Solar Power Updates & News

PowerSat Makes Space Solar a Reality

Grace — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 07:14:34 +0000

A number of companies and research teams are developing on the possibility of harnessing the sun’s energy from space. One of these companies is PowerSat. PowerSat has filed provisional patents for two technologies which the company claims will help make space solar power less expensive. The company has about $3 to $5 million to be [...]

California Regulators Look at Rooftop Solar Power Systems

Grace — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 07:03:56 +0000

California Public Utilities Commission has approved a plan to generate at least 500 megawatts of solar power, by utilizing commercial building rooftops. The power generated will be able to be be used by at least 320,000 households. With this approval, Southern California Edison Co. will be embarking on the world’s largest solar panel rooftop installation, [...]

Data Centers Go Solar

Grace — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 06:24:32 +0000

I/o Data Centers, an IT infrastructure provider located in Phoenix, will turn to the sun for some of its power supply. It is set to install a huge solar panel array that will generate a maximum of 4.5 megawatts of electricity. It would be enough to partially power the data center, which has a maximum [...]

Solar Stocks Heating Up

Grace — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 02:25:03 +0000

Investors bet on solar stocks last Wednesday. In a sense, the solar power industry should thank the renewed Chinese interest in solar power and the increasing oil prices. These factors help encourage the demand for clean and sustainable energy sources. Among the major gainers are U.S. solar panel manufacturer Evergreen Solar Inc (up by 19 percent), [...]

Solar Powered Hyatt Regency

Grace — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 03:30:53 +0000

Hyatt Regency New Brunswick in New Jersey activated its solar power system last Wednesday. The project, costing $2.5 million can supply 30 to 50 percent of the hotel’s energy requirements. The 421-kilowatt solar array covers 32,000 feet of its garage’s rooftop.

Turn Your Roof into Solar Panels with Flexible Solar Shingles

Grace — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 04:50:40 +0000

A new development in solar power technology can turn wasted space into an energy source. The transparent thin film barrier that’s currently being used to protect flat TVs from moisture might hold the key for the development of flexible solar shingles in the future.

Concentrating Solar Power for Stronger Energy

Grace — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 04:11:44 +0000

When people talk about solar power, they usually are referring to the photovoltaic type. But there’s another type of solar power and it’s starting to gain some ground over its photovoltaic power. This is concentrated solar power, or CSP solar energy, which is the solar energy that’s generated when one concentrates sunlight onto a small [...]

Solar Energy Community Project to Cut Energy Costs

Grace — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 06:29:38 +0000

A community in southern Delaware is starting a solar energy project that’s the first of its kind in the region. Forest Reach is a group of 58 residential homes between Bethany Beach and Bear Trap, which is about to install solar panels on the land owned by the community. The energy generated will be used [...]

Solar Power Surge Seen By 2050

Grace — Sat, 30 May 2009 06:41:01 +0000

Large solar power plants can use mirrors to concentrate the sun’s rays. According to one study, these types of solar power plants could generate up to 25% of the Earth’s electricity by the year 2050. The report was made by the environmental group Greenpeace, International Energy Agency’s SolarPACES group, and the European Thermal Electricity Association [...]

Solar Power Needs a Ray of Light in Texas

Grace — Thu, 28 May 2009 06:07:29 +0000

Texas might be one of the top wind energy producers in the country, but it is lagging behind in solar power production. Wind energy can trace its success to a 1999 state law that stated Texas’ renewable energy goals. This has paved the way for million-dollar wind turbine projects across the state. It has also [...]