Frequent utility blackouts are the ever-increasing evidence of our changing climate and raises the awareness for having emergency solar backup power in the home. Utilities are having a difficult time repairing what nature can dismantle in a matter of seconds.
Using the battery bank in an emergency solar power center is some of the best technology a homeowner can invest in today. A backup solar generator can keep you out of the dark when the grid goes down. Solar powered generators with battery backup do not rely on fossil fuel to keep electricity flowing to your critical home loads. A solar-powered generator in your home is the ultimate security in emergencies. Continue reading Emergency Solar Generator You Home’s Hedge Against the Dark→
A team from Japan won a world race from cars power by solar panels. These solar panel powered cars had to race through Australia’s outback after battling more than 1,800 miles of remote highways, dodging kangaroos and other wildlife and avoiding a bush-fire. These races are more than a sporting event. They are a great way to inspire new solar technology and kick-start higher solar technological development. The team from Tokai University finished the solar race from the northern city of Darwin to the southern city of Adelaide at about noon on Thursday. Continue reading Japanese Wins Australian Solar Panel Powered Car Race→
The Marine Corps is exploring expanding it’s use of flexible solar panels that fit in a Marine’s pack and recharge batteries, the service’s top combat developer said. The portable solar panels would be modeled after technology that 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, out of Camp Pendleton, deployed with last year to Sangin, Afghanistan, said Lt. Gen. Richard Mills, deputy commandant for combat development. Known as Solar Portable Alternative Communication Energy Systems, or SPACES, it was used by the unit to cut down on the number of batteries needed and to lighten an infantryman’s load. Continue reading Marine Corps Using Portable Flexible Solar Panels in Afghanistan→
Imagine a crop that can be harvested daily on the most barren desert and arid land, with no fertilizer or tillage, and that produces no harmful emissions. Imagine an energy source so bountiful that it can provide many times more energy than we could ever expect to need or use. Imagine that an hour’s worth of sunlight bathing the planet holds far more energy than humans worldwide could consume in a year. You don’t have to imagine it — it’s real and it’s here. Solar energy is an abundant enormous resource that is readily available to all countries throughout the world, and all the space above the earth. It is clean, no waste comes from it, and once a system is in place, it’s “free.” Continue reading Solar Farming in India is a Game Changer→
In the midst of the catastrophic housing market collapse comes a bright spot for residential solar installers. A new study found that home solar systems boosted the resale prices of homes in California and other markets around the country.
A study at the U.S. Department of Energy Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have found that homes with solar systems installed sell for a premium compared to homes without solar. The study is one of the first comprehensive looks at the impact of solar systems on home sale prices in the country. Continue reading Solar Installation Boosts Home Resale Prices in California→
For most of 2011, the stocks of solar power companies of all kinds, from providers of raw polysilicon to developers of finished utility-scale plants, have been taking a beating on world and U.S. stock markets, partly because solar has been the industry most singled out for attack by bearish short sellers.
In an article for MSNBC, Garvin Jabusch writes ” I cannot describe this phenomenon any better than did Roberto Pedone in a recent column for thestreet.com”: Besides the banking sector post-2008 financial crisis, I can’t think of a group that’s as hated and despised as solar stocks. … For whatever reason, this entire complex of solar energy has become a favorite target of short-sellers. There are so many names in the solar sector that are heavily shorted that it’s hard to find a name the bears aren’t leaning all over. Continue reading Solar Vs Oil; Wall Street Short Sellers, Dangerous to US Economy→
The French oil and gas giant Total (the world’s fifth-largest), shelled out a cool $1.38 billion for a controlling 60 percent stake in SunPower Solar Corporation. Based in San Jose, California, SunPower’s deal with Total is already having repercussions across the entire market. Solar, like wind and geothermal, can be a capital-intensive business. Continue reading Oil Giant Gains Control of Solar Equipment Company→
There is some controversy among solar companies that PV installers permitting process is unnecessarily complicated and bureaucratic in many cities. I am sure that may be true in many cases, but our experience most of the required information is based on a fundamental principal of local government protecting the interests of the community.
Most municipalities in California are working to streamline the solar installation permit process and lower costs but they are faced with the same challenges as most households. If solar installers do a complete job of submitting the permit application including an electrical design that meets code requirements, the process is greatly expedited. Continue reading Solar Installers Continue to Battle PV Installation Fees→
China, Germany and Canada are powering up solar recognizing importing oil is not the future. Where is the United States in this? Dispite numerous wars protecting human rights… mostly in oil producing nations, a disaster in the Gulf of Mexico we have all forgotten about, America is still trending up.
Solar powering Saudi Arabia? Yes, ladies and gentlemen, let it be said, let it be so. As oil supplies decline, Saudi Arabia’s own electrical energy is becoming expensive. By one estimate, it’s as much as 25 cents a kilowatt-hour, at wholesale. Saudi Arabia gets all of its electricity from the oil field. Flared gas provides 45%, heavy fuel oil provides 13%, diesel; 22% and crude provides the remaining 20%. So as oil prices rise, its domestic desalination and electricity costs rise too.
But the kingdom has solar insolation that is the envy of the world. So the Governor of the state power company ECRA (Saudi Electricity and Cogeneration Regulatory Authority) is hoping to get state approval for solar incentives to help solar begin to power some of the kingdom’s 50,000 megawatt electricity needs, according to ArabNews. Continue reading Solar Panels Powering Saudi Arabia? Cheap Electricity Driving Saudis to Photovoltaics→