For residential property owners, switching to solar power generally means a choice between PV (photovoltaic) solar panels that generate electricity, and solar thermal panels that heat water without electricity. But now, a hybrid solar panel can generate solar electricity and solar hot water at the same time! Virtu, a hybrid solar panel, has been invented [...]
Continue reading about Hybrid Solar Panel Generates Solar Electricity and Solar Hot Water
Recently, one of the most exciting developments in solar technology allows for see through solar power. Invisible solar cells for windows could allow homeowners to switch to solar without the hassle of obtaining building permits and/or approval from homeowners associations. Researchers have helped bring us one step closer to this type of building integrated photovoltaics [...]
Continue reading about See Through Solar Power: Solar Cells for Windows
Cities and other municipalities are increasingly turning to solar power for energy requirements associated with street lights, traffic signals and even reader boards. To this list, you can now add solar powered parking meters! Instead of fishing your pockets for quarters (and finding only nickles and dimes), motorists can use a credit card system powered [...]
Over the past 5 years, the price of solar panels has dropped dramatically while efficiency of solar arrays has increased significantly. Yet, it appears that the renewable energy revolution continues to make life better and cleaner for many of us! The University of Texas at Austin announced this month that one of its solar researchers [...]
Continue reading about Solar Panel Efficiency Can Be Increased Significantly
Over the past few years, we have written several articles about solar shingles – roofing material that both covers your home with a protective layer and generates clean, renewable solar power. As with other types of solar panels, one of the biggest questions regarding solar shingles is whether they are cost-effective for residential solar? Also [...]
Continue reading about Solar Shingles: Cost-Effective for Residential Solar?
Solar technology and research continues to help find more efficient and less expensive ways of generating solar electricity. One option may be transluscent solar cells (transparent). Solar panels made using this solar technology, which consists of translucent crystal like cell with transparent backside, are now available for consumer purchase. Switching to solar power via transluscent [...]
Continue reading about Solar Technology: Transcluscent Solar Cells
Powerfilm Inc., a manufacturer of flexible solar film has applied its roll-to-roll proprietary manufacturing technology to produce flexible thin film solar panels. Shown below, the thin film solar application includes interconnected backplane transistors with built in drivers for the front plane so that individual pixels can be turned on and off. Powerfilm manufactures flexible solar [...]
Continue reading about PowerFilm Flexible Solar Electronic Technology
The United States Department of Energy is expected to provide a $150 million loan guarantee for a company developing new solar cell technology. The company, 1366 Technologies, is positioned to revolutionize the manufacturing process of silicon cells, which will make it possible to create cheaper solar panels. In fact, estimates are that the cost of [...]
Continue reading about New Solar Cell Technology Gets Boost from Federal Funds
One of the biggest hurdles to widespread adoption of solar power as an energy resource is solar cell efficiency. That, plus the relatively high cost of solar, means that we currently generate less than 1% of all electricity from solar power. HyperSolar, based in Santa Barbara, California has developed a patent-pending solar technology to effectively [...]
Continue reading about Solar Technology Improves Solar Cell Efficiency
Since 2007, SPG Solar has been promoting its floating solar panels to government officials and commercial enterprises, such as wineries and industrial mine owners. Floating solar panels, or “floatovoltaics” as they are cleverly called, can help increase the use of solar power where it might not otherwise be practical or possible. So what does this [...]
