Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory released a study this week concluding that the solar industry could use many cheaper and more abundant alternatives to silicon, including iron pyrite — most commonly known as fool’s gold. In total, the researchers found 23 alternative semiconductors, but only 12 are more easily found than silicon. Iron pyrite [...]
New Solar Cells Will be Printed Like Money
February 20, 2009 By 7 Comments
Australian scientists at CSIRO’s Victorian Organic Solar Cell Consortium (VICOSC) are on a quest to make solar cells as easy to print as money. Trials of the flexible, large area, cost-effective, reel-to-reel printable plastic solar cells will even be conducted by Securency International — a banknote printing company.
Can the World's Worst CD and DVD Manufacturer Do Better with Solar Energy?
February 20, 2009 By 12 Comments
Sun Well Solar—a subsidiary of the notoriously poor CD and DVD manufacturer, CMC Magnetics—has announced today that it is one month ahead of schedule in the ramp-up of its new photovoltaic production line.
groSolar to Acquire Borrego Solar's Residential Division
February 19, 2009 By Leave a Comment
In a move to expand its national reach, GroSolar announced plans Thursday to acquire Borrego Solar Systems’ residential solar installation business. With the acquisition, groSolar will emerge as the fourth-largest residential solar power installer in the United States. The company’s acquisition comes at a time when the industry is poised to reap the benefits of [...]
Mitsubishi Breaks PV Cell Efficiency Record
February 19, 2009 By 3 Comments
Mitsubishi has broken its own photovoltaic cell efficiency record in a seeming attempt to ensure domination over the solar energy industry. The company has improved the conversion efficiency rate of its PV cells to 18.9 percent— only a slight increase from the previous record of 18.6 percent.
Corn Biofuel is Toast: Here Comes Crambe
February 19, 2009 By 16 Comments
Corn is beginning to seem more and more like the has-been-that-never-was of the biofuel feedstock scene. An inedible, weedy-looking plant called crambe is the latest competitor to come along and stick a fork in it. Never heard of crambe? Then you haven’t been spending enough time in North Dakota.
Mafia Blows Rivals Away, Muscles Into Wind Power Industry
February 19, 2009 By 2 Comments
Police in southern Italy have this week launched a major crackdown on mafia activities following serious allegations of corruption over the awarding of building contracts for a Sicilian wind farm. According to organized crime investigators, government officials were lavished with bribes, including luxury cars and cash, in an effort to ensure the contract — worth [...]
AIST Introduces Sugar Cube-Sized Fuel Cell
February 19, 2009 By 7 Comments
The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) recently developed a surprisingly attractive solid-oxide fuel cell (SOFC). The sugar cube-sized SOFC, which is made up of 25 needle-like modules measuring 0.8 mm, packs a serious punch due to a high ratio of electrode area to volume. And since small size means a small [...]
