Solar energy

Germany's Schott Solar inaugurated a plant in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Monday to produce photovoltaic modules and solar thermal receiver lines.

Skyline Solar, Inc announced the launch of the company on Monday, unveiling a new technology called High Gain Solar (HGS) which the U.S. Department of Energy has said will make solar energy cost-competitive with conventional forms of electricity.

SolarWorld, Germany's third-largest solar company by revenue, confirmed its 2009 sales outlook after first-quarter net profit rose more than a quarter as the company offset falling module prices by cutting costs. Chief Executive Frank Asbeck told Reuters on Monday that the company still expects to post 2009 sales of more than 1 billion euros ($1.33 billion), while full-year profit would depend on how prices develop in the battered industry.

Exelon Corp. and solar panel maker SunPower Corp. plan to build a solar power plant in an urban area in Chicago with the capacity to produce the electricity required by up to 1,500 homes in one year.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the largest U.S. retailer, said Wednesday it plans to nearly double the amount of solar power generated from rooftop panels on its California stores.

An energy company in Israel plans to launch a solar farm this month using new technology it says can produce cheap and efficient electricity while supplying hot water to homes.

Utility firm PG&E, California's largest, is approaching renewable energy in a much different way by completing a deal to be provided with solar energy from space starting in 2016.

An advanced solar car that can cruise in a range from 50 to 60 miles per hour and weighs less than 500 pounds is being developed by students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The Obama Administration is carving out renewable energy zones across the country and offshore, and is preparing to work with critics who object to wind turbines or solar farms near wilderness or tourist areas, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said on Tuesday.

NRG Energy Inc. announced on Monday a deal with eSolar to develop solar power plants with the capacity to power 400,000 homes at sites in California and the Southwest United States.

BrightSource Energy, a solar energy provider signed a deal with Sourthern California Edison to supply the utility company with 1,300 Megawatts of solar energy, enough to serve nearly 845,000 homes.

A utility company in New Jersey with more than 2 million customers is asking approval for a $773 million project to implement a solar energy program to provide electricity to the communities and costumers it serves.

Big business is officially going solar.

Commodity Online India is a sunny country with a solar energy potential of 20 mw every square km. At present, only a tiny fraction of it is being tapped. Solar energy can be used directly in...

Commodity Online NEW DELHI: The government will amend the building bye laws for making the use of solar water heaters mandatory in certain categories of building.

One of the world's largest manufacturer of optical and magnetic storage, New Delhi-based Moser Baer India is set to invest over $1.7 billion (Rs.6900 crore) in expanding its thin film photovoltaic (PV) capacity by 565 megawatt (MW).

Italy may soon become Europe's next frontier for solar energy as new incentives prompt investors to bet on higher returns than in Germany, which has less sun but is currently the hub of a growing global market.

India is committed to developing its nuclear energy capability and other sources of power as its oil bill will impose an unbearable burden as growth continues, the prime minister said on Monday.

Chinese solar power equipment maker LDK Solar Hi-Tech plans to raise about US$300 million in a listing on the Nasdaq stock market next year, the South China Morning Post reported on Tuesday.

Dusty Dezhou was relegated to the footnotes of Chinese history for centuries, known mainly as the place where a Filipino king died.