solar energy
The UK might not have a reputation as the sunniest place in the world, but its prospects as a player in the solar power industry grew a bit brighter this week when Sharp announced plans to double the production capacity at its solar cell plant in Wrexham, Wales. Sharp plans
solar energy
A solar-powered catamaran recently set sail off the coast of Spain to begin a three-summer-long campaign highlighting the need for renewable energy. The 46-foot WWF Solar is part of WWF Spain’s “Embárcate” (Get on Board) campaign to promote clean energy and marine ecosystem conservation. The vessel, which set off
solar energy
Two solar energy companies are looking to expand with the help of nearly $2 billion in new financing through the US Recovery Act, President Barack Obama announced over the weekend. During his weekly address, Obama said the Department of Energy would provide $1.45 billion in conditional commitment funds to
solar energy
A new programme in Uganda aims to help poor households reduce their dependence on firewood by bringing them solar power. According to MPower, a new initiative by Mercy Corps, $25 can provide two months’ worth of clean and reliable solar energy to families in northern Uganda. The region, still recovering
solar energy
For the company Joule Unlimited, which claims it’s developed a way to create “Liquid Fuel from the Sun™,” today marks a watershed moment. Not because it’s nabbed $30 million in funding and adopted a new, more corporate name (it was previously “Joule Biotechnologies”). No, today’s a big
solar energy
Researchers in Canada say they might have found a way to overcome the cost and technology problems that have kept one of the most promising types of solar cells from becoming the next big thing in clean energy. The Graetzel solar cell, a dye-sensitised solar cell or DSC, promised the
solar energy
Once upon a time, climate change felt like a distant threat on the horizon. Now it is happening in front of our very eyes. Across the world, global warming is sparking more intense heat waves, more flooding and more droughts. If climate change continues at its current pace, the social,
solar energy
Could an innovative, lower-cost solar cell developed by, of all companies, IBM prove to be the technology that enables a sun-powered, clean-energy future? Researchers at IBM think so. They say their new solar cell offers several advantages over existing photovoltaics. One, it can be made with relatively abundant elements like
solar energy
What’s the most abundant source of clean energy available to us? We see it rise in the East every morning and watch it set in the West every night. In theory, solar energy could more than meet the energy demands of the entire global population. In reality, though, many
solar energy
The US-based home improvement chain Lowe’s has begun offering a “one-stop shop” for energy management in 21 of its California stores, and has also become the first major retailer in the country to start offering grid-connected solar panels that can be installed by homeowners. Lowe’s says it will
solar energy
UK-based Whitfield Solar is looking to take its workforce and sales to new markets, including Spain, Portugal, Greece, Italy and Australia. By the end of next year, the fast-growing developer of solar energy technology also aims to have its products commercially available in both India and China. Whitfield Solar’s
solar energy
The plan to cover North Africa with solar panels now has a company with a name to back it up: DII GmbH. Announced earlier this year, the Desertec initiative is a joint venture of ABB, Abengoa Solar, Cevital, the Desertec Foundation, Deutsche Bank, E.ON, HSH Nordbank, MAN Solar Millennium,