Solar Power World

Project Review: The Home of the Future is Here Now

Nexus EnergyHomes builds net-zero homes available at market price Imagine opening your mailbox and never seeing another electric bill. This may seem like a dream for the future, but with today’s technology it’s actually possible to build houses that produce as much power as they generate. “Net-zero” homes have made headlines here and there, but at such high prices they are... Read More

Report Recommends Changing Solar Standards for Ground Mounts

The Solar America Board for Codes and Standards (Solar ABCs) has released a final report, “Grounding Photovoltaic Modules: Issues and Recommendations,” which draws on feedback from solar industry experts as well as ongoing research at Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. (UL) and presents the issues with recommendations for changes to existing standards. The need for this study was... Read More

School Offsets 90% Of Energy Use With Solar Panels

Lawrenceville School in Lawrenceville, N.J., has installed 6.1 MW of solar modules. The photovoltaic system, ground-mounted on 30 acres of school-owned farm land, is believed to be the largest installed at a U.S. primary or secondary school. It will generate enough electricity to offset 90 percent of the high school’s annual power needs and provide a centerpiece to the school’s... Read More

Home Heliostats

Turning on a light indoors while the sun is shining outdoors creates frustration for an environmentalist. Knowing that a simple flick of the light switch causes a chain of energy production, transportation and conversion just seems crazy when the sun is pouring down free photons outside only a few feet away.One often proposed solution for this is to use a heliostat, which is... Read More

Contractor’s Corner: New England Breeze Solar, Hudson, Mass.

Mark Durrenberger, owner of Hudson, Mass.-based New England Breeze Solar, first became aware of the solar power industry while in college. It was 1979, and President Jimmy Carter installed 32 solar panels on the White House. He wanted to get a degree in energy engineering to help push the solar industry forward, but his college program, in his words, didn’t go anywhere. So he... Read More

Developments: Residential, Another Option For Small Solar

Solar design company, PHAT Energy, based in Los Angeles, offers a line of American-made carports with high-efficiency SunPower panels. The PHATport is a portable and expandable awning array option for homeowners and business interested in integrated solar. The company says it begins by focusing on design and then making aesthetics equal to function and performance. The PHATport... Read More

Developments: Residential, A Convenient Way To Install Solar

MyGen Kits from Kyocera Solar are comprehensive, convenient ways to install solar on a home or business. The pre-engineered systems include the modules, solar inverter, racking, monitoring, grounding, manual, drawings and minor components needed to complete a grid-tied solar energy installation. Recently, the company has added the MyGenflex, which offers versatile installation,... Read More

OneRoof (Solar) Energy Secures $3 Million in Additional Funding

OneRoof Energy, a U.S. residential solar leasing company to work directly with roofers to sell and install its systems, has secured $3 million in additional financing from clean-tech investment firm Black Coral Capital. The company will use the funds to expand current markets and launch new markets this year. Black Coral Capital backs innovative companies in the clean technology... Read More

Rooftop Solar Program Wins Approval From L.A. City Council

The Los Angeles City Council cleared the way for the launch of an innovative rooftop solar-energy program, approving a measure to allow the Department of Water and Power (DWP) to move forward with the groundbreaking CLEAN LA Solar program. The CLEAN LA Solar program will allow local property owners to sell solar power generated from rooftops and parking lots back to the DWP, using... Read More

GreenVolts Announces ISIS Mobile for Solar Energy Management

GreenVolts, provider of a fully integrated solar system, announced the availability of its solar energy management software for iPad and iPhone  mobile devices.The new ISIS Mobile is a natural extension of the company’s Internet-based ISIS energy management software and enables management capabilities for GreenVolts solar systems ranging from smaller, distributed installations... Read More

GeoPeak Energy Wins Top Awards for Residential Solar Excellence

GeoPeak Energy, a New Jersey solar energy company, received top awards at the annual SunPower conference held in Philadelphia on March 22, 2012. SunPower currently has the highest amount of high-efficiency residential solar installations in the United States, and has a network of over 400 dealers country wide. The Residential Dealer of the Year Award is given to the dealer that... Read More

Research Suggests A Bright Future for Solar Panels

The future of solar panels is looking even brighter. New research by Cambridge University scientists has led to the development of a more efficient solar cell. Currently, solar cells capture part of the sun’s light. Much of the energy of the absorbed light is lost as heat, meaning a maximum of 34% of the sunlight is converted to electrical power. However, Cambridge scientists... Read More

New Solar Program Offers Millions to Affordable Housing

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) officially launched the latest California Solar Initiative (CSI) program on March 29. The new program provides $25 million in increased solar water heating incentives for affordable housing in California. The launch of the program could not be more timely, given the recent dissolution of the Community Redevelopment Agency – a major... Read More

Home Energy Loan Makes Energy Efficiency More Affordable

SolarCity will now offer a Home Energy Loan for energy efficiency upgrades that will make renewable energy additions more accessible to homeowners. The company says the typical U.S. family spends about $1,900 a year on home utility bills, a large portion of which is wasted. SolarCity estimates homeowners lose about $40 of every $100 spent on air heating and cooling to duct and air... Read More

Westinghouse Solar Launches Fully Integrated Solar Panels

Westinghouse Solar, a designer and manufacturer of solar power systems, announced the release of Instant Connect, a new line of solar panels that the company says makes rooftop installations faster and easier than ever before. Instant Connect extends Westinghouse Solar’s technology leadership with the first plug-and-play solar panel that completely eliminates cumbersome panel-to-panel... Read More