Solar panels get makeover in US: related news

Solar panels get makeover in US

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Solar Power Hits Home

There were limits to how green Bruce Letvin was willing to go. For years, the 53-year-old anatomy professor had wanted to install solar panels on his Manhattan Beach, Calif., home. But the up-front installation costs always outweighed the benefits for the environment and his conscience. This spring, however, he managed to work out green financing with the help of solar company SunPower. After determining that his electricity bills and roof exposure were large enough to make him a good candidate for its solar panels, the company, based in San Jose, Calif., helped him find a 15-year loan for the $64,500 system. Yes, his $550 loan payment is more than the $300 or so he used to spend each month on electricity bills--so far, he has generated enough solar power that he doesn't need to take any juice from the grid--but after he pays off the loan

New solar concentrators could replace solar panels

BEIJING, July 11 (Xinhuanet) -- A new compact method utilizing solar concentrators to generate electricity could make solar panels that contain expensive photovoltaic cells that convert sunlight into electricity a thing of the past.

New solar concentrators could replace solar panels

BEIJING, July 11 (Xinhuanet) -- A new compact method utilizing solar concentrators to generate electricity could make solar panels that contain expensive photovoltaic cells that convert sunlight into electricity a thing of the past.

US To Get EU Private Citizen Data

An anonymous reader writes "In a case of 'all your data are belong to us,' the US government is close to coming to an agreement with the EU that allows it to get private citizen data on EU citizens to 'look for suspicious activity.' So, now we know what step three is: set up a security agency in the US to resell otherwise unavailable data."

Toyota May Add Solar Panels to Hybrid Car

A Japanese business daily says automaker Toyota may add solar panels to the roof of some of its hybrid cars to help power the vehicle's air conditioner. Solar panels convert sunlight to electricity.

Chinese solar cell maker JA Solar to get new COO

Chinese solar cell maker JA Solar Holdings Co. Ltd. said Thursday that Elmer Hsu will replace Kang Sun as chief operating officer on Aug. 1.

LDK Solar Awards $220M Contract to Applied Materials for Precision Wafering Systems to Support Production Expansion

LDK Solar Co., Ltd, a leading manufacturer of solar wafers, awarded a US$220 million contract to Applied Materials, Inc. to provide precision wafering systems to support its next phase of production expansion. The systems are scheduled to begin shipping to LDK Solar's facility in Xinyu, PRC, in early 2009, and will support LDK Solar's previously announced plans to expand to 3.2GW annualized wafer capacity in 2010.

First Solar (FSLR): Encourage profit taking/shorting here - FBR

FBR is out with a negative call on First Solar (NASDAQ: FSLR) and SunPower (NASDAQ: SPWR) after Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA), an industry association bridging the solar and utility industries, announced yesterday theresults of its survey of utility companies (titled:"Utility Solar Electricity Market Survey"). Summary: (a) projected PV installations of ~2 GW, on aggregate, over the next three to five years in solar portfolio, versus >3 GW for CSPs across the U.S. utilities; (b) possible paradigm shift, with utilities owning the plants and PV suppliers becoming only turn-key provider (if ITC is given to utilities instead of third parties).

Toyota Prius may get 'symbolic' solar panels

Toyota's next generation of Prius hybrid cars will be fitted with solar panels to power on-board electrical items such as the air-conditioning system, it is reported.

Our Solar System: An Island of Calm in a Violent Universe (and it's special, too)

We humans like to think we're special, but astronomically speaking we've been shot down quite severely and humbly put in our place. We're not at the center of our solar system, nowhere near the center of our galaxy and certainly not at the center of the universe. But now comes great news for the human psyche from scientists trying to explain solar system formation. As far as solar systems go, we have thought ours was just average and that all solar systems were like ours. But in looking at the 300 plus extrasolar planets that have been discovered and the systems they are in, none so far are anything like our home solar system. In fact, say scientists at Northwestern University, we may be special after all. In a study using computer simulations (this is the week for computer simulations, see here and here), researchers ran more than a hund

Researchers Improve Solar Cell Performance

Vegematic writes "Researchers at MIT have improved solar collectors using dyes. They just increased their performance results by a factor of 4. These paint-on materials can increase the power obtained from existing solar cells by a factor of over 40 without needing to track the sun. 'By collecting light over their full surface and concentrating it at their edges, these devices reduce the required area of solar cells and consequently, the cost of solar power. Stacking multiple concentrators allows the optimization of solar cells at each wavelength, increasing the overall power output.' There is also a shorter FAQ available."

World's Largest Solar Plants Planned In California

Pickens writes "Two photovoltaic solar power plants will be built in San Luis Obispo County in California, covering 12.5 square miles, that together will generate about 800 megawatts of power, the latest indication that solar energy is starting to achieve significant scale. 'If you're going to make a difference, you've got to do it big,' said Randy Goldstein, the chief executive of OptiSolar. OptiSolar will employ enough of its amorphous silicon thin-film solar panels at its Topaz Solar Farm project to generate 550 MW. Meanwhile, SunPower will install mechanical tracking for its more expensive 250 MW-worth of crystalline silicon photovoltaics at High Plains Ranch II in a bid to boost their efficiency by 30 percent from following the sun across the sky.

Test Drive a Solar Array's Wattage Before You Build With RoofRay Google Maps Calculator

Thinking of camping out at Ikea once they start selling those solar panels? While you're waiting, RoofRay will help you plan exactly how many SUNGLYÄSS units you'll need, and how much you'll save. Draw the shape of a prospective solar array on Google Maps' satellite image of your roof, enter its slope angle, and watch RoofRay calculate how much DC juice your panels will generate. It doesn't take into account exactly what kind of panels you'll be using, so of course it's an estimate, but an interesting tool for getting the general idea of how much you could knock off the electric bill. See it in action in a demo video below.

Ballooning to make solar energy viable

With sky-rocketing energy prices and mounting fear of the climate change due to burning of fossil fuels, scientists are showing immense interest in renewable energy sources, especially the solar energy, which is zero pollution and called green energy. There is no shortage of sunny days on earth surface but the problem is of the space, which the solar panels need to harness solar energy. These panels require a huge land cover for this purpose.

New web site planned to trade US biofuels in eBay fashion

A company that specializes in online casinos announced this week it was taking a gamble on the US biofuels industry by launching a new web site devoted to the buying and selling of ethanol and biodiesel. USBiofuelsExchange.com (US-BX) opened Tuesday to "pre-register" producers, resellers and buyers, according to a statement from Diamond I, a development-stage company seeking to change its name to US BioFuels Exchange Inc. The official launch will probably take place later this summer after beta-testing, said James Kaufman, managing director of US-BX, in an interview. The site will seek to level the playing field for biofuels producers in the US, he said, noting "long-standing arrangements" between big producers and buyers have posed "constraints" for smaller players without the clout to lock in those sorts of deals.

LDK Solar gets 440 MW solar wafer contract

Chinese solar product maker LDK Solar Co. Ltd. said Friday it will supply about 440 megawatts of solar wafers to South Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. Ltd., the world's largest shipbuilder.

NASA Set For Solar Sail Test

Solar sails have featured in various sci-fi mediums for a good while now, but NASA are planning to make the technology a reality in a mission which could launch as early as the 29th of July. An earlier 2005 launch of a solar sail craft by The Planetary Society was deemed unsuccessful, so if NASA's experiment fairs better it could be the first step to enabling space exploration powered by the sun's energy. The solar sail, dubbed the NanoSail-D is made up of aluminium and space age plastic and measures 100 square feet when unfurled. A sail of that size isn't enough to carry a craft of any significant size, but sails of thousands of square feet could open up some interesting possibilities. In theory, solar sails would be a better choice than conventional rockets for longer missions.

American Solar Challenge Racers Head For Canada

coondoggie writes "Solar race cars this week began their nine-day, 2,400 mile chase from Dallas to Calgary, Alberta using only the sun for fuel. The 24 teams in the American Solar Challenge race are mainly US college teams including entries from MIT, Ohio State and Northwestern. The University of Michigan's Continuum car is the defending champ, having won the Challenge in Australia last year. The University of Michigan has won four out of the eight North American Solar Challenges it has entered with its team of more than 100 engineering students, who have vowed to defend their title this year."

We're The US Government, So We Can Ignore Pesky Things Like The DMCA

While the federal government of the US has dumped on us dreadful laws like the DMCA, when it comes time for it to follow those laws itself, it takes a pass. Why be inconvenienced like the rest of us? We've talked about how the US government likes to ignore patent law using either "state secrets" or "sovereign immunity" claims, and now it appears they're using that for copyright law as well. CAFC (Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit) has allowed the Air Force to dismiss a DMCA lawsuit lodged against them by claiming "sovereign immunity."

Researchers Produce Best-Yet Dye-Based Solar Cells

In work that may help solar panels become a more viable source of mainstream power, a research group has created a dye-based solar cell with a high efficiency and high stability, and that lacks the volatile chemicals used in similar cells. This is a combination so far lacking in the newest solar-cell prototypes.

Panacea gets US Patent nod for `Thank God`

Panacea Biotec has been granted a patent from US Patent & Trademark Office for their product Thank God (Euphorbia Prostrata) for effective management of hemorrhoids and piles. With this, the company is looking forward to launch this product in high potential market of US and EU. As per current industry trends, the total potential of anti-hernorrhoids and piles market in US and EU is between US$500-600mn.

BeaconEquity: Trade Alerts on Solar Technology Stocks: BSRC, ESLR, FSLR, SPWR, WWAT, LDK

Today's Trade Alerts include: BioSolar Inc. (OTCBB: BSRC), Evergreen Solar Inc. (Nasdaq: ESLR), First Solar Inc. (Nasdaq: FSLR), SunPower Corp. (Nasdaq: SPWR), WorldWater & Solar Technologies Corp. (OTCBB: WWAT) and LKD Solar Co. Ltd. (NYSE: LDK).

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