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Clean Energy: How Much Hot Air?
3 Feb 2012
NewScientist’s January 28 issue is likely to unsettle clean energy advocates — but it is worth the read.
The cover article, “Power paradox: Clean might not be green forever,” posits that even renewable energy can warm the planet, and eventually change climate, if we continue to ratchet up power production to serve our ever
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Suntech, DuPont to Collab on Solar Backsheets, Supply Chain
3 Feb 2012
It's easy to think about modules as singular units of power output, but the reality is that they are a collection of diverse components, each with influence over the end system's total cost and performance. For DuPont, its focus is of course on the materials side, from metallization pastes used to form contacts on the solar cell, to backsheet materials that protect the panels themselves.
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DOE's Untold Impact on Solar
3 Feb 2012
The Obama Administration's $60 billion Loan Guarantee Program (LGP) for renewable energy is considered a failure because of Solyndra, Beacon Power, and potential 2012 bankruptcies. What is not well known is that 75 percent of the program's deployed funds went to relatively low risk power plants that will catapult the U.S. to a leadership role in the utility-scale solar sector. This is hardly the hallmark of a "failed program." The program is akin to Shakespeare's King Henry V, who said as a delinquent Prince: "I'll so offend as to make offense a skill, redeeming time when men think least I will."
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Wind Power to the South: AEP Contracts to Lower Electricity Costs
3 Feb 2012
In a series of deals the investor-owned utility says is good for consumers' wallets, American Electric Power subsidiary Southwestern Electric Power Co. (SWEPCO) recently signed long-term power purchase agreements for a total of 358.65 MW of capacity from wind projects in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas.
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NLP Solar Sales Training Live Webinar February 8th & 9th
2 Feb 2012

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Miasolé Claims 17 Percent Efficient CIGS Device, 14 Percent In Production
2 Feb 2012
Miasolé says it has created a 17.3 percent "champion" thin-film copper-indium-gallium-selenide (CIGS) solar photovoltaic device, results obtained in its own labs and not (yet) independently verified.
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Offshore Wind One Step Closer to Reality in the Mid-Atlantic
2 Feb 2012
Today the Obama administration moved forward with plans to develop the enormous offshore wind energy resources along the Mid-Atlantic coast, using a "Smart for the Start" approach designed to expedite the siting process while incorporating strong environmental protections.
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Experts Predict End of Month for Ontario FIT Review Update
2 Feb 2012
By late February the renewable energy industry should have direction from the Ontario government on some of the major changes ahead for the province’s landmark feed-in tariff program. “I am hoping we will have an announcement then with the megawatt (MW) targets and pricing, then new rules and contracts in March, and application processi
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If Solar is Contagious, Can Utilities Help Spread the Bug?
2 Feb 2012
You may have heard it before, but it is worth mentioning again: In residential communities, solar is contagious. But a recent study, "Peer Effects in the Diffusion of Solar Photovoltaic Panels," conducted by Bryan Bollinger of the NYU Stern School of Business and Kenneth Gillingham of the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, published in December sheds some new light on the phenomenon.
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Executive Roundtable: The Future of Utility-Scale Renewables
2 Feb 2012
Renewable energy in the United States is at a crossroads. With several federal tax grants set to expire by the end of 2012, utilities are trying to decide if the falling prices of solar and wind technology makes renewable energy competitive enough to invest in despite vanishing federal aid.
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Biosolar breakthrough promises cheap, easy green electricity
2 Feb 2012
Scientists are turning the term "power plant" on its head. A team of researchers has developed a system that taps into photosynthetic processes to produce efficient and inexpensive energy.
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New tool determines value of solar photovoltaic power systems
1 Feb 2012
Consistent appraisals of real estate outfitted with photovoltaic installations are a challenge for the nation's real estate industry, but a new tool addresses that issue.
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Engineer wants to 'sculpt' more powerful electric motors and generators
26 Jan 2012
A researcher is developing several technologies that could improve the performance of electric motors and generators. And that could make a real difference in building sustainable energy systems.
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In solar cells, tweaking the tiniest of parts yields big jump in efficiency
20 Jan 2012
By tweaking the smallest of parts, engineers are hoping to dramatically increase the amount of sunlight that solar cells convert into electricity.
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Researchers' refinement increases solar concentrator efficiency
19 Jan 2012
Researchers have discovered that changing the shape of a solar concentrator significantly increases its efficiency, bringing its use closer to reality.
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Transparency limits on transparent conducting oxides identified
18 Jan 2012
Computational materials researchers have used cutting-edge calculations to determine fundamental optical transparency limits in conducting oxide material tin oxide.
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Nano research could impact flexible electronic devices
12 Jan 2012
A new discovery shows that the flexibility and durability of carbon nanotube films and coatings are intimately linked to their electronic properties and could impact flexible electronic devices such as solar cells and wearable sensors.
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Greenhouses and solar power: Crop testing with a special photovoltaic panel for greenhouses
11 Jan 2012
A new photovoltaic module allows electricity to be generated without greenhouse crops being affected by over-shading.
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Keeping electronics cool: Findings on modified form of graphene could have impacts in managing heat dissipation
9 Jan 2012
An engineering professor has made a breakthrough discovery with graphene, a material that could play a major role in keeping laptops and other electronic devices from overheating.
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Paint-on solar cells developed
21 Dec 2011
Imagine if the next coat of paint you put on the outside of your home generates electricity from light -- electricity that can be used to power the appliances and equipment on the inside. Scientists have just created an inexpensive "solar paint" that uses semiconducting nanoparticles to produce energy.
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DOE's $7 Million to Help Trim 'Soft' Costs of Solar Energy Systems
23 Nov 2011
DOE has announced up to $7 million in funding to reduce the
non-hardware costs of residential and commercial solar
energy installations. The funds are being made available
through the SunShot Incubator Program as part of DOE's
SunShot Initiative.
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USDA Announces Rural Renewable Energy Assistance
16 Nov 2011
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced
funding for two rural renewable energy initiatives. One will
support energy assessments in 28 states and Puerto Rico,
and the other will provide backing for wind, solar,
geothermal, and
hydroelectric power projects in 16 states.
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California Passes 1 Gigawatt Rooftop Solar Milestone: Study
16 Nov 2011
California has now installed more than 1 gigawatt of rooftop
solar power, according to a new report, and is on its way to
meeting a goal of 3 gigawatts by 2016.
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Energy Department Announces $7 Million to Reduce Non-Hardware Costs of Solar Energy Systems
15 Nov 2011
As part of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) SunShot
Initiative, Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced up
to $7 million to reduce the non-hardware costs of
residential and commercial solar energy installations.
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Interior Releases Updated Roadmap for Solar Energy Development
2 Nov 2011
The U.S. Department of the Interior has released an updated
plan for solar energy development in six western states.
DOE helped develop the original plan.
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U.S. Solar Jobs Census Finds Solar Employment Soars: Report
2 Nov 2011
A report from the Solar Foundation shows that job numbers
in the solar energy field continue to rise. The report also
indicates further growth in the workforce in 2012.
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Solar for St. Paul
2 Nov 2011
St. Paul, Minnesota, has unveiled a new solar photovoltaic
installation at the RiverCentre convention complex in
downtown St. Paul. The project received $1 million from
DOE through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
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Partnering with National Labs Brings Cutting-Edge Technology to Market
26 Oct 2011
By Niketa
Kumar
DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory has teamed
with a solar start-up to test an innovation. It's one example
of how national labs are helping bringing cutting-edge
technologies to market.
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DOE to Invest $60 Million in Concentrating Solar Power Technologies
26 Oct 2011
DOE has announced that it will invest $60 million over three
years to support applied scientific research into
concentrating solar power. The effort is part of its SunShot
Initiative.
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Clean Energy Project Investments Mark Strong Quarter: Report
26 Oct 2011
The third quarter of 2011 saw a global surge in wind farm
and solar park financings, resulting in a $41.8 billion
investment, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance.