Industry news

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign use a printing process to assemble tiny cells into multilayer stacks for extraordinary levels of photovoltaic conversion efficiency. As an energy source, the Sun has always been a dependable provider. Although it freely shines on everyone, the ability to capture and convert the Sun’s abundant energy is anything but free. However, new

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Tesla’s Supercharger network of free, high-speed charging stations for owners of Tesla EVs continues to grow at an impressive rate, as the recent announcement that the 100th Supercharger Station is now up and running makes clear. The pioneering electric car company’s ambitious plans to create its own nationwide (and European) network of “superchargers” have been, seemingly, nearly realized. Not bad

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You’ve heard of thin film wearable solar cells, and now a thin film, flexible battery is in the works. A team of researchers at Rice University has come up with a new lightweight battery that combines the flexibility of graphene with the high storage capacity of inorganic metal compounds. You don’t usually find that high flexibility – high storage combo

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The largest utility-scale solar PV power plant yet constructed in Japan, the 82 MW Oita Solar Project, is now online. Commercial operations at the plant are now ongoing, helping to notably boost the country’s, and region’s, renewable energy capacity. The new, nearly 100 MW solar plant is located in southern Japan, in Oita City, and was constructed by the noted

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good news! Those of you who love the Nissan LEAF (whether you own/lease one or not), but still wish that it had more range, may soon be getting your wish! Well, not that soon really… But relatively soon… While nothing has been confirmed for sure, and nothing is yet set in stone, it is looking increasingly likely that a longer-range

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Grid Alternatives grew out of California’s 2001 energy crises. It is a non-profit organization that leads teams of volunteers and job trainees to install solar panels for low income home owners. They currently do 1,000 installations a year out of their California, Denver, and New York offices. Thanks to a philanthropic donation of $1.2 million by SunEdison, they have just

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The roots of energy independence lie in the energy crises of the 1970s. US oil production peaked in 1970, and we became increasingly dependent on oil imported from the Middle East. In response to US support for Israel, OPEC cut production and doubled prices in 1973 and again in 1979. The economy stagnated for most of the decade, and Americans

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Siemens is challenging General Electric’s bid to buy Alstom, setting up a trans-Atlantic power struggle that could create a new supergiant in smart grid technology, or be scuttled by regulatory and political pressure. That’s the latest update from Paris, where talks over the fate of the French power, train and grid giant were disrupted by Siemens’ offer of a cash

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Significant cost cuts in niche areas are still possible that could bring utility-scale solar down to $1.35 per watt, according to a panel of industry experts at the recent GTM Solar Summit. Five to ten years out, inverter and tracker technologies will have significant impacts on balance-of-system costs, according to E3 International Engineering VP John Schroeder. But for now, perceived

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As noted in the most recent U.S. Solar Market Insight report, more solar has been installed in the United States in the last eighteen months than was installed in the prior 30 years. Of the nearly 5 gigawatts installed in 2013, 40 percent was of the distributed variety. Solar’s exponential growth is already impacting utility business models and infrastructure in

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