Georgia Fights for More Solar Power

Joanna Schroeder

Residents of Georgia are asking Georgia Power Company to increase the amount of solar energy in its 20 year plan. Last week, Georgia Public Service Commission and its staff heard testimony from Robert E. Green, CEO of Georgia Solar Utilities, asking the Commissioners to deploy solar energy farms to rural counties that are scheduled to lose their coal and oil-fired …

Alternative energy, Electricity, Energy, Solar

EMCORE Wins NASA Solar Contract

Joanna Schroeder

EMCORE Corporation has been awarded a contract by ATK to design and manufacture solar panels for NASA’s Green Propellant Infusion Mission (GPIM) planned for launch in 2015. The solar panels include EMCORE’s most advanced XTJ triple-junction solar cells, and will power a satellite that will carry the GPIM payload. ATK will integrate the EMCORE’s solar panels into its heritage-designed solar …

Alternative energy, Solar

JinkoSolar Partners with GRID Alternatives

Joanna Schroeder

JinkoSolar has entered in to a partnership with GRID Alternatives, a U.S. nonprofit solar installer, to donate 150kW of its solar modules towards the installation and training of volunteers of solar electric systems exclusively for low-income homeowners. The company says its donation will provide savings of over $2 million for low-income families over the systems’ lifetimes, and support more than …

Alternative energy, Electricity, Energy, Solar

Energy Exec Survey: Energy Independence by 2030

Joanna Schroeder

According to the 11th annual Energy Industry Outlook Survey conducted by the KPMG Global Energy Institute, 62 percent of energy executives believe the U.S. can attain energy independence by 2030, eliminating dependency on foreign oil. The survey polled more than 100 senior energy executives in the U.S. and found that this is a 10 percent increase from last year’s survey. …

Alternative energy, biofuels, Natural Gas, Nuclear Energy, Oil, Solar, Wind

Solar Boat Breaks Speed Record

Joanna Schroeder

Switzerland’s MS Tûranor PlanetSolar, the world’s largest solar boat, has set a new speed record for a transatlantic crossing by solar electric vessel. The boat left  from Las Palmas, Spain, on April 25, 2013, and sailed 2,867miles (5,310 kilometers) across the Atlantic Ocean at the average speed of 5.3 knots before reaching Marigot, St. Martin, in the French West Indies …

Alternative energy, Energy, Solar

ReneSola & Positive Energy Offering Solar Grants

Joanna Schroeder

ReneSola and Positive Energy Solar are offering three 2.5 kilowatt solar grants for non-profit organizations in Las Cruces, Santa Fe and Albuquerque, New Mexico. “Positive Energy Solar is committed to clean, affordable solar electricity in our communities,” said Regina Wheeler, chief executive officer of Positive Energy Solar. “Through these grants, non-profits that might not otherwise be able to, can reduce …

Alternative energy, Electricity, Energy, Solar

GM Adds Solar, EV Charging

Joanna Schroeder

General Motors has added four new solar photovoltaic solar projects to its Warren Technical Center campus located in Warren, Michigan. The installations, done by Empower Energies, included a ground-mounted solar array and three solar electric vehicle charging stations. The 49kW ground-mounted array is situated on the north side of the pond adjacent to the GM Vehicle Engineering Center, and according …

Alternative energy, Electric Vehicles, Electricity, Energy, Solar

Boston Goes Solar

Joanna Schroeder

The Boston/Dedham Commerce Park is the new home of the largest rooftop solar array in the City of Boston. The 974 kilowatt capacity solar project was completed by FireFlower Alternative Energy in partnership with First Highland Management & Development and spans 12,000 square feet. The solar system to produce enough electricity to “fuel” approximately 65 percent of the building’s energy …

Alternative energy, Electricity, Energy, Solar

Africa Mecca for Clean Energy

Joanna Schroeder

According to a recent study by the United Nations, less than 1 percent of all patent applications relating to clean energy technology have been filed in Africa, with the majority of this 1 percent filed in South Africa. The study find that Africa is a mecca for clean energy and has the ability to leapfrog existing fossil-fuel energy sources. “Patents …

Clean Energy, Geothermal, Hydro, Solar, Wind

What Do Orca Whales and Solar Have in Common?

Joanna Schroeder

What do Orca whales and solar energy have in common? Nothing until now. Canadian Solar Solutions has donated solar modules to power the OrcaLab Whale Research Centre, on a remote island off the British Columbia coast near Alert Bay. OrcaLab has been recording the Johnson Strait whales for more than four decades. Founder, Dr. Paul Spong and his wife Helena …

Alternative energy, Electricity, Energy, Environment, Solar