If you run a small business or organization, one of your objectives is always to keep costs low enough so that the company can make a profit. This isn’t always easy, as it can sometimes lead to a decrease in the quality of the firm’s product or service, particularly if these cost-cutting measures involve laying off employees and under staffing. But one way you can try getting around these difficult decisions is to improve the…

Growth in the U.S. renewable energy infrastructure accounted for 25 percent of new electrical generating capacity for the first six months of 2013, according to a report by the Federal Regulatory Energy Commission’s Office of Energy Products. The paper’s authors stated that 2,144 megawatts of renewable capacity was added, accounting for nearly a quarter of the total 8,601 MW installed. One of the most promising aspects of the report is that solar energy made up 45…

Part of creating a future in which Americans rely more on the planet’s renewable energy resources such as sunlight, wind and rain means educating today’s kids and teenagers about the benefits of solar power and other green technology solutions. Recently, high school and college students in the Sacramento, California, area participated in a series of workshops at Cosumnes River College where they learned how to build portable solar suitcases strong enough to light a whole room. According…

It’s well known among renewable energy enthusiasts and industry trackers that the cost of going solar has been dropping significantly over the last decade, and one reason for this has been the proliferation of Chinese solar panels, which are typically cheaper than solar cells produced by American manufacturers. This has been good for California solar energy customers, who have benefited from lower prices and installation costs as a result. But it has made it more…

A new report from market research firm NPD Solarbuzz predicts that manufacturing costs for integrated polysilicon and photovoltaic wafers, some of the principle components of a solar module, will drop 6 percent in 2014. While this represents a slower decline than the five-year average of 16 percent per year, it still spells good news for customers who are considering adopting Bay Area solar energy for their electricity needs. The report predicts that the price per watt of…

Prospective Bay Area solar energy customers may be slightly discouraged by the amount of paperwork required to even begin installing solar panels atop their roof. There are a lot of benefits to adopting solar power for your electricity needs, but to get to a point where you can finally install the photovoltaic (PV) panels and begin reaping the financial and environmental incentives requires applying for permits and tax forms that no one really wants to…

How to store large amounts of solar energy at night has been one of the most puzzling issues surrounding this technology, but a group of researchers led by a University of North Carolina (UNC) professor may have found a solution. UNC’s Tom Meyer and his colleagues have discovered a new way to use solar energy to split water into its molecular components of hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen can be used as fuel and would only…

It’s hard to argue with the benefits of Bay Area solar energy. The fact is that a household can stabilize its financial health and help improve air quality by installing a solar photovoltaic (PV) system above their home. But many utility companies are worried that more homeowners will decide to go solar, because doing so could eat into their profits. A recent article in the New York Times sheds light on opposition to solar power…

Researchers at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland have developed thin-film, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) that achieve efficiency rates of 15 percent, putting them on par with conventional silicon-based cells that are used in commercially available photovoltaic panels (PV). The school announced in a press release on its website that the researchers were able to raise the efficiency of DSSCs using a special process for producing the dye that makes these cells useful in low…

The year 2013 was an exciting one for the renewable energy industry in California, which saw a massive amount of development throughout the state, including a significant number of solar installations. As Rewire, a KCET.org energy blog, notes, these numbers must be looked at in context. The fact is that, although solar power continues to grow at exponential rates, it still makes up a relatively small portion of the state’s energy infrastructure, and renewables in general account for…

The Golden State is widely recognized for its firm stance on sustainability, but now it seems like even the airplanes are going green in California! The first solar-powered plane capable of flying at night is preparing for its first cross-country flight this week, reported the Washington Post. The plane is called the Solar Impulse, and was the joint creation of pilot Andre Borschberg, co-founder and chairman Bertrand Piccard and their team. It draws its power from…