Library >> Current Articles on Renewable Energy Resources and Transmission >> Solar Energy

Articles on Solar Power

Google Solar Panel Project	Stirling Solar Unit	Rooftop Photovoltaic panels	Trough solar collectors

• Solar water heaters required in new Hawaii homes
  May 2, 2008 - Mark Niesse - The Associated Press
  
  All new homes in Hawaii will be required to have solar water heaters installed starting in 2010 under a law approved Thursday by the Legislature.
  
  
• German energy giant to bid on Negev solar plant
  Apr 30, 2008 - Lior Baron - Globes - Tel Aviv - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News
  
  The tender to build and operate the Negev solar power station at Ashelim is drawing international alternative energy companies to Israel. Sources inform "Globes" that Germany's Solar Millennium AG (XETRA: S2M), one of the world's top three solar energy companies, plans to participate in the $650-700 million tender. Solar Millennium is considering collaborating with some of the Israeli companies already participating in the tender, and recently met representatives of Israel Corp. (TASE: ILCO) to discuss a possible joint bid in the tender.
  
  
• Nevada goes solar
  Apr 23, 2008 - The Associated Press
  
  Thanks to two big solar projects, Nevada ranked second only to California in solar power development last year, the Solar Energy Industry Association says.
  
  
• Govt Planning to Convert 60 Cities into Solar Townships
  Apri 21, 2008 - Times of India
  
  Taking a cue from European and American cities, the government is aiming to convert 60 cities into solar townships that run partially on renewable energy sources.
  
  
• Large-Scale Solar Thermal Power Projects Planned for California
  Apr 9, 2008 - EERE Network News
  
  The push to develop large concentrating solar power (CSP) plants in California gained momentum last week, as FPL Energy filed an application to build a 250-megawatt CSP plant in the Mojave Desert and the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) agreed to buy the power from up to 900 megawatts of CSP projects proposed by BrightSource Energy, Inc. The FPL Energy project, called the Beacon Solar Energy Project, will employ trough-shaped parabolic mirrors to concentrate the sun's heat, capture the heat in a fluid such as oil, and then transfer that heat to a boiler. The boiler generates steam that drives a turbine to produce electricity. FPL Energy plans to build, own, and operate the facility, which will be located on 2,000 acres of land in eastern Kern County. Construction is slated to begin late next year, and it will take about two years to build the project, which will consist of more than 500,000 parabolic mirrors.
  
  
• New report out on future energy scenarios in the GCC
  Apr 3, 2008 - BusinessIntelligence Middle East (BI-ME)
  
  UAE. With initiatives like MASDAR in Abu Dhabi and ENPARK in Dubai, the UAE is set to lead the world in future energy technologies according to a new report titled 'Future Energy Scenarios - Exploring the Energy Challenges and Opportunities in the GCC'.
  
  
• Southern California Edison Launches Nation's Largest Solar Panel Installation
  Mar 27, 2008 - Business Wire
  
  Southern California Edison (SCE) today launched the nation's largest solar cell installation, a project that will place 250 megawatts of advanced photovoltaic generating technology on 65 million square feet of roofs of Southern California commercial buildings - enough power to serve approximately 162,000 homes.
  
  
• FPL Energy Advances Solar Strategy; Plans to Build New Solar Electric Generating Facility in California
  Mar 26, 2008 - Business Wire
  
  FPL Energy, LLC, (NYSE:FPL) already the country's leading generator of wind and solar thermal power, announced today an important step in its strategy to add significantly to its solar power generating capability.
  
  
• Abu Dhabi and Spanish entities combine to develop concentrating solar projects
  Mar 21, 2008 - Power News
  
  Spanish engineering group SENER and Abu Dhabi energy company MASDAR have incorporated a new company, Torresol Energy, whose mission will be to develop, build, and operate large concentrated solar power (CSP) plants worldwide.
  
  
• Low-cost Solar Thermal Plants at Heart of Algerian-German Research Push
  Mar 20, 2008 - Jan Burgermeister - renewableenergyworld.com
  
  Vienna, Austria - The development of a new generation of large-scale, low-cost solar thermal power plants is the focus of a joint research agreement signed between Algeria and Germany.
  
  
• Japan's Mitsubishi Electric plans major solar cell investment
  Mar 19, 2008 - Thomson Financial
  
  Japan's Mitsubishi Electric Corp said Wednesday it planned to invest 7 billion yen to boost production of solar cells as global demand rises on high oil costs and environmental awareness.
  
  
• Study says solar's potential as high as 90%
  Mar 5, 2008 - Power News
  
  Ausra Inc., a developer of utility-scale solar thermal power technology, has announced a peer-reviewed study showing that over 90% of the U.S. electric grid and auto fleet's energy needs could be met by solar thermal power.
  
  
• Arizona Public Svc. to build solar plant
  Feb 21,2008 - Associated Press
  
  Arizona Public Service Co. said Thursday it will build a solar-power plant with enough capacity to serve 70,000 customers.
  
  
• ProVision Opens PV Array on Maui
  Feb 12, 2008 - RenewableEnergyAccess.com
  
  ProVision Technologies, Inc. a Hawaii-based provider of solar electric systems has announced that it has commissioned two photovoltaic (PV) solar systems which will provide over 100,000 kilowatt hours of energy per year to the Maui Economic Development Board, Inc. (MEDB). The hurricane-ready design will give MEDB a showcase PV facility providing predictable power pricing in a volatile market.
  
  
• New photovoltaics change solar costs
  Feb 6, 2008 - Naomi Lubick
  
  A new life-cycle assessment of photovoltaic technologies shows that some are better than others:.
  New photovoltaic technologies, such as the recent introduction of thin-film cadmium–telluride (CdTe) materials, have nearly doubled the efficiency of solar cells within the past few years. But the methods of making the materials used for photovoltaic cells, whether from silicon, metal, or other material, have raised doubts about the environmental friendliness of these passive energy collectors. Purifying and producing silicon uses a lot of water and energy, and refining zinc and copper ores to get Cd, Te, and other elements creates metal emissions and an energy sink—all of which increase the technology's environmental footprint.
  
  
• Hawaii unveils solar power plan
  Jan 11, 2008 - Associated Press
  
  The state plans to have large solar power arrays constructed at a dozen locations around the state.
  
  
• Energy from the sun gets off the ground: After a long delay, the tender for building the Negev solar power plant will be published
  Jan 3, 2008 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Dalia Tal Globes, Tel Aviv, Israel
  
  The Ministries of Finance and National Infrastructures will publish the BOT (build, operate, transfer) tender for the Negev solar power plant at Ashelim, after years of delay. This is Israel's first tender for a solar powered plant. Many other countries already have such power stations in operation or under construction.
  
  
• A Solar Grand Plan
  January, 2008 - Ken Zweibel, James Mason and Vasilis Fthenakis - Scientific American Magazine
  
  By 2050 solar power could end U.S. dependence on foreign oil and slash greenhouse gas emissions.
  
  
• World Bank mulls financing Negev solar project
  Dec 20, 2007 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Lior Baron Globes, Tel Aviv
  
  The World Bank is considering financing the proposed solar energy power station planned to be built in the Negev. A World Bank delegation may visit Israel to meet officials from the Ministries of Finance and National Infrastructures to discuss the project. The World Bank has already expressing its willingness to finance the Red-Dead Sea canal, or "Peace canal", subject to a feasibility study.
  
  
• Poor Nations Demand Green Technology
  Dec 14, 2007 - The Associated Press
  
  Bali, Indonesia - Uganda gets plenty of sun, making it a great spot for solar energy. There's only one problem: In one of the world's most impoverished nations, few people can afford an imported solar panel.
  
  
• FPL and NASA Join Forces to Explore Renewable Energy Projects
  Dec 13, 2007 - Business Wire
  
  From charting a clean energy future to trailblazing on the space frontier, they are respected leaders. Now Florida Power & Light Company and National Aeronautic and Space Administration's Kennedy Space Center (NASA-KSC) are teaming up to jointly explore developing renewable energy projects. FPL Group owns and operates the largest solar facility in the world and Florida Power & Light has the proven energy expertise in Florida. NASA has the top space science experts with extensive experience using solar technology in space. Together they hope to advance and deploy the use of large scale solar technology in Florida as early as 2008.
  
  
• China Creates Wolrd's Largest Solar Energy Industry
  Dec 13, 2007 - SinoCast
  
  Beijing - As the world's largest consumer and producer of solar water heater, China ranks the global No.1 by its solar energy industry size, according to the National Reform and Development Committee (NRDC).
  
  
• BP Solar to Build 300MW Solar Manufacturing Plant in Spain
  Dec 11, 2007 - Clean Edge News
  
  BP Solar, a European market leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of photovoltaic solar energy, will begin construction in the second quarter of 2008 of a module assembly factory in the industrial park of La Nava II, in Puertollano (Castilla La Mancha). This represents an investment of around 100m Euros.
  
  
• MBPV to Set Up India's Largest Grid Connected Solar Farm
  Dec 4, 2007 - renewableenergyaccess.com
  
  Moser Baer Photo Voltaic (MBPV) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Rajasthan (India) for establishing a solar power project with an estimated generation capacity of 1-5 megawatts (MW).
  
  
• How Africa's desert sun can bring Europe power
  Dec 2, 2007 - The Observer
  
  A £5bn solar power plan, backed by a Jordanian prince, could provide the EU with a sixth of its electricity needs - and cut carbon emissions
  Europe is considering plans to spend more than £5bn on a string of giant solar power stations along the Mediterranean desert shores of northern Africa and the Middle East.
  
  
• Mozambique rural areas to receive solar panels
  Nov 27, 2007 - Xinhua
  
  Mozambique is to launch a project to provide solar panels to a number of districts which have not been covered by the country's power grid in 2008, local media AIM reported on Tuesday.
  
  
• Major switch for solar energy: Researchers investigate use of carbon-based materials to produce cheaper energy
  Nov 27, 2007 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Larry Rulison - Albany Times Union, N.Y.
  
  In a small physics lab on the uptown campus of the University at Albany, researchers are trying to develop a new type of solar-electric cell that will be cheaper -- and more flexible -- than a traditional solar cell made from silicon.
  
  
• Clean Power from Desert
  Nov 26, 2007 - The Club of Rome
  
  The Trans-Mediterranean Renewable Energy Cooperation (TREC) is an initiative of The Club of Rome, the Hamburg Climate Protection Foundation and the National Energy Research Center of Jordan (NERC) in the field of renewable forms of energy. Since it was founded in 2003, it has developed the DESERTEC Concept for energy, water and climate security in EUrope, the Middle East and North Africa (EU-MENA), promoting cooperation between countries of the sun-belt and the technology belt. Now TREC is making this concept a reality in cooperation with people in politics, industry and the world of finance.
  
  
• California Colleges Add 2 MW of Solar with MMA Renewable Ventures
  Nov 08, 2007 - /PRNewswire-FirstCall
  
  MMA Renewable Ventures, LLC, a subsidiary of Municipal Mortgage & Equity, LLC (NYSE: MMA) ("MuniMae"), today announced that it is financing the installation of new solar energy systems at two California college campuses, California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) and Los Angeles Community College District's East Los Angeles College (ELAC). MMA Renewable Ventures will own and operate the clean energy systems and sell predictably priced electricity to Fresno State and ELAC under long term Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs). At approximately one megawatt (MW) each, the solar installations are among the largest photovoltaic systems in U.S. higher education.
  
  
• Endesa starts western Almeria's largest solar farm
  Nov 07, 2007 - Datamonitor
  
  Endesa has connected a new photovoltaic solar farm in the La Redonda industrial park in western Almeria, Spain to the power grid. The photovoltaic plant has a totalled installed capacity of 700KW, which could lead to annual savings in CO2 emissions of 1,170 tons.
  
  
• Wind and Solar Energy: Renewable Energy to Create Thousands of New Jobs
  Oct 26, 2007 - Business Wire
  
  Rhone Resch, President of the Solar Energy Industries Association, and Randy Swisher, President of the American Wind Energy Association, guests at separate Executive News Roundtables sponsored by Energy Policy TV, said the renewable energy industries will be large creators of new jobs in the U.S. in the coming years. Videos of their appearances are available at no cost on Energy Policy TV's Solar and Wind Channels, respectively.
  
  
• Egypt signs contract for solar power plant
  Oct 21, 2007 - BBC Monitoring
  
  Cairo - Egyptian Electricity and Energy Minister Hasan Yunis attended Sunday [21 October] the signing ceremony of a contract on the implementation of a solar component in the first Egyptian solar power station.
  
  
• Alternative to Powerlink is Proposed
  Oct 19 - The San Diego Union-Tribune
  
  Opponents of the Sunrise Powerlink yesterday unveiled a detailed alternative plan for a vast expansion of solar power and other measures that they say would cost no more than the proposed power line and provide greater energy security and environmental benefits.
  
  
• Spectrolab's Solar Breakthrough
  Oct 9, 2007 - Technology Frontier
  
  A solar cell energy research breakthrough that has attracted national attention could open the door to the production of cost-competitive solar power within a decade, according to researchers involved in the effort.
  
  
• Germany Looks to North Africa's Untapped Solar Thermal Potential
  Sep 27, 2007 - Jane Burgermeister - RenewableEnergyAccess.com
  
  Vienna, Austria - Flabeg has recently developed a mirror that can reflect 93 percent of the sun's rays.A study by the German Aerospace Center estimated that harnessing the sun's energy falling on just 6,000 square kilometers of desert in North Africa would supply energy equivalent to the entire oil production of the Middle East of 9 billion barrels a year.
  
  
• The Mediterranean Photovoltaic Power Plant Revolution
  Sept 25, 2007 - Jane Burgermeister - RenewableEnergyAccess.com
  
  Costs of photovoltaic power plants in Italy could be recouped in as little as 8 to 12 years because of government subsidies and electricity market.
  
  
• World Bank Launches Lighting Initiative for Africa
  Sep 9, 2007 - Planet Ark
  
  The World Bank launched an plan on Wednesday to provide inexpensive, safe and cleaner lighting to 250 million people in sub-Saharan Africa who lack access to electricity. The project is designed to replace costly and inefficient fuel-based lighting sources, such as kerosene lamps, that pose fire hazards and cause pollution.
  
  
• Ultra Thin Solar Modules to Make 2008 Debut in Germany
  Sep 6, 2007 - Jane Burgermeister - RenewableEnergyAccess.com
  
  A new generation of ultra thin solar modules that can be integrated into the facades of buildings at low cost is to be produced in Germany next year. The German company Schueco has joined up with E.ON, the country's biggest energy company, to invest 100 million euros [$US 136 million] in the research and production of this new ultra thin solar technology that cuts down on the need for silicon, the costly raw material for solar cells.
  
  
• Delhi insist on solar power use for billboards
  Sep 6, 2007 - The Hindu
  
  New Delhi - Delhi government has decided to pass an order for compulsory use of solar power for advertising hoardings and water heating in government and some categories of buildings.
  
  
• Lack of lines limit solar energy sales
  Sep 1, 2007 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Matt Hildner The Pueblo Chieftain, Colo.
  
  If the large-scale production of solar energy is going to take off in the San Luis Valley, it will need some help getting to urban markets.
  
  
• With Proven History, Solar Parabolic Technology Attracts Investors
  Aug 29, 2007 - California Energy Markets
  
  The once-dormant solar-parabolic industry has shown robust signs of life, with investment banks underwriting solar-power plants and utilities signing titanic contracts.
  
  
• Zambia to go for solar energy
  Aug 13, 2007 - Xinhua
  
  The Zambian government intends to make solar energy an integral part of its rural electrification program, a government official has said.
  
  
• Company sets record for solar efficiency
  August 10, 2007 - Kim Leonard - Tribune-Review
  

  Solar energy's cost and relative inefficiency have stunted its growth for decades, but Harmar-based Plextronics Inc. said it's made a major step toward solving both problems through a technology that "prints" solar cell technology onto plastic or glass.
  
  

• China Builds Concentratory Photovoltaic Solar Power Stations
  Aug 10, 2007 - AsiaPulse
  
  Construction of China's largest concentrator photovoltaic solar power station is in full swing at Xichang, Sichuan Province.
  
  
• Five solar plants scheduled to come on line
  Aug 3, 2007 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News
  
  Every couple years or so, someone announces the "world's largest solar plant" for the Mojave Desert, where clouds rarely block the sun. Why, then, is Victorville moving forward with a large natural gas-fired plant that has a small solar component?
  http://www.geni.org/globalenergy/library/technical-articles/generation/solar/tribune-business-news/five-solar-plants-scheduled-to-come-on-line/index.shtml
  
  
• Arab countries urge solar future
  July 8, 2007
  
  Arab energy ministers and some EU politicians attending a high-level conference in this desert oasis town flanked by the ruins of a vast Roman city, announced support for a revolutionary renewable energy electricity supply system proposed by Germany to link both areas. The Damascus Declaration adopted here on June 24 by them as well as the several hundred participants (scientists, industrialists, civil servants) at the Fourth Middle East and North Africa Renewable Energy Conference (MENAREC4) advocated "large-scale renewable energy systems" which would permit solar electricity to the EU. All nations were invited to set national renewable energy targets, and donors were asked to massively increase related assistance.
  
  
• Indonesia to build 33,000 more solar power generators
  Jun 29, 2007 - AsiaPulse
  
  The Indonesian government is planning to build 33,000 more solar power generators for 33,000 households living in remote areas, an Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry official said.
  
  
• Solar Energy to light dark villages in Mizoram
  June 19, 2007 - ZEENEWS.COM
  
  The Mizoram government, with the help of Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources, has chalked out a comprehensive one-year vision plan to provide electricity to all un-electrified villages, including households, through renewable energy resources by 2007.
  
  http://www.zeenews.com/articles.asp?aid=303316&sid=REG&ssid=
  
  
• Target starts solar-power rollout
  April 30, 2007 - John Vomhof Jr.
  
  Target Corp. is spending millions of dollars to cuts its energy costs and secure a greener image in the process. The Minneapolis-based retailer has installed solar panels on the roofs of four of its California retail stores and plans to install similar systems at 14 more locations later this year. The solar-panel systems will generate about 20 percent of those stores' annual energy requirements.
  
  
• Retail Goes Solar
  April 30, 2007 - Jack Uldric - The Motley Fool
  
  Advocates of solar power were given additional reasons to be bullish about the industry's long-term prospects this past week after two large retailers -- Tiffany & Co (NYSE: TIF) and Kohl's Corp (NYSE: KSS) -- announced plans to install major solar power projects.
  
  
• Spanish Solar Thermal Plant First in World Tied to National Grid
  April 24, 2007 - Energy Central
  
  FLORENCE, ITALY A new solar thermal plant in Spain, the largest of its type in Europe and the first in the world to produce power for a national grid, illustrates how technology innovation can be applied to meet the growing demand for cleaner energy. Featuring a specially designed steam turbine-generator supplied by GE Oil & Gas, Planta Solar (PS10), an 11-megawatt solar thermal power plant at Sanlúcar in Spain’s Seville province, was inaugurated March 30. Now producing power for Spain’s electricity grid, it is the first solar plant developed in Spain by the Abengoa Group of Seville.
  
  
• Iran's First Solar Power Plant to Become Operational in 2010
  April 13, 2007 - BBC Monitoring Middle East
  
  Tehran: Iran's first solar thermal electric power plant will become operational in 2010 in central province of Yazd.
  
  
• GE Invests, Delivers One of World's Largest Solar Power Plants,
  Harnessing Portugal's Sunshine, PowerLight's Technology
  Mar 28, 2007 - BUSINESS WIRE
  
  Spread across a hillside pasture amid olive trees, 52,000 shimmering photovoltaic modules in one of the world's largest solar power plants have begun generating enough electricity for 8,000 homes, GE, PowerLight Corp. and Catavento SA announced today.
  
  
• Egypt tries Concentrating Solar Power
  Feb 20, 2007 - Derek Sands - ME Times
  
  CAIRO -- Egypt may soon harness the same physics that a child uses to burn an ant with a magnifying glass, to generate electricity from the sun, a move that reflects the growth of Concentrating Solar Power technology worldwide. Plans to build a 150 megawatt (MW) combined solar- and gas-powered electric plant near Cairo are part of a larger effort by Egypt, and others in the region, to expand their use of renewable energies, including solar, wind, and nuclear power.
  
  
• Gulf to get first solar-power plant
  Feb 18. 2007 - Aljazeera.net
  
  AbuDhabi is to build a $350m solar power plant, the first of its kind in the Gulf, according to an investor in the project.
  
  http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/3E33C34E-6C4E-4070-811F-304B045F5F24.htm
  
  
• State report touts solar energy's bright future
  Jan 20, 2007 - Tribune Business News
  
  Arizona could generate up to 1,000 megawatts of solar electricity and create 3,000 jobs by 2020 by supporting solar-energy technologies and boosting the state's solar-electric industry, a state report says.
  
  
• Superefficient, Cost-Effective Solar Cell Breaks Conversion Records
  Dec 8, 2006 - Scientific American
  
  A tiny solar cell doubles the efficiency of common photovoltaics' conversion of sunlight to electricity by capturing the energy from a broader spectrum of light.
  
  http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa012&articleID=643C3D30-E7F2-99DF-3108C4CB8A197667
  
  
• African solar farms to solve energy crisis?
  December 5, 2006 - James Murray - Green Business News
  
  It appears the UK government is not the only one busy commissioning reports on combating climate change, the German government has now got in on the act with two major new study's on the viability of a leftfield plan that could deliver clean energy to the whole of Europe within the next forty years.
  http://green.itweek.co.uk/2006/12/african_solar_f.html
  
  
• A Study: Deserts offer cheap source of energy = 1/3 the price of oil
  Nov 21, 2006 - Asia Wind
  
  SAHARA sunshine could provide Europe with clean and cheap energy, according to a study for the German government. Experts said solar energy from north Africa could help to reduce emissions from European power stations by 70 per cent by 2050 as well as providing energy at a cost equivalent to a $20 barrel of oil - about a third of the current price.
  
  http://www.asiawind.com/forums/read.php?f=5&i=1076&t=1076
  
  
• SDG&E to buy 120 megawatts of solar, geothermal energy
  Nov. 13, 2006- Press Release - Sempra Energy
  
  San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) today announced that it has signed new contracts to procure an additional 120 megawatts (MW) of solar and geothermal power for its customers by 2010.
  
  http://public.sempra.com/newsreleases/viewPR.cfm?PR_ID=2094&Co_Short_Nm=SE
  
  
• Scientists detail desert solar power
  Oct. 31, 2006 - UPI
  
  A German study suggests Europe can make deep cuts in carbon dioxide emissions and phase out nuclear power at the same time.
  
  http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=UPI-1-20061031-17290600-bc-germany-solarenergy.xml
  
  
• P.V. Could Supply 2 Billion Households By 2025
  Sept. 19, 2006 - Green Building Press
  
  Photovoltaic solar panels could generate enough electricity to supply 2 billion households by 2025, according to a report by Greenpeace and the European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA). The report, Solar Generation, says that the PV industry would be capable of producing 276 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity a year worldwide by 2020, rising to 589TWh by 2025, and cutting carbon dioxide emissions by 350 million tonnes a year.
  
  http://www.newbuilder.co.uk/news/NewsFullStory.asp?ID=1575
  
  
• SunPower Celebrates the Dedication of SOLON's Gut Erlasee Solar Park
  Sept 1, 2006 - SunPower Corporation - PRNewswire-FirstCall
  
  World's Largest Solar Electric Power Plant Features SunPower's High-Efficiency A-300 Solar Cells. SunPower Corporation (Nasdaq: SPWR), a Silicon Valley-based manufacturer of the world's highest efficiency, commercially available solar cells and solar panels, celebrated today's dedication of SOLON's Gut Erlasee Solar Park, the world's largest solar electric power plant.
  
  http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/09-01-2006/0004425316&EDATE=
  
  
• Schwarzenegger Signs Legislation to Complete Million Solar Roofs Plan
  
August 22, 2006 - Ed Mendel - Union Tribune

• Let it shine, let it shine
  August 14, 2006 - Jon Ortiz - Sacramento Bee
  
  How's this for irony? A massive West Sacramento cold-storage warehouse is being powered by one of California's biggest privately owned solar energy systems.
  
  http://www.sacbee.com/content/business/story/14296570p-15149788c.html

• BP Teams with Caltech to Explore Game-Changing Solar Technology
  Jun 27, 2006 - Press Release - BP Solar
  
  BP and The California Institute of Technology have teamed up in a multi-million dollar research program that could open the door to a radical new way of producing solar cells, making the cost of solar electricity more competitive and increasing current efficiency levels.
  
  http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=2012968&contentId=7019218
  
  
• Notice the sunshine in the desert
  June 21, 2006 - Sanjay suri - IPSnews
  
  A recent United Nations report suggests that the Sahara desert could capture enough solar energy to eventually supply all of the world's electricity needs. The report also points to some of the threats such as declining water resources which threaten delicate desert ecosystems.
  
  http://www.newsfromafrica.org/newsfromafrica/articles/art_10710.html
  
  
• Club of Rome wants deserts to become source of renewable energy
  June 14, 2006 - Refocus Weekly
  
  Hannover, Germany - The world’s deserts could serve as an "overabundant source of clean energy through solar thermal power plants," according to the president of the Club of Rome.
  
  http://www.sparksdata.co.uk/refocus/fp_showdoc.asp?docid=32650393&accnum=1&topics

• Former Soviet President Calls for Global Solar Fund
  May 1, 2006 - renewableenergyaccess.com
  
  Geneva, Switzerland and Washington, DC: Calling on leaders of the world's largest industrialized nations (G8) to invest in renewable energy and energy efficiency, former Soviet President Gorbachev marked the 20th anniversary of the world's largest nuclear power plant disaster in Chernobyl with a request for the creation of a $50 billion Global Solar Fund over 10 years.
  
  http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=44774

• Solar Flares Imperil Grid
  May/June, 2006 - EnergyBiz Magazine
  
  Scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research predict that during the next several years solar activity will be unusually high — and this could bring down power systems.
  
  http://energycentral.fileburst.com/EnergyBizOnline/2006-3-may-jun/Solar_Flares.pdf
  
  
• Forget Computers. Here Comes the Sun
  April 14, 2006 John Markoff, nytimes.com
  
  SAN JOSE, Calif. — T. J. Rodgers is surrounded by a sea of silicon wafers on the roof of his company's headquarters in a Silicon Valley industrial park.
  
  
• SA solar research eclipses rest of the world
  February 11, 2006 - Willem Steenkamp - Saturday Argus
  
  In a scientific breakthrough that has stunned the world, a team of South African scientists has developed a revolutionary new, highly efficient solar power technology that will enable homes to obtain all their electricity from the sun. This means high electricity bills and frequent power failures could soon be a thing of the past.
  
  
• Here comes the sun
  Oct 25, 2005 - Anthony Doman - Popular Mechanics

  Despite a soaring oil price and a panic-stricken planet scrambling to counteract its profligate use of energy resources, there is a glimmer of sunshine. And sunshine is all it takes, says an enterprising South African academic who is sitting on potentially one of the biggest solar energy breakthroughs to date.
  
  

• SDG&E to buy solar electricity
  Sep 8, 2005 - Craig D. Rose - Union-Tribune
  
  San Diego Gas & Electric announced yesterday it had contracted with a Phoenix company to buy electricity from what could be the largest solar power generating project in the world.
  
  http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050908/news_1b8solar.html
  
  
• Solar Pedaflo Creates Potable water for Remote Areas
  August 23, 2005 - renewableenergyaccess.com
  
  Communities of people living in remote villages around the globe often endure scarcity of safe water for drinking and cooking, jeopardizing health and hygiene.
  
  http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/productstory?id=35693
  
  
• Rooftops Could Support Vast U.S. Market for Solar Power
  Mar 1, 2005 - The Energy Foundation
  
  A new study released today by the Energy Foundation, and undertaken by Navigant Consulting, Inc. (NYSE:NCI), describes the vast market potential for rooftop solar photovoltaic systems (PV) in the United States. The study, “PV Grid Connected Market Potential in 2010 Under a Cost Breakthrough Scenario,” provides an estimate of the market for PV systems in the United States based on available rooftop space for residential and commercial solar PV.
  
  http://www.ef.org/documents/PV_pressrelease.pdf
  
  
• Energy from the Desert
  May, 2003
  
  The world's deserts are sufficiently large that, in theory, covering a fraction of their landmass with PV systems could generate many times the current primary global energy supply. Moreover, the energy produced is from solar radiation - a clean and renewable source - hence such systems would have the potential to contribute massively to the protection of the global environment.
  
  http://www.cplbookshop.com/contents/C1268.htm
  
  
• Solar Power Alone Can Solve West Coast Power Crunch
  Aug. 9, 2001 -/PRNewswire/
  
  BERKELEY, Calif. -- PowerLight Corporation (http://www.powerlight.com) today announced shipment of a 100 kWac solar electric PowerGuard system for installation on the Anaheim Convention Center. Owned by the City of Anaheim, the system is the largest solar power system on a convention center in North America.
  
  
• EDITORIAL: Solar eclipse
  January 12, 2001 - Staff Editorial - The Technician - North Carolina State U.
  
  (U-WIRE) RALEIGH, N.C. - According to researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colo., photovoltaic units — or solar panels — spanning only 10,000 square miles could provide all the electricity the United States needs based on the current solar energy technology of 10-percent system efficiency. With next-generation 15-percent efficiency models, that land space would be decreased by 30 percent.An area roughly equivalent to 1 percent of the continental United States could supply enough electricity to charge the world.
  
  
• Shea Homes and AstroPower Announce Premium Power Partnership
  January 3, 2001 - PrNewswire
  
  Leading US Home Builder to Adopt Solar Electric Technology As a Standard Feature, Increasing Performance, Home Efficiency and Value NEWARK, Del. - Shea Homes, Inc. of San Diego, CA and AstroPower, Inc. (Nasdaq: APWR) jointly announced today that they have signed an agreement to make solar power a standard feature in new Shea communities. The partnership kicks off with the construction of 100 solar powered homes in San Diego, CA this year. The companies have a goal to build a total of 200 solar powered homes in the next 18 months, as new development phases roll out.
  
  
• Alternative sources of power are in business
  Nove 5, 2000 - Dan Weisman - North County Times
  
  San Diego County's status as an energy disaster area has propelled the few North County alternative energy companies into seeing green ---- green as in environmentally-friendly systems and green as in increased income.
  
  
• New Sandia control method opens doors for more photovoltaic systems being safely linked to electric grid
  Sep 26, 2000 - Sandia
  
  ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. A new way to safely, simply and effectively connect electricity-producing photovoltaic (PV) solar systems to utility company power grids has been developed by the Department of Energy’s Sandia National Laboratories. Already several manufacturers have adapted it into their systems.

Related GENI Resources

Definition Solar Energy

Renewable Energy Resource Maps

National Energy Grid Maps

GENI Transmission Library

Links

IREC Connecting to the Grid (Interstate Renewable Energy Council)

CIGRE: International Congress on Large High-Voltage Electric Systems

IEEE/PES Internatioinal Practices Committee panel sessions