Month: June 2011

You Can Now Easily Share Your Solar Power System’s Performance on Facebook

13 years ago Zachary Shahan 3 Comments

The world lives on Facebook (yeah, that’s a link to our Facebook page, by the way). That’s what they tell us, at least, since Facebook is now the #1 website on the internet (in terms of total hours spent there).

Believe it or not, though, up until this week, no residential solar energy monitoring company provided an easy way for you to share your solar power system’s performance with your friends and family.

However, SunReports, “the market leader in residential solar energy monitoring for both solar PV and solar hot water systems,” has just announced that it is offering such a service.

China to Double Solar Power Capacity Target to 10 GW by 2015

13 years ago Zachary Shahan 12 Comments

I just reported yesterday on a new report out by Ernst & Young showing that China is the most attractive country in the world for renewable energy investors. However, it wasn’t ranked as top for solar energy investment (was tied for third with Spain behind the US and India). That may change next time around (the report is released every quarter), as China is preparing to officially up its 2015 solar capacity target from 5 GW to 10 GW!

Top UN Official: 2030 Renewable Energy Target to be 30%

13 years ago Zachary Shahan 0 Comments

I reported one month ago on the United Nation’s ground-breaking new renewable energy report (a “Renewable Energy Bible” as some have called it). The report, among other things, showed that we could get approximately 80% of our energy from renewable resources by 2050 (currently, we’re at about 13%, but with wind and solar still playing a minor part).

Now, a top UN official — Kandeh Yumkella, head of the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) — has said that he wants a goal set of getting 30% from renewable energy sources by 2030.

Enphase Energy Unveils Most Efficient Microinverter in World

13 years ago Zachary Shahan 3 Comments

I got to speak with Enphase Energy CEO Paul Nahi last week about its new microinverters and changes to the Engage System the company unveiled officially yesterday. Enphase is the market leader in solar microinverters. While microinverters may not turn most people on, they are important, and the news Paul had to share on its new product was pretty exciting and I think it’s worth a little attention.

Cargill, Shell and Honda Team Up to Make Gasoline from Pine and Corn Waste

13 years ago Tina Casey 2 Comments

Three global companies from the worlds of agriculture, petroleum and car manufacturing are lead investors in a company called Virent, which has developed a biogasoline that is practically the molecular equivalent of conventional gasoline. The milestone is significant because the feedstock consists of woody, non-food waste from pine and corn (aka corn stover), a vast improvement over corn, soybeans and other food crops. The partnership is also significant because