In the final installation on the Department of Energy’s (DoE) SunShot-US$1/W program, the biggest challenge of them all for solar PV, the balance of system (BOS), is addressed.
14 July 2011
Newly installed solar photovoltaic (solar PV) projects in Californian were paid an average of approximately US$0.34/kWh last year, according to a privately-commissioned study, substantially more than Germans paid.
07 July 2011
The argument about who wins – PV, CSP, or CPV – is currently all the rage. But is this just an unnecessary distraction?
17 June 2011
Solar power has been around for three decades, so why aren’t we seeing more concentrating solar power (CSP) developed? Andy Skumanich, Founder and CEO of SolarVision Co explores past and present challenges for solar CSP.
10 June 2011
Lyn Corum profiles a number of innovative projects that are at the heart of sustainable development, including a subtropical rain forest that thrives on CO2 and waste heat on a college campus…
26 April 2011
How does modern technology promote better solar installations? Joyce Laird takes a look at some of the companies active in this area of the PV installation value chain.
13 April 2011
This week saw the very sad death of Dr Hermann Scheer, in many ways the father figure of German renewable energy, and a hugely influential figure worldwide. He was a fighter who seemed to relish his battles, and an inspirational, irreplaceable character.
18 October 2010
The US has strong natural solar resources but PV is finding it difficult to compete with wind for state benefits. Charles Kubert examines the incentives available to help businesses and individuals use renewable energy, and looks at how t hey can be improved.
24 August 2010
The US solar industry is in good health with businesses and householders clamoring to install new systems. But, writes Joyce Laird, tighter national and state regulation is essential to protect customers from inefficient and potentially dangerous installations.
19 August 2010
The Los Angeles Business Council (LABC) has released a report calling for a modest solar photovoltaic (PV) feed-in tariff program in the City of Angels.
12 July 2010
The USA is seeing a shift in attitudes to renewable energy at Federal level. Bush-era oil-dominated policies are giving way to positive encouragement of sustainable energy. But, to what extent can the US capitalize on the ensuing manufacturing opportunities, enhanced by recession-induced stimulus funding? George Marsh reports.
22 April 2010
There are many materials, techniques and technologies ready to announce their arrival on the solar PV scene. All will stretch the solar PV focus in some way. Some are very new and far-reaching, while others are focused on addressing immediate issues. But all are ready to be implemented within the next few months. Joyce Laird rounds up the ones to watch.
16 February 2010
Rhone Resch, President and CEO of the US Solar Energy Industries Association discussed the past 18 months of hard work, as well as the SEIA’s strategic priorities, with Lyn Corum at last year’s Solar Power International in Anaheim, California.
01 February 2010
Representative Matt Pierce (D-61st, Bloomington) introduced AB 1190 into the Indiana General Assembly January 7, 2010. The bill is the first comprehensive proposal for a system of feed-in tariffs for renewable energy in the current legislative sessions that have begun in states across the US.
22 January 2010
Cost savings and power enhancement are not just for module and panel manufacturers. Materials and services, and the process and installation also add to the cost per watt. Joyce Laird looks at how the PV industry is cutting costs through innovation.
19 January 2010
Can ‘solar’ become as familiar to us consumers as Coca-Cola or McDonald’s? Clean Energy Group’s Mark Sinclair explores how to market the solar concept.
15 January 2010
It’s the age old question – which came first, the chicken or the egg? In the case of solar, which will come first, the market or the industry? Paula Mints looks at the emerging US solar market with its obstacles and opportunities.
14 January 2010
Federal investment in solar power comes in grants, tax breaks and loan guarantees, but which is which and what do they do? ACORE’s Michael Eckhart and Samantha Jacoby examine current federal incentives for solar power in the USA.
12 January 2010
One of the hot topics for debate at the forthcoming Windpower 08 event in Houston, Texas, will be transmission. Following Texas' lead, four states possessing the wealthiest renewable resources in the Western USA have enacted their own laws to create Renewable Energy Zones, and define the transmission infrastructure that needs to be built to connect those resources to main transmission highways. Lyn Corum reviews the progress made to date in these states.
01 June 2008
Texas is moving closer to the establishment of five Competitive Renewable energy Zones (CREZS), which proponents say could double wind power in the USA. And as Lyn Corum reports, the wind industry in the western USA could also be set for a major boost, as plans for major transmission initiatives move forward.
01 November 2007