Just last year, Republican lawmakers were trying to tarnish First Solar, Inc, because the Department of Energy provided loan guarantees to the company. But politics couldn’t sink the word’s largest producer of thin-film solar panels; this week, the company announced that it set a new world record for cadmium-telluride solar cell conversion by achieving 18.7 percent efficiency. That still isn’t as efficient as some other types of solar systems, but because thin-film solar panels are cheap and easy to produce, it represents a major breakthrough.

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Post tags: "solar energy", cadmium-telluride, CdTe, first solar, renewable energy, solar efficiency, solar efficiency record, solar farm, solar panels, Solar Power, solar technology, thin film, thin-film solar panels, world record

The kingdom of Saudi Arabia sits upon the world’s second-largest oil reserves, and as such, oil dominates the national economy. But in recent years, Saudi Arabia has begun taking advantage of the abundant sun and wind it enjoys by developing several major renewable energy projects. According to a new white paper published this week, Saudi Arabia will seek to develop 23.9 GW of renewable energy by 2020 and 54.1 GW by 2032, making it one of the biggest renewable energy producers in the world.

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Post tags: "wind power", photovoltaic, renewable energy, saudi arabia, saudi oil, Saudi renewable energy, solar, solar array, solar farm, solar panels, Solar Power, wind energy, wind farm, wind turbines, windmills

North Carolina-based Duke Energy just flipped the switch on what the company claims is the world’s largest battery power storage system. Situated at their Notrees wind farm in western Texas, the $44 million, 36-megawatt facility utilizes cutting-edge technologies to provide storage for—and therefore a steady supply of power from—the 153-megawatt renewable energy plant which supplies electricity to Walmart.

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Post tags: "solar energy", battery power storage, battery racks, duke energy, north america wind power, renewable energy grid, renewable energy storage, solar farm, texas wind storage, wind farm, wind power texas, world's large wind storage, Xtreme Power

Critics of renewable energy often argue that wind and solar power are “boutique” energy sources that could never satisfy the world’s energy needs, but one new report has found that solar power could provide all of the energy needed in many parts of the world. The report, which was produced by World Wildlife Fund (WWF), along with First Solar, 3TIER and Fresh Generation, found that in seven case studies, less than 1 percent of total land mass would be required to meet 100 percent of projected electricity demand in 2050, demonstrating that solar is indeed a viable energy source in many parts of the world.

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Post tags: "clean energy", "solar energy", "World Wildlife Fund", 3TIER, clean tech, environmental conservation, first solar, Fresh Generation, renewable energy, solar farm, solar panels, solar photovoltaic, Solar Power, wwf

The famously oil-rich nation of Saudi Arabia has announced the first stage of a staggering $109 billion investment in solar energy. Confirming reports earlier this year that the state plans to transition entirely to renewable energy sources in the coming decades, the Guardian reports that a Vice President at the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy declared to the state-run Saudi Press Agency that work is set to begin early next year on a large-scale solar farm.

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Post tags: doha climate talks, Middle East, middle east power, middle east renewable energy, oil dependency, renewable energy, riyadh power, saudi arabia, solar farm, solar geothermal, Solar Power, solar thermal

South Africa, a historically coal-dependent nation, has approved an incredible $5.4 billion investment in renewable energy projects, which are predicted to be capable of producing 1,400MW of solar and wind generated energy. Twenty-eight initial projects have been approved for the program, with these solar and wind farms expected to go online between 2014 and 2016. The government hopes that the new facilities—while providing cleaner, greener energy—will bolster job creation and regional economies, with requirements set in place to ensure that energy companies use locally-sourced materials.

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Post tags: "sustainable energy", "wind power", air pollution, coal power, concentrated solar power, eskom, government supported renewable energy, green energy, solar farm, Solar Power, South Africa, wind farm

In April, Aqua Pennsylvania Inc opened the Aqua Pickering Solar Farm at the company’ s Pickering water treatment facility. The Conergy-installed 1.8 MW solar electric energy system is the 8th largest solar farm in Pennsylvania, and it has transformed a 6.5-acre area into a highly productive clean energy generation plant while creating green jobs and alleviating strain on the PJM grid.

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Post tags: "solar energy", Aqua Pennsylvania Inc, aqua pickering solar farm, Conergy, largest solar farm, Pickering water treatment facility, solar farm, Solar Power, water treatment facility

Oman, which boasts the one of the highest solar energy densities in the world, is currently investigating the development of a 200MW solar photovoltaic (PV) and concentrating solar power (CSP) project. If the project gets the go-ahead, then the solar farm could generate the entire country’s electricity supply while covering a tiny percentage of the desert with solar collectors, dramatically reducing the state’s dependence on domestic oil.

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Post tags: "solar energy", 200mw solar farm, alternative energy, concentrating solar power, middle east solar energy, oman, solar farm, solar photovoltaic, Solar Power, Sultanate of Oman

Kyocera announced today that it will partner with two other companies to build Japan’s largest solar farm. Located on the southwestern island of Kyushu, the 70-megawatt solar power plant is the start of an effort to explore opportunities to integrate solar within Japan’s electricity grid. Kyocera estimates the cost of the project at approximately $309 million (¥25 billion).

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Post tags: "solar energy", green design, green energy, IHI Corporation, Japan, japan solar power, Kagoshima, kyocera, Kyushu, Mizuho Corporate Bank, solar, solar farm, Solar Power, solar power plant, sustainable design

Chicago’s iconic Willis Tower (formally the Sears Tower) is set to become a massive solar electric plant with the installation of a pilot solar electric glass project. The high-profile project on the south side of the 56th floor will replace the windows with a new type of photovoltaic glass developed by Pythagoras Solar which preserves daylighting and views while reducing heat gain and producing the same energy as a conventional solar panel. The project could grow to 2 MW in size — which is comparable to a 10 acre field of solar panels — turning North America’s tallest building into a huge urban vertical solar farm.

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Post tags: Chicago sears tower retrofit, eco glass, een building, green glass, Pothagoras Solar, solar electric windows, solar farm, solar heat gain, solar shading, solar window, urban solar, vertical solar