Top Solar Stories Of The Year
Showing yet again how obsessive I am, via Planetsave,here are what I consider to be the top solar stories of the year. Again, I haven’t listed 10 or 20 or 30 stories, but 150. However, they are split into numerous categories, so feel free to peruse just the categories that interest you. Looking forward to an even brighter year for solar in 2014!
I just combed through nearly 1000 stories to come up with the top solar stories of the 2nd half of 2013. Beforehand, I thought I’d come up with 30 or so, but I just kept finding stories that I thought deserved some year-end highlighting. I ended up with 150, on the dot. Odd, considering that I ended up with 100, on the dot, for electric vehicles. (I swear that I didn’t manipulate at all to come up with these round numbers.) Anyway, as I realized the list was getting pretty long, I broke it up into several categories.
Overall
15 Solar Facts You Should Know
Germany Solar PV Report — A Must-Read For Any Energy Reporter — Important Media Exclusive
18 Fun Renewable Energy Charts From NREL Director Dan Arvizu & Ren21′s Renewables 2013 Global Status Report — Important Media Exclusive
The Intermittency of Wind and Solar Not A Problem? — Important Media Exclusive
Intermittency Of Renewables?… Not So Much — Important Media Exclusive
“Technologies That Could Change Everything” — Important Media Exclusive
Top Solar States vs Top Solar Countries — Important Media Exclusive
Top Solar Power Countries Per Capita & Per GDP — Important Media Exclusive
Top Solar Power States Per Capita (Updated) vs Top Solar Policy Leaders — Important Media Exclusive
Must Watch: Danny Kennedy TEDx Talk
Jerry Brown Rocks It At Intersolar North America (VIDEO)
Advantages & Disadvantages Of Solar Power
From Thomas Edison & J.P. Morgan To Solar Power & You
Solar Consumers
Home Solar Loans From Admirals Bank That Trump Solar Leasing? — Important Media Exclusive
Owners Of Solar Panels & EVs Get Solar 1st, 85.5% Buy Their Solar Panels — Important Media Exclusive
EnergySage In Detail — Important Media Exclusive
Home Solar Power = This Century’s Automobile
Solar Panels The New Granite Countertops, But Not For Long…
US Solar Growth Driven By Middle-Class Americans
Study Shows Rooftop Solar Adds Thousands To Home Resale Values
Do Women Actually Lead The Way On Home Solar?
Toshiba To Build & Operate Solar Systems For Apartment Buildings In Germany
Germany Finances Major Push Into Home Battery Storage For Solar
Solar Power + Battery System From Bosch Now On The Market
At What Point Will Small-Scale Solar Energy Storage Become Viable?
Electricity Utilities Could Lose Half Their Market To Solar And Storage
IKEA Starts Selling Solar Panels In Britain
BBOXX — Blowing Up The Off-Grid Solar & Cleantech Market
Solving Energy Poverty With Solar Light Bulbs: Nokero Product Review
Panasonic Starts 100,000 Solar Lanterns Project
11,000+ Citizens Push For 1 Million Colorado Solar Roofs By 2030
Save Energy & Save Money Using The Sun Intelligently In These 10 Ways
Money
IRENA Launches Global Renewable Energy Cost Analysis Program — Important Media Exclusive
Solar — $1.20/Watt In Europe (Unsubsidized), & Much More Solar $ Fun — Important Media Exclusive
What $0.36/W Solar Means (Reader Post) — Important Media Exclusive
US Solar To Hit Grid Parity 2014–2017 (+ More Solar PV Charts, Sort Of…) — Important Media Exclusive
NREL Releases Cost of Renewable Energy Spreadsheet Tool
US Solar Targets Could Save Americans $20 Billion Annually By 2050
NREL Releases New Roadmap To Reducing Solar PV “Soft Costs” By 2020
Lowering The Resilient Soft Costs Of Solar
Solar Subsidies Article in Wall Street Journal Misses The Beat
Colorado Solar Consumers Provide Up To $11 Million In Yearly Benefits To Xcel Grid
Cost Of Solar Getting Competitive With Wind
Forecast: Cost Of PV Panels To Drop To $0.36/Watt By 2017
Hinkley C Nuclear Power Plant To Get Twice The Rate As Solar PV From UK Government
Most Attractive States For Investing In Solar Are…
Companies Team Up To Drive Down Solar Costs For Local Solar Installers
First Solar Reports Largest Quarterly Decline In CdTe Module Cost Per-Watt Since 2007
Cleantech Transition Is Happening, Costs Dropping Off An Icy Cliff
Analysis: 50% Reduction In Cost Of Renewable Energy Since 2008
Wind + Solar Reduces Utility Costs & Emissions
Cost Of Solar Power 60% Lower Than Early 2011 In US
Fun & Games
Brazilian Stadiums Going Solar For 2014 FIFA World Cup (Also see: Yingli Green Launches Under One Sun)
Solar Impulse Now Holds 8 FAI Records In Solar Aviation Category
Google Teams Up With The Solar Airplane, Solar Impulse
Solar Impulse Lands In DC, Solar Impulse Founders Presented Top Innovation SEIA Award
Solar Impulse Flies Into Aviation History
Pop Music & Solar Panels — Music Recreates More Vibrations Of Solar Energy
Dutch Nuon Team Takes Gold At World Solar Challenge Race In Adelaide
Delft University Triumphs In 2013 World Solar Challenge!
Team Austria Takes First Place At Solar Decathlon 2013!
Architecture Contest At Solar Decathlon Won By Prague Team
Affordability And Market Appeal Solar Decathlon Winners!
Huge Solar Plane Could Fly For Five Years
New Solar-Powered Album & YouTube Series From Turtuga Blanku (Sunday Fun)
Solar Efficiency Records
Samsung Breaks CIGS Solar Efficiency Record
Solar Cell Efficiency World Record Set By Fraunhofer — 44.7%
Solar Cell Efficiency World Record Set By Sharp — 44.4%
IBM Breaks CZTS Solar Cell Efficiency Record
Soitec Sets CPV Commercial Module Efficiency Record — 31.8%
III-V Solar Cell Efficiency Record Of 31.1% Set By NREL
Dog Bites Man As Amonix Sets Yet Another Solar Cell Efficiency Record
JA Solar Attains 18.3% Multicrystalline Solar Cell Efficiency Record
New Record — Thinnest, Most-Efficient Absorber Of Visible Light Created
Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells Achieve Record Efficiency Of 15%
CZTSe Solar Cells Achieve 9.7% Efficiency
Tremendous Growth, & Big Projects
World
First Time Solar PV Overtakes Wind In Annual Capacity Additions
US
100% Of New Power Capacity In US Came From Renewable Energy In November (2nd Month This Year)
Renewable Energy Provided 99% Of All New Electricity Capacity In October
US Solar Energy Industry Shines In Record-Setting 3Q 2013
US Passes 10 GW Installed Solar PV Capacity Milestone
49% Of New US Electricity Capacity Is From Solar, Q1 Record (Report)
Solar System Installed In US Every 4 Minutes
US Solar PV Demand To Grow 20% In 2013 To 4.3 GW
Interior Department Approves Up To 4GW Of New Renewable Energy Projects
US Solar PV Pipeline Grows To 43 GW
83% Increase In US Solar PV Capacity In 2012
Germany
Germany Breaks Monthly Solar Generation Record, ~6.5 Times More Than US Best
Germany Sets Solar Power Record (Again) — 23.9 GW — Important Media Exclusive
Sunday, Solar Sunday — Germany’s July 7 Solar Power Record In-Depth
Largest Solar Rooftop In Europe Complete, In Germany!
China
China’s Installed PV To Reach 10 GW By End Of Year
China Becomes The First To Hit The 3 GW Utility-Scale Solar Milestone
20 GW Of Distributed Solar By 2015 Is New Target For China
India
World Bank Foresees Potential For 20 GW Indian Solar Future
Indian Auction For 4,000 MW Of Solar Projects To Start Soon
World’s Largest (4GW) Solar Project Planned For India (Also see: India To Set Up Ultra Mega Solar Power Plant — 4,000 MW Capacity)
Japan
Japan Solar PV Industry Reaches 10 GW Milestone
20.91 GW Of New Solar Approved In Japan Through May
Australia
Australian Rooftop Solar Reaches 3 GW
100% Of New Australian Power Plants Are Wind Or Solar
South Australia To Reach 50% Renewables Within A Decade
Other Markets
500 MW Of Solar Plants Due For Construction In Uganda
500 MW Rooftop Solar Scheme To Be Submitted To Abu Dhabi
500 MW Solar Energy Project Being Developed In Cholistan, Pakistan
300 MW Of Ethiopian Solar Farms To Be Built By US Companies
Tour Of Perovo Solar Power Station — Important Media Exclusive
An Island (Tokelau) Powered 100% By Solar Energy
70,000 Tanzanian Households Could Be Powered By New Solar Project
UK Feed-in Tariff Generated Nearly 380,000 Renewable Installations In Three Years
World’s Largest Solar Thermal Plant With Storage Comes Online
Business
ABB’s Huge Solar Push — Shifting Solar Into The Next Gear? (Also see: 7 Exclusive Videos With ABB’s Solar Director and ABB Solar Head Talks Solar Growth Markets & ABB’s Microgrid Specialties) — Important Media Exclusives
Top Utility-Scale Solar Builder Is First Solar, But Big Boys Climbing The Ranks
IKEA’s Continued Progress Towards 100% Renewable Energy By 2020
Google & Facebook Also Have An Energy Dark Side
SolarCity Leads Way Into Low-Interest Solar Financing That Could Be Huge Boost To Solar Industry
SolarCity Makes $120 Million Buy, Aims For 1 Million Solar Customers By 2018
Solar Means Business: Top 25 US Corporate Solar Energy Users
Solar Exchange Opens, Auctions $28 Million In Solar Goods In 1 Week
Solar Carries Alternative Energy Mutual Funds And ETFs To Strong Returns
Why Have Solar Stocks Been Taking Off?
Converging Solar Demand And Supply Set To Help Solar Industry Recover
50,250 New American Jobs From These Solar Guidelines
China Has Invested Billions Of Dollars In Renewable Energy Projects In US, Europe
Production Scale (Not Cheap Labour) Gives China Solar Advantage (Also see: Chinese Solar Cells Cheaper To Manufacture Because Of Larger-Scale Of Manufacturing Industry, Not Cheaper Labor, Research Finds)
US Tops In Renewable Energy Attractiveness As Sector Comes Of Age
Policy
San Francisco Getting Back On The PACE Wagon!
Most Solar-Friendly States — 2013 State Solar Policy Rankings (Infographic)
Top Solar Power States Per Capita (Updated) vs Top Solar Policy Leaders — Important Media Exclusive
Obama: Federal Government Has 7 Years To Triple Renewable Energy
4 States Lead US In Freeing The Grid For Distributed Solar Energy
Solar Permitting Website Gets Overhaul — More Data, New Features
Project Permit Exposes Grey Areas Of Solar Permitting
Palo Alto Streamlines Going Solar
1 GW Georgia Solar Project Secures Government Support
China–EU Solar Antidumping Case Settled
Home Solar PV In Europe Not Subject To VAT (Consumption Tax), EU Court Rules
Sydney Intends To Go 100% Renewable For Electricity, Heat, & Cooling By 2030
São Paulo Sets Ambitious Goal Of 70% Renewable Energy By 2020
$60 Million More For Low Cost Solar Power
Spain Solar Enthusiasts And Workers “Turn Themselves In” At Spanish Prison
Spain Gets Reported To European Parliament By 100+ Spanish Bodies
The Utility vs Solar Fight — Why? What’s At Stake?
Why Is “Solar Power vs Utilities” Such A Hot Topic?
The Radical Right Wing Is Becoming An Unlikely Advocate For Solar Power
Solar Power War Pits Conservatives Against Conservatives
For our top solar stories from the first 5 months of the year, check out:
- Top 50 Solar Energy Stories Of 2013 (So Far): Part 1
- Top 50 Solar Energy Stories Of 2013 (So Far): Part 2
- Top 50 Solar Energy Stories Of 2013 (So Far): Part 3
- Top 50 Solar Energy Stories Of 2013 (So Far): Part 4
- Top 50 Solar Energy Stories Of 2013 (So Far): Part 5
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