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News - Solar Energy
China Solar Energy Goal is Increased by 50 Percent for 2015
The Chinese government has increased its solar energy target for 2015 by 50 percent, setting a new goal of 15 gigawatts annually, state media reports.
The new target, which was reported by China National Radio, follows a rapid surge in Chinese solar power installation in recent months after the government unified grid feed-in tariffs for solar projects in July.
At the end of 2010, installed solar capacity in China was less than one gigawatt. But China, the world's top exporter of photovoltaic products, had already doubled its solar energy target to 10 gigawatts by 2015 following the Fukushima nuclear crisis in Japan, and the government now has boosted that goal to 15 gigawatts.
Meanwhile, a new industry report shows that U.S. solar installations jumped by nearly 40 percent during the third quarter of 2011, pushing the nation's total annual installation beyond one gigawatt for the first time.
Discovery of a 'Dark State' Could Mean a Brighter Future for Solar Energy
ScienceDaily (Dec. 15, 2011) - The efficiency of conventional solar cells could be significantly increased, according to new research on the mechanisms of solar energy conversion led by chemist Xiaoyang Zhu at The University of Texas at Austin.
New Report Shows U.S. Solar Developers Installed Record Breaking Solar Capacity In Third Quarter
In Q3 2011 U.S solar developers set a new quarterly record bringing online more than 449 MW in new solar electric capacity. In fact, more solar capacity was installed in the third quarter of this year than in all of 2009, according to a new report released on Wednesday by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and GTM Research. The report, dubbed The U.S. Solar Market Insight: 3rd Quarter 2011, includes analysis of the three main solar technologies, photovoltaic PV, concentrating solar power (CSP) and concentrating photovoitaic's (CPV) technologies and according to the numbers PV technology drove the explosion of newly installed solar capacity.
This was led by 200 MW of utility PV grid connected PV installations 140% over Q3 2010. This should come as little surprise based on the rapidly declining cost of PV which is resulting in the decline of support and development of other solar power technologies. For 2011 solar is booming - through the third quarter of this year over 1,000 MW of solar capacity has been added in the U.S. and the report predicts that Q4 could be even larger than Q3. However, the study, which attributes much of the growth to the Department of Treasury's 1603 program, warns that 2012 and 2013 could be very different.
Set to expire on Dec. 31 the 1603 program provides cash grants for up to 30 percent of the cost of renewable energy project. Commenting on the report findings Shayle Kann, Managing Director of the solar practice at GTM Research said one of the "main questions on the mind of everyone in the market is what would be the impact of the 1603 Treasury Program's expiration". However, the study seems to make it clear that without the support of the program the solar industry could suffer a major decline in growth.
SEIA President Rhone Resch asserted that "solar industry needs a stable policy on which to make business decisions" and called for Congress to extend the program saying, "To keep the industry growing and creating jobs in the U.S. we need Congress to extend the 1603 program."
US Solar Industry Grows More in Third Quarter of 2011 Than in All of 2009
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.
The pace of solar progress is expected to keep on growing in the current quarter as large-scale solar utility projects that have been in the works for years finally start sending energy into the grid. A full 200 MW of the 449.2 MW growth was made up of large-scale solar projects that were finally completed. "There has always been a big pipeline of utility-scale projects that take a while to get constructed," Kann said in an interview. "We are expecting to see that through 2012." In contrast, solar growth totaled 887 megawatts last year and 435 megawatts in 2009.
The state of California led the pack by hosting a full 44% of all solar installations. In California, homeowners have been opting into programs from third-party solar leasing companies, where the homeowner incurs no up-front costs for their array - it is paid for either over time or with the renewable energy that is sent into the grid. Solar power enthusiasts are hopeful that the 2012 solar growth numbers will stay high, but their hopes might be thwarted if the U.S. Treasury Department's 1603 program - which provides cash grants to developers for solar installations - is not extended into the new year.
Solar and Gas: Together at a Power Plant Near You
Sometimes natural gas can use some solar help, and solar needs gas. Will the hybrid plant be the wave of the future? Gas power plants are going solar.
A small, but growing number of utilities and power providers are trying to supplement natural gas power plants with solar thermal systems.
Solar Energy Gets Texas Legislative Approval
In Texas, an expanded renewable energy mandate finally got overwhelming approval by the state senate by a 24-7 majority. Using the same Renewable Portfolio Standard that has made the state a national leader in wind power, the bill - SB541 - now offers an incentive to the solar power industry to expand under Texas' wide skies and ever-present sunlight.
Texas Solar Energy To Come Of Age
When it comes to energy production, Texas is more known for its oil. But did you know that Texas actually leads the US in wind power? Well, now Texas aims to ramp up its renewable energy production and make itself the number one state in the US for producing solar energy.
Big Future For Solar Energy In Texas
Everything's big in Texas, just ask they locals and they'll tell you. Even the state's power consumption is huge. Texas has a population of nearly 30 million citizens who use more power per capita than any other US state. The state is becoming increasingly excited over the possibility of a substantial local solar energy industry after a recent major news conference held by state senators and representatives promoting new renewable energy bills.
Solar City roundup, Abu Dhabi heats up
Highlighting the news from Solar City this week was the announcement that Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates-based Masdar PV plans to invest more than $2 billion in thin-film photovoltaic solar technology in a three-phased strategy to produce thin-film photovoltaic (PV) modules, and inked a deal (possibly $600 million) with Applied Materials for three of its SunFab thin film lines.
Worldwide Commercial Solar Panel Market Shares, Strategies, and Forecasts 2008 to 2014
Adoption of solar energy has a simple market driving force. If people do not adopt solar energy, the planet will become unfit for human habitation. The fossil fuels are warming the planet at an increasing rate that makes life unsustainable if something does not change.
Nanoparticles Used In Solar Energy Conversion
An enormous source of clean energy is available to us. We see it almost every day. It's just a matter of harnessing it. The problem with solar energy is that it has not been inexpensive enough in the past. David Kelley, professor of chemistry at Kansas State University, developed a new type of nanoparticle - a tiny chemical compound far too small to be seen with the naked eye - that may reap big dividends in solar power.
How Will Renewables Fare in the New Political Environment?
Americans have heard the Presidential and Congressional candidates talk about renewable energy for the last 24 months. Now it's up to Democrats to live up to the talk. With a Democrat in the White House and a significant Democratic majority in Congress, industry leaders are hopeful that renewable energies will become a higher national priority.
