Accused of being slow and capable of driving only short distances, electric vehicles and even hybrid cars have been largely ignored by the sports car community.
But in this AOL Autos video, shot at Honda’s North American headquarters, Bradley Hasemeyer test drives some of the company’s newest hybrid sports car models. White he admits that Honda CR-Z is not the most efficient in terms of fuel use, the sports car appeals to some unlikely hybrid consumers. Keep reading →
Though prices for solar panels are continuing to drop, the US government is bolstering the industry with another slew of loan guarantees.
On Friday, the Department of Energy announced $197 million in loan guarantees for SoloPower, a San Jose-based solar photovoltaic panels manufacturer that specializes in flexible ultra thin film solar cells. The guarantee will support construction and operation of three new solar farms that will produce approximately 400 MW in total. Keep reading →
Though some are struggling to make ends meet in the renewable energy business, China’s Yingli Solar reported that the second quarter of 2011 was the strongest in its history in terms of PV module shipments.
Yingli’s reported profit increased to $375.6 million, compared to $368.3 million in the first quarter of the year and $217.8 million in the second quarter of 2010. Keep reading →
When Evergreen filed for bankruptcy last week, saying its finances were mostly in pieces, others were already sharing the pain.
The Massachusetts state government provided Evergreen with million of dollars in tax breaks and incentives over the last few years in hopes of encouraging development of renewable energy within the state. The company’s Devens factory, which was closed in January, was built with $58 million in state incentives. Keep reading →
Utah moving closer to getting its first #nuclear power plant http://bit.ly/q8ZKHJ @Atomikrabbit
The worst of the summer heat may have passed.
On August 16, CEO and President of Texas’ major ISO, ERCOT, H.B. “Trip” Doggett, wrote a letter to consumers thanking them for cooperating with ERCOT during the peak energy demands of summer and helping out with load control. The grid operator asked consumers to cut back on electricity use multiple times during this summer. Keep reading →
A digital communication technology improves, the world seems to be getting smaller and smaller.
And as quarterly financial reports continued to roll in this week, energy markets showed a high degree of correlation and interconnection around the world. Keep reading →
With prices of panels rapidly declining, it is becoming harder for many firms to make a profit in solar power.
After months of unsuccessful attempts to save the business, Massachusetts-based Evergreen Solar announced it was filing for bankruptcy on Monday. The company will be broken up into smaller units and will continue to manufacture its signature String Ribbon solar wafers, according to an Evergreen Solar statement. It is expected that financial firm ES Purchaser will buy up most of the remaining assets. Keep reading →
Once just a far-fetched idea, smart grid is now touching almost every country in Europe.
Though only a few European countries–Malta and Italy–have deployed a country-wide large scale smart grid, many utilities in Germany, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Scandinavia, Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, Cyprus and Israel are beginning to test the new technology and assess its potential for long term cost-savings, two IBM executives working in the continent told Breaking Energy. Keep reading →
What if solar panels could be smart panels?
In this video, CEO of SolarEdge Technologies, Guy Sella explains the technology that his Israel-based company invented to optimize electrical generation of solar photovolatic panels. By attaching a digital appliance to each solar panel and connecting each one of those devices to a software system, the technology can track inefficiencies in panels and detect rotten apples. Keep reading →
