SOLAR

U.S. trade officials imposed surprisingly low tariffs on Chinese solar panels Tuesday, choosing to tread lightly and avoiding an all-out trade war when addressing local solar companies' complaints of unfair trade practices.

The United States on Tuesday dealt a blow to U.S. manufacturers of solar panels and boosted shares in their Chinese rivals when it imposed preliminary punitive duties of less than 5 percent on imports from China.

The United States on Tuesday dealt a blow to U.S. manufacturers of solar panels and boosted shares in their Chinese rivals when it imposed preliminary punitive duties of less than 5 percent on imports from China.

The first ever geologic map of Jupiter’s moon Io has revealed some of the most active volcanoes ever recorded in the solar system, scientists said on Monday.

The national solar industry installed a record number of panels in 2011, more than double 2010, and is likely to see strong growth again this year, according to a new report.

First Solar Inc will build a 26-megawatt solar power plant for power producer NRG Energy Inc in Arizona under the latest deal between two of the biggest players in the U.S. renewable energy sector.

As the solar storm continues to hit the Earth on Friday, reports indicate there have not been any major disturbances as was once predicted possible. However, the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, a rare phenomenon in the night sky, have taken place across the globe.

A solar storm that shook the Earth's magnetic field on Thursday spared satellite and power systems as it delivered a glancing blow, although it could still intensify until early Friday, space weather experts said.

Solar Storm 2012: Solar Flares, Southern Lights Visible from Space; Vivid Images of Storm Erupting From the Sun (PHOTOS)

As the largest solar storm in five years hit Earth on Thursday morning, it caused an unusual occurrence in the sky. Scientists expect that the array of cosmic activity caused by the solar flares and storms could expand the Aurora Borealis tonight, allowing people around the world to view the northern lights.

A solar storm expected to hit Earth on Thursday morning was caused by a massive solar flare that occurred earlier in the week. But what exactly is a solar storm?

A strong geomagnetic storm is racing from the Sun toward Earth, and its expected arrival on Thursday could affect power grids, airplane routes and space-based satellite navigation systems, U.S. space weather experts said.

A solar storm is set to hit Earth Thursday morning. The largest in five years, this solar storm is expected to cause some disruption as it shakes up the magnetic field and expands the Northern Lights. So what could this storm of charged particles mean for Earth? While solar storms don't harm people, scientists are expecting this storm to disrupt utility girds, airline flights, satellite networks and GPS services.

A mammoth geomagnetic storm, apparently the biggest in last five years, is expected to hit the Earth’s surface Thursday.

An eruption on the surface of the Sun has unleashed the largest solar storm in the past five years, which is currently barreling towards Earth and threatens to disrupt power grids, GPS signals and airplane flight systems.

The largest solar flare in five years is headed toward Earth and could cause problems, according to NASA.

The top after-market NASDAQ losers Tuesday were: TeleTech Holdings, Dreamworks Animation SKG, First Solar, Universal Display Corp, Pacific Sunwear of California, Infosys Ltd, Scientific Games Corp, pSivida Corp, Exterran Partners and Novellus Systems.

The top after-market NASDAQ gainers Tuesday were: Sourcefire, Texas Roadhouse, Canadian Solar, Brocade Communications Systems, Encore Wire Corp and Intuit Inc. The top after-market NASDAQ losers Tuesday were: DealerTrack Holdings, Brightpoint, Rex Energy Corp, Dell Inc, Cheesecake Factory and Netease.com.

A company called XDModo sells a super-handy solar charger that sticks right to a window for maximum power production for your USB-enabled mobile devices. It's full-size and mini-USB compatible and produces 5V/500mA of power to its 1300 mAh internal battery pack that fully charges in 13 hours.

According to Dow Jones' World Solar Energy index, solar stocks rallied this month, up 17 percent on indications of rising demand for solar panels, particularly in China, and price stabilization.

First Solar said the U.S. Department of Energy has not released loan funds for a big California solar project because of construction permit issues, sending its shares down as much as 11 percent.