solar

Google gloats over solar success

Google has produced enough electricity from its headquarters in the last four days to watch about 251,073 hours of television on a flat screen.

The news comes from Google's site dedicated to letting folks know exactly how many kilowatt-hours its solar project is paying out.

The search giant has covered the roofs of eight buildings and two carports at its Mountain View, Calif., headquarters with solar panels in an effort to build the largest solar panel installation of any corporate campus in the U.S.

On Monday, the system was turned on and Google has been monitoring its … Read more

Wind blows away competition among renewable energy investors

Money is pouring into renewable energy. And it's a global trend. The United Nations on Wednesday reported that $100 billion went into renewable energy and efficiency technologies last year. That's a record--up $20 billion from 2005. Indications are 2007 will set another record. You can read a summary of the United Nations report here.

Once dominated by North America and Europe, renewable energy investments are spreading out. Last year, 9 percent went into China. Investors from India were active in acquisitions.

Money's coming from stock markets, venture capital investments and private individuals. Publicly traded renewable energy stocks … Read more

Turn your backpack into a solar hub

The unnamed blogger at "Yosemite Outside" would probably be interested in this. Months after going through pains to assemble a DIY backpack solar charger, this rugged and creative individualist can now buy a remarkably similar item that doesn't even require any unsightly duct tape.

The adjustable "Mana Solar Claw" can apply the sun's energy to a backpack of practically any reasonable size, keeping one's phone and gadgets charged at all times with an array of six-watt solar panels, according to ProductDose. It does cost $230, but that's a lot less than you'… Read more

A day in the life of a factory worker in China

Factory workers put in long shifts at Suntech Power Holdings, but they do get time off.

The solar cell manufacturer, which has emerged as one of the fastest growing in the world, has its plant employees put in two twelve hour shifts on consecutive days and then get two days off.

The 2,500 factory workers make around $200 a month each on average. That's $2,400 a year. 70 percent of the factory employees are young women.

"Robots will double your production costs," said Steve Chan, vice president of business development.

While such wages would be … Read more

Solar Stirling engine company gets $9.5 million

Solar thermal is heating up.

Infinia, which makes a Stirling engine that can generate electricity or household heat by harvesting heat from the sun, has raised $9.5 million, the company said Thursday. Investors include Idealab and Khosla Ventures. As part of the deal, Infinia bought Stirling Cycles, one of Idealab's companies.

Stirling engines were invented in the 19th century as an alternative to steam engines. A Stirling motor has a closed cylinder that houses a gas, such as hydrogen, and a piston. Applied heat expands the gas to move the piston that, in turn, pumps other mechanisms, such … Read more

SolarCity tracks solar-panel output via the Web

You've just shelled out thousands of dollars for solar power, but what if your shiny new solar panels are underperforming?

Solar installer SolarCity on Monday is expected to announce a system that lets businesses and home owners get a real-time readout of their solar panels from a Web portal.

Called SolarGuard, the monitoring system collects data on system performance, which is then transmitted back to SolarCity every 15 minutes.

The idea is that problems can be identified and service technicians can go out to fix the problem quickly after analyzing the data coming in from customers, according to the … Read more

Solar light works like snail's eyes

Being of the green ilk here at Crave, we fully support the notion of solar lighting (especially if it keeps out co-workers from exhibiting any violent tendencies). We're even willing to tolerate models born of questionable taste. But we must draw the line at gadgets that resemble killer mollusks.

The "Place-Anywhere Articulated Solar Light" may sound innocuous enough, but don't be fooled. By its own admission, this product bears "two independent telescoping stalks, similar to a snail's ommatophores." That would be snail eyes, as every schoolboy knows. Whatever they're called, they can … Read more

Solaicx spills plans for wafer factory for solar power in Oregon

Solaicx, which makes silicon ingots and wafers for solar cells, has signed a lease for a 136,000 square foot facility in Portland.

The plant will this year have a capacity to churn out enough silicon for 48 megawatts worth of solar panels. Next year, Solaicx will expand the plant to be capable of producing silicon for 142 megawatts a year. The expansion revolves around increasing the number of silicon ingot growers, the machines that make the tubes of pure silicon that ultimately gets formed into wafers, from 12 in 2007 to 36.

Although China has been sucking up much … Read more

Historic Pearl Brewery to become solar gem

Amid all the fermentation in the alternative-energy sector, the historic Pearl Brewery in San Antonio is poised to become a showcase for solar power.

And it'll be a big one, to boot. CPS Energy and renovator Silver Ventures want to turn the former brewery into the largest solar energy installation in Texas: a 200-kilowatt array of panels will crown a 67,000-square-foot warehouse that's being rehabbed for mixture of office, retail and residential use as the Full Goods Building. The project will provide approximately one-quarter of the building's total energy needs, according to CPS Energy, the municipal … Read more