photovoltaics
Rumors of solar energy’s demise are, like Mark Twain’s premature obituaries, an exaggeration. According to the latest figures from the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), for example, the US installed 314 megawatts of new solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity in the second quarter of 2011 — an increase of 69
photovoltaics
Chicago-based SoCore Energy is helping to bring solar power to Walgreens stores across the state of Ohio. The company began building solar installations at the first 20 retail locations in Cincinnati earlier this month, and expects to have 53 projects completed by Nov. 11. That would bring the total number
photovoltaics
South African power company Eskom is fast-tracking the development of two small solar-energy plants in advance of an international climate change conference set to take place in the country later this year. ABB is building the photovoltaic (PV) plants next to Eskom’s coal-fired power stations in Lethabo in the
photovoltaics
Electricity generated by solar photovoltaics (PV) could cost about the same as regular grid-based electricity in some parts of Europe by 2013, according to a new study by the European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA). Furthermore, by 2020, solar PV electricity will have reached grid parity across Europe, the study finds.
photovoltaics
Large-scale batteries have an increasing role to play in smoothing out the integration of solar photovoltaic (PV) energy into power grids, according to battery-maker Saft. The company is displaying a number of its latest battery innovations at the European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference in Hamburg. One of its technologies, the
photovoltaics
The US Department of Energy (DOE) has finalized a $967-million loan guarantee to Agua Caliente Solar to support the construction of a 290-megawatt (MW) photovoltaic solar generating facility in Yuma County, Arizona. Sponsored by NRG Solar, the Agua Caliente Solar project will use thin-film solar panels manufactured by First Solar
photovoltaics
A new $50 million US Department of Energy (DOE) program aims to “help the nation reclaim its competitive edge in solar manufacturing.” The SUNPATH (for “Scaling Up Nascent PV At Home”) program is the second solar Photovoltaic Manufacturing Initiative (PVMI) in the DOE’s SunShot initiative, which aims to reduce
photovoltaics
Denver’s International Airport (DIA) can now say it generates more solar power than any other commercial airport in the US. With the completion of a 4.4-megawatt, ground-mounted solar energy system, the airport now produces more than 8 megawatts of power from three large-scale solar projects. Constellation Energy built,
photovoltaics
Arizona-based photovoltaics (PV) firm First Solar says it’s achieved a new world record in efficiency for a cadmium-telluride (CdTe) solar cell. The test cell made using commercial-scale manufacturing equipment and materials reached an efficiency of 17.3 percent, according to the company. The test cell’s performance, confirmed by
photovoltaics
DuPont has boosted its position in the solar energy market with the acquisition of Innovalight, a company that specializes in advanced silicon inks and process technologies that increase the efficiency of crystalline silicon solar cells. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. DuPont reported more than $1 billion in
photovoltaics
A Texas-based firm is providing a German research organization with a “continuous solar simulator” to enable testing of photovoltaic (PV) modules. Atonometrics says its Light Soaking Chamber and Continuous Solar Simulator provides “simulated sunlight exposure for steady-state testing of photovoltaic (PV) modules. The system can be used for various tests
photovoltaics
Photovoltaics company First Solar has received around $4.5 billion in conditional loan guarantees to support three new solar power facilities. The funding from the US Department of Energy (DOE) will help pay for the construction of three alternating-current, cadmium-telluride (Cd-Te), thin-film photovoltaic (PV) installations: Antelope Valley Solar Ranch 1