Catch The Wind And Crank Up Your Turbine
Written by Neal Babcock
Wind power has been growing at a pace that rivals that of the solar industry. The worldwide generating capacity of wind turbines has grown more than 25% every year for the past decade, reaching nearly 60,000 MW in early 2006. In Europe, the growth has been phenomenal. In 1994, the total installed wind generated power capacity of the European Union nations was 1700 MW. In 2005, wind generators produce more than 40,000 MW. Read more
Ending Our Dependence On Foreign Oil With Solar Power
Written by Neal Babcock
It seems that high prices for gasoline and heating oil used in homes are here to stay. Sure, they go up and down, but overall they still remain pretty high and consume more of our pocketbooks than they ever have in the past. We are constantly struggling with the Middle East, at least in part to protect our interest in their oil. Read more
Wind Power Alone Could Provide 3 Times The Energy Europe Needs By 2020
Written by Neal Babcock
A recent report from the European environment agency says that the potential of wind generated power in 2020 is three times greater than what Europe’s expected electrical demand will be.
In other words, it is feasible for Europe to generate three times as much power as it needs by the year 2020. Read more
Don’t Stop With Solar Panels And Wind Generators; Get Aggressively Passive
Written by Neal Babcock
It can be simple and easy to be green. You don’t have to exclusively use the highest technology to create and store power in order to maintain an eco-friendly home.
In San Francisco recently, the first ever-fully manufactured version of a pre-fabricated home designed by Michelle Kaufman was debuted. The home is called mkLotus®. As a dwelling, it is coyly understated, yet slick and offers the highest level of modern, sustainable living. Read more
So, How Much Power Could Solar Cells Contribute To The World?
Written by Neal Babcock
Solar cells, also known as photovoltaics, use semiconductor materials to convert sunlight into direct electrical current. As of now, they provide just a small portion of the world’s electricity. Their global generating capacity is about 5000 MW, or only 0.15% of the total generating capacity from all sources. Still, sunlight could provide as much as 4500 times as much energy as the world currently consumes. Read more
Money From The Stimulus Package Powers The Purchase Of Solar Panels
Written by Neal Babcock
Money from the recently passed federal stimulus package is going to help the Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs with a brand-new 2 MW solar power plant.
The plant will cost $18.3 million and cover up to 30 acres on the Academy grounds. It is the first part of a long-range plan to shift the school’s power demands to completely renewable resources. Read more
Solar Panels at Budweiser Brewery Now Providing Power
Written by Neal Babcock
Press Release
FAIRFIELD, Calif., April 16, 2009
Today, Anheuser-Busch has announced that more than six acres of photovoltaic solar arrays and solar panels, which are installed and operated by Sun Edison, are now generating the equivalent of 3% of the breweries electrical needs. Read more
Make The Sun Brighter, And Make Solar Panels Work Better
Written by Neal Babcock
Marc Baldo of MIT is working on a way to make solar panels better.
Baldo has coated the surfaces of 10 cm square pieces of glass with dyes that glow orange under an ultraviolet lamp. However, the uncoated edges of the glass are shining more brightly than the top. Read more
Making A Cheaper Solar Panel
Written by Neal Babcock
Solaria is a startup company based in Fremont California. It intends to cut the cost of manufacturing solar panels by decreasing the amount of the most expensive material required; silicon. It has recently started shipping its first panels. This spring, the company is going to begin production of solar panels at a factory built to produce 25 MW of solar panels every year. Read more
ENN Reports Solar Panel Production with Thin Film Line
Written by Neal Babcock
Langfang, China, March 21st, 2009
Working together at ENN’s facility in Langfang, China, ENN and Applied achieved this milestone just five months after equipment installation. These ultra-large PV panels are nearly four times larger than conventional modules on the market and use Applied’s tandem junction technology to deliver higher conversion efficiencies, according to the companies. Read more
