This Berkeley startup & its energy machines are about to take off
The junkyard energy hackers
A decade ago the sprawling artist compound just off of Ashby Avenue in an industrial part of West Berkeley, Calif, was filled…
Solar
Advertisement
Super efficient perovskites are dazzling solar cell researchers
There’s a lot of excitement about a class of materials called perovskites that promise to deliver efficient and cheap solar cells. In a pursuit to lower production cost, one team at the Northern Illinois University recently demonstrated the possibility of replacing gold with nickel to conducting electricity.
Largest solar farm in Japan to break ground in November, backed by GE
The largest solar project in Japan is moving forward thanks to the country’s aggressive incentives.
Google’s $1M contest to shrink the power inverter is now ready for you
Google’s “Little Box Challenge” is now open for business and is looking to hand out $1 million prize.
Advertisement
Apple to build a 3rd massive solar panel farm in North Carolina
The state is getting a third solar panel farm from Apple to power its huge data center in the region.
IBM has a machine learning project to forecast solar and of course it’s called (LOL) Watt-sun
Forget Watson and its Jeopardy matches. IBM’s Watt-Sun is the intelligent computing that can help fight climate change.
Advertisement
Five out-there energy projects that are moving closer to reality
They sound like science fiction, but these energy technologies are getting closer to reality. Check ’em out.
Solar & crowdfunding are getting cozier every day
While crowdfunding is a tiny blip on the radar of the hot solar panel market, interest in the potential of the financing option is growing.
Advertisement
SunPower buys solar cleaning robot company Greenbotics
Robotics are the future of efficient solar panel cleaning. At least SunPower thinks so. The company bought a small startup called Greenbotics which makes solar panel robotic tech.
Apple’s new environmental chief Lisa Jackson to grow Apple’s energy efficiency, clean power
Lisa Jackson, the former chief of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, joined Apple four months ago to give a bigger boost to the tech giant’s energy efficiency and clean power efforts.
Advertisement
Google makes its 13th clean energy investment in 3 years
Google continues to lead when it comes to Internet companies supporting clean power. It’s latest investment is in a solar panel project in Southern California.
A huge solar farm with molten salt storage is ready to go live in Arizona
The massive solar farms that are planned for the deserts of the west are now coming online. Introducing Solana, which is the first in the U.S. to commercially use molten salt energy storage tech.
Coming soon from SunPower: a solar home loan
SunPower announced a profit-making second quarter on Wednesday as well as a plan to introduce a solar home loan that will complement its effort in the residential leasing market.
Tiny channels of water could cool windows and cut down on air conditioning bills
Harvard researchers say the system could also be used to cool solar panels, which heat up quickly when placed on a rooftop.
Chinese solar firm Hanergy to acquire its third thin film solar company
Chinese solar giant Hanergy is acquiring its third thin film solar company and this time its Arizona-based Global Solar Energy.
A solar-powered plane just flew across the US. Next up? A trip around the world
Solar Impulse is the first manned solar aircraft that can fly by both day and night. It took just over two months for it to cross the U.S., including stops in cities along the way.
Lessons from a solar fraud case in India
A fraud case has heated up political debates in the southern Indian state of Kerala, where two people have been arrested for allegedly swindling doctors by promising to install solar panels but took the money and ran instead.
Video: The trends behind the year of clean energy turbulence
Global clean energy investing dropped by 22 percent in the first quarter of 2013 says Bloomberg New Energy Finance CEO Michael Liebreich. In his keynote address for Bloomberg’s energy conference this week, he unpacked some trends in the global financing of next generation energy technology.
A Chinese solar company’s fall from grace
Suntech Power once seemed unstoppable as the largest solar panel maker in the world. Now it’s facing internal turmoil and market forces that could very well lead to its demise.
Post Sandy wish list: solar-powered public chargers
A Serbian startup called Strawberry Energy has a new design for its solar powered public chargers and recently installed its eighth “Strawberry Tree” in Serbia. In the wake of the Sandy-induced power crunch, I’d love to see some of these in a public areas in cities in the U.S.
India faces growing pains for its solar market
India has emerged as as a potentially huge market for solar energy development. It also is experiencing the growing pains of cultivating a new type of energy development that relies heavily on government help and faces unforeseen challenges.
A fast-charging solar iPad cover coming, courtesy of Alta Devices
Solar startup Alta Devices, which makes thin film solar cells and is backed by Silicon Valley venture capitalists, says it plans to make a fast-charging solar iPad cover by the end of 2013.
Solar manufacturing hits the skids in China, too
China’s clean energy strategy is in “disarray” due to an oversupply of solar panels and a price war. That means there’s massive consolidation coming.
Solar panel power is rocking it in the U.S. in 2012
Solar panel power projects in the U.S. are a bright spot for the solar sector, in a difficult year for solar manufacturing.
Happy Solyndra bankruptcy day! A look back at the zombie that won’t die
It’s the one year anniversary of the bankruptcy of solar maker Solyndra! What will you do on this most special day? Oh wait, you’re sick of this story and topic? Here’s how we got here.
Solar cell maker Silevo plans to ramp up, with new funds
Amid a solar market with an oversupply of solar panels, Silevo, a California company with a factory in China, is working on expanding its production and convincing customers that its novel hybrid silicon technology is worth their investments.
In the wake of India’s grid blackouts, First Solar looks to build projects
First Solar is looking to double down on building solar projects, not just be a panel supplier, in India in the wake of the wide sweeping grid blackouts of the Summer.
The potential of plug-n-play solar
Why can’t there be a solar panel rooftop system that works as easily as your TV: no professional installation, no permits, just plug it in and start it up?
The story behind how Apple’s iCloud data center got built
Apple’s new $1 billion data center — one of the highest-profile new data centers in the world — has put the town of Maiden, North Carolina (population: just over 3,000) on the tech map. But it almost didn’t get built.
Unfolding soon: Vodafone’s signal-boosting, phone-charging umbrella
You might not be James Bond, but you could be mistaken for him if you carry Vodafone’s Booster Brolly: With a dozen solar panels, the umbrella can charge a phone while also boosting cellular reception and later lighting your path with the touch of a button.
Geostellar raises $13M for solar analytics
Use data, analytics and mapping to help more solar panels get installed on more rooftops — that’s the idea behind startup Geostellar, which this week closed on almost $14 million in equity funding and options.
Solar startup Amonix to start layoffs
Amonix, which makes concentrating solar photovoltaic tech that uses mirrors to concentrate sunlight onto solar cells, will cut 76 workers across its offices in California, according to a Dow Jones Venture Wire report.
Lessons learned from an entrepreneur electrifying rural India
Building a startup that develops solar-powered microgrids in rural Indian villages is as hard as it sounds. Hear the lessons learned from one entrepreneur who co-founded a startup called Mera Gao Power and turned it into a real business.
6 smart grid projects you don’t see every day
Six smart grid projects you don’t see everyday courtesy of Smart Grid News.
The politicization of cleantech & the history of energy subsidies
In the wake of Solar Trust’s recent bankruptcy, conservatives were eager to brand the company’s collapse as another Solyndra. Cleantech has become highly politicized, so much so that Obama’s first reelection ad was a defense of his clean energy policy.
What you should know from the new Solyndra report
The dark cloud of Solyndra might have lifted a bit, but, yes, it’s still here. Solyndra’s Chief Restructuring Officer, Todd Neilson, an outside bankruptcy expert and former FBI agent, has just completed and published a 204-page report on what-the-heck happened with Solyndra.
Another lawsuit to protect critters from solar farms
Three environmental group on Monday filed suit against the federal government over a proposed solar farm in California, contending that the government has failed in its duty to ensure the project would not pose a significant harm to wildlife.
Wesley Clark on how to sell solar to a tough crowd
Clean energy will drive the next wave of economic growth, and will be the first development mechanism in the U.S. since we won the Cold War, said retired General Wesley Clark during a keynote at solar conference PV America West in San Jose Monday.
Should utilities invest in solar tech manufacturing?
Utilities don’t often invest in new tech manufacturing, but then, California’s PG&E isn’t your average utility. PG&E has requested state approval to enable it to invest $9.9 million of taxpayer money into a solar engineering and manufacturing service center run by commercialization startup SVTC Technologies.
A startup’s plan to sell solar like cell phones
Cell phones are one of the few products that have found mass success in developing countries. So why not use the model to sell other stuff, like solar power? That’s the idea behind Simpa Networks, a startup based in Bangalore, India.
On the ground with clean power in India
Vineeth Vijayaraghavan is the founder and editor of a site focused on cleantech in India, Panchabuta, and here’s what he’s been watching, reading, and writing about this week.
How practical is a solar-powered car?
If you like the sun, and you like cars, then I’m guessing you’d love to have a solar-powered car, right? This trick works well for chocolate and peanut butter, but not so well for garlic bread and strawberries. So how compatible are cars with solar energy?
10 things that sold at Solyndra’s auction
Bankrupt solar panel maker Solyndra held a two-day auction for part of its assets last week in an attempt to recoup some of its losses, and reportedly drew thousands of people looking for both bargains and gear with Solyndra logos. Here’s 10 things that were bought.
Facebook turns to solar for heat and power
Facebook plans to build a solar system on the rooftop of its headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., from startup Cogenra Solar that will generate both electricity and heat.
On the ground with clean power in India
Power companies in India are funding both solar and wind as a way to add more power generation, as many areas in India are facing blackouts. Vineeth Vijayaraghavan watches cleantech in India closely, and here’s what he’s been reading this week.
What utilities really think about solar
Here’s a snapshot of what utilities really think about solar: it’s still too expensive but more consumers are starting to want it (but not necessary willing to pay for it). How can we get more utilities to invest in solar?
Solar struggles: Stirling Energy Systems files for bankruptcy
Solar thermal company Stirling Energy Systems has filed for bankruptcy, according to Renewable Energy World. Stirling Energy Systems developed solar concentrators based on stirling engines, which use the sun’s heat to produce electricity, and planned to build projects to sell the power to utilities.
Solyndra’s hearing: Introducing DOE Loan Chief Jonathan Silver
While DOE Loan Chief Jonathan Silver will testify before the House Energy Committee, Solyndra’s execs have decided to skip tomorrow’s hearing, and say they’ll testify the week of September 19th. We’ve interviewed Silver many times, particularly on Solyndra, including via this video in April 2011:
And now for the details: Solyndra files for bankruptcy
As expected, beleaguered solar startup Solyndra has officially filed for bankruptcy. The company’s rise and fall has turned into the clean power controversy of the summer and increasingly ugly details continue to emerge.
The under-the-radar hot solar markets for investors
Looking at the internal rates of returns (IRR), which basically considers the capital investment needed and determines how profitable an investment in a project will be, the top solar markets of tomorrow, according to Lux Research, will be: New Jersey, Portugal, Australia, Italy, and India.
Solyndra is a black eye for the DOE’s clean power support
Solyndra’s bankruptcy is the worst outcome possible for a company that the DOE has touted as a game-changer and which received an unusual amount of government support and attention. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s the nail in the coffin for the loan guarantee program.
Ford & SunPower team up to bundle solar, electric car
If you buy an electric car will you be more likely to buy solar panels? That’s SunPower and Ford are hoping, and have launched a new initiative to bundle a deal for a Ford Focus Electric vehicle and a SunPower solar rooftop system.
The importance of social for greentech
The summer of 2011 has (arguably) produced a bubble around social media, with valuations for social media companies soaring. Will any of that social magic rub off on consumer-facing clean-power and energy-efficiency technologies, like electric cars, solar panels or home energy management systems?
Two New Ways to Power Your Smartphone With the Sun
In honor of Earth Day, I’ve been testing a couple of solar chargers from Scosche and Choice Solar. The good news is that charger prices have dropped significantly. But their capabilities vary, so it’s important to select one that meets your needs.
Solar-Powered Steam Courtesy of Thermata
The heat and rays of the sun aren’t just being harnessed for electricity. An early stage startup called Thermata, backed by Bill Gross’ Idealab, is looking to build a business around solar-powered boilers that produce steam for industrial processes.
Solar Water Heating Draws New Money
Solar water heater market may not be brand new, but it’s attracting a lot of new comers in recent years as more state and local incentives crop up. Sunnovations, which launched its first water heating system last year has raised an A round funding.
Nielsen: Android Surges to No. 1 in Recent Sales
Nielsen is adding its voice to the chorus of research firms confirming the ascension of Android. Nielsen said among recent acquirers of smartphones in the last six months through August, Android was the top platform with 32 percent of purchases, followed by the iPhone and RIM.
Alta Devices Hiring, Piling on Patent Apps
Alta Devices, a secretive thin-film solar startup backed by venture firms including Kleiner Perkins, Technology Partners and Crosslink Capital, has begun to expand its staff and rack up a pile of patent applications.
AMAT Says Sayonara to SunFab Thin-Film Solar Line
Applied Materials is leaving the thin film solar equipment business and plans to focus more on crystalline silicon solar, LED lighting and other “advanced energy” technologies, the chip equipment giant announced on Wednesday.
China's Yingli Solar Gears Up for $5B Expansion
If Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. (s YGE) is already an 800-pound gorilla in the solar panel industry, it’s now seeking a more than $5 billion credit line to become one heavy beast.
Intersolar News: Tigo Tops Off With $10M for Smarter Solar
Tigo Energy, a startup that sells software and hardware to make solar photovoltaic systems more efficient, has raised $10 million in new funding and plans to channel it into a rapid ramp-up in production of Tigo’s products.
MEMC to Buy Solar Startup Solaicx
The drumbeat of consolidation in the solar industry continues this morning, as silicon wafer maker and solar project developer MEMC Electronic Materials (s WFR) has just announced plans to acquire Solaicx, an 8-year-old maker of silicon wafers for solar cells.
C3Nano: MIT Clean Energy Winner's Scheme for Cheaper Solar
C3Nano, working on a low-cost coating for more efficient solar panels, won attention from investors, greentech insiders and the Department of Energy this week by winning the $200,000 grand prize in the MIT Clean Energy Prize contest.
Daily Sprout
An Open Letter to Ban Ki Moon on Climate Change: Neal Dikeman calls for Christiana Figueres of Costa Rica to become the next UNFCCC Secretariat. Interesting idea — Cleantech Blog.
Intel Spinout SpectraWatt Snags $41.4M for Solar Cell Plant
SpectraWatt, a maker of crystalline silicon solar cells spun out of Intel (s INTC) back in 2008, has dusted itself off after…
First Solar Jumps Aboard Desertec Jumbo Green Energy Project
First Solar, the thin-film solar giant, has just linked up with the mega-giant of all solar projects: the Desertec Industrial Initiative. The…
Opera Mini Arrives on Android — Who Should Get It?
Opera Mini 5 hit the Android Market this morning, offering another browser choice. It’s a solid beta effort, but how does it compare to the native Android browser? And who should use it? I can think of one situation where it has a definite advantage.
10 First Solar Utility Deals in the U.S.
When First Solar (s FSLR) snagged a 550-megawatt deal with Southern California Edison last year, the thin-film solar giant’s utility contracts amounted…
First Solar Beats on Revenue, Profit But Margins Slump
First Solar (s fslr) posted stronger than expected revenue and profit in the final quarter of 2010, defying some of the bearishness that had hounded the stock in recent months and suggesting that the company is managing its way through a time of rising competition from more efficient solar modules. But weaker margins and unchanged guidance are giving some investors pause.
Big Year Ahead for Solar Industry, If It Can Woo Congress
As 2009 drew to a close, solar companies faced uncertainty as to whether the new year would bring recovery or a continuation…
Solar Rally Cut Short by Europe's Tariff Moves
For a while there, it looked like 2010 might be the first banner year for solar stocks since 2007. It still could…
Daily Sprout
Reva’s Low-Volume EV Scheme: Reva Electric Car Co., the Indian automaker developing an electric vehicle with General Motors (s GM), plans to…
Amonix Snaps Up SunWorks Solar
Amonix, a developer of 20-ton concetrating photovoltaic solar systems for utility-scale projects, has bought San Francisco startup Sunworks Solar, a developer of…
The Debate Grows over First Solar's Big Bets
Companies usually offer investors guidance to help sharpen their outlook over the coming months. But a day after First Solar (s fslr),…
Solar in 2010: Better or Worse?
Is the solar industry heading into a recovery in 2010? Or will the oversupply of solar modules that helped make 2009 such…
Solyndra Scores $105M Deal With Italy's Sun System
Solyndra, the well-funded maker of tube-shaped solar panels based in Fremont, Calif., has just scored a deal with Milan, Italy-based solar integrator…
Hard Candy Cases Protect Naked Netbooks
It’s always a bad idea to compute without protection, but methods vary according to personal preferences. I’m a padded gear bag kind…
10 Green Innovations on Time "Best Inventions" List
It’s that time again — when the year-end roundups start rolling in. On the Time 50 Best Inventions of 2009 list published…
Daily Sprout
Meet the Tesla Roadster Sport: Model updates to the Tesla Roadster for 2010, including push button controls and a touch screen for…
Daily Sprout
Green Consumer Habits in the Recession: American consumers, with their tendency to make green purchasing choices based on personal self-interest, have more…
Applied Materials Buying Advent Solar Assets, Cheap
Chip equipment maker Applied Materials (s AMAT) announced this afternoon that it is acquiring 7-year-old startup Advent Solar. Applied’s solar acquisition investments…
First Solar Buys Ausra Solar Project; PG&E Power Purchase Deal Is Off
Updated with additional comments from Ausra and First Solar: Ausra, the solar thermal startup backed by Kleiner Perkins and Khosla Ventures, said…
Daily Sprout
Fisker Automotive Picks EU Distributor: Plug-in hybrid car startup Fisker Automotive has picked a large distributor to sell its vehicles in Europe…
First Solar Adds to Solar Investors' Concerns
Its looking like the solar industry may be heading back into a not-so-sunny period, at least as far as corporate earnings are…
Toshiba Netbook BIOS Upgraded, Battery Tests Coming Soon
Here’s a quick note on my Toshiba NB205 netbook which is dual-booting Microsoft Windows XP and Windows 7 Ultimate. Now that the…
How Solar and Skyline Can Jump-Start Auto Factories
Skyline Solar wouldn’t seem to have the best timing. The startup, which makes concentrating photovoltaic systems, launched out of stealth mode in…
BlackBerry Gets a Bold Refresh with Wi-Fi Calling
Research In Motion (s rimm) today makes the next BlackBerry Bold version official. The Blackberry Bold 9700 runs OS 5.0, keeps the…
Daily Sprout
Climate-Security Connection: National security fears loom large for politicians who might otherwise oppose carbon legislation. That’s why John Kerry, rather than Barbara…
Daily Sprout
EU Clean Energy Growth, Now Tracked Online: “The European Commission this week launched an open-access online tool to monitor the development of…
Stealthy eIQ Raises $10M, Launches Solar Power Optimizer
Most solar panels are strung together like Christmas tree lights, so that if one panel stops working, performs poorly or ends up…
CoRD: Connect to Windows PCs From Your Mac
While many web workers use (and love) Macs (s aapl), most of the rest of the world still uses Windows PCs (s…
How to Give Back When You're Strapped for Time
Many times, we want to find ways to give back, be more socially responsible, or make our lives more about service, but running a business can make it seem impossible to find the time to do anything other than the task immediately in front of us.
How can we find a way (and the time) to do more good in the world while still keeping up with the demands of our businesses? One solution, focus on one trait at a time.
First, make a list of all the traits you would like be (generous, responsible, helpful, supportive, etc.).
Under each item, list ways you can incorporate more of that particular trait into your daily life. For example, if you want to be more responsible within your community, you might consider sponsoring an area youth program or volunteering to maintain a local park.
Finally, set aside time each day and week to devote to your commitment. Even 15-30 minutes a day can make a big difference. If you could commit to just 15 minutes a day, 5 days per week, at the end of the year, you would have contributed more than 65 hours of your time to improving the world around you. That’s more than a week and a half (full time) of your attention!
Solar Financier SunRun Snaps Up $18M Series B, Eyes U.S. Expansion
Facebook and SunRun, a San Francisco-based company that helps finance residential solar installations, don’t connect on many levels. But according to Rich…
PHOTOS: Sopogy's Small Scale Solar Thermal at SoCal Gas
Think small. That’s the basic design concept (if not the ambition) for Honolulu-based startup Sopogy’s concentrating solar thermal systems. The technology is…
Threat to Solar Market: Government Budget Woes
Grid parity represents something of a Holy Grail for solar companies — a point where they can compete on cost with conventional…
Daily Sprout
Free Trade and Climate Change: Making trade more free could lead to more carbon dioxide emissions as a result of increased economic…
Daily Sprout
Evolution Solar Shopping for Startups: Evolution Solar has announced that it is searching for a suitable acquisition of an existing solar company,…
First Solar Concerns May Be Overdone
First Solar (s fslr) has been under pressure lately from analyst downgrades and financial publications warning of a solar glut. On Tuesday,…
What to read on the GigaOM network
Will the Microsoft-Google battle move to energy data? (Earth2Tech) Does Oracle have anything to do with the upcoming Java apps store? (OStatic)…
Daily Sprout
Solar Swing and a Miss: JA Solar (s JASO) has reported a net loss of $23.3 million on $33 million in revenue…
Auto-Tune The News Musically Manipulates Current Events
[show=autotunenews size=large]Playing with Auto-Tune has become a ticket to fame for artists like T-Pain and a major boon to those imitating them,…
Daily Sprout
Solar-Powered Cell Phone: Japan’s No. 2 wireless carrier, KDDI Corp., said today it will start selling a waterproof, solar-powered cell phone made…
First Solar, Sempra Beef Up Solar Power Plant Partnership
Sempra Generation, part of Sempra Energy (s SRE), is expanding its solar photovoltaic power production in Nevada, teaming up, once again, with…
Solar Silicon Prices Dropping, New Energy Finance Says
Solar-grade silicon prices are falling — at least according to the latest New Energy Finance report due out this week. Back in…
Ontario Dangles Carrot for Rooftop Solar With Feed-in Tariff Plan
The Ontario Power Authority bolted ahead of its North American neighbors in creating a feed-in tariff for renewable energy back in 2007…
NorSun Nabs $163M to Crank Out More Silicon Wafers for Solar Cells
A shakeout may be underway for the solar sector, but one manufacturer, Norway-based NorSun, has just made a deal that could help…
Florida Utility Kicks Off Solar Feed-in Tariff, a First for the U.S.
Utilities and policymakers have started to warm up to feed-in tariffs for residential and commercial solar systems over the last few years…
Spain's Fotowatio Expands its Solar Reach in the U.S.
Spanish solar power developer Fotowatio said today that it’s buying most of the assets of San Francisco’s MMA Renewable Ventures in a…
Tennessee: The Polysilicon State
Wacker Chemie said today that it plans to build a $1 billion polysilicon production facility in Bradley County, Tenn., to supply the…
First Solar's Strong Earnings, Weak Outlook Roil Its Stock
Investors loved the numbers they saw in First Solar’s (s fslr) highly anticipated earnings report Tuesday afternoon. They they tuned in to…
Pioneer’s Kuro Killing: A Tipping Point in the Plasma Era
The end of the Pioneer Kuro line of TVs represented a true tipping point in the TV industry, one preceded by long-gestating…
Borrego Gets Out of the Residential Solar Biz
Borrego Solar Systems has looked at its bottom line and decided to drop its residential solar power installation business and stick with…
Daily Sprout
Obama Wants Energy Efficiency Rules, Pronto: President Barack Obama ordered the DOE yesterday to immediately draft overdue standards for making a variety…
Pssst…Wanna Buy Some Solar Panels?
Knockoffs aren’t just for high-end fashion and electronics anymore. Suntech Power Holdings (s STP) says that you need to check the label…
Netflix: It Feels Like the First Time
During Netflix‘s recession-busting fourth-quarter earnings call last week, CEO Reed Hastings noted that “millions” of the company’s subscribers are using its “Watch…
SunPower's Strong Earnings Lift Stock, Despite Layoffs
SunPower (s SPWRA) saw its shares rally in after-hours trading Thursday after reporting better-than-expected earnings for the fourth quarter of 2008 and…
NewTeeVee in the Movies: We Live In Public
We Live in Public — Dig! director Ondi Timoner’s frantically paced feature-length doc on Silicon Alley web TV pioneer Josh Harris —…
Innovid Inserts Nifty Interactive In-Video Ads
We received word that an Israeli company called Innovid is “coming out of stealth mode” today. That expression strikes us a little…
Daily Sprout
Raising the Bar on Emissions Targets: “President-elect Obama’s goal of reducing emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 falls short of the response…
Hoku Hatches Investment Firm for Hawaiian Solar Projects
Clean technology in Hawaii is ending the year with a bang. The Aloha State kicked off December with an agreement for Better…
Clean Energy Figures Big in Proposed Oregon Legislation
If Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski has his way, the Beaver State could adopt a stack of policies next year to provide funding…
Sen. Reid Calls for Hyperspeed Tax Credits for Clean Energy
One year, eight years’ worth of tax credits for renewable energy projects: That’s a key component of the legislation Sen. Harry Reid…
Solar Financier SunRun Steps into Roof-Integrated Solar Market
SunRun, a San Francisco-based startup that finances solar power systems for homeowners, has formed a partnership with contractor OCR Solar & Roofing,…
Green-Collar Jobs Heading to the Clink
Forget license plates, prisoners are going solar these days. Massachusetts-based Spire (s SPIR) announced today that it signed a $54.9 million deal…
IBM, Harvard Launch Distributed-Computing Search for Super-Efficient Solar Cells
IBM (s IBM) and researchers from Harvard University launched a joint effort today to identify more efficient and lower-cost solar cell materials…
SunPower Signs German Supply Deal
California’s SunPower (s SPWRA) announced its second supply contract in as many months today, an agreement to ship 100 megawatts of solar…
Solar Rally — How Long This Time?
For the past few months, stocks of solar-energy companies have been following the movements of the broader market, only with amplified volatility.…
Los Angeles Sets 10% Solar Goal for 2020
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa unveiled a proposal this morning to meet 10 percent of the city’s energy needs with solar power by 2020. The announcement was made at Solar Integrated Technologies, an company contracted last month to supply thin-film solar panels for a 1.1 megawatt project by Oregon utility Portland General Electric.
Kyocera to More Than Double Solar Production
Japanese electronics maker Kyocera (s KYO) believes solar’s star is rising, and the company said it plans to expand its solar cell…
CalCEF Angel Fund Backs Solar, Biofuels, Lighting
This morning the CalCEF Angel Fund say it has invested in three firms — efficient-lighting startup HID Labs, biofuels company Allopartis Biotechnologies, and an undisclosed solar investment that is adapting chip manufacturing to make cheap, efficient solar cells.
First Solar's Outlook Offers Relief for Smarting Investors
It’s easy to read too much rational thought into a market that is as volatile as U.S. stocks are these days, but…
The Daily Sprout
PG&E Gives Away Solar to 25 Schools: The utility has selected 25 California schools to receive 1.3 kilowatt solar generation systems, valued…
LG Swaps Plasma TVs for Solar Panels
LG Electronics said today that it will convert a decommissioned plasma panel display manufacturing plant to make silicon solar panels. LG says retooling the plant will cost 220 billion won ($168 million).
SunPower Earnings Give Solar Investors Hope
Like most sectors, the coming crop of quarterly earnings reports from solar companies will be watched closely. There are arguments for and…
Oregon Solar Plants Power Up, Utilities Prepare to Power Them
SolarWorld opens the doors to its Hillsboro, Ore., solar manufacturing plant on Thursday morning.
Chinese Silicon Slicer JinkoSolar Raises $35M
JinkoSolar, a Chinese silicon wafer manufacturer, has closed a $35 million Series B round of funding (hat tip PEHub). The company, which…
Solar Market to Hit $100B By 2013, But Price Cuts Looming
The solar market is booming — plans like Google’s to wean the U.S. off fossil fuels over the next two decades involve…
Power Users Guide to Google Chrome: Lifehacker
With all of my MSI Wind benchmarking activities, I haven’t had as much of a chance to dig deeper into Google Chrome.…
Sunrise to Make Solar Roof for Your Car
If your car’s sunroof lived up to its name it could be doing a whole lot more for you. That’s the idea…
Applied Materials Gaining Traction in Solar Sector
Chip equipment makers, like most of their customers, have to weather turbulent shifts from boom times to lean ones. Applied Materials (AMAT),…
Where's the Solar Stock Rally?
Solarfun Power Holdings (SOLF) said Tuesday that it signed a long-term supply deal with Jiangsu Zhongneng Polysilicon. It also said it bought…
Tigo Raises $6M for Smarter Solar
Solar startup Tigo Energy announced today it has raised $6 million for its solar optimization business (hat tip peHub). The startup, headquartered…
Downloading and Saving Web Video–The Firefox Way
In a story, The Best Video Download Tools on our sister blog NewTeeVee, Liz Gannes has identified a very useful extension for…
Analysts Haggle Over First Solar's Price
Is First Solar headed higher, or lower? Judging from the volatility of the stock, there is no clear consensus among investors. Even…
Web Worker Tax Time
It’s that time of year again in the US: Federal income tax returns are due next Tuesday. If you haven’t filed already,…
1.33 GHz Core Solo Samsung Q1 Ultra Premium availability
Gentlemen. Start. Your. Credit Cards! The latest and greatest Samsung UMPC that we played with at CES has found its way into…
CES exhibitor “things to not do next year” suggestions
Having spent this week dealing with the hustle and bustle that is the CES I have constructed a short "don’t do" list…
It’s official: upgrading the Asus Eee PC memory keeps warranty intact
jkOTR reader “citivolus” asked me in an earlier comment about the small but clearly labeled “Warranty Void if seal broken or removed”…
PMC Introduces Integrated Residential Gateway For FTTH
Currently Fiber ISPs install ONT Boxes along with residential gateways at Fiber customer’s home. PMC Sierra’s MSP7160 combines the functionality of two…
Seesmic Raising More Money
Seesmic, the San Francisco-based video startup led by French serial entrepreneur Loic Le Meur, is raising additional funding from entrepreneurs and angel…
Evergreen Solar Spruces Itself Up
UPDATED The rising tide lifting up most solar stocks has so far had little effect on Evergreen Solar’s boat, but now it…
Senators Want Hearing on BitTorrent Blocking
Senators Byron Dorgan (D-ND) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) today asked the Senate Commerce Committee to hold a hearing to look into content…
What’s it Gonna Be? A Deal with MTV
Want a movie deal? Make a viral hit. Million Dollar Strong, the duo behind the viral vid smash What’s it Gonna Be?…
iTunes Store downloads unresponsive for almost 48 hours
For many users (myself included), downloading purchased songs from the iTunes store has been next to impossible. This seems to be a…
Question of the Day: To CEO Or Not To CEO?
I am one of two founders in a startup. Both of us come from a creative background – but even though *we…
Overdue BitTorrent Store Meets Skepticism
Om, writing at GigaOM, is less than optimistic about the new BitTorrent Entertainment Network (not yet live as of this writing —…
Remember MechCommander? Now it’s free!
MechCommander was at the cutting edge of gaming technology when it was first introduced in the late 90’s and I’ll bet I…
GigaOm In The Daily Deal
The Daily Deal has a piece on the recent trend of venture capital investments in the blogs and they look at Huffington…
Douglas Software Announces Version 1.1.0 of Camera Module for PDA
A new photographic tool calculates various optical equations such as depth of field or hyperfocal distance to let photographers make more effective…
GigaTunes for December 2005
GigaTunes December 2005, an ethereal mix of globetronic sounds to wind down 2005!
Treo 650, 700, Flickr Fun
As you may have heard, it would appear the Treo 700 is going to be announced tomorrow Monday September 26th, 2005. TreoCentral.com…
VoIP Saves Money: Newsflash
Networking Pipeline: VoIP Can Save Enterprises From $9,600 To $28,000 Per Site. Survey also finds that ShoreTel and Nortel offer the lowest…
Dear Silicon Santa…
I want Apple to add a “SIP address” field to the Mac OS X Address Book. I want everybody I know to…
Japan’s The Super Phone
Forbes has a fascinating look at NTT DoCoMo and the changes inside the company, and its decision to embrace open standards. The…
(Cell) Madness before the WNP-Bust!
The quarterly earnings data is in! A quick tabulation shows that the wireless industry is going through a mini-boom, and that just…
