Solar power is expected to reach grid parity when solar panels can be produced for under $0.70/watt with a total system cost under $2.00. As solar PV costs have been trending downward, grid parity could be reached as early as 2013 if the trend continues. This is according to a new free white paper, “Investing in the Power of the …
ContourGlobal to Build Largest Wind Farm in Peru
Countour Global Latam S.A. will be constructing two wind farms in Peru that the company acquired from Energia Eolica S.A. (“EESA”). The wind farms, Cupisnique and Talara, were under development by EESA and when complete, will have an installed capacity of 114 megawatts and be the first large scale wind farms built and operational in the Peru. They will also be …
Queen Creek Solar Farm Has Successful Start-Up
The 25.2 megawatt Queen Creek Solar Farm in Queen Creek, Arizona is now operating. Owned by PSEG Solar Source, the Salt River Project (SRP) has a 20-year agreement to purchase all of the solar energy produced by the project. The solar farm is located on 148 acres of land about 30 miles southeast of Phoenix. The solar system is comprised …
Study Looks at Converting Biomass & Electricity to Fuel
In a collaborative effort between University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Massachusetts-Amherst and Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, a continuous process for converting biomass and electricity into renewable liquid transportation fuels has been developed. The researchers used a proton-exchange-membrane fuel cell to convert the model biomass compound acetone into isopropanol. This chemical compound can be used in a myriad of …
VIASPACE Signs Giant King Grass Supply Contract
Tibbar Energy is in the process of developing a 6 megawatt renewable biomass energy project in the U.S. Virgin Islands on the island of St. Croix. The 20 year project will include VIASPACE’s renewable energy crop called Giant King Grass as the primary feedstock to generate biogas. The energy project is slated to be underway in 2013 and in production …
Virginia Tech to Explore Wind & Solar in India
A new Virginia Tech research center is set to open in Tamil Nadu in southeast India with the hope of refining and adapting windmills and solar panels for use in rural India households. With more than a billion people worldwide living in rural communities in extreme poverty, how energy production proceeds will have global impact. Windmills are being designed to …
Tempe Students Learn with Living Laboratories
You are never too old, or too young to learn about energy. Tempe Union High School District (TUHSD) and Chevron Energy Solutions have launched a cross-curricular science, technology, engineering and math (STEM – even the acronym is sciencey) and sustainability program designed to give students more knowledge about energy and environmental issues. Each campus now has a Living Laboratory where students …
Library Adds Solar for Cleaner Environment
The Port Washington Public Library has added thin film solar cells to its roof’s cap sheet layer to generate solar energy. The only building in Nassau and Suffolk counties in New York state to generate power this way, the system has the ability to generate an average of 42,000 kWh of electricity per year and but CO2 emissions by more …
Solar in Spain Increases
Two large scale power plants are being connected to the grid south of the Iberian Peninsula in Spain. Coenergy was selected for the installation. The first power plant will have a total capacity of 1.8 KWp and is located in Jerez de la Frontera on an industrial rooftop spanning 24,000 square meters. The second solar power plant will have a …
Book Review: Rooftop Revolution
There are some books you read and you feel a bit smarter and then there are some books you read that get you excited and compel you to action. Rooftop Revolution by Danny Kennedy got me re-energized about solar energy. In simple terms, the book is about the economic and environmental benefits of solar power. Kennedy focuses on photovoltaics, a …