Green Energy News From Around The World
This week proves that the global solar boom has only just begun, and why it’s empowering America’s middle class.
Here are our top green energy stories of the week:
A study conducted by the Center for American Progress has found that the 5 major solar states in the US (Arizona, California, Massachusetts, New York, and New Jersey) had more than half of its solar installed in neighborhoods with average household incomes of $40,000-$90,000.
This proves the solar industry is empowering the American middle class in 2 very important ways. One is it’s enabling more homeowners to save money on their electricity bills by putting solar on their roofs, as well as creating higher quality living-wage jobs for solar installers.
So what has been driving this growth in the industry?
The falling price of solar equipment has come a long way, but most Americans still can’t afford the down payments, nevermind outright purchasing.
It’s all thanks to residential solar finance and low-interest loans over the past 2 years which have been the missing piece of the puzzle.
Joe Biden at the 2015 Solar Power International conference praised the solar industries growth. Currently, there are more than 175,000 Americans in the solar industry, that is almost double as many coal miners.
The solar boom is a reality thanks to strong demand and favorable policies in the United States and China, and solar markets are expecting an ultrasonic, record high boom in the first half of 2016.
A new report from research firm IHS Technology says manufacturers will produce almost 35 GW of solar panels within the first half of the year.
One gigawatt is almost equivalent to a large nuclear or gas powered plant.
Though US solar incentives, like the 30% solar tax credit, will slow down toward the end of 2016 and 2017, overall, the market will continue to grow globally.
The Swanson Effect is in full swing. When the cost of solar manufacturing and installation drops, the technology will become an increasingly attractive alternative to global warming and fossil fuel-based energy.
Most of the world’s energy is currently supplied by hydrocarbons, and we are running out.
It seems that Bill Gates was right on the money with his outlook when he pledged $2 billion to the broken energy system.
Innovation may be the key to beating climate change, and Gates still insists that “we need an energy miracle”.
It’s Gates vs Global warming! Who will come out on top?
The Mississippi Public Service Commission (PSC) on Tuesday approved Mississippi Power’s (MP) plan to build 105 MW of utility-scale solar plants at 3 different locations in the company’s service territory, making Mississippi Power the largest partner in renewable energy in the state.
MP has joined forces Strata Solar, Origis Energy, Hannah Solar and the U.S. Navy to construct a 34-MW station at the Seabee Base in Gulfport, a 52-MW station in Sumrall, and a 50-MW electric solar generating station in Hattiesburg, totaling a cost of about $208 million.
Together, these new solar facilities can produce the equivalent of the energy used by approximately 15,500 homes annually.
Trina Solar this week announced that its p-type multi-crystalline silicon solar cell has set a new world record for a high-efficiency p-type multi-crystalline silicon (mc-Si) solar cell.
The 156×156 mm2 solar cell reached a total-area efficiency of 21.25%.
Dr. Pierre Verlinden, Vice-President and Chief Scientist of Trina Solar said, “To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time ever that a multi-crystalline silicon solar cell has been able to achieve a conversion efficiency of over 21%…”
This efficiency record breaks the previous 20.76% efficiency world record for mc-Si solar cells also established by Trina Solar one year ago.
In a research lab in Greifswald, Germany’s, researchers of the Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik (IPP) are preparing to switch on a fusion device called a stellarator.
The Wendelstein 7-X is the world’s largest experimental design, and it’s just about ready to switch on.
This W7X is too cool for fuel, and works by using two kinds of hydrogen atoms, namely deuterium and tritium, injected into a containment vessel.
Energy is then added to remove the electrons from their host atoms, forming what is described as an ion plasma, which releases huge amounts of energy.
This strange twisted design could finally make fusion power a reality!
Johnny K 
