About: solar Archives
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Rifkin: European dream not dead yet
Despite the economic crisis and the struggle to save the euro, the European dream is not dead yet: what Europe needs is an "economic vision and game plan that would create a seamless, distributive energy grid" to build a third industrial revolution, said Jeremy Rifkin, author of 'The European Dream', in an interview with EURACTIV.
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Solar firms in ‘horse race’ for technology leadership
David Eaglesham, chief technology officer at First Solar, says all photovoltaic companies are scrambling to make efficiency and cost improvements. But if Europe is to retain its leadership, decisions on a regulatory framework are crucial, he told EURACTIV in an interview.
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First Solar: Solar firms in ‘horse race’ for technology leadership
David Eaglesham, chief technology officer at First Solar, says all photovoltaic companies are scrambling to make efficiency and cost improvements. But if Europe is to retain its leadership, decisions on a regulatory framework are crucial, he told EURACTIV in an interview.
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Solar to generate 25% of world’s electricity by 2050, IEA predicts
Solar power could provide up to a quarter of the world's electricity needs by 2050 if countries put in place long-term policies to support early deployment and sustained technology innovation, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
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Lobby chief wants to open ‘new chapter’ for solar PV
Europe's photovoltaic industry wants to focus more on generating and supplying electricity in the coming years, according to its new president, marking a shift from its current emphasis on technological development.
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Solar industry divided over EU toxic substances law
Solar panel manufacturers are fighting to be excluded from EU legislation restricting the use of dangerous chemicals in electronic products. But some voices are calling for greater scrutiny of the industry, illustrating a technology war between rival companies.
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Solar PV sector reports record growth in 2009
The global solar photovoltaic industry experienced strong growth in 2009, adding a record 6.4 gigawatts of new capacity despite the global downturn, the European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA) said on Monday (30 March).
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World’s largest solar project set to gain new partners
The Desertec project, which aims to power Europe with solar energy from the deserts of North Africa and the Middle East, is to go truly international next month as five new companies from Spain, Italy, France, Morocco and Tunisia join the scheme.
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Germany, France cut support for solar power
Germany said yesterday (20 January) that it would cut its subsidies for solar power in line with the rapid take-up of the photovoltaic market. The news follows a similar announcement by France last week.
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Solar power: Harnessing the world’s largest energy source
The EU – and Germany in particular – is an uncontested world leader in solar power. But the fledgling technology relies heavily on public money to bring down costs and with the economic turmoil EU countries are now having second thoughts about costly subsidy schemes.
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Centre-right victory rewrites Germany’s anti-nuclear agenda
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's majority for a new centre-right government means she can rewrite a national nuclear phaseout deal by allowing reactors to run longer than laid down by her predecessors.
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Solar thermal energy ‘on the up’
Solar thermal heating experienced record growth rates worldwide in 2007, driven strongly by China. But the EU's new Renewable Energy Directive is expected to boost demand even further in Europe, a new report from the Worldwatch Institute argues.
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France enters solar power race
Yesterday's (23 July) announcement by French electricity giant EDF that it will build the country's largest solar manufacturing plant signalled France's bid to become one of the world's leading solar markets.
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First steps to bring Saharan solar to Europe
The world's largest solar power project is taking shape as investors last week signed an agreement to establish financing plans for a mega plant to produce electricity for Europe in the Sahara. But critics described the deal as no more than a new and expensive form of energy colonialism.
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Solar energy from the Sahara: When will it be feasible?
"The EU and its North African partner countries should […] establish the regulatory basis necessary for the development of solar energy in view of offering a reliable and long-term framework for potential investors from both sides of the Mediterranean," writes Eberhard Rhein, a lecturer at the Mediterranean Academy for Diplomatic Studies in Malta, in a June post on Blogactiv.
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Solar power ‘could challenge electricity companies by 2020’
Photovoltaic power (PV) could meet up to 12% of Europe's electricity demand by 2020 if a favourable policy framework were established to support it in the coming years, according to a new study by the European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA).
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European solar industry going strong, EU research shows
Half of the world's photovoltaic electricity is currently produced in the EU, but the European solar industry must continue its "impressive growth" to maintain its market position in the years to come, argues a study released by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) last week.
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Study: incentives giving boost to European solar sector
The solar energy sector is growing in momentum across Europe thanks to feed-in tariffs, which are helping to boost development activities, according to a study by an American consulting firm.
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EU eyes ‘supergrid’ to harness Saharan sun
Massive solar power installations in the Sahara desert could feed the EU's growing energy demand via a new supergrid. The idea is backed by France and the UK, which is simultaneously trying to limit priority access for renewables to domestic grids.
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Compulsory solar power standards gain ground
Hawaii could serve as an example to the EU after it passed a bill requiring all new homes to have solar water heaters installed as of 2010. While some European cities and regions have already adopted similar measures, some want binding targets included in new EU legislation on promoting renewable energy.
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Cost of solar to match fossils by 2015, says US study
As fuel prices for coal, natural gas and nuclear continue to rise, the cost of solar power is due to break even with fossil fuels in the US by 2015, according to a study published in June 2008.
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Nanotech to make solar panels more efficient
Engineers at the University of California, San Diego have demonstrated that nanoparticles can increase the efficiency with which sunlight can be converted into electricity in thin-film photovoltaics, opening new prospects for solar electricity.
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‘Unbundling’ debate skirts real issues say experts
Administrative and technical barriers as well as excessive costs and delays present larger barriers to local electricity producers than the ownership structure of EU energy markets, according to experts who debated the issue in Brussels yesterday (13 September 2007).
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Solar-powered cars to stay ‘marginal’ until 2020
Only city cars or other small vehicles used for short distances are likely to run on solar power by 2020, experts and policymakers agree. To reduce CO2 emissions, the car industry is instead focusing on innovation into solar-hybrid models, lighter materials and increased battery-storage capacity.