Solar

Not So Evergreen

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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 →

 /  Published August 19, 2011 at 10:00 AM

Isolating Rotten Solar Panels

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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 →

 /  Published August 19, 2011 at 6:00 AM

Seeking Scale For Energy Innovations

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High energy prices have unleashed a wave of energy innovation around the world, says GE Energy Financial Services Managing Director of Venture Capital Kevin Skillern on this video.

Shot by GE for its Ecomagination series on people, profits and the planet, this video features a recent GE partnership with electric company NRG Energy and oil and gas giant ConocoPhillips to establish a $300 million fund that is currently investing in 30 emerging energy firms. The firm takes a heterodox approach to investing, taking positions in firms across the sector and focusing on the prospects for scaling and transforming the energy business on a global scale. Keep reading →

 /  Published August 18, 2011 at 6:00 AM

First Solar Shakeup

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In an industry as young as solar energy, all management transitions are big news and every departure is treated with seriousness.

With many of the companies working at times of inflection in the industry, key management personnel are central to leveraging still-emerging technology and balancing the short-term needs of investors and customers with the longer-term needs of government stakeholders. Keep reading →

 /  Published August 18, 2011 at 6:00 AM

Mixed Wind Sector Weighs On Chinese Results

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Though China is renowned for its booming renewables sector and strong government investments, some Chinese manufacturing companies have been hurt by slowed international appetite for turbines.

Chinese wind and solar manufacturing company Cleantech Solutions International blamed its weak second quarter financial results on a slowing wind sector that has been receiving less government support in recent months. Net income dropped by nearly a third in the second quarter of 2011–from $3 million during the same quarter in 2010 to $1.2 million this year–and total revenue dropped from nearly $19 million in Q2 2010 to $12.6 million in the quarter ending in June 30, 2011, the company reported on August 15. Keep reading →

 /  Published August 16, 2011 at 4:00 PM

Nanotechnology Goes Macro

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About 1,000 times narrower than the width of an average human hair, nano materials may hold an ability far larger than their size.

Dr. Alexander Balandin, IEEE senior member and chair of the Materials Science and Engineering program at the University of California Riverside spoke with Breaking Energy about his groundbreaking research in the field that won him the 2011 IEEE Pioneer of Nanotechnology Award. His award-winning research results could have major implications for heat removal from computer chips and efficiency of solar photovoltaic panels. Keep reading →

 /  Published August 16, 2011 at 6:00 AM

Ryan Park’s Other Love

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Ryan Park is skilled at handling national fame and romantic rejection, but when it comes to the solar energy business, he’s focused on guaranteeing companies don’t reject small scale solar that can have a big impact.

Park is most famous for his role as a contestant on the reality television show The Bachelorette, but he has worked steadily since graduate school in building the business of REC Solar. REC Solar, a now-national player in solar based in southern California, puts distributed generation solar systems on roofs of Costco superstores as well as on homes and at other easily-accessed and easily-permitted sites around the country. Keep reading →

 /  Published August 14, 2011 at 8:00 AM

Completely Off The Grid

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Mike Strizki says he’s figured out how to store solar energy in a way that could provide the world with an infinite source of year-round, emissions-free power, but also says no one is listening to him.

For more news and information on the rapidly evolving energy industry, please sign up for the Breaking Energy newsletter. For the quickest updates, follow us on Twitter @AOLEnergy. Keep reading →

 /  Published August 13, 2011 at 10:00 AM

SunPower Builds Cash Pile As Losses Mount

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As prices for individual photovoltaic (PV) panels fall and company revenue numbers drop, solar power may be facing a long and difficult transition on the path towards grid parity.

Released Tuesday morning, SunPower’s second quarter 2011 results illustrate the broader struggles that is many of the players in the global solar business. The company lost $147.9 million for the quarter, as compared with only a $2.1 million loss the in the first quarter of 2011 and a $6.2 loss million in the second quarter of 2010. Keep reading →

 /  Published August 11, 2011 at 9:45 AM

United States Coast Guard Embarks on Milestone #Renewable #Energy Project With Schneider Electric

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United States Coast Guard Embarks on Milestone #Renewable #Energy Project with Schneider Electric: http://budurl.com/c2jq SchneiderNA

 /  Published August 10, 2011 at 12:50 PM
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