Concentrating solar power companies Abengoa and BrightSource Energy will soon team up to build the world’s largest solar tower facility in Southern California. The new solar development will be located on federal land, and it’s being facilitated by the Bureau of Land Management. The 500-megawatt Palen Solar Electric Generating System will create 2,000 new construction jobs, and it will produce enough electricity to power 200,000 households. The project was unveiled just hours after Interior Secretary Ken Salazar approved 900 MW of solar development in California.

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Post tags: "solar energy", Abengoa, Brightsource Energy, Bureau of Land Management, California, concentrating solar power, Interior Department, ken salazar, renewable energy, Riverside County, Solar Power, solar power tower, solar technology, solar tower

The world’s largest solar thermal plant, Ivanpah, reached a major milestone this month as it achieved its first “flux”. Over 1000 heliostats (plane mirrors that reflect sunlight towards a predetermined target) focused on to the plant’s solar receiver and heated water inside a boiler to below the point of steam generation, proving the plant is ready to enter commercial operation. Located in Ivanpah Dry Lake, California, the solar thermal power plant is expected to offset millions of tons of carbon emission.

Read the rest of Ivanpah: The World’s Largest Solar Thermal Plant Passes First Solar Capacity Test

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Post tags: Bechtel Corporation, Brightsource Energy, california clean energy, California solar plants, carbon emissions, concentrated solar technology, green technology, heliostats, Ivanpah Solar Thermal Plant, nrg energy, solar steam turbines, solar technology, solar thermal plants, us solar energy

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

A new silicon-based solar panel which utilizes holographic foil is reported to be nearly twice as efficient as standard panels. Referred to as a “game-changing technology,” the panels were developed by the Dresden-based Apollon GmbH&Co.KG and Solar Bankers LLC from Arizona. The technology is based on holographic optics which allow the new solar modules to be manufactured at a much lower cost than conventional solar panels.

Read the rest of New Solar Module Uses Holographic Foil to Create Cheaper, More Efficient Panels

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Post tags: "clean energy", "energy efficiency", Apollon GmbH & Co.KG, concentrated photovoltaic technology, green technology, holographic solar panels, silicon-based solar panels, Solar Bankers LLC, solar cell efficiency, solar holographic optics, solar panels, Solar Power, solar technology

When V3Solar released information about their Spin Cell photovoltaic cones last year, the details already looked remarkably impressive; they have a smaller physical footprint than flat photovoltaic cells and the capacity to generate up to 20 times more energy for the same surface area. Now Clean Technica has estimates for the Levelized Cost of Electricity from these cones, and—if V3Solar’s calculations are correct—the Spin Cell could be truly revolutionary. Citing a “conservative” estimate, V3Solar states that the cones can generate electricity for eight cents per kWh. Not only is that radically cheaper than current averages for solar PV electricity—28 cents per kWh—but it’s two-thirds of the cost of current retail electricity.

Read the rest of V3Solar’s Spin Cell Cones Could Produce Electricity for the Insanely Low Cost of Eight Cents per kWh

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Post tags: conical solar, photovoltaic energy, renewable energy LCOE, solar cones, solar cost, solar efficiency, solar panels, Solar Power, solar PV cost, solar technology, solar USA, spin cell, v3 solar, v3solar

Solar technology has advanced in leaps and bounds over the past several years as traditionally expensive single-crystal silicon solar cells are eclipsed by organic solar cells (solar cells that use organic materials to absorb light and convert it into electricity). However researchers at Northwestern University have taken the next evolutionary step (literally) in the process by using a mathematical search algorithm based on natural evolution to pinpoint a specific geometric pattern that is optimal for capturing and holding light in thin-cell organic solar cells.

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Post tags: cheng sun, evolution, Northwestern University, organic solar cell, solar cell algorithm, solar cell technology, Solar Power, solar technology

Solar thermal devices with complex and beautiful designs like this one are cooking food, drying coffee and generating electricity in developing countries. To avoid the cost of large parabolic mirrors, Lorin Symington carefully arrays a mosaic of ordinary, flat mirrors. His design angles each mirror to reflect sunlight onto a hot plate for cooking, or onto a water tank for steam power generation.

+ Lorin Symington

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Post tags: "solar energy", ASTRA, haiti, Lorin Symington, mali, solar array, solar cooker, solar fire, Solar Power, solar technology

British artist Luke Jerram is known for his stunning art installations, which are often inspired by science. His latest project, unveiled yesterday at the Bristol and Bath Science Park, is the world’s largest solar chandelier! The 16.5-foot-tall chandelier is made of 665 glass bulbs that spin when exposed to light – hit the jump to see a video of it in motion.

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Post tags: Bristol and Bath Science Park, Jerram Art Installation, Largest Solar Chandelier, light installation, luke jerram, solar chandelier, solar lighting, solar technology

Read the rest of IAAC’s Stunning Solar-Powered Endesa Pavilion Soaks Up the Sun in Barcelona

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Post tags: architecture catalonia, eco design, endesa, Green Building, Iaac, Solar Power, solar technology, spanish architecture, sustainable design

A new study from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) states that the US has the technology and the solar capacity to power every home across the states with energy from the sun! Researchers found that the US has the ability to make and deploy systems able to generate as much as 200,000 GW of energy – or about 400,000 TWh of energy annually. To give that some perspective, 1 GW is what a standard nuclear power plant can generate, and it’s enough to power approximately 700,000 homes. In short, if the US put its mind to it, it could power the entire country with solar power.

Read the rest of NREL Report Shows Existing Solar Technology Could Power the Entire US!

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Post tags: "solar energy", National Renewable Energy Laboratory, NREL, political will, Solar Power, solar technology, us solar energy, us solar power

Read the rest of NEW PHOTOS: Spectacular Solar Supertrees Open this Month at Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay

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Post tags: bay south garden, biofuels, gardens by the bay, jason mraz, photovoltaics, Singapore, solar, solar technology, supertrees, vertical gardening

A team of researchers at MIT has developed a new type of textured solar surface that could bring down the cost of photovoltaic technology by reducing the thickness of silicon used by more than 90% while still maintaining high efficiency. To create the surface MIT modified a silicon sheet with a pattern of tiny inverted pyramids. These indentations, each less than a millionth of a meter across, are able to trap light rays just as effectively as solid silicon surfaces – which are 30 times thicker.

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Post tags: "solar energy", MIT, nano letters, silicon, silicon solar cell, Solar Power, solar technology

Scientists from IBM Research Zurich just created a tiny 5-ringed molecule called olympicene that is only 1.2 nanometers wide— about 100,000 times thinner than a human hair. The new graphite molecule is remarkably strong, and it could prove invaluable in a range of applications including solar panels and LED systems.

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Post tags: graham richards, graphene, graphite, ibm research zurich, LEDs, london olympic games, London Olympics, Olympic Games, olympicene, solar technology, university of warwick

Scientists from Austria and Japan just announced that they have created micro-thin solar cells that are thinner than a human hair and even narrower than spider silk. These sheer solar cells are ten times thinner than any other solar technology ever created. The innovation transforms thin solar technology as we now know it, and it could pave the way for the development of electronic textiles, advanced robotics, and synthetic skin.

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Post tags: micro thin solar, solar, Solar cells, solar technology, thin film, thin film solar, Tsuyoshi Sekitani, university of austria, university of tokyo

A report released today by the Solar Energy Industries Association and GTM Research shows that solar power installations in the United States grew more in the third quarter of 2011 than in all of 2009. The growth in the third quarter of 2011 totaled more than 240% of the growth in the third quarter of 2010, and by year’s end the United States will have installed 1.7 gigawatts of solar energy – the same amount of energy as two nuclear power plants.

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Post tags: "solar energy", green energy, green power, renewable energy growth, solar development, solar energy growth, solar energy installation, solar installation, solar panel installation, Solar Power, solar power growth, solar power installation, Solar Roof, solar technology, sustainable energy growth, us solar industry

It turns out that some members of the solar panel manufacturing industry might actually be doing harm while advancing renewable energy by dumping millions of tons of lead into the environment in China and India. It’s something we’ve heard before — Apple had issues last year with this very problem — a big company, supposedly doing good while skirting environmentally safe manufacturing protocols during the process. A University of Tennessee engineering professor just released a study revealing the solar industry’s dirty ways, noting that lead pollution can lead to cardiovascular issues, central nervous system damage, kidney failure, reproductive issues and learning disabilities and violent behavior in children.

Read the rest of Solar Industry Responsible for Dumping 2.4 Million Tons of Lead on China and India

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Post tags: "solar energy", Production, renewable energy in the developing world, renewable energy manufacturing, renewable energy technology, solar panel, solar panel downside, solar panel pollution, solar pollution, Solar Power, solar technology

While most 13-year-olds spend their free time playing video games or cruising Facebook, one 7th grader was trekking through the woods uncovering a mystery of science. After studying how trees branch in a very specific way, Aidan Dwyer created a solar cell tree that produces 20-50% more power than a uniform array of photovoltaic panels. His impressive results show that using a specific formula for distributing solar cells can drastically improve energy generation. The study earned Aidan a provisional U.S patent – it’s a rare find in the field of technology and a fantastic example of how biomimicry can drastically improve design.

Read the rest of 13-Year-Old Makes Solar Power Breakthrough by Harnessing the Fibonacci Sequence

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Post tags: Aidan Dwyer, biomimicry solar, boy solar invention, new solar array, solar array, solar technology, solar tree, tree inspired solar

Researchers in the UK have discovered a new process that could create inexpensive, mass-produced solar devices by printing a thin layer of plastic polymer photovoltaic cells over a cling-like film. The technique results in an efficient structure for generating solar energy without much effort – traditional silicon solar cells rely upon the creation of intricate nano-structures that require lots of time and money to develop.

Read the rest of New Printable Cling-Film Solar Cells are Cheap and Easy to Produce

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Post tags: "clean energy", "sustainable energy", cling film, cling film solar cells, green energy, new energy technology, Solar Cell, solar energy developments, solar energy research, solar panel, solar technology

Solar panels often conjure up images of clumsy, dark sheets lined up in rooftop arrays on green homes and buildings. But what if they weren’t dark and clumsy — and what if they didn’t have to go on the roof? QSolar, the Canadian solar tech company that already brought us spray-on solar cells, has just released a new line of solar panels that are every bit as innovative. QSolar’s Kristal solar panels are available in an array of colors — red, green, blue, pink, grey — and they can replace windows or even walls, opening up new possibilities for green building design. Imagine your house with a colored solar panel atrium, or a pink and blue skylight mosaic set over your local library. How about a solar-powered desert cabin with green solar panel walls on every side, or a greenhouse made entirely of these innovative panels?

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Post tags: "solar energy", colored solar panels, green architecture, green building design, green design, QSolar Kristal solar panels, QSolar solar panels, Solar Power, solar technology

Solar efficiencies have increased incrementally over the past years, but they are still hovering around 20% – however now an engineer from the University of Missouri claims to have developed a flexible solar sheet that could revolutionize solar power by soaking up over 90% of the sun’s energy. Patrick Pinhero, an associate professor in the MU Chemical Engineering Department, developed a thin, moldable solar sheet composed of microscopic antennas called nantennas that is able to harvest heat and convert it into usable electricity. Best of all, he says that the technology could be available to the general public within five years.

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Post tags: "solar energy", 95 percent efficiency, journal of solar energy, Patrick Pinhero, Patrick Pinhero solar sheet, Patrick Pinhero university of missouri, solar sheet 95 percent, solar technology, university of missouri