Labs - Government
Sandia Wins National Technology Transfer Award for Work With Stirling Energy Systems
28 April 2010POSTED IN Applications News
Sandia National Laboratories has won a national Federal Laboratory Consortium awards for its efforts to transfer technology to solar energy supplier Stirling Energy Systems, Inc.
The SunCatcher is the outcome of a collaboration between Sandia National Laboratories
researchers and engineers from Stirling Energy Systems, Inc., who work together
at the labs' National Solar Thermal Test Facility in Albuquerque.
This radial design is being produced today.
(Photo courtesy Randy Montoya/Sandia National Labs)
NASA's New Eye on the Sun Delivers Stunning First Images
06 August 2010POSTED IN Applications News
NASA's recently launched Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, is returning early images that confirm an unprecedented new capability for scientists to better understand our sun's dynamic processes. These solar activities affect everything on Earth.
A close-up view of the filament launch in the 304 band,
which corresponds to a wavelength of about 304 Angstroms
(Image courtesy NASA)
Dow Corning and imec Collaborate on High-efficiency, Low-cost Silicon Solar Cells
07 April 2010POSTED IN Applications News
Dow Corning, a global leader in silicones, silicon-based technology and innovation, signed a three-year contract with imec to perform joint research on next generations of crystalline silicon solar cells.
LBL Researchers Close in on Bandgap Limitation in Solid-State Solar
05 April 2010POSTED IN Applications News
Researchers with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have found a new mechanism by which the photovoltaic effect can take place in semiconductor thin-films.
Arizona State University and the University of Tokyo Partner to Advance PV Technology
31 March 2010POSTED IN Applications News
ASU and the University of Tokyo formed a three-year partnership through which the two universities will collaborate on solar research projects, exchange educational information and materials, conduct joint lectures and symposia and exchange services of faculty members, research staff and students.
Underwriters Laboratories Opens Europe's Largest Photovoltaic Testing and Certification Facility in Germany
23 March 2010POSTED IN Applications News
Underwriters Laboratories (UL), a global leader in safety testing and certification, announced today the expansion of its global photovoltaic (PV) footprint near the Frankfurt/Main airport in Germany, where it opens Europe's largest photovoltaic testing and certification facility.
Real-time Image Of The Sun
06 August 2010POSTED IN Applications News
The image below is a near real-time image of the sun, provided by the Extreme Utraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT) aboard the SOHO (Solar & Heliospheric Observatory) spacecraft. SOHO is a project of international collaboration between ESA and NASA to study the Sun from its deep core to the outer corona and the solar wind. For more information, visit the SOHO Website.
Updated daily by SOHO/EIT304
The date and time the image was taken is UT (universal time).
Solar North is up in the image.
Click here for a full-screen image
For more information on the sun, solar wind and solar flares, see the following articles written by Frederic Clette of the Royal Observatory of Belgium:
Our Inconstant Sun: Rising solar activity and flares
Particle Beams: Danger in space
Understanding Solar Wind: Consequences on Earth
Down to the Ground: Space weather in our daily lives
RFMD Achieves Milestone in Commercialization of GaAs Photovoltaic Cells
15 March 2010POSTED IN Applications News
RF Micro Devices, Inc., a manufacturer of high-performance radio frequency components and compound semiconductor technologies, today announced it has successfully manufactured the industry's first photovoltaic cell using high-volume six-inch gallium arsenide (GaAs) machinery. The photovoltaic (PV) cell was manufactured in RFMD's existing high-volume, six-inch GaAs wafer fabrication facilities in Greensboro, NC, with no fabrication equipment modifications.
Applied Materials Expands Solar Equipment Manufacturing Capability in Taiwan
12 March 2010POSTED IN Business News
Applied Materials, Inc., the world’s largest supplier of equipment to the semiconductor, flat panel display (FPD) and solar photovoltaic (PV) industries, today announced the opening of its newly expanded Tainan Manufacturing Center in Tainan, Taiwan.
Global Solar Energy’s Thin Film CIGS Achieves 13.2 Percent Efficiency
25 February 2010POSTED IN Applications News
Global Solar Energy of Tucson, AZ today announced that the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) confirmed 13.2 percent aperture area efficiency for a module made by Global Solar Energy applying its production-line thin film solar material.
DuPont Opens Photovoltaic Application Facility in Geneva
14 February 2010POSTED IN Business News
To address the needs for the fast-growing photovoltaic market, DuPont opened the Meyrin Photovoltaic Application Laboratory at its European Technical Center – adding new capabilities to this leading R&D hub by developing next-generation products.
Trina Solar to Set up State Key PV Research Laboratory
11 February 2010POSTED IN Business News
Trina Solar Limited, an integrated manufacturer of solar photovoltaic (PV) products from the production of ingots, wafers and cells to the assembly of PV modules, today announced it received its first official documents from China's Ministry of Science and Technology in January 2010 to establish a State Key Laboratory to develop PV technologies within the Changzhou Trina PV Industrial Park. Commercial terms related to the establishment have yet to be finalized.
NREL to Distribute $12M In Stimulus Funds To Solar Startups
10 February 2010POSTED IN Politics and Policy News
U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced that the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will invest $12 million in total funding ($10 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) to support the development of early stage solar energy technologies.
China Key Laboratory of PV Technology to be Established at Yingli Green Energy's Manufacturing Base
11 February 2010POSTED IN Business News
Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited, a vertically integrated photovoltaic ("PV") product manufacturer, today announced the Ministry of Science and Technology of China has approved the application to establish the first national-level key laboratory in the field of PV technology development, the State Key Laboratory of PV Technology, at Yingli Green Energy's manufacturing base in Baoding.
Spire Receives NREL Approval for Phase II of High Efficiency Concentrator Solar Cell Contract
11 February 2010POSTED IN Business News
Spire Corporation, a global solar company providing capital equipment and turnkey production lines to manufacture photovoltaic (PV) cells and modules, announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Spire Semiconductor, LLC, has successfully completed Phase I of its High Efficiency Concentrator Solar Cell program with the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and has been notified the NREL will authorized Phase II of the program.
Glitter-Sized "Microsolar" Solar Photovoltaics Produce Competitive Results
11 February 2010POSTED IN Applications Features
Sandia National Laboratories scientists have developed tiny glitter-sized photovoltaic cells that could revolutionize the way solar energy is collected and used. The solar particles, fabricated of crystalline silicon, hold the potential for a variety of new applications.
3-D Solar Tsunami Videos Shows Monster Plasma Waves On The Sun Are Real
06 August 2010POSTED IN Applications News
Sometimes you really can believe your eyes. That's what NASA's STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) spacecraft are telling researchers about a controversial phenomenon on the sun known as the "solar tsunami."
Years ago, when solar physicists first witnessed a towering wave of hot plasma racing along the sun's surface, they doubted their senses. The scale of the thing was staggering. It rose up higher than Earth itself and rippled out from a central point in a circular pattern millions of kilometers in circumference. Skeptical observers suggested it might be a shadow of some kind—a trick of the eye—but surely not a real wave.
NREL Report Details State Leaders In Clean Energy
10 February 2010POSTED IN Politics and Policy News
An exclusive state-by-state analysis by the U.S Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) shows that clean energy development is spreading rapidly throughout the country, often in conjunction with public policies designed to spur such growth. By 2007, 24 of the nation's 50 states were generating at least 1 gigawatt of renewable electricity from non-hydro sources, according to the 2009 NREL State of the States report (PDF 4.2 MB).
Chinese National Institutes sign collaboration agreement with G24
14 February 2010POSTED IN Business News
Three weeks after G24 Innovations (G24i) launched the first commercial application of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSC), G24i announced today that it has signed a formal agreement with three of China’s most prestigious institutes to accelerate industrial development of the technology. Continuing its expansion, G24i has signed an agreement with the China National Academy of Nanotechnology & Engineering (CNANE) in Tianjin, together with the Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry (CIAC) which is part of the China Academy of Sciences, and the Nanotechnology Industrialization Base of China (NIBC).
Solar Technology Acceleration Center Powering Up
15 February 2010POSTED IN Business News
Members of the Solar Technology Acceleration Center (SolarTAC) and supporters met in Aurora, Colo., today, to mark a milestone in "Powering Up" one of the world's largest solar test and demonstration facilities. Since announcing the initial launch of SolarTAC one year ago, the site infrastructure development has progressed to the point where members can now break ground for their planned solar technology implementation and testing.
