours of coal simply dropped … Read More

Tesla Plans To Pay Off DOE Loan Early, Issues 2,703,027 Shares Of Common Stock + $450 Million Of Convertible Senior Notes

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Zachary Shahan

We previously reported on Tesla’s aim to pay back its Department of Energy (DOE) loan 5 years early. The company has made some strong steps in that direction this week with a couple of major fundraising announcements. As part of that, Elon Musk himself is investing a good chunk more money ($100 million) into the company. Naturally, these positive announcements (on top of all the others Tesla has been making in recent weeks) have helped … Read More