News tagged with solar plants

New kind of solar cell could capture significantly more energy than current cells

New solar cells could increase the maximum efficiency of solar panels by over 25%, according to scientists from the University of Cambridge.

Nanotechnology / Nanophysics

created Feb 08, 2012 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (13) | comments 14 | with audio podcast

Comparing energy conversion of plants and solar cells

Scientists now have a way to more accurately compare how efficiently plants and photovoltaic, or solar, cells convert sunlight into energy, thanks to findings by a research consortium that included a U.S. ...

Technology / Energy & Green Tech

created Jan 16, 2012 | popularity 2.3 / 5 (3) | comments 3 | with audio podcast

Solar power development in US Southwest could threaten wildlife

Government agencies are considering scores of applications to develop utility-scale solar power installations in the desert Southwest of the United States, but too little is known to judge their likely effects on wildlife, ...

Biology / Ecology

created Dec 09, 2011 | popularity 3 / 5 (3) | comments 13

Abrupt permafrost thaw increases climate threat

As the Arctic warms, greenhouse gases will be released from thawing permafrost faster and at significantly higher levels than previous estimates, according to survey results from 41 international scientists ...

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

created Nov 30, 2011 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (13) | comments 6 | with audio podcast

IAA says 'Yes We Can' to power plants in orbit

(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists from around the world have completed a study that says harvesting the sun's energy in space can turn out to be a cost effective way of delivering the world’s needs for power ...

Technology / Energy & Green Tech

created Nov 15, 2011 | popularity 4.1 / 5 (27) | comments 93 | with audio podcast report

South Africa gets $250mn loan for wind, solar power

South Africa signed a $250-million (183-million-euro) loan deal with the World Bank on Monday aimed at adding 200 Megawatts of solar and wind power to the coal-dependent country's grid.

Technology / Energy & Green Tech

created Nov 14, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Temperature differences give rise to electricity

More than half of today's energy consumption is squandered in useless waste heat, such as the heat from refrigerators and all sorts of gadgets and the heat from factories and power plants. The energy losses ...

Technology / Engineering

created Nov 09, 2011 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (3) | comments 3

New materials turn heat into electricity

Most of today's power plants--from some of the largest solar arrays to nuclear energy facilities--rely on the boiling and condensing of water to produce energy.

Technology / Energy & Green Tech

created Nov 07, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (19) | comments 8 | with audio podcast

Hybrid power plants can help industry go green

Hybrid cars, powered by a mixture of gas and electricity, have become a practical way to "go green" on the roads. Now researchers at Tel Aviv University are applying the term "hybrid" to power plants as well.

Technology / Energy & Green Tech

created Nov 03, 2011 | popularity 2.3 / 5 (3) | comments 5

U.S. announces desert 'solar energy zones'

The Obama administration on Thursday announced its plan for solar energy development, directing large-scale industrial projects to 285,000 acres of desert in the Western U.S. while opening 20 million acres of the Mojave for ...

Technology / Energy & Green Tech

created Oct 28, 2011 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (12) | comments 9

Lessons to be learned from nature in photosynthesis

Photosynthesis is one of nature's finest miracles. Through the photosynthetic process, green plants absorb sunlight in their leaves and convert the photonic energy into chemical energy that is stored as sugars ...

Chemistry / Materials Science

created Sep 23, 2011 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (10) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Reforestation's cooling influence -- a result of farmer's past choices

Decisions by farmers to plant on productive land with little snow enhances the potential for reforestation to counteract global warming, concludes new research from Carnegie's Julia Pongratz and Ken Caldeira. Previous research ...

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

created Jul 26, 2011 | popularity 3.8 / 5 (5) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Gemasolar solar thermal power plant supplies power for 24 hours straight

(PhysOrg.com) -- Last week, the Gemasolar power plant near Seville, Spain, became the first commercial solar thermal power plant to supply uninterrupted power for a full 24 hours, according to builders Torresol ...

Technology / Energy & Green Tech

created Jul 11, 2011 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (26) | comments 28 | with audio podcast weblog

Japan's Mitsui in quake-zone solar plan: report

Japanese trading house Mitsui plans to build large-scale solar power plants with the capacity to supply 30,000 households in the tsunami-hit northeast, a newspaper reported Wednesday.

Technology / Energy & Green Tech

created Jul 06, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 1

Solar loan guarantees announced

(AP) -- The Department of Energy has announced nearly $4.5 billion in conditional commitments for loan guarantees for three California solar projects, the agency said.

Technology / Energy & Green Tech

created Jun 30, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0