The Alternative Energy blog – green renewable alternative energy


PETE device could transform solar panel technology

A device out of Stanford University is promising to revolutionise solar panel technology by being able to harness the power of both light and heat. Scientists have always used both light and heat from the sun to produce energy, however, they hadn't yet discovered a way to efficiently utilize both simultaneously - until now! Most accountable renewable energy invokes the following: *Solar Radiation *Wind Power *Wave Power *Hydroelectricity *Biomass And only a fraction of the radiation gathered Read more [...]

Oil Baron JR Ewing advertises solar panels

JR Ewing, the worlds most ruthless oil baron, is now promoting solar power. He has turned his back on black gold and starring in an advert for solar panels. Almost 20 years after hanging up his trademark 10-gallon hat in the TV drama Dallas, actor Larry Hagman is reprising his most famous role in an advertisement for SolarWorld, a German-based manufacturer of solar panels. In the ad, JR Ewing says the oil industry has become  "too dirty", prompting a search for another money making opportunity. "In Read more [...]

Money to be made from Green Asia

Category: wind energy – Tags: , , , , , – glenn333
TAKE a trip around emerging Asia these days and you won’t just see skyscrapers and coal-fired power plants growing out of places where there were once nothing but fields. Wind turbines, solar energy plants, incinerator manufacturers, water treatment plants and microirrigation developments are just as likely to spring up before your eyes. There is now recognition in the region that sustainable growth requires tackling the environmental issues such as water scarcity and climate change that have Read more [...]

UK home owners make money from solar panels

UK: From today British home owners can  earn money for the electricity solar PV produces under the feed-in tariff (also known as ‘clean energy cash-back’). The feed-in tariffs have been a long time coming but they have already increased demand and you can earn up to 8% return on investment. The tax free, index linked payments work on two levels: Generation tariff – depending on the size of panels, you are paid per kilowatt hour (kWh) of metered energy that panels generate, regardless Read more [...]

World’s largest solar panel boat launches

Category: solar panels,solar power – Tags: , , – glenn333
The largest solar-powered boat in the world is set to launch. The catamaran PlanetSolar enjoys stats are: weight: 60-ton, a 470-square-meter are covered by 38,000 solar cells to generate 103.4 kW of energy. 18 million euro ($24.4 million) was spent to adorn this beauty in environmentally friendly way. PlanetSolar runs on 38,000 black photovoltaic cells tprovided by SunPower Corporation.  The solar panels have a pretty decent conversion rate of 22%. PlanetSolar will launch this month Read more [...]

UK homes to benefit from solar panel incentive

UK: Families can earn £900 a year by installing solar panels on their roofs as part of a new Government scheme to pay people to generate their own electricity. Under the deal, which will start from April this year, households will be paid for electricity fed into the grid from renewable technologies such as solar, wind or energy from waste. The most attractive rate of return will be on solar panels, which for an average sized three bedroom home could earn households £25,000 over 25 years. Ed Read more [...]

China surges ahead in solar power

Category: wind energy – Tags: , , – glenn333
China is set to rule the global solar panel market having already captured a third of the world market. The credit crunch has hit solar power companies  in the West, but not Chinese firms.   They have taken advantage of the moment to flood the world with solar panels, driving down the retail price from $4.20 per watt last year to nearer $2 in what some say is a cut-throat drive for market share. In addition Suntech Power from Wuxi has just broken the world record for capturing photovoltaic Read more [...]

UK: Solar power ahead of targets

The UK  can achieve grid parity for households by 2013, seven years sooner than expected says Jeremy Leggett, founder of Britain’s Solar Century. 

Its is believed that south-facing roofs and facades in Britain could one day provide a third of UK electricity needs.

Solar panels do not need sun

Householders convinced that the UK does not have enough sunshine to effectively use solar panels are 'wrong', according to a domestic solar panel advisor. The UK energy advisor Heat my Home has explained that the panels operate on solar radiation not sun rays and the UK gets enough of this to run solar. Stuart Lovatt of Heat my Home said: "One unique selling point with solar is the longevity. A good quality system will easily last 30 years, so the long-term benefits of solar are obvious. "How Read more [...]

Cheap Solar Panels on the way

 A supply glut of polysilicon—the key raw material used in photovoltaic solar panels—promises cheaper solar panels in the years to come. In the short term the price drop has led to many solar panel manufacturers suffering large losses but analysts are hopeful the lower prices will make the technology more competitive with conventionally generated power. The drop in polysilicon, though hurting earnings now, will be beneficial over the long termas it will make solar a more competitively priced Read more [...]