Tag Archives: renewables
Berkshire Big Tuna: Renewables A Better Investment Than Utilities
A few weeks ago I mentioned a report from an analyst at UBS who expressed some concerns about future utility stock valuations as more cost-effective renewables are predicted to come online in the years ahead. Apparently, he isn’t the only one who is optimistic about the economics of renewables while at the same time skeptical about the [...]
Renewables Will Rival Coal (in 2035)
A French agency has released a statement that it believes renewable energy will become coal’s biggest rival for the world’s biggest electricity supplier by 2035. The Paris-based International Energy Agency serves as an energy adviser to nearly 30 countries around the world. It sees a lot of potential for the wind farms, solar parks and hydroelectric [...]
Scotland’s “Renewables Revolution”
After surpassing earlier targets for renewable energy production, the Scottish government has declared its intention to move “faster and further” to become a green energy powerhouse. Last week, First Minister Alex Salmond announced the plan to generate the equivalent of 100% of the country’s energy needs with renewables by 2020. Salmond says this goal will [...]
Solar + Wind = 4.72% of U.S. Electricity
In the excitement over the news that all new U.S. electricity generation for September 2012 came from wind and solar, as reported in Federal Energy Regulatory Commission statistics, the bigger picture went less noticed. The cumulative installed electricity generating capacity of wind is now up to 4.43 percent of the U.S. portfolio and, adding solar’s [...]
HIT Sets 21.4% Efficiency Solar Cell Record
Thanks to researchers at EPFL`s Institute of Microengineering in Neuchatel, Switzerland, a new world record efficiency of 21.4% has been set for solar cells. This feat was done with HIT solar cells (heterojunction with intrinsic thin layer), and is by far the highest conversion efficiency ever achieved with the substrates that were used. These types [...]
Avatar Sequels: Solar Powered
The next time the computer-animated, blue-skinned Na’vi of Pandora jump out of the silver screen across the world in Avatar 2, they’ll thank the sun in a brand new way. That’s thanks to the new 960 kilowatt photovoltaic array that covers three of Lightstorm Entertainment Inc.’s (LEI’s) buildings at Manhattan Beach studio. It’s a fitting [...]
‘No More Solyndras Act’ – Will it Hurt U.S Renewables Innovation?
The already uphill battle to promote renewable energy instead of traditional fossil fuels has become even harder. On Friday, September 14th, the US House of Representatives passed the No More Solyndras Act, effectively halting the Department of Energy’s (DoE) loan guarantee program. Republicans wrote the bill because, in light of the Solyndras scandal, they felt [...]
City of Toronto Orders 8,800 Solar Panels
The forecast for Toronto is hopefully calling for sunny skies. The city will certainly need it following an announcement that 8,800 solar panels installed atop 10 city-owned arenas and community centres. The project is a joint partnership between the city and Toronto Hydro. According to The National Post, the panels will generate about 2,600 megawatt [...]
Romney vs. Obama: Who is Better for Solar?
One of the anecdotes I’ve been hearing a lot about in the halls at Solar Power International in Orlando this week came from the opening day CEO panel addressing “Change in an Uncertain Market.” The moderator asked the CEOs whether they thought the solar industry would be better under a Romney or Obama administration. The [...]