Latest Solar power and photovoltaics News

First Solar sells 30 MW photovoltaic solar power project to Southern Company and Turner Renewable Energy

First Solar, Inc. has sold a 30 megawatt (AC) photovoltaic solar power project to Southern Company and Turner Renewable Energy. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The Cimarron I Solar Project is adjacent to the Vermejo Park Ranch in northern New Mexico. First Solar developed the project and is providing engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services. First Solar will also provide operation and maintenance services... [more]

SunEdison receives approval to construct a 72 Megawatt photovoltaic solar power plant in Northeastern Italy

SunEdison, a division of MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc. has received final approval from the Italian government to develop and construct a 72 Megawatt (MW) photovoltaic solar power plant in Northeastern Italy, near the town of Rovigo. When completed, this is expected to be the largest photovoltaic (PV) solar power plant in Europe. Power generation will begin in the second half of 2010 with final completion expected by year end. In the first f... [more]

Chevron Energy Solutions starts construction of solar project for East Side Union High School District

Chevron Energy Solutions, a unit of Chevron Corporation, and East Side Union High School District in San José, California, have announced the start of construction on a 3.7-megawatt solar project that is expected to provide more than $1.5 million in budget relief to the district’s general fund in the first year and $7.6 million over five years. It is anticipated that the project will reduce the district’s electric utility costs by 30 percent and ... [more]

EMMA energy and micro-generator controller can divert surplus energy to additional storage devices

To date, an average of 50 per cent of what is generated by a micro-generator is uncontrollably exported to the grid due to the unavailability of a smart energy management device that can manage and match energy supply and demand in any household. Coolpower Products Ltd. has launched a technology solution for the UK market, that will provide a smart energy management device for both domestic and commercial buildings, that more effectively mana... [more]

SolarWorld invests in Qatar Solar Technologies

Qatar is one of the world’s largest supplier countries for natural gas that has so far been securing its power supply on the basis of natural gas. SolarWorld is acquiring a 29 percent stake in the newly founded Joint Venture Qatar Solar Technologies headquartered in the Emirate of Qatar. The joint venture will establish the first production facility for polysilicon on the Arabian Peninsula. Partners are the Qatar Foundation (70 percent) and t... [more]

Other Solar power and photovoltaics news and reviews

Research and Markets: Analyzing the Global Solar Photovoltaics Industry (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)
DUBLIN----Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Analyzing the Global Solar Photovoltaics Industry" report to their offering.

UCSD gets solar grant (La Jolla Light)
UCSD announced recently that it is getting a half-million dollars to study ways to improve solar power in cloudy conditions. The California Public Utilities Commission approved the $548,148 grant on March 11 as part of $9.3 million in grants approved by the CPUC for eight solar research projects through the regulatory agency's California Solar Initiative. "The California Solar Initiative is one ...

Clean Energy 2010 Trending Up (Renewable Energy World)
Last year around this time, clean tech research and publishing firm Clean Edge predicted we'd be talking about flat or even downward clean energy revenue trends in 2009. However, the report the firm issued today, Clean Energy Trends 2010, shows that combined global revenue for three major clean-energy sectors –- solar photovoltaics (PV), wind power and biofuels -– grew by 11.4 percent over 2008 ...

Apollo Solar Energy funds new $1.5 million CdTe solar research center at NJIT (EurekAlert!)
( New Jersey Institute of Technology ) NJIT received today from Apollo Solar Energy Inc. a three-year, $1.5 million grant to establish a solar research center. The company, based in Chengdu, the People's Republic of China, mines and refines tellurium (Te) and high-purity tellurium-based metals for specific segments of the global electronic materials market.

First Solar Digs Deserts (The Motley Fool)
The company joins an effort to capitalize on the Sahara's sunlight.

Research and Markets: An Essential and Comprehensive Report on Thin Film Solar Cells (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)
DUBLIN----Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Thin Film Solar Cells" report to their offering.

Clouds and the Alternative Energy Grid (PhysOrg)
California's goal of generating 33 percent of its power from renewable energy sources by 2020 will be challenging on days when clouds shade acres of solar photovoltaic panels or when thousands of wind turbines spin more slowly during calm weather. However, researchers at the University of California, San Diego are developing sophisticated forecasting tools that will give California electricity ...

Energy saving begins at home: a Renewable Energy Specialist installs a double dose of solar power at his own house (Renewable Energy World)
It's no surprise that professionals working in any renewable energy field are aware of the practical, carbon-saving benefits of installing solar energy in their own homes. For Tony Almond, boss of Planet Energy Solutions, that meant a double dose of solar power – with both solar photovoltaics and solar thermal panels installed at his property in Welwyn, Hertfordshire (UK).

Solar Energy Could Provide 10% of U.S. Power (redOrbit)
By 2030, solar power could meet as much as 10-percent of the need for electricity in America, claims a new report from a leading environmental advocacy group.The report, Building a Solar Future: Repowering America’s Homes, Businesses and Industry with Solar Energy, was presented on March 9, 2010 by Washington, D.C.

Alternative Energy to Bring $326 Bln by 2019 (TheStreet.com)
Solar, Wind, and Biofuel companies are expected to generate $326 billion in revenue by 2019 compared with $139.billion in 2009.