SOLAR

U.S. solar firm Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. is planning to develop rooftop solar projects totaling 10 megawatts of power capacity, the firm announced on Monday.

Solar, like much of the cleantech industry, should prove a profitable bet for investors over the next decade as demand grows and costs fall, a top cleantech strategist said on Wednesday.

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.

Evergreen Solar Inc. reported a net loss in the first quarter due to declining prices on solar panels amid a the economic downturn.

SunPower Corporation announced on Thursday a deal with Certified Steel Company and Nexus Properties to build a 1.2 megawatt solar power system in a Certified Steel facility in New Jersey.

Spanish firm Abengoa Solar announced on Monday it began operations of PS20, the largest solar power tower plant in the world, with the capacity to supply enough energy for 10,000 homes.

Phoenix-based Stirling Energy Systems announced Monday it is expanding by launching Tessera Solar, a new unit to manufacture the products used to build large solar-thermal power plants in the U.S. and the rest of the world.

Spanish engineering company Abengoa has begun operating a 20 megawatt solar power plant that is the world's biggest, using a tower to turn the sun's rays into electricity and can supply 10,000 homes, it said on Monday.

Green firms First Solar, GT Solar International and Archer Daniels Midland were recommended on Friday as solid targets for investors by Brent Wilsey, President of Wilsey Asset Management.

SunPower , an U.S. manufacturer of solar panels, reported an unexpected net loss for the first quarter, hit by the credit crisis and the difficult economic conditions, the company said Thursday.

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.

Solar stocks have skyrocketed since March on optimism about government efforts to stimulate demand for the clean energy source, but analysts warn that with earnings season beginning, investors in the high-flying sector are in for a strong dose of reality.

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.

The push to add more renewable wind and solar megawatts to the U.S. electric mix will force changes in the way the power grid operates to keep electricity flowing reliably, said an industry watchdog on Thursday.

First Solar Inc. will build a 48 Megawatt photovoltaic power plant that would become the largest in the U.S. when its construction is completed in 2010, the company announced on Wednesday.

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.

Abound Solar, a U.S. solar startup whose top rival is low-cost industry leader First Solar Inc, starts production at its first factory on Tuesday, promising that it will lead the way to making solar competitive with power from dirtier sources.

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.

A Florida utility and a real estate developer are aiming to bring the country's first solar-powered city to the Sunshine State.

A $6 cardboard box that uses solar power to cook food, sterilize water and could help 3 billion poor people cut greenhouse gases, has won a $75,000 prize for ideas to fight global warming.