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The transition to renewable energy is set to deliver an economic pay off as well in the years to come. Various studies show that a shift to alternative energy sources will raise the GNP in the coming decade and create new jobs, as Prof. Eicke Weber, spokesperson for the Fraunhofer Energy Alliance, points out More »
Texas is currently the leading U.S. state in installed wind power capacity but wind energy is definitely not the only possible renewable energy option for this state, and Texas should also consider harnessing solar energy. According to the Go Solar Texas Coalition, the state of Texas has the most solar radiation in the country, and given the size of Texas it also has more than enough room to build large-scale solar power plants. Some believe that with the proper initiative Texas could even overtake California, and become national leader in developing solar energy technologies. More »
The best silicon solar cells on the market convert 22 percent of the sunlight they receive into electricity, but Boeing-Spectrolab has developed a new cell that nearly doubles that number, and other companies are following suit.
Physics limits traditional solar cells to a maximum efficiency of 26 percent, because silicon only interacts with a certain part of the light spectrum. Achieving an efficiency of 40.7 percent because they contain an extra layer of concentrators — a thin lens that focuses the sunlight onto the cell — and additional materials that react with more of the spectrum. The Department of Energy has been sponsoring ways to overcome the 40 percent barrier. More »
Solar panels are the most common platform in the solar arena, but evacuated solar tubes play an important role as well.
Evacuated Solar Tubes
Evacuated solar tubes absorb the sun’s energy, using it to heat water for solar water heaters. “Evacuated” means that the area between the tubes has all of the air removed and is a vacuum, allowing the most efficient insulation for the inner tube, which contains the liquid to be heated. The pressure proof tubes are made of glass, which has very high insulating values. More »
A report recently published in an online journal called Advanced Materials points out that a process has been developed by the researchers at the Iowa State University and the Ames Laboratory that can produce thin and constant light absorbing layers on textured substrates. This increases light absorption by polymer solar cells, thereby increasing their efficiency and enabling its best use.
Why has polymer solar cell technology failed so far?
Mr Chaudhary says that since it is already being used in silicon-based solar cells, the use of textured substrate to increase the working capacity of solar cells is More »
BROOKLYN, NY–(Marketwire – March 15, 2011) – Brooklyn Bridge Park and Beautiful Earth Group (BE), a Brooklyn-based renewable energy company, announced today the arrival of a state-of-the-art solar-powered electric vehicle charging station to Brooklyn Bridge Park — a world-class 85-acre sustainable waterfront park with iconic views of the New York Harbor and Manhattan skyline.
Designed and built by BE, the station is the first solar-powered charging station in New York City and one of only a few in the world. Brooklyn Bridge Park will use the donated station to charge its electric service vehicles (EVs) using only the power of the sun. This project greatly enhances the Park’s already impressive sustainability efforts, which include the reuse of materials from demolished buildings, use of native plant species, reintroduction of marine habitats and management of rainwater and runoff. More »
Renewable energy campaigners want to harness energy from wind and the sun to generate 30% of a Cornwall town’s electricity needs.
Wadebridge Renewable Energy Network (Wren) wants to explore ways of introducing hundreds of solar panels to the roofs of homes and businesses.
Wren says that the scheme could also generate £450,000 a year for the town.
The money would come from a feed-in tariff which offers a premium price for renewable energy.
‘Financial benefits’
A number of developers and landowners have shown interest in setting up solar energy farms in Cornwall to take advantage of the feed-in tariff.
Stephen Frankel, of Wren, said: “We’ve some of the best sun and wind resources in the country More »
Tags: alternative energy sources, clean energy, energy companies
Learning that current levels of oil production and use are not going to bring down civilisation with the ongoing crisis in the Middle East and it doesn’t fill me with relief and satisfaction which everyone seems to think it should.
I would have thought that, irrespective of Middle Eastern problems, renewable energy sources should be taken seriously, individuals, organisations and governments should champion and accept a good policy for manufacturing now, given that oil supplies are indeed finite, and seize the day and invest heavily in becoming world leaders in innovative and ever more efficient alternatives to oil.
Oil supplies from unstable regions
Competition for oil and gas in the Arctic regions are now going to increase, especially since More »
Tags: alternative energy, energy production, solar panels, solar power systems
A record number of homeowners had solar panels installed this month, according to energy regulator Ofgem.
The devices have been fitted to 2,257 homes so far during August, up from 1,700 in July and 1,400 in June.
More than 6,688 homes have had solar panels fitted since April, when the government’s scheme to reward people who generate their own energy altered.
The feed-in tariff system now enables homeowners to receive 41.3p for every unit of energy they generate.
This is regardless of whether they use the energy or sell it back to the National Grid. More »
Tags: alternative energy, clean energy, energy production, solar energy, solar panels, solar power systems
The solution to the world’s energy crisis might be found in a magnetic device that utilizes both ambient temperature and magnets to generate power. In theory, the “Searl Effect Generator” (SEG) has the potential to run completely on its own through a complex interaction between various materials, resulting in an unlimited supply of free and clean energy.
Discovered by John Roy Robert Searl in 1946, the “Searl Effect”, as it is called, effectively captures the kinetic energy generated by More »
Tags: alternative energy, clean energy, energy, energy production, energy sources