Arizona Solar Center - Your Guide to Solar and Other Renewable Energy Sources in Arizona

The U. of Buffalo (NY) says adding quantum dots into solar cells could increase their efficiency by a whopping 45%. Their research, published in last May in the journal Nano Letters, says that embedding quantum dots allows the cells to harvest infrared light, and also increase the lifetime of photoelectrons.

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No, those aren't typos up there. There is a difference between silicon and silicone, according to Steve Swanson, an engineer for Dow Corning. Swanson was at the the Coachella Valley Economic Partnership's Renewable Energy Roundtable Thursday, to talk about how silicone can boost the production of electricity from silicon cells in solar panels - and what he and Dow Corning hope will be the next generation of solar panels.

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Plastic materials are being evaluated by several leading research institutions for broadened commercial solar cell applications due to their advantages of significant cost-savings and flexibility. Concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) solar cells use materials such as glass and plastic to concentrate solar radiation onto small, high-efficiency photovoltaic cells. However, the jury is still out in many camps on whether plastics are truly reliable over typical 20 year warranty periods for solar-related products.

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The solar thermal market has been showing steady growth, but I predict the U.S. industry is on the path for record growth on par with the solar photovolatic industry. Let me explain why.

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As small renewable energy systems are increasingly deployed at the sub-utility scale, distributed solar photovoltaic systems will continue to be the leading form of renewable distributed energy generation installations, according to a new report from Pike Research.

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We usually speak of "alternative energy sources" as positives. Across the developing world, however, these "alternatives" take the forms of dung and wood for cooking, candles and kerosene for lighting. Governments have done an absolutely dismal job of rolling out access to modern energy.

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A new study on the impact of regional temperature differences on solar generating potential arrives at some surprising conclusions about the world's best locations for solar power. While the US desert southwest still ranks high, as you'd expect, it turns out that some of the best sites may be in places most of us would never suspect, including the Himalayas and Antarctica.

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Reports of the death of the solar industry are greatly exaggerated. Yes, there have been some high profile bankruptcies of US solar companies -- Solyndra, Evergreen, Spectrawatt -- in 2011. But the solar industry as a whole is on a boom that is only going to increase in coming years, which will transform how we produce and use energy.

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In April, seven traditional Polynesian ocean-going vessels called vakas, and their 16 member crews, set sail on a 15,000 nautical mile journey across the Pacific. Powered only by solar energy, guided solely by celestial navigation, these seafarers are on an expedition to reconnect with their ancestors and raise awareness for the environmental issues threatening the Pacific.

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(This is part 2 of a 2 part series. Link to the first part here.)

In April, seven traditional Polynesian ocean-going vessels called vakas, and their 16 member crews, set sail on a 15,000 nautical mile journey across the Pacific. Powered only by solar energy, guided solely by celestial navigation, these seafarers are on an expedition to reconnect with their ancestors and raise awareness for the environmental issues threatening the Pacific.

Read more...

(This is part 1 of a 2 part series. Link to second part is here.)

Shipments of the latest generation of "smart" photovoltaic inverters are forecast to grow to 27 GW in 2015, accounting for almost 60% of the market, according to a recent report from IMS Research.

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Scientists in the US and the UK have been awarded funding totalling more than $10.3 m to improve understanding of the process of biological photosynthesis. The US National Science Foundation (NSF) and the UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) collaborated in issuing these jointly funded awards.

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As the U.S. solar market continues to reach new heights, both photovoltaics and concentrating solar power (CSP) will be required in order for the industry to achieve future goals. Given the inherent advantages and disadvantages of each of these technologies, diversification within a single company is becoming an increasingly popular strategy.

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Solar power may be cheaper than electricity generated by fossil fuels and nuclear reactors within three to five years because of innovations, said Mark M. Little, the global research director for General Electric Co.

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Direct current. It's so out it's in. Intel and Ford Motor Company plan to retrofit select facilities to see if DC power can really curb their electricity consumption.

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Close to 80% of the world's energy supply could be met by solar power and other forms of renewable energy by mid-century if deployment is backed by the right enabling public policies, according to a new report from researchers working with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

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Home buyers will pay for solar, a new study from Lawrence Berkeley Lab says, but the incentives are important to make it economical.

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Review the complete study...

Now that California's new, enhanced renewable portfolio standard (RPS) has been signed into law, where will California's utilities find the in-state renewable energy they need in order to meet requirements?

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IT LOOKS like a planetary tattoo designed to be seen from space, a vast set of concentric circles inscribed in the skin of southern California's desert. Ground was broken on the Ivanpah power plant, which is to be one of the biggest solar installations in the world, last October.

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Can the collaborative-development model made famous by websites like Wikipedia also help to standardize and simplify solar power purchase agreements (PPAs)? San Mateo, Calif.-based Tioga Energy Inc. says it has taken a critical first step toward open, accessible PPAs by making its SurePath PPA available to the public and fellow industry members.

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