Solar PV is rapidly expanding its footprint. Panels are coming to more rooftops, industrial parks, carports and even backpacks. It’s also, increasingly, being installed on top of water.
January 26, 2015
Category Archives: Renewable energy generation
January 26, 2015
The floor tiles that use foot power to light up cities
Six years ago, Laurence Kemball-Cook had a brainwave. A graduate of Loughborough university, he was doing a placement year at the energy company Eon, where he was given the job of finding a way to power street lighting with solar energy and wind. It didn’t work, he says, in part because there’s a lot of shade in cities. This got him thinking about other potential sources of power in busy urban spaces. The answer, he realised, was underneath his feet.
December 9, 2014
World’s Largest Solar Farm Goes Online In California
Another giant solar farm has been constructed on desert lands in California, stealing the title of the largest solar plant in the world. The farm, which is called Topaz, recently went online after its final 40-megawatt phase was completed, making it the first 500-plus megawatt solar plant to be up and running in the US.
November 28, 2014
Ivanpah Solar Plant Generated Less Energy Than Anticipated
Invested and co-owned by Google, NRG Energy and BrightSource, Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System was once recognized as a landmark of concentrated solar power (CSP) projects. However, it not only scorches birds, but also fails to generate as much power as anticipated.
November 27, 2014
UK’s first ‘Bio-Bus’ goes into service between Bristol and Bath
The UK’s first bus powered entirely by human and food waste has gone into service between Bristol and Bath.The 40-seat “Bio-Bus” runs on biomethane gas generated through the treatment of sewage and food waste.
November 12, 2014
Drake Landing Solar Community
The Drake Landing Solar Community (DLSC) is a master planned neighbourhood in the Town of Okotoks, Alberta, Canada that has successfully integrated Canadian energy efficient technologies with a renewable, unlimited energy source – the sun.
November 3, 2014
South Australia Achieves 100% Renewable Energy For A Whole Working Day
There have been several instances in recent months when wind energy has accounted for all, or nearly all, electricity demand in South Australia. Last Tuesday, however, set a new benchmark – the combination of wind energy and rooftop solar provided more than 100 per cent of the state’s electricity needs, for a whole working day between 9.30am and 6pm.
October 31, 2014
IKEA To Sell Solar Panels In Stores In The Netherlands
The multinational furniture giant IKEA will soon begin selling residenatial solar panels in its stores in the Netherlands, as per recent reports. The move is part of a new partnership between the thin-film module manufacturer Hanergy and IKEA.
October 30, 2014
US Solar Now 59% Cheaper Than Analysts Predicted Back In 2010
The cost of utility-scale US solar energy is currently 59% cheaper than what industry analysts predicted in 2010 it would be by now, according to a new report from the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL).
September 11, 2014
What is tidal energy?
Tidal energy is one of the oldest forms of energy used by humans. Indeed, tide mills, in use on the Spanish, French and British coasts, date back to 787 A.D..
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