New discovery allows low-grade silicon to be turned into high-efficiency solar panels
Some technical breakthroughs are great because they push back the limits of what we can do, bringing us to new summits, while other are great because they allow us to do more with what we already have.
Latest Stories in Energy - Page 7
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Chile is Undergoing a Massive Solar Boom
Chile is taking big steps forward in clean energy, with many gigawatts of solar power projects under developments, along with gigawatts of wind power.
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Edison Has Last Laugh in Current Wars
And I am not an idiot. Direct current goes farther at lower cost in smaller wires.
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California Solar Initiative Reaches 1 Gigawatt Milestone
So far the program has helped fund more than 1-gigawatt of solar power capacity, an important milestone that few countries, and even fewer states, have reached.
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Warren Buffett Buys World's Largest Solar Project from SunPower for $2.5 Billion
Warren Buffett's utility, which is part of his Berkshire Hathaway holding company, has just announced that it is buying SunPower's Antelope Valley Solar Projects, located in California, for between 2 and 2.5 billion dollars.
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New U.S. Wind Power Capacity Might Beat Natural Gas and Coal in 2012
We only have data up to November 30th so far, so we can't be sure what the final 2012 numbers will look like, but for the first 11 months of the year, new installed wind power in the United States adds up to 6,519 megawatts.
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Nanomaterials that Split Sunlight Into Separate Colors Could Bring Solar Panels to 50% Efficiency
The processes to make these panels are still expensive, but with economies of scale, they should come down in price dramatically over time.
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Biodiesel Train Crossed US-Canada Border 24 Times to Exploit Biofuel Loophole
You don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to figure out that there's something going on if a train crosses the US-Canada border 12 times back and forth (24 times across the line) without unloading its cargo.
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Germany Still Kicking Ass on Clean Energy: 2012 Production Forecast to be 15% Above 2011
Germany has been a rock star lately when it comes to clean energy. Their policies have encouraged huge growth in solar and wind, and over the years this has added up to a very significant chunk of the country's total energy use.
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IEA: World to Burn 1.2 Billion More Tons of Coal Per Year by 2017 (If We Don't Wake Up)
Since 1 ton of coal produces 2.86 tons of CO2 when burned, this would mean an additional 3.4 billion tons of CO2 produced just from this extra coal.
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Major UK Solar Projects Move Forward With Increased Certainty
Smaller-than-expected cuts to renewables subsidies, combined with confirmation of long term support, means that large scale solar in the UK is back.
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Plans for Gigantic 1.2GW Wind Farm Submitted
Significantly larger than any offshore windfarm in operation, developers say East Anglia Offshore Wind could provide power for 770,000 homes.
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Conservative Politician Blasts Outdated, Carbon-Intensive Energy Policy
Fighting climate change and modernizing our energy grid shouldn't be a partisan issue. At least one conservative recognizes that.
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Sign of the Times? 'Big Pit' National Coal Museum Now Powered by... Solar Panels
I couldn't help but chuckle when I saw this headline. I think it's definitely a sign of the time that the National Coal Museum in the UK, the birth-place of coal-powered industrialization, is now powered by solar panels.
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Why Shale Gas Fracking May Never Succeed in the UK
The UK is not America. Any attempt to replicate recent shale gas developments there will face some serious reality checks.
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A True Climate Legacy? Obama Can Block the Keystone XL Pipeline
President Obama can create a real climate legacy by blocking the Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline.
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UK Lifts Suspension of Shale Gas Fracking
In a predicted trade off for increasing support of renewables, the UK government has lifted its suspension of fracking for shale gas.
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SolarCity Successfully IPOs, Shows Double-Digits Gains on First Day
Cleantech IPOs have a mixed record so far, with many disappointments and failure... But SolarCity could be different.
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10,000 MW of Wind Power Predicted for Latin America
Wind is expected to overwhelmingly lead renewables growth in Latin America. Solar and biofuels, not so much.
