SOLAR

The Obama administration is forging ahead with its plans to bolster alternative energy sources in the U.S., advancing a loan of $967 million to help build the world’s largest photovoltaic solar generating plant.

China has emerged as a world leader in the manufacture of solar photovoltaic technology, and could soon be the largest supplier of wind turbines, thanks in part to state laws and directives that reward renewable energy equipment companies with cash and tax perks.

Australia's University of New South Wales has broken the Guinness land speed record for a solar-powered car - about 55 miles per hour.

Australian students from University of New South Wales have designed what they claim to be the world’s fastest solar car Sunswift Ivy by clocking a speed of 88 kilometers per hour after smashing a previous Guinness World Record of 79 kilometers per hour speed.

A dark coronal hole at the Sun center was captured in extreme ultraviolet light by NASA's solar dynamics observatory. As the Sun continues to rotate, the high speed solar wind particles blowing from this hole will likely reach Earth in a few days and may spark some auroral activity.

Moon takes a bite out of the Sun, as the colloquial saying goes, during the start of the year 2011. This year's first partial solar eclipse will be seen on Tuesday, in view from much of Europe, North Africa and central Asia.

With the growth in the number of plants being built and the increasing cost competitiveness, 2011 looks like solar energy could start to come into its own in the U.S.

Increased solar activity could give residents of the continental U.S., southern Europe and Japan the chance to see the northern lights for the first time in several years.

Texas has long been home to Big Oil companies that specialize in extracting petroleum from hard-to-reach places. Now the hip college town of Austin is vying to become the epicenter of a potentially giant market for carbon-free electricity generated by the hot Texas sun.

Scientists have found a Europe-sized cyclone lasting more than five years on Saturn, making it the longest-lasting cyclone detected to date on any of the giant planets of the Solar System.

The India-U.S. solar collaboration has hit some snags as the U.S. is trying to push India to remove regulations related to imports of solar technology, the Wall Street Journal reported.

First Solar Inc forecast higher-than-expected 2011 profit of $8.75 to $9.50 per share and said its sales would grow by about 46 percent to between $3.7 billion and $3.9 billion.

The Obama administration has an ambitious goal of doubling U.S. exports over the next five years and creating two million U.S. jobs in the process.

After a 33-year journey, NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft has reached the other edge of our solar system where there is no outward motion of solar wind.

A magnetic filament erupted on Tuesday in the Sun, which is heading towards the Earth. The eruption might stimulate auroras particularly in the polar regions on December 3.

Armed with new researches and discoveries, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is back in the news again. While NASA promised to provide insights into its findings on astrobiology on Thursday, there have been several other developments at the agency this week.

In an effort to reduce its carbon footprint, Swiss horology brand, TAG Heuer, has signed an agreement with Swiss energy distributor Viteos and environmental firm Planair to equip the rooftops of its four buildings with solar panels.

Spectrolab, a subsidiary of Boeing, has started mass production of its newest solar cell, offering efficiencies higher than any previous models, the company says.

Researchers have found that one of the Jupiter's stripes that disappeared last spring is now showing signs of a comeback. The latest observations will help scientists better understand the interaction between Jupiter's winds and cloud chemistry.

Solar energy stocks received a load of bad news last week when an analyst at Credit Suisse downgraded the entire sector and lowered price targets, raising concerns about the industry's near-term prospects

Given the explosive expansion of electronic gadgets in recent years, the demand for lithium has surged. Now, with the imminent development of more electric and hybrid vehicles (whose batteries will increasingly use lithium), demand for this obscure metal could skyrocket.