CleanTechnica

First Solar Launches India Expansion Plan as Trade Tensions Escalate

August 24, 201213 years ago proteus 5 Comments

First Solar’s shifting its strategic focus toward supplying and building thin-film solar power projects in India, as PV cell and panel profit margins continue to be pressured and trade tensions escalate. The Tempe, Arizona thin-film market leader aims to capture 20% of the Indian solar PV market even as critics assert that US government export finance banks are providing low-interest loans to Indian solar power project developers that violate WTO rules on international trade. […]

Japanese Home Improvement Co. Launches Billion-Dollar Solar Power Plant Program

August 24, 201213 years ago proteus 5 Comments

Having built the company into Japan’s largest residential solar power provider, West Power Holdings is ramping up its solar power investments with an initiative that aims to add 500 MW of clean, renewable power to the national grid. West Holdings plans to build 250 solar power plants across the country, partnering with China’s JA Solar and South Korea’s LS Industrial in doing so. […]

Norwegian Scatec Solar to Build 350 MW of Solar Power in Africa

August 24, 201213 years ago mathias 1 Comment

Scatec Solar has just stated that they it develop photovoltaic solar systems in West and Central Africa. Scatec Solar is backed by IFC InfraVentures, a member of the World Bank Group, with sufficient investment capacity and expertise in local knowledge and networks. “Joining forces with IFC InfraVentures allows us … [continued]

IBM Researchers Have Developed Record-Breaking PV Cells

August 24, 201213 years ago Joshua S Hill 1 Comment

IBM Materials Science researchers, in conjunction with partners from Solar Frontier, Tokyo Ohka Kogyo (TOK) and DelSolar, have developed an efficient and affordable PV cell that is made from abundant natural materials, and has already crushed the world record for PV solar-to-electric power conversion efficiency using earth-abundant materials. The team … [continued]

Solar Pocket Factory Aims to Make Small-Scale Solar Widely Available

August 24, 201213 years ago James Ayre 0 Comments

A new startup, The Solar Pocket Factory, is aiming to create a small, automated machine that can create microsolar panels to be used for a variety of different purposes, charging cell phones, computers, and battery packs for starters. The inventors hope it expands far beyond that, though. Essentially the … [continued]

Battery-Swapping Electric Vehicle Sets 24-Hour Record: 1,170 Miles

August 24, 201213 years ago James Ayre 2 Comments

A new record has been set for the longest distance covered by a battery-swapping electric vehicle in 24-hours, 1,170 miles. That’s pretty impressive for an electric car, and makes a good argument for battery swapping as a good solution to the challenge of EV charging. The record was done … [continued]

No Potato, No Problem: Plantain Makes a Sustainable Battery

August 24, 201213 years ago Tina Casey 5 Comments

If you remember that light-up-a-potato trick from science class, you might be wondering why potatoes can’t be used as a cheap type of battery in developing countries. The answer is simple: in many parts of the world, potatoes don’t come cheaply. However, scientists in Sri Lanka are taking the … [continued]

Clean Energy Stimulus? Third-Party-Owned Solar PV Has Added $1 Billion to California’s Economy

August 24, 201213 years ago proteus 6 Comments

Making solar power more affordable for much larger segments of the US population, third-party-owned solar PV systems have been growing explosively in California. Solar PV systems installed and owned by third-party providers have increased well over 3,000% since they were introduced in 2007, according to a new Sunrun–Solar PV Report study. […]

Bike Sharing Catching On In California

August 24, 201213 years ago chelsea 0 Comments

If there was a modern day Paul Revere in Long Beach, he’d be announcing, “The bicycles are coming, the bicycles are coming!” It’s true, soon there will be a lot more cyclists cruising the streets of Cali. Bike Nation and Long Beach are partnering for a bike-sharing program that … [continued]

LA Reduces Auto Pollution by 98% Since 1960

August 24, 201213 years ago chelsea 1 Comment

Three cheers for LA! California’s biggest city, and the second-largest in the US, has slashed vehicle pollution by a whopping 98 percent since 1960. Hip hip hooray! Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are the noxious pollutants responsible for smog and lung problems, were reported to have decreased greatly throughout … [continued]