solar

Luminexence Lotus solar car charger is a tree-shaped carport

If you've ignored the naysayers, saved enough money, and splashed out on an electric car, you're probably now looking for a dedicated home-charging station. If that's the case, look no further--architect Giancarlo Zema has teamed up with Luminexence to design a bonkers yet beautiful leaf-shaped example known as the Lotus.

The Lotus--no relation to Norwich's premier manufacturer of mid-life-crisis mobiles--is a giant solar-powered piece of faux flora that delivers pure, carbon-neutral electricity captured from the sun. It comes with nighttime lights plus an optional information screen, seat and car charging port.

The Lotus is a modular system that's designed in a variety of colors and sizes. The smallest component, a single-leaf design, can be supplied on its own, or mated to other single-leaf units to form double, triple, or quad leaf setups. A large leaf, which provides 19 square meters of photovoltaic panels, is also available. Both leaf styles can be combined to resemble a curious water lily configuration.

Read more of "Luminexence Lotus solar car charger is a tree-shaped carport" at Crave UK. … Read more

Solar power paying for and powering a Chevy Volt

Few people are getting rich selling solar energy back to the grid, but one homeowner has made enough to pay for his Chevy Volt.

Retired nephrologist Bob Stonerock says that he used the $5,600 he's made over the last two years selling solar electricity to the Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC) for the down payment on his red 2012 Chevy Volt.

The Chevrolet Volt is an extended-range electric vehicle that can operate for the first 40 miles on electricity alone before switching on its gas-powered engine. The plug-in hybrid retails for $41,000 and leases for $350 per month. … Read more

Low-cost solar PV claims solar thermal victim

Solar Millennium said today it has begun insolvency proceedings, the second German solar manufacturer to do so this month.

The company has been trying to sell its pipeline of large-scale concentrating solar projects in the U.S. But because Solar Millennium was not able to negotiate desired terms, it had to enter into insolvency to "save existing assets," the company said in a statement.

Solar Millennium is considered a concentrating solar power pioneer. The news of Solar Millennium's financial woes is the latest event in a wrenching industry shakeout that has caused bankruptcies at a number of … Read more

Another one bites the dust: BP Solar shuts down

One-time industry pioneer BP Solar has completely closed up shop.

After 40 years and multiple efforts to remain commercially viable, parent company BP has decided to exit the business entirely, according to spokesperson Robert Wine.

BP Solar had already closed manufacturing in the U.S., Spain, and Australia in an effort to lower costs. In July, it said it would only pursue only larger projects, rather than residential and commercial rooftop installations.

The rapid commoditization of lower-cost solar panels manufactured in Asia meant that BP Solar's products were no longer viable in Europe, Australia, and the U.S. where … Read more

Thin-film solar startup Stion heads to Korea

Solar startup Stion has found deep pockets in Asia.

The Silicon Valley-based company today said it has raised $130 million from Korea-based thin-film solar equipment maker Avaco, Korean private-equity funds, and venture capital firms. Last year, Stion took a $50 million investment from Taiwan Semiconductor as part of a larger series D round.

With today's funding, Avaco and Stion will collaborate to develop next-generation thin-film solar equipment designed to boost cell efficiency and factory output. It will also create a subsidiary in Korea and build a factory to serve Asian markets.

Stion is one of many solar companies founded … Read more

Tiny solar cell dots printed for powerful array

A technique first developed to print flexible electronics has helped engineers at start-up Semprius reinvent the shape of concentrating solar technology.

The company's tiny solar cells, each a dot the size of a ballpoint pen tip, have been validated to convert 41 percent of solar energy to electricity, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory announced yesterday. Semprius is in the process of building a manufacturing facility in Henderson, N.C., to make concentrating solar arrays using its "micro-transfer printing" technique, according to the Department of Energy.

The semiconductor printing technique can be used for many applications, including improving … Read more

German solar maker Solon hits the skids

Berlin-based solar panel manufacturer Solon filed for insolvency, another sign of how brutal price competition is shrinking the industry.

Solon yesterday said it was unsuccessful in restructuring its loans with banks. It will now seek to restructure those loans for three of its subsidiaries through insolvency proceedings.

The move follows the company's decision earlier this year to close its Tucson, Arizona manufacturing operation.

Solon is the latest victim in a wrenching consolidation that's spreading through the global solar industry.

In the U.S., once-successful solar panel maker Evergreen Solar filed for bankruptcy this summer and has sold off … Read more

NASA's latest stunning images of sun (photos)

Its mission is science, but since NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) was launched in 2010, it's been sending some just-plain stunning images of the sun back to Earth. The SDO spacecraft is the first mission launched for NASA's Living With a Star (LWS) Program, designed to understand the sun's influence on Earth. Using Atmospheric Imaging Assembly, EUV Variability Experiment, and a Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager, the semi-autonomous spacecraft gives scientists a nearly constant ability to watch our star. Check out some of the latest colorful multiwavelength images returned this week from the orbiting Solar Dynamics Observatory.

Warren Buffett dives deep into solar

MidAmerican Energy Holdings, a subsidiary of Warren Buffett's investment company, made its first move into solar with the acquisition of First Solar's Topaz Solar Farm, one of the two largest projects in the world.

The more than $2 billion power plant in California's San Luis Obispo County will be able to produce 550 megawatts of energy, enough to power about 160,000 California homes. Construction began last month and is expected to be completed by early 2015.

The purchase for an undisclosed sum complements MidAmerican Energy Holding's current assets in wind farms. "This project also … Read more