January 19th, 2019 | by Zachary Shahan
I started covering the solar energy industry seriously in 2009. It seemed like a hopping, exciting time in the industry — growth was exploding. I remember one early story in which readers admonished me a little because I put "Solar Power Exploding" in a headline, and they thought I was referring to genuine explosions. In 2019, 2009 and 2010 progress looks like anthills
January 6th, 2019 | by Nicolas Zart
Of all the strange things we do as a race on this planet, refining and over-complicating things are some of them. We're never satisfied with letting things be and often time favor extravagant conspiracy theories over reality. After all, how would the opposing piston engine and the convoluted internal combustion engine system have worked until now otherwise? Even though it has brought us this far, we need to get rid of inefficiency for more effective solar thermal energy storage systems
November 29th, 2018 | by Zachary Shahan
It has been a while since I wrote a "What Changed In The Solar Energy Industry ... ?" article, so I'm lumping two months of news together for this one as November closes. That means cutting out more of the "small" stories, which should make this an especially potent roundup of notable changes in the electric vehicle industry. Enjoy!
November 8th, 2018 | by Kurt Lowder
New Mexico has elected US Congresswoman Michelle Lujan Grisham to become its new governor by an impressive 14 point margin. The previous governor, Susan Martinez, was a climate change denier (she was not up for re-election). In her Clean Power, Clean Future plan, Grisham stated: "Inaction by the Martinez Administration has left us falling behind other states in pursuing renewable energy and clean tech industries."
November 2nd, 2018 | by Charles W. Thurston
The decade-old 500 MW Palen Solar Project has finally won decisive federal approval to go ahead as an estimated $1 billion photovoltaic project in the California desert after years of controversy and varied ownership. The November 1 approval by the US Bureau of Land Management also side-steps years of regulatory consideration of the project by the California Energy Commission, when the plant was still being proposed as a solar thermal project.
August 11th, 2018 | by Zachary Shahan
Complementing our update on key changes in the electric vehicle industry in June and July, below are highly notable news items from the solar energy and energy storage industries in June and July
July 10th, 2018 | by Guest Contributor
With a string of new investments and acquisitions in the past year (you can find a unique overview further on in this article!), Shell has quietly stepped up the pace of its transition from an oil and gas company into an energy company. “We are further along than people realize”, says Mark Gainsborough, Executive Vice-President of Shell New Energies, in an exclusive interview with Energy Post. According to Gainsborough, there is a “shift in thinking” within the company that is now irreversible. “People in Shell see a lot riding on the success of New Energies. And we are considered one of the most attractive units to work in. Anyone under the age of 35 wants to work for New Energies.”
July 8th, 2018 | by Nexus Media
Desalination plants require a tremendous amount of energy, making them extremely costly to run. And, if that energy comes from burning fossil fuels, it will only make climate change worse. The Department of Energy (DOE) is looking to tackle both problems by funding research aimed at dramatically reducing the cost of using solar power to get the salt out of seawater
June 14th, 2018 | by Kurt Lowder
We have seen solar power in the Middle East come into the low 2 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) range. We have seen it under 2 cents per kWh in Mexico. Misguided, casual observers claimed these prices only occurred due to heavily exploited labor, but now we have also seen 2.155 cents per kWh in the United States. This contract was one of six contracts that Nevada Power recently signed. All six contracts came in under 3 cents per kWh
June 12th, 2018 | by Zachary Shahan
Following up on our "What Changed In The Electric Vehicle Industry In May?" roundup, below is a summary of major solar energy and energy storage news from May. This roundup isn't just about big project announcements. The point is to highlight notable shifts or milestones here or there in the industry
May 24th, 2018 | by U.S. Energy Information Administration
Electricity generation from solar resources in the United States reached 77 million megawatthours (MWh) in 2017, surpassing for the first time annual generation from biomass resources, which generated 64 million MWh in
April 29th, 2018 | by James Ayre
Solar ponds are a type of passive solar energy technology whereby pools of saltwater are used to collect and store solar thermal energy — making use of the natural formation of a salinity gradient in such bodies of water, whereby heat isn't easily transferred between a high-salinity layer at the bottom of the body of water in question and a low-salinity layer on top
April 28th, 2018 | by James Ayre
Solar walls, glazed solar collectors, and so-called Trombe walls are all different types of passive solar heating technologies based around the use of materials meant to absorb solar radiation (generally, dark-colored materials since dark colors absorb the heat better) and thermal mass. The end goal is to provide space heating, and often ventilation as well
April 28th, 2018 | by Kyle Field
One of the challenges posed to students was focused on climate change. What can be done at the school to reduce its carbon footprint and more than that, to impact Cape Breton Island in a positive way? The students were filled with ideas and opened up the floodgates to their teachers. Out of the long list and through a process of discussion, several ideas rose to the top and were selected as the focus on action for the project.
April 22nd, 2018 | by James Ayre
Solar chimneys are an ancient passive solar technology whereby natural heat convection processes are harnessed to provide ventilation, amongst other possibilities
April 22nd, 2018 | by James Ayre
Solar energy has been exploited in direct capacities, for various purposes, well before solar photovoltaic cell and module technology became the most prominent example of "solar energy technology." Solar stills, solar cookers, sunlight concentrators, solar furnaces, solar fire starters, et cetera, have a long history of use and/or suggestion of use. For instance, there's fairly good evidence (though disputed by some academics) that solar fire-starters have been in use in Central Asia for a fair many thousands of years
April 7th, 2018 | by James Ayre
Further building on our discussions of energy efficient building design — via the subjects of basic passive solar home design elements, the Passivhaus standard, R-value terminology, and earth-sheltered house design — it seems worth highlighting the "PlusEnergy" building design approach
April 4th, 2018 | by Zachary Shahan
What actually changed in the world of solar in Q1 2018? Here's our rundown
March 4th, 2018 | by Jake Richardson
In the last couple of years, there has been a growing a number of news articles and blog posts published about energy storage, particularly in the form of battery systems. This interest is very reasonable and the news is exciting because these systems can fill in wind power and solar power electricity production gaps. In many places, they could replace gas-powered peaker plants
February 15th, 2018 | by Guest Contributor
SolarReserve has opened its Australian headquarters and a field office near where it will build a 150MW solar thermal power plant
