Solar Energy

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

13 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

13 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.

Solar Power Can Fit on Existing Land

13 years ago John Farrell 5 Comments

This post originally appeared on Energy Self-Reliant States, a resource of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance’s New Rules Project. While large-scale solar creates contention between environmental advocates and renewable energy proponents, the truth is that there are thousands of acres in already developed land where solar can easily fit.  This … [continued]

Investing in the Planet: 3 Top Green Stocks

13 years ago Guest Contributor 6 Comments

With the spotlight on environmental issues, many investors have been looking into green stocks. Green stocks are businesses involved in sustainable, environmentally-friendly practices, ranging from production of solar panels and hybrid/electric vehicle parts to tech-related pursuits such as IP trunking and designing energy-efficient data centers. Any significant effort to reduce … [continued]

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

13 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

13 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.