Renewables Want Level Playing Field
Growth in renewables manufacturing is about to slow, and thousands of jobs will be lost, if Congress doesn't level the playing field between renewables and traditional fossil energy sources, renewables advocates told the National Hydropower Association conference April 18 in Washington DC.The wind, hydro and solar industries are all facing expiration of tax benefits that have allowed them to grow during the recession. Though the specific tax provisions vary, said NHA Executive Director Linda Church Ciocci, "We're all in the same boat, and we sink or swim together."
Hybrid Solar Panels Yield Electricity, Hot Water
Naked Energy, a British company, has made a name for itself by developing a tubular hybrid solar panel that can do twice the work of a traditional flat photovoltaic panel.
Capturing More Light with a Single Solar Cell
MIT Technology ReviewThe most efficient solar cells typically have several layers of semiconductor materials, each tuned to convert different colors of light into electricity. Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab have now made a single semiconductor that performs almost the same job. More importantly, they made the material using a common manufacturing technique, suggesting it could be made relatively inexpensively.
Initial Results from California Renewable Auction
We are getting some initial results from California’s Renewable Auction Mechanism, a program for renewable energy projects under 20 MW in size.
Solar Sector Victorious: California PUC Declares SDG&E's New Fee Illegal
California regulators have struck down a controversial charge that would increase fees for some solar customers in California
Mass. Dept. of Public Utilities Adopts Net Metering Regulations for Government Facilities
The Massachusetts DPU issued a net metering order promulgating legislation that revised the state’s net metering law
El Paso Electric Proposes Tariff with a Solar Penalty
El Paso Electric proposed a rider last month that would impose a substantial penalty for solar-owning customers in its service territory
Solar Energy Bill Advances in Legislature
A clean energy bill in Massachusetts would increase the availability of the net-metering program
The Rise of Concentrating Solar Thermal Power
Concentrating photovoltaic technology is attracting buyers, and that’s going to spark competition between CPV and CSP for optimal project sites.
California Licenses World’s Biggest Solar Thermal Plant
After years of environmental reviews, the California Energy Commission has in the past three weeks licensed solar thermal farms that would generate 1,500 megawatts of electricity when completed