UK university sets up solar farm for PV research
Work to install one of the citys first major solar farms on the roof of a University of Sheffield building has begun in what is part of a £120,000 investment into boosting photovoltaics (PV) research.??
DARPA awards Ascent Solar multi-million dollar contract for PoP program
Thin film solar module developer Ascent Solar Technologies has been selected by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to work on its Low-Cost Lightweight Portable Photovoltaics (PoP) program.
New survey shows US consumers want more solar energy
A new survey conducted by Applied Materials, Inc. reveals that two-thirds of Americans believe solar technology should play a greater role in meeting the countrys energy needs.
Drive to increase solar cell efficiency underway; results impressive
A team of University of Minnesota-led researchers has said it has cleared a major hurdle in the drive to build solar cells with potential efficiencies up to twice as high as current levels, which rarely exceed 30 percent. New solar cell designs are needed however.
LG to invest USD$820 million in solar business
LG Electronics (LG) has announced plans to significantly expand its solar business by investing USD$820 million (KRW one trillion) over the next five years toward its solar cell manufacturing facility in Gumi, southeast of Seoul.
OCI adds 5,000 MT of polysilicon capacity in bid to become market leader
Following the construction of its P3 polysilicon plant, which has a production capacity of 10,000 metric tons (MT) and is due to be completed at the end of this year, OCI has said it is looking to further expand production by another 5,000 metric tons at its facility in Gunsan, Jeollabukdo, South Korea.
NRG Solar increases project portfolio with new US Solar agreement
NRG Energy, Inc. through its wholly owned subsidiary, NRG Solar, has entered into a definitive agreement with US Solar Ventures Holdings to acquire a portfolio of solar development projects on nine sites in California and Arizona for an undisclosed sum of money.
Dow Jones partners with Sunpower to build 4.1 MW solar system
Sunpower has been selected to install a high-efficiency solar power system totaling 4.1 megawatts (MW) at Dow Jones’ corporate offices in central New Jersey, the U.S.
Lebanon looks to expand CSP activities in light of electricity shortages
A call for U.S. companies to develop a feasibility study for a 50 megawatt (MW) Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plant in Lebanon has been made by the United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) and Lebanons Zeenni’s Trading Agency, in light of continued energy shortages in the country.
FIT reductions mark transition for European PV says new report
The next two and a half years are shaping up to be one of significant transformation for the Europe photovoltaics (PV) industry, according to a new report from IHS Emerging Energy Research. European PV markets are forecast to add as much as 15.5 gigawatts (GW) from 2010 to 2012 at an average of five GW per year.
