March 27, 2016 A new study published on March 24, 2016 in the journal Science demonstrates that hybrid lead halide provskites, solar cells that can be produced cheaply with easily synthesized materials, have an astonishing ability: not only do they absorb energy from the sun to generate electricity as all … Continue reading
Category Archives: Solar
Australian Solar Panels 40% Efficient
December 7, 2014 Researchers at the University of New South Wales announced that they were able to convert more than 40% of sunlight hitting panels into electricity. The tests were replicated at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in the United States. A similar breakthrough (44.7%) at the Fraunhofer Institute for … Continue reading
Better Than Grid Parity
Electricity in Hawaii costs $0.38 per kilowatt hour, almost treble the national average of around $0.13, which incidentally does not factor in the damage to the environment caused by using fossil fuels to generate electricity. Solar power, which can cost $0.30 per KWH, is now actually cheaper than grid electricity. … Continue reading
Solar Power Economics
October 24, 2014 Here’s an example –albeit of limited scope- of how solar power could be used to reduce unemployment. An Arizona-based private company will build a 60-megawatt solar power plant on 600 acres of dry, vacant land near Mendota, California, a drought-stricken community with near 30% unemployment about 25 … Continue reading
New Solar Tracking System Improves Production by 22 to 28%
Mass Megawatts recently announced the company’s entry into the $12 billion, US solar power market with the development of a new solar tracking technology that significantly increases the level of energy produced by solar power systems. This innovative design, combined with substantial government incentives, has created an unprecedented opportunity for … Continue reading
Solar Power With Gold Nanocluster Technology
Western scientists revolutionize solar power with new “gold nanocluster” technology September 25, 2014 Scientists at Western University have discovered that a small molecule created with just 144 atoms of gold can increase solar cell performance by more than 10 per cent. These findings, published recently by the high-impact journal Nanoscale, … Continue reading
Generating Solar Power At Night
Israeli firm looks to keep solar power generators running at night By Ari Rabinovitch Reuters NEGEV DESERT Israel (Reuters) – An Israeli solar power company, Brenmiller Energy, says it has developed a new, more efficient way to store heat from the sun that could give a boost to the thermal … Continue reading
Solar Cells 44.7% Efficient
Press Release September 23, 2013 The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, Soitec, CEA-Leti and the Helmholtz Center Berlin jointly announced today having achieved a new world record for the conversion of sunlight into electricity using a new solar cell structure with four solar subcells. Surpassing competition after only … Continue reading
Solar Batteries
June 21, 2013 SMA Solar, Germany’s largest solar company and the world’s largest maker of inverters, a device to feed solar-generated energy into the electricity grid, announced the introduction of a new battery set to store surplus daytime solar energy for up to three hours of nighttime use. The new … Continue reading