Solar Feeds

Solar-Powered Mobile Script Concept Cellphone

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:35:17 +0000

Industrial designer Aleksander Mukomelov is trying to make use of the latest advancements in technology, including flexible displays in a hi-tech cellphone dubbed the Mobile Script. The cellphone is designed to offer mobility, constant internet access, access to documents, games and give the best in terms of means of communication and contact. The cellphone carries two touchscreens – a rigid small touchscreen and a flexible large touchscreen...

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Artificial Leaf May Lead to Solar-Based Liquid Fuels

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:32:07 +0000

Imagine “artificial leaves” that replicate a real leaf’s chemical magic by carrying out photosynthesis in a fashion that converts sunlight and water into liquid fuels like methanol. This vision is closer than many people may realize, according to a newly-available report on solar energy called “Powering the World with Sunlight.” “The sun provides more energy to the Earth in an hour than the world consumes in a year,” the report...

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Japan Maps Out Space Solar Project

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:29:40 +0000

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has lined up tech companies and set out steps to build a large-scale solar energy system in space that could beam power down to Earth. JAXA has been researching the possibility of a space solar power plant since 1998, but it recently recruited companies such as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, NEC, Fujitsu and Sharp to work on getting a full-blown power station by 2030. The overall plan is to build...

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Will Cities Drive Smart Grid Development?

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:30:30 +0000

San Francisco is working to convert the city’s entire transportation system to cleaner fuels and electricity, and to build an urban infrastructure for electric vehicles. Boulder, Colorado has already become the nation’s first “Smart Grid City.” And Austin, Texas has undertaken the “Pecan Street Project” to “develop, test and implement the urban power system of the future” and establish the city as “America’s clean energy laboratory.” What do...

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Energy Conversion Devices Reports Big Loss (ENER)

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:24:53 +0000

There wasn’t going to be too much of a surprise in the Energy Conversion Devices (ENER) earnings report. The company has been struggling for a few quarters and that was going to continue. The company posted a record loss of .34/share on revenues of just $42.9 million. The revenue number missed analyst estimates of $56.4 million by a wide margin and represents a more than 60% plunge over the year ago quarter. No word yet on...

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Solar Energy in China

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:22:09 +0000

Applied Materials' Chairman and CEO Mike Splinter met with several high level government officials on his recent trip to China. He met with the Minister of Commerce, Vice Minister of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and senior members of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and the National Energy Administration (NEA) to engage the Chinese leadership on policy initiatives that would expand the deployment of solar...

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Enphase M-190 Microverters

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:20:03 +0000

I had a chance to work on the installation of a Photovoltaic (PV) array using the Enphase M-190 inverters last week. I must admit, when I first heard of the concept of Microverters, I was a bit of a skeptic. Adding many more active parts to a system seems like an invitation for failure. Placing those inverters outside attached to a solar panel, sometimes on a hot roof, also seems like a problem. Finally, investing in a brand...

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How ‘Smart’ Is the Smart Grid?

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:48:25 +0000

In July, Joseph McClelland, director of the Office of Electric Reliability Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, testified on cybersecurity and the U.S. power gird before the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Homeland Security. His comments, which follow in italics, cut against the grain of common thinking about the so-called ’smart grid.’ “The need for vigilance may increase as...

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Themes From The ASPO Peak Oil Conference

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:14:28 +0000

One of the more interesting themes that emerged from this year's ASPO peak oil conference was the problems of maintaining complex systems, and the role that energy plays in them. Dr. Jason Bradford, the biology brains behind Farmland LP (more on that here), ticked off a few of the key vulnerabilities of the U.S. food system in his presentation on sustainable agriculture: Commercial agriculture consumes 10.3 quads (quadrillion BTUs) of...

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Should Al Gore Profit From Global Warming? Should Anyone?

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 19:51:48 +0000

Al Gore, who barely lost (or won) the US Presidential election in November 2000, and vowed never to return to US political life, appears to have come out a winner for not doing so. The former Vice President for 8 years under the Clinton Administration decided to devote his time afterwards to teaching as well as making the world aware of the dangers of global warming, a warning that has been noted several times on Green Prophet,...

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Solar Technology Trends at Solar Power International 2009 #solpwr09

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 19:49:28 +0000

With over 26,000 thousand people attending Solar Power International 2009 at the Anaheim Convention Center on the last week of October, the conference broke attendance records. The massive exhibition hall featured 929 solar companies throughout the entire solar industry supply chain. This year show was so large in scale, it was way too easy to get lost between the aisles of exhibitors. My objective of being at Solar Power International...

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Is Do It Yourself Solar Doable?

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 03:02:16 +0000

For homeowners around the world, the idea of reducing their power bills and helping the planet is pretty enticing. The problem now as it always has been is money. Solar can be expensive, and even with government rebates the cost can scare some people away. If you are a do-it-yourselfer you've probably wondered if you can tackle a solar project. Let's walk through a typical design and installation process and see if...

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LIN Unveils Solar International Design Center

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 02:24:04 +0000

Berlin and Paris based LIN have recently unveiled Cité du Design, a stunning international design center in Saint-Etienne. The sustainable project is situated on the historic site of the National Arms Manufacture in St. Etienne. The complex is powered by solar energy and incorporates several energy-saving systems to reduce the building’s power demands. Constructed at the cost of €41.5 million, the Cité du Design provides space for auditoriums,...

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WCI students create solar-powered Ford Model-T replica

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:05:53 +0000

A student team at the Waterloo Collegiate Institute has designed a Model-T replica that doesn’t drink gas but harnesses the abundant energy of the sun for power. The truck was built on a challenge by the Reduce the Juice Foundation that promotes projects that reduce emissions. Working on a sponsorship of just $4300, the student team had to hit up local companies to donate some parts that include tires, a golf cart gearbox, a computer...

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Briz Solar Powered Window Blinds That Can Double Up as AC

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:02:58 +0000

One of the amazing gifts of technology is AC (air conditioner) but unfortunately it consumes much power and is also responsible for the depletion of Ozone layer. Briz Solar Powered Window Blinds designed by Nari Kim and Phullip Lim is a wish come true for all eco conscious and eco friendly people. It does function as AC by cooling the room but it uses water as coolant. Briz also ensures normal air circulation through windows and its...

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Asia Pacific Must Invest Up To $9.7 Trillion by 2030 to Meet Predicted Energy Demands

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 02:35:44 +0000

A new report by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) claims the Asia Pacific region must invest between $7 and $9.7 Trillion into the energy sector by 2030. Titled The Energy Outlook for Asia and the Pacific [pdf], the report has been launched at the Pacific Energy Summit and projects regional energy demand to grow 2.4% every year between 2005 and 2030, outpacing the world average of 1.5%. Predicted to be out of the economic downturn sometime in...

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Applied Materials Buys Advent Solar (AMAT)

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 02:13:04 +0000

Applied Materials has purchased most of the assets of Advent Solar in cash to boost its offering of factory equipment for making crystalline silicon cells and panels. Albuquerque, N.M.-based Advent has developed a process that makes use of thinner silicon wafers to make cells with electrical lines on the back of the cell. Many manufacturers make cells with the contact lines – which transport electricity produced – on the front of the...

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GE to Close U.S. Solar Panel Factory

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:01:28 +0000

General Electric plans to close its only U.S. solar panel factory because production costs have exceeded sale prices. The Fairfield, Conn.-based company told the Dow Jones Clean Technology Insight that silicon panel manufacturing at its facility in Delaware, will stop in January. GE will shutter the factory all together by June. The factory can produce 34 megawatts of solar panels per year and employs 82 people. GE plans to layoff the workers...

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Tata Group Invests in PV Module Producer Flisom

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:39:06 +0000

Tata group recently invested in Flisom (Flexible and lightweight solar modules), a Switzerland-based company, to mark its interest in the solar photovoltaic industry and focus on developing the next generation of clean energy as a future growth area. Further, a private Swiss investor with business interest in start-up companies who provided initial support and investment to scale-up the technology has increased the investment. Flisom...

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Solar IPO STR Holdings (STRI) Begins Trading Below Expected Range

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:33:34 +0000

The first solar IPO in about a year began trading this morning below the expected range of $11 – 13/share around $10/share. Certainly not a hugely successful IPO, but holding in there at a time when solar stocks are generally struggling. STR Holdings (STRI) makes components called solar power module encapsulants that protect the circuits in the solar panel. The company is profitable and counts some big players as customers...

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