Perovskite -- have you heard of it? It's a material that is getting a lot of buzz in the world of solar research. Now a U.K. solar startup plans to bring what it believes is a game-changing technology to make perovskite solar cells to the market.…
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This is the bleeding edge of solar materials research
These early stage lab programs and prototypes could one day be the future of solar panels. Right now they're hot areas of research.…
Read MoreOn the road to IPO, Enphase Energy doubles sales
Enphase Energy, which makes solar electronics and filed for an IPO last June, is still waiting for the right time to make its public market debut. But in the meantime, it’s been doubling its sales.…
Read MoreSome good news: Fewer solar projects in Cali will fail in the future
The failure rate of developers to fulfill their renewable energy contract in California has historically been around 30-40 percent, but that failure rate is expected to come down now that utilities are seeing better prepared and managed projects -- and more developers who are in the game.…
Read MoreThe dilemma of creating and cutting solar jobs
Both job creation and layoffs are particularly sensitive topics during a weak economy, let alone an election year, so the big layoff at Amonix's solar factory in Nevada raises questions about the health of the Kleiner Perkins-backed company and its promise to bring many jobs…
Read MoreCommerce Dept steps into Chinese solar trade war
A trade complaint filed against Chinese solar makers, accusing them of benefiting from illegal subsidies, has drawn a line in the sand for the U.S. solar industry. Now the Commerce Department has issued a finding that tilts the case in favor of the petitioner, SolarWorld.…
Read MoreFirst Solar sets record for thin-film solar tech
First Solar has broken its own record. The company announced Tuesday that it’s able to produce a thin-film solar panel that can convert 14.4 percent of the sunlight that hits it into electricity. The new record exceeds the 13.4 percent it achieved last year.…
Read MoreThe new year brings continued solar strife
The turning of the new year didn't make the solar industry any easier for solar manufacturers. Power electronics maker, Satcon Technology, announced Wednesday that it’s laying off 35 percent of its workers and shutting down its factory in Canada.…
Read MoreSolar struggles: Calisolar lays off 80
Solar silicon maker Calisolar is laying off about 80 employees in its Silicon Valley factory as part of its shift in business focus, the company said on Wednesday. The layoff represents about 23 percent of the company’s labor force globally.…
Read MoreTurning a building into a solar honeycomb
Fusing solar technology with buildings is an area that tends to invite creative ideas. An intriguing design caught our attention at Intersolar in San Francisco this week: It’s a solar panel with a honeycomb structure that replaces the glass facades of a building.…
Read MoreToday in Cleantech
Some news items this morning from American high-efficiency solar panel leader SunPower give a good indication of how much things have shifted…
Read MorePanasonic to Invest $1B in Cleantech: Batteries, Energy Monitoring and More
Panasonic (s PC), the world’s largest plasma-TV maker, will invest $1 billion by 2012 into clean technologies as part of a plan to…
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