Author: proteus

Lower Solar Power Prices, Growth & Savings Lead to Reduction in Arizonans’ 2012 Utility Bills

12 years ago proteus 2 Comments

Arizonans will see a reduction in their 2012 utility bills. Falling solar prices and growing use of solar power among households, business and industry, as well as 2011 renewable energy savings, prompted Arizona Public Service to propose, and the state Corporation Commission to approve a reduction in utility customers’ monthly renewable energy tariff. Small solar power installation businesses are concerned about the effect falling homeowner rebates will have on growth, however.

Semprius to Produce Dot-Sized, Low Cost-High Efficiency Solar CPV Cells, Modules at NC Plant

12 years ago proteus 6 Comments

Fresh out of having its dot-sized, triple junction solar PV cells validated at 41% efficiency, Semprius is building a 35 MW production facility in North Carolina. Using a massive parallel micro-transfer process, its concentrated PV modules are expected to be competitive with fossil fuels. Siemens and VC partners have taken an equity stake in the start-up, a dramatic illustration of how federal government support is being leveraged by private industry.

Going Bust Amid a Boom: US Solar Installations Soar as Growing Businesses Fall by the…

12 years ago proteus 3 Comments

2011 US solar power installations soared to a record, growing 140% year-over-year in Q3, and even greater gains are expected in Q4. Yet the US solar power industry, along with its counterparts in Germany and China, is in turmoil as supply-demand imbalances driven by slanted government policies on trade, investment, foreign exchange and clean energy production and usage push an increasing number of growing businesses to, and beyond the brink of financial solvency.

Chromasun Harvests Sun’s Heat & Photons with Hybrid Concentrated Solar Photovoltaic — Thermal Modules

12 years ago proteus 6 Comments

By harvesting both heat and photons from sunlight, Chromasun’s latest hybrid concentrated solar photovoltaic-thermal (CPVT) system can provide at least three times the energy conversion efficiency of standalone solar PV systems. Field tests, the most recent at Santa Clara University’s 2007 Solar Decathlon House, indicate that installing Chromasun’s MCT Collector system on building rooftops is grid-competitive without any subsidization.

Tax Credit Extension Crucial to US Clean Energy Growth, Manufacturing & Jobs Revival

12 years ago proteus 6 Comments

The US wind energy industry can create and save 54,000 jobs, including expanding the wind energy manufacturing sector by 1/3 to 46,000 jobs, according to the results of a study completed by Navigant Consulting. That’s given a stable federal tax policy that includes extending the existing wind energy production tax credit (PTC) for another four years. The AWEA, along with US manufacturing industry groups, labor unions and environmental groups, is pushing for Congress to pass recently introduced legislation that would extend the PTC through 2016.