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Sub-Topics
2004
Batteries
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Photovoltaic Solar
Programs
Solar Road Panels
Thermal Solar
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Also TryListsNewsPapers
- -04-18-08 Ausra Solar Thermal Energy (Time.com)
"There are two ways to get electricity from the sun. The first is the one you know: photovoltaic panels transform the light of the sun directly into electricity. The second is to harness the sun's heat. Solar thermal technology — also known as concentrated solar power — uses vast fields of mirrors to focus the heat of the sun to drive an electric turbine. Solar thermal may be low-tech, but in empty desert areas like much of the American southwest, it offers the potential to be a utility-scale replacement for fossil fuels." 04-08
- -04-18-08 Enphase Micro-Inverters (Time.com)
"Normally, solar installations contain a number of solar panels, but the entire installation shares one inverter, which converts the electricity generated by all the panels for use in our homes and businesses. If there's a fault in one panel, the entire system can slow down — just like a chain of Christmas lights goes out if one bulb malfunctions. Enphase puts micro-inverters on each individual panel in an installation, which boosts overall productivity. Even better, Enphase's micro-inverters communicate via the Internet, allowing the company to track the performance of every solar panel during every minute of every day." 04-08
- -04-18-08 First Solar (Time.com)
"Clean-tech companies are always betting on the future. But First Solar is the rare green company that is making a killing right now. The Phoenix-based thin-film solar panel manufacturer, launched with money from Wal-Mart's Walton family, began commercial production of its inexpensive solar modules back in 2002, ahead of most competitors — since then, First Solar has gone from strength to strength. It already dominates the emerging thin-film solar industry, and in 2006 the company went public in one of the strongest IPOs yet in the clean-tech sector." 04-08
- -04-18-08 Nanosolar (Time.com)
"The CEO of the thin-film solar cell manufacturer Nanosolar, Roscheisen says that he can sell solar panels at $1 per watt of electricity produced — a price that is competitive with coal, and far lower than what his competitors can do. The secret is that Roscheisen's company uses nanotechnology to cut the cost of manufacturing, producing roll after roll of thin-film solar panels in a process that looks like a printing press." 04-08
- -10-05-12 Glut of Solar Panels a Threat for Chinese Economy (New York Times)
"China in recent years established global dominance in renewable energy, its solar panel and wind turbine factories forcing many foreign rivals out of business and its policy makers hailed by environmentalists around the world as visionaries."
"Though worldwide demand for solar panels and wind turbines has grown rapidly over the last five years, China’s manufacturing capacity has soared even faster, creating enormous oversupply and a ferocious price war." 10-12
Projects
- "Net-Zero" Homes (Time.com)
"If done properly, a smartly built green home featuring solar power, energy-efficient appliances, and proper insulation can result in the owner facing monthly electricity bills amounting to $0, or thereabouts. Now, one homebuilder is making such 'net-zero' features standard in several communities around the U.S." 03-12
- -Obama's Clean Energy Revolution (Time.com)
"Before President Obama took office, the U.S. had 25 gigawatts of wind power, and the government’s “base case” energy forecast expected 40 GW by 2030. Well, it’s not quite 2030 yet, but we’ve already got 50 GW of wind. We’ve also got about 5 GW of solar, which isn’t much but is over six times as much as we had before Obama. Mitt Romney has suggested that wind and solar are “imaginary” sources of energy, but they can now power 15 million homes, and their industries employ more than 300,000 Americans. That’s real." 08-12
- -President Obama Announces Commitments to Solar Energy (WhiteHouse.gov)
"Today, President Obama announced more than 300 private and public sector commitments to create jobs and cut carbon pollution by advancing solar deployment and energy efficiency. The commitments represent more than 850 megawatts of solar deployed – enough to power nearly 130,000 homes – as well as energy efficiency investments that will lower bills for more than 1 billion square feet of buildings. Additionally, the President announced new executive actions that will lead to $2 billion in energy efficiency investments in Federal buildings; smarter appliances that will cut carbon pollution by more than 380 million metric tons – equivalent to taking 80 million cars off the road for one year – and will save businesses nearly $26 billion on their energy bills; and training programs at community colleges across the country that will assist 50,000 workers to enter the solar industry by 2020." 05-14
- -Solar Soon to Become Competitive with Fossil Fuels (CNN News)
"But another reason Homan cites is his optimism for the solar industry's U.S. future."
" 'The electricity, without incentives, will be cost competitive with nuclear or fossil fuel technology' by 2014 or 2015, he said, repeating a belief widely held by those in the solar industry. 'Long term, the world's largest market will be the United States.' " 06-09
- -Surprising Reasons Why Clean Energy Is Gaining (Grist.com)
"The cost of solar photovoltaic cells (PVs) has plunged by 75 percent since 2009 and the cost of electricity generated by solar PVs has fallen globally by 50 percent since 2010. In other words, solar is now becoming competitive with oil and natural gas, even at their currently depressed prices."
"According to the DOE, China’s share of world energy consumption is expected to jump from an already impressive 19 percent in 2010 to 27 percent in 2040, with most of its added energy coming from fossil fuels. Should this indeed occur, China would consume another 88 quadrillion British thermal units of such energy over the next 30 years, or 43 percent of all added fossil fuel consumption worldwide."
"Although the Chinese plan allows for continued growth in carbon emissions for another 15 years, it substantially reduces the amount of new energy that will be derived from fossil fuels." 04-15
- Bicycles (Awesome Library)
Summarizes strengths and weaknesses of bicycles and makes some recommendations. 6-01
- Comparison of Solar Costs and Fossil Fuel Costs (Greenecon.net)
"In comparison to conventional hydrocarbon fuels such as coal or oil in generating electricity, the cost of solar energy is significantly higher. To compare energy cost, a common equivalent is required." 03-12
- Germany Switching From Nuclear Power to Solar and Wind (Truth-Out.org)
"Germany, the world’s most aggressive adopter of renewable energy, is taking a bold leap toward a future free from nuclear energy. In March, the German government announced a program to invest 200 billion euros, or approximately $270 billion, in renewables. That’s 8 percent of the country’s GDP, according to the DIW Economic Institute in Berlin." 06-12
- Google Is Building the World's Largest Solar Power Plant (Time.com)
"Google is investing $168 million to help develop a solar energy power plant in California's Mojave Desert."
"In cooperation with Brightsource energy, Google's official blog states that the new plant will hopefully generate 392 gross megawatts of solar power, or "the equivalent of taking more than 90,000 cars off the road over the lifetime of the plant," which is estimated to be 25 years." 04-11
- Green Cities (MotherJones.com)
Describes efforts cities are making to use less polluting sources of energy. 9-01
- Highly Efficient Solar Cells Developed (ScienceDaily.com)
"Photovoltaic panels have a new design: concentric circles that focus the sun's rays on miniaturized modules. Having the panels automatically sense sunlight and turn towards it also makes these high-tech solar cells more efficient."
"Conventional solar systems are about 14 percent efficient. This system has a combined heat and power efficiency of nearly 80 percent. 'What they're doing is very efficiently capturing and transferring that light into electricity and the solar heat into hot water,' Dyson explains." 06-08
- How India Is Approaching Solar (Time.com)
"ederal authorities say they recovered $4.1 billion in health care fraud judgments last year, a record high which officials on Monday credited to new tools for cracking down on deceitful Medicare claims."
"The recovered funds are up roughly 50 percent from 2009. Attorney General Eric Holder and Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius were expected to make the announcement at a news conference Tuesday." 02-12
- Infrared Photovoltaic Cells (J X Crystals)
Describes a new cell, thermophotovoltaic (TPV), that converts infrared light into electricity. It can be used in a furnace, for example, to convert wasted infrared heat into additional electricity. 6-01
- Model Solar Car Challenge (ModelSolarCar.org)
Describes a challenge for young students to design a sloar powered model car. 8-01
- Renewal Energy (Arizona Solar Center)
Provides an overview of sources of renewable energy. 1-99
- Silicon Chip for Splitting Water into Oxygen and Hydrogen (CNN News)
"On either side, the silicone strip is coated with inexpensive metallic compounds -- a cobalt phosphate catalyst that spurs the creation of oxygen gas, and a nickel-zinc alloy that does the same for hydrogen."
"The process only uses as much energy as it can pick up from sunlight: in the lab, Nocera flicks off the light, and the bubbles disappear." 04-14
- Solar Maps of the USA (Bergey.com)
Provides solar maps of the USA. 6-01
- Solar Power - A Short History (MotherJones.com)
Provides an essay that describes efforts in the 1970's to move toward solar power. Argues that political forces have since forced it into a slow pace of growth compared to its potential. 9-01
- Solar Power Basic Information (ClimateRealityProject.org)
"The sun keeps rising and the costs keep falling! According to the financial advisory firm Lazard, the cost to produce one megawatt-hour of solar fell an incredible 86 percent between 2009 and 2017. Better yet, that means the cost of solar in 2017 was less than half the price of coal the same year." 04-19
- Solar in Tennessee (MSNBC News)
"TVA offered to pay 15 cents for every kilowatt hour of homegrown power they produce — slightly more than double the 6 to 7 cents a kilowatt hour homeowners pay for power from their TVA distributor. TVA also threw in a $500 bonus." 9-05
- Solar-Powered Pods for Personal Transportation (JPods.com)
Shows a JPod plan for future personal transportation. 05-12
- The "Green Energy Gold Rush" (Time.com)
"Global investors plowed $148 billion into new wind, solar and other alternative energy assets last year, in what the United Nations describes as a 'green energy gold rush' gaining speed the last several years." 07-08
- Trump Places Tariffs on Solar Equipment (Time.com)
"The U.S. will impose duties of as much as 30 percent on solar equipment made abroad, a move that threatens to handicap a $28 billion industry that relies on parts made abroad for 80 percent of its supply." 07-18
- Lease Solar Energy Without Extra Costs (Renu.Citizenre.com)
"Plainly put, the Citizenre- Corporation pays for, installs, owns and operates the solar installation. You don’t have to worry about maintaining the equipment or any of the other concerns that come with making an investment into solar power. All you are required to do is pay for the electricity generated from these panels, at a fixed rate that is at or below your current electricity price, for up to twenty-five years." Awesome Library does not endorse this product but provides it as an example. Ed Begley Jr. does seen to endorse this. 01-07
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