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DIY solar panels make communities stronger

Will DIY Solar Panels Become the Next Trend in Renewable Energy?

Posted on April 9, 2019 by Emily Folk | 0 Comments

Futurists have long seen the sun as the cleanest and most convenient solution to humanity’s skyrocketing energy needs. Building something like a Dyson Sphere may be beyond our reach for another thousand years, but the advent of flexible and even printable solar panels means that soon nearly any surface could become an instrument for harnessing solar energy. In the meantime, residential…

Can Solar Energy Improve Water Quality?

Posted on February 21, 2018 by Emily Folk | 0 Comments

Solar energy is everywhere. Solar-powered sunglasses can be used to charge your cell phone, you can get solar powered book bags, lights on roads are solar powered, and even showers now can get their power from the sun. The rise in both the portability and the availability of solar has helped the price to drop pretty sharply. The price drop…

Avoid the common myths about solar energy

4 Myths About Solar Energy

Posted on April 20, 2017 by Bobbi Peterson | 0 Comments

You’ve likely heard a lot about solar energy lately, especially if you’re interested in environmental, energy, technology or political news. You’ve probably seen solar panels as you go about your daily lives. Maybe you even get some of your energy from the sun. Solar energy use has been increasing for residential customers, businesses, and utilities. The U.S. solar energy industry…

Teach our children well. The benefits of solar in schools

Schools and Solar: What Are the Benefits?

Posted on November 30, 2016 by Bobbi Peterson | 1 Comments

As parents know, every other note that comes home in a school kids’ folder is a bake sale request or a fundraiser form. The other notes are friendly reminders to clip the pink rectangles off their pantry items that include Box Top for Education initiatives. Each label is a dime toward the school, and every dime counts when it comes…

Failure of materials in solar panels already in the field. DuPont calls for more rigorous "real-life" testing standards

Heat and Beat: Why DuPont is Calling for More Rigorous Testing Standards for Solar PV

Posted on October 28, 2016 by Thomas Schueneman | 0 Comments

Solar power is no longer a boutique industry. At least 900 million solar panels are deployed across the globe. Eighty-one percent of those came online within the last five years. From rural villages in India to the rooftops of suburban America, photovoltaic solar is fast becoming a mainstream source of energy. Every one of those panels is only as good as…

An early conceptual drawing of NASA Space Solar Power

NASA and a Solar Revolution

Posted on September 16, 2016 by Bobbi Peterson | 0 Comments

It’s no secret that the Earth is in dire need of clean energy alternatives to fossil fuels. The source of that clean energy, however, doesn’t necessarily have to be on Earth. The Space Solar Power Initiative (SSPI) is a team of scientists from Caltech that includes researchers from NASA’s jet propulsion laboratory. These scientists propose building the largest-ever space structure…

Proposed space-based "suntower," one of many examples of solar innovation

The Golden Age of Solar Innovation

Posted on September 1, 2016 by Richard Matthews | 1 Comments

From efforts that mimic nature like leaves and trees, to arrays that float on water or in space, there has been a wide range of solar energy innovations in 2016. From tiny solar applications of nanotechnologies to massive space-based arrays, the growth of solar power is being fueled by market forces, including increasing efficiency and decreasing cost. The number of…