solar

To green the Capitol, lawmakers follow tech titans

SAN JOSE, Calif.--Washington lawmakers aiming to green both the Capitol dome and the laws made beneath it are turning to Silicon Valley for inspiration while pledging to help renewable energy start-ups get off the ground.

Some Democrats in the House of Representatives fear U.S. policies aren't combating global warming quickly enough. But they hope that they can at least "green" the Capitol complex enough to call it the world's first carbon-neutral legislative body within the year.

"We're making a difference and we're going to change the world," said Rep. Zoe … Read more

Miasole out, Global Solar in on solar contract

Life is just not getting better for Miasole.

Dow Chemical announced Monday that it has selected Global Solar to provide copper-indium-gallium-selenide (CIGS) solar cells for its solar roofing project with the Department of Energy. Last May, the Department of Energy gave Dow a three-year, $9 million grant to develop solar roofing under the Solar America program.

Global Solar Energy replaced Dow's original CIGS solar cell provider. And who was that? Miasole.

Rumors also swirl that a three-year research grant under the Solar America program made directly Miasole is coming to an end. The company received $5.8 million in … Read more

Here come the solar tech financiers

Joseph Brakohiapa is thrilled to hear about how scientists are making solar cells more efficient at converting light to electricity. But he'd much rather be making a sale of solar panels.

Brakohiapa is the CEO of Clean Power Finance, one of a growing number of young companies that are spending their brain power on software and financing, rather than photovoltaics.

On Friday, his company announced a deal with German solar panel manufacturer Conergy, which will recommend Clean Power Finance's Web-based software tools and financing options to Conergy's network of distributors in the U.S.

Clean Power Finance … Read more

Can renewable energy make a dent in fossil fuels?

A correction was made to this story. Read below for details.

4.2 billion.

That's how many rooftops you'd have to cover with solar panels to displace a cubic mile of oil (CMO), a measure of energy consumption, according to Ripudaman Malhotra, who oversees research on fossil fuels at SRI International. The electricity captured in those hypothetical solar panels in a year (2.1 kilowatts each) would roughly equal the energy in a CMO. The world consumes a little over 1 CMO of oil a year right now and about 3 CMOs of energy from all sources.

Put … Read more

Nanosolar to set sights on residential market

There's been an explosion in the number of solar companies over the past few years. But for the most part, product development is destined for power plants operated by utilities.

That won't always be the case, however, says Nanosolar CEO Martin Roscheisen, who wrote in a blog that the company will eventually serve the home rooftop market.

Nanosolar is a well-funded Silicon Valley solar manufacturer that started making thin-film solar cells and modules late last year. The first customer is a utility in east Germany.

In a recent blog, Roscheisen described why the company is targeting utilities first … Read more

BigBelly Solar compactor now squeezes recycling

It was only a question of time. BigBelly Solar has expanded its product line with a solar-powered compactor for recyclables.

The Needham, Mass.-based company first started selling trash cans with a small 30-watt solar panel on the top that powers a compactor a couple of years ago.

Municipalities have been buying them to cut down on the number of trips that garbage handlers need to make. That cuts down on fuel costs (garbage trucks get about 2.5 mpg) and reduces street congestion and pollution.

There's also the "green PR" when people see the solar panel … Read more

Investor: Consumer Web best bet for high returns

MENLO PARK, Calif.--If you want to make money as a venture capitalist, the consumer Web offers the highest, most consistent returns, according to Steve Jurvetson.

The low costs required to start these companies is a big part of the appeal, Jurvetson, a partner in Draper Fisher Jurvetson, said in an interview at the Nordic Green conference here this week. By contrast, biodiesel start-ups need millions to get through the experimental stage and then tens of millions to go into pre-production.

Networking also works well with Web companies. A successful word-of-mouth campaign that costs almost nothing can propel growth rates. … Read more

Real solar homes come to virtual world 'Second Life'

It's about time green architects invaded Second Life.

The organizers of the Solar Decathlon are hosting an event in Second Life on Thursday where people can attend a virtual conference and then get a virtual walk-through of a house designed to be powered entirely by the sun.

The Solar Decathlon is a competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy to build the most compelling house that runs only on sun power.

Last year, 20 universities from different countries competed and showed off their modular homes on the National Mall in Washington D.C. in October. The next … Read more

MIT says it wants a solar 'revolution'

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Tuesday announced a $10 million grant to develop technology to make solar power mainstream.

The Chesonis Foundation donated the money for research in three areas: materials to improve conversion of light to electricity; storage; and hydrogen production from solar energy and water.

Called the Solar Revolution Project, it will provide funding for 30 five-year fellowships in solar energy.

The idea is to pursue "blue sky" research, in an effort to fill the void between corporate-funded applied research and the limited amount of federal money dedicated to basic science research in solar, said … Read more