Can Morocco solve Europe’s energy crisis?
bbc.com By Jonathan Josephs Business reporter, BBC News, Rabat Morocco has big ambitions to export electricity produced by solar and wind farms to Europe, but should it be prioritising such […]
EU and China reach deal in solar panel dispute
Source: BBC The European Commission says it has reached “an amicable solution” with Beijing in a row over imports of Chinese solar panels. Both sides have agreed a minimum price […]
Gulf funds to support solar, wind projects in south of Jordan
by Taylor Luck, JORDAN TIMES AMMAN — Jordan is set to receive $300 million from the Gulf states to boost investment in renewable energy, officials say, as Amman looks to solar and wind power as potential solutions to the country’s chronic energy woes. According to Minister of Energy and Transportation […]
Concentrating Solar Power With Thermal Energy Storage Is Economically Useful For Utility Company Profits, Study Finds
Source: Clean Technica Utility companies can benefit considerably from the utilization of concentrating solar power (CSP) and available energy storage methods, a new study from the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has found. Solar thermal power plant tower by afloresm (some rights reserved) A CSP that possesses a 6-hour […]
Solar power when the sun has set
http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.element/apps/cvp/3.0/swf/cnn_416x234_embed.swf?context=embed&contentId=tech/2012/11/16/orig-ideas-future-battery.cnn CNN) — What if we could use solar energy when the sun has set, or wind energy when the air is calm? Donald Sadoway is working on a way […]
Switzerland: Major shift in energy policy looms
by Armando Mombelli, swissinfo.ch The phasing out of nuclear power will mean a profound transformation of the Swiss energy system. But the Energy Strategy 2050, which the government has issued […]
Solar village shines In India as power grid collapses
Source IBNlive Meerwada: Life in the remote village of Meerwada used to grind to a standstill as darkness descended. Workers downed tools, kids strained to see their schoolbooks under the faint glow of aged kerosene lamps and adults struggled to carry out the most basic of household chores. The arrival […]
With new design, bulk semiconductor proves it can take the heat
Source: rdmag.org The intense interest in harvesting energy from heat sources has led to a renewed push to discover materials that can more efficiently convert heat into electricity. Some researchers are finding those gains by re-designing materials scientists have been working with for years. A team of Boston College […]
Solar planes: Will they ever take off?
Source: BBC As fuel costs spiral, powering aircraft with sunlight might seem like an attractive option. But is a solar powered plane feasible? It is easy to see the appeal […]
Tax relief likely for solar energy use, green roof
Source: Times of India INDORE: In its bid to promote greenery and renewable source of energy, the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) from the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh is likely to announce tax rebate for green roof and solar panels in its budget on Wednesday. The IMC is expected to offer rebate […]
New metamaterial design may usher new generation of solar cells
Nicholas X. Fang, the Brit (1961) and Alex (1949) d’Arbeloff career development associate professor in engineering design in MIT’s department of mechanical engineering, says that most thin materials used to fully capture light are limited to a very narrow range of wavelengths and angles of incidence. The new design uses […]
Monarch Lotus: a flower shaped solar energy collector
The four-meter-wide Lotus not only looks like nature’s symbol of renewal but folds up the same as nature’s version. In his research, Dr. Hui employs biomimicry, a design discipline that seeks sustainable solutions by emulating nature’s time-tested patterns and strategies. The new Lotus is capable of generating enough power (2 […]
Greece in talks to repay debts with solar power
EU’s energy commissioner Gunther Oettinger, the director general for energy Philip Lowe, and the head of the EU’s Athens task force Horst Reichenbach have discussed the idea of enabling Greece to repay some of its debts to EU member states, such as Germany, by providing them with solar energy. “Several […]
Solar Energy Estimate(SEE) report helps residential customers compare PV system performance
SolarTech has launched its new Solar Energy Estimate (SEE) Report, available at SolarHub.com, which aims to help consumers compare PV systems’ performances, not unlike the Federal government’s new-car MPG rating system. The one page SEE report uses standardized calculations combined with the installer’s site-specific design variables and local solar insolation […]
Breakthrough could double solar energy output at way cheap cost
A new discovery from a chemist at the University of Texas at Austin may allow photovoltaic solar cells to double their efficiency, thus providing loads more electrical power from regular sunlight. Also it’s way cheap. Chemistry professor Xiaoyang Zhu and his team discovered that an organic plastic semiconductor could double the number of […]
India Embraces Solar Power, Says Price Will Equal Thermal Power in Five Years
The Central government is planning to make certain changes in its solar power schemes to promote creation of mini-grids, a senior government official today said. “Mini-grids will play a major role in the 12th Five Year Plan to achieve our solar power targets. We are in the process of brining […]