Electical Contractor

In the past few years, hundreds of thousands of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems have been installed for residential (dwelling) units, commercial buildings, industrial facilities and utility companies.

A new design for thin-film solar cells that requires significantly less silicon and may boost the efficiency is the result of an industry/academia collaboration between Oerlikon Solar in Switzerland and the Institute of Physics’ photovoltaic group at the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic.

In late January, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), working with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), unveiled a prototype of a new, six-bay electric vehicle charging station at the EPRI laboratory in Knoxville, Tenn.

Construction is scheduled to start early this year on the 250-megawatt (MW) California Valley Solar Ranch Project in San Luis Obispo County.

Researchers at State University of New York (SUNY), Binghamton, Center for Advanced Microelectronics Manufacturing (CAMM), are giving the factory production of solar-energy cells a modern makeover.

Solar power in an aerosol can? If recent advancements are any indication, the solar industry may be getting close. It’s the nature of renewable-power industries to innovate.

Scientists and technologists around the world are beginning to see the promising possibilities of graphene to build cheap, lightweight conductors for everything from solar-power systems to computer touchscreens.

Four years into the highly popular California Solar Initiative (CSI), officials are having a hard time seeing the light at the end of their 10-year tunnel.

Some of the most interesting technological discoveries have been accidental, including one that began several years ago at the Far Niente winery in Napa Valley, Calif. SPG Solar, a major solar integration company, was asked to design a solar-power system to help provide electricity for the winery.