Solar

Who decided solar panels should be flat?

A seventh-grader from New York has worked out that solar panels arranged more like tree branches may capture more light than flat panels.

For real, kind of. Aidan Dwyer, 13, noticed that tree branch patterns are Fibonacci numbers, postulated that it had to do with photosynthesis, took some pretty involved measurements of an oak tree, built a PVC-pipe solar array in the same shape, built a flat solar panel, compared how much light each captured over time, and voila, he had an award-winning science experiment and a great-sounding theory: trees evolved with these patterns for good reason. He found that tree-shaped pattern is as much as 50 percent more efficient than the flat panel, depending on the time of year.

The seventh-grader's explanation was that the Fibonacci pattern keeps branches out of each others' shadows in full light and at the same time allows the tree to garner as much light as possible when some branches are in shadow and others in light.… Read more

Developers of the giant Blythe Solar Power Project in California have switched from solar thermal technology to photovoltaic solar panels, one of a string of similar changes at large-scale solar projects.

Solar Millennium today said that the first 500-megawatt phase of the Blythe plant will use photovoltaic (PV) panels because the economics work better.

The company earlier this year had received a conditional loan guarantee from the Department of Energy to develop a concentrating solar thermal plant, where heat from mirrored troughs makes steam that is passed through a turbine to generate electricity. But Germany-based Solar Millennium and its U.… Read more

Researchers have developed a way to find novel solar cell materials: throw computers at the problem.

In a paper published this week in Nature Communications, the researchers said their method of sifting through millions of possible molecules has yielded a compound that holds promise as a material for organic solar cells.

The Harvard University-led project, which started more than two years ago, is a collaboration with IBM to manage and supply the computing resources for the World Community Grid, where people supply idle PC time to contribute to research projects lacking sufficient compute resources.

Traditional solar cells are made from … Read more

If there's a lesson to be had in the wrenching downfall of Evergreen Solar, it's this: Even Apple doesn't try to do everything itself.

For two days now, the green-tech industry--and more than a few politicians who had put their credibility on the line to support it--have been wringing their hands over Evergreen, which on Monday announced it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and will seek to sell off its assets to pay off hundreds of millions of dollars to creditors. Today Evergreen said that Nasdaq informed the company that its stock will be delisted next week. … Read more

It's one of those rare instances where cutting down trees is necessary to reduce carbon emissions. To make way for two solar car ports, the University of California at Davis first needs to remove the 38 pear trees already planted in the parking lot.

The solar car ports are part of seven large solar installations the University is installing on its property. The majority of the projects will be installed on building rooftops, but Lot 1 on the campus will receive two large solar car ports. Made up of more than 1,200 solar panels, the car port structures … Read more

Solar manufacturer Solon said yesterday it will close a solar panel factory in Arizona in response to intense global competition on prices.

The Germany-based company said it will phase out a Tucson panel facility by October, cutting 60 jobs in the process. Instead, Solon will focus its product development efforts on designing and building large-scale solar installations using panels from different makers.

"We regret the near-term impact of this business decision on our employees and the Tucson community, but as a company Solon is adapting to a rapidly changing solar market," Dan Alcombright, CEO of Solon North America, … Read more

Massachusetts-based Evergreen Solar today filed for bankruptcy protection, following a month-long sales decline of its solar panel business.

The company, which received millions of dollars in state aid, said it intends to sell off assets of the company, including its proprietary solar cell manufacturing process. As part of the reorganization, Evergreen Solar will lay off 65 people, which will include the closure of a facility in Michigan.

The chapter 11 bankruptcy filing is part of the company's efforts to reorganize its business around making silicon wafers that are converted into solar cells and fitted into solar panels. Global competition, … Read more

Sungevity has secured $50 million worth of solar leases and expects to have the financing to continue expanding into other states.

The company today announced a deal with Citigroup where the bank will provide financing for a "couple thousand" residential solar panel installations, according to Sungevity Chief Financial Officer Mac Irvin.

With a solar lease, a homeowner avoids the large upfront cost of buying solar panels and instead pays a monthly fee to Sungevity, which owns and maintains the panels. The leases are structured so the home owner's electricity bills will go down because of the electricity … Read more

There's a paradox in the global solar industry: When manufacturers are suffering, things are looking up for consumers.

Lux Research yesterday released its latest industry analysis which projects fast growth in the amount of solar power installed, at 15.5 percent per year, but flat revenue until 2016. Reflecting the same dynamic of falling product prices, a report from Navigant Consulting yesterday found that the price of solar modules, or solar electric panels, is down almost 20 percent so far this year.

The reports put numbers on the brutal price competition among makers of solar photovoltaic panels where global … Read more