Australian Company Wins U.N. Prize For Bringing Solar Power To The Poorest In India

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/11/20/2973101/india-solar-australia-prize/

a great initiative!

Are Those Solar Panels Facing the Wrong Direction?

http://energyblog.nationalgeographic.com/2013/11/20/are-those-solar-panels-facing-the-wrong-direction/

National Geographic discusses orientation study: in some cases westward facing panels outperform south facing...

PVCalc - The Return (ROI) Calculator for PV Solar Energy Projects

http://pvcalc.org/pvcalc

This one's going in the list of links at the bottom of the homepage too!

ROI calculator

Solar Energy Shakeout: Concentrating vs. Photovoltaic

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-11-14/2014-outlook-solar-energy-shakeout-concentrating-vs-dot-photovoltaic

PV is now preferred over concentrating solar

Bonds Backed by Solar Power Payments Get Nod

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/15/business/energy-environment/bonds-backed-by-solar-power-payments-get-nod.html?_r=0

An interesting assessment of the current state of solar

Arizona Utility Tries Storing Solar Energy for Use in the Dark

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/18/business/energy-environment/arizona-utility-tries-storing-solar-energy-for-use-in-the-dark.html

Robo Raven: Robotic Bird that Harvests Solar Energy

http://phys.org/news/2013-10-robo-raven-robotic-bird-harvests.html

and now for something completely different! ...

Big Box Solar and the Clean Energy Revolution

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/innovations/wp/2013/10/15/big-box-solar-and-the-clean-energy-revolution/

IKEA's new initiative

Nasa Satellite Could Transmit Energy from Orbit

http://mashable.com/2013/08/29/nasa-satellite-solar-power/

NASA's  latest energy from space idea

Solar-Integrated EV Fast Charging Station gets CODA Energy Storage System

http://cleantechnica.com/2013/09/02/solar-integrated-ev-fast-charging-station-eco-station-gets-coda-energy-storage-system/

like a Smart Grid for charging stations

Volvo Invents a Solar Panel That Unfurls From the Car Trunk

http://www.wired.com/design/2013/07/volvo-synthesis-architecture-solar-power-canopy/

 

Former Kodak Building to be Transformed into Solar Energy Hub

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Zdyo4vJuCU

US Halts Mining in Solar Energy Zones

hhttp://www.pv-magazine.com/news/details/beitrag/us-halts-mining-in-solar-energy-zones_100012100/#axzz2ZUxH5IAZ

Solar Powered Plane Wraps First Leg of Flight Across US

http://news.yahoo.com/solar-powered-plane-wraps-first-leg-flight-across-184817059.html

Solar Power Produced 100% of New Energy on U.S. Grid in March

http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/bulletin/solar-power-produced-100-of-new-energy-on-us-grid-in-march/18083

"...solar power has moved from being “an immaterial job creator to an economic driver.”

Solar Energy Lights For Developing World Also Empowers Women

http://www.earthtechling.com/2013/04/solar-energy-lights-for-developing-world-also-empowers-women/

Where solar energy and social justice meet!

MA May Expand Solar Energy Requirements

http://www.wwlp.com/dpp/news/politics/state_politics/ma-may-expand-solar-energy-requirements

"Clean energy advocates told officials at the state’s Department of Energy Resources hearing, also known as the DOER, how the progress has benefited electricity customers.

“We showed a price decline of 29 percent year over year from 2011 and that put us number 2 relative to other states in terms of price decline,” said Carrie Cullen Hitt, Senior VP State Affairs, Solar Energy Industries Assoc. "

Solar Power, Now Thriving in NC, Under Cloud as GOP Proposes Reforms

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/03/23/3935453/solar-power-now-thriving-in-nc.html

“It’s an extraordinary success story that there’s an industry that hardly existed several years ago,” said Michael Shore, CEO of FLS Energy in Asheville. “Solar prices are still dropping. We will get to a place where solar will be, without any incentive, a cost-effective part of any utility’s portfolio.”

New Solar Power Ordinance Passed in Upper Makefield

http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/courier_times_news/new-solar-power-ordinance-passed-in-upper-makefield/article_0f3cbf8c-2493-5647-930e-3f3c7b1b8cd6.html


Philly restricts solar power use




http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/06/lancaster-california-solar-panels-power-energy_n_2822539.html


While Cali requires it!

Uncertain Returns Concern Farmers who have Invested in Solar Energy

http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/821347_Uncertain-returns-concern-farmers-who-have-invested-in-solar-energy.html


from the comments:

"PA Srecs are definitely not $260. They are $10!!! I'm not sure where Dave Lefever got his information. $10 per SREC pushes solar repayment out to 15-20 years. PA is one of two states that still allows out-of-state generation to be sold on our market. We are therefore subsidizing the rest of the nation's solar installations. It's great for PPL and all the other generators to be able to buy an SREC for $10 but it totally decimates the solar installation industry in PA. There bill in the PA senate that addresses this issue, but it cannot go to a vote because this administration is not interested in renewable energy"

Shell Scenario: Solar To Be #1 Source Of Energy (But Don’t Jump Yet)

http://cleantechnica.com/2013/03/03/shell-scenario-solar-to-be-1-source-of-energy-but-dont-jump-yet/

an interesting look at the future of energy

A Whole New Kind of Solar Energy Technology

http://scienceblog.com/60546/a-whole-new-kind-of-solar-energy-technology/

using gold and platinum? and they expect it to become cost effective...

The Open PV Project

https://openpv.nrel.gov/search

National Renewable Energy Laboratory database




http://www.nrel.gov/analysis/tech_lcoe.html

Levelized Cost of Energy Calculator let's you compare rates

Unsubsidised Roof-top Solar Power Grows Competitive

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/22/column-wynn-solar-subsidies-idUSL6N0BKEGQ20130222


The U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has developed an open project database detailing the combined full installation cost, excluding incentives, of projects based in the United States.
The NREL database can be found here:   see article

In a useful reality check, NREL has its own simplified calculator which calculates the LCOE for a comparable installation at $0.25 per kWh.
The link to the NREL viewer can be found here:    see article

Boulder Scientists Leading Solar Energy Forecast Project

http://www.dailycamera.com/science-environment/ci_22650153/boulder-scientists-leading-solar-energy-forecast-project

forecasting is good for utility scale renewables. I still think decentralized is better...

Fox News Experts on Solar Energy are Completely Wrong

http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2013/02/07/fox_news_expert_on_solar_energy_germany_gets_a_lot_more_sun_than_we_do_video.html


The Washington Post got it right:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/02/08/germany-has-five-times-as-much-solar-power-as-the-u-s-despite-alaska-levels-of-sun/

New York Sales-tax Break Puts Shine on New Solar Panels

http://www.lohud.com/article/20130104/NEWS/301040044/New-York-sales-tax-break-puts-shine-new-solar-panels?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CNews


"The new state law for commercial solar energy systems gives municipalities the option of providing a local sales-tax exemption. "

Customers Upset Over Low Solar Energy Payment

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/7_on_your_side&id=8940141


"...Huffman says other homeowners are thinking like Piotter. Instead of taking a small payment, they're plugging in more stuff.

"People would string extra Christmas lights or leave the hot tub on, and obviously you don't want any policy that encourages waste of energy," said Huffman.

PG&E and other utility companies say paying more to solar customers will result in higher rates for the rest of the ratepayers to cover overhead costs. Still, Huffman and many homeowners want policies that encourage more solar.   ..."