http://www.powermag.com POWER Mag en-us 2010 Sat, 13 Mar 2010 6:26:59 EST The U.S. isn’t the only country evaluating and implementing elements of smart grid technology. In fact, it could be argued that other nations are much farther along the path to a comprehensive, technically advanced system for integrating renewables, managing load, and creating a more flexible power grid.... http://www.powermag.com/renewables/solar/2345.html Fri, 1 Jan 2010 0:00:00 EST "It’s déjà vu all over again," said Yogi Berra. The Hall of Fame catcher could easily have been predicting the coming resurgence of natural gas – fired generation. Yes, a few more coal plants will be completed this year, but don’t expect any new plant announcements. A couple of nuclear plants may actually break ground, but don’t hold your breath. Many more wind turbines will dot the landscape as renewable portfolio standards dictate resource planning, but their peak generation contribution will be small. The dash for gas in the U.S. has begun, again.... http://www.powermag.com/renewables/solar/2357.html Fri, 1 Jan 2010 0:00:00 EST As the economy begins to grow again, the banking industry continues to stabilize, and lawmakers work on finalizing climate change legislation, the decisions made in 2010 will lay the foundation for the power industry for decades to come.... http://www.powermag.com/renewables/solar/2360.html Fri, 1 Jan 2010 0:00:00 EST China’s largest solar panel maker, Suntech Power, in mid-November announced plans to open a photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing facility in Phoenix, Ariz., in the third quarter of 2010. Roger Efrid, Suntech’s managing director, was widely quoted as saying that the company — which holds 12% of U.S. market share and is looking to reach 20% by 2010 — chose to establish a plant nearer to customers. This was smart business, even though panels would be made from solar cells imported from China, because solar panels are heavy, he told The New York Times: "As the price of solar panels has reduced dramatically in the last 12 months, the shipping costs have become a larger and larger portion of the overall cost of getting these projects to market."... http://www.powermag.com/renewables/solar/2377.html Fri, 1 Jan 2010 0:00:00 EST Sempra Generation has conjured up a market plan for producing merchant photovoltaic (PV) power that is inspired. Working with First Solar, Sempra has developed a finely tuned and standardized 1-MW PV power block that can be replicated as needed. Sempra built the modular PV plant on land adjacent to an existing gas-fired plant to shorten the development period, piggyback the power directly to the grid, and enable existing staff to manage the combined plants’ operation.... http://www.powermag.com/renewables/solar/2302.html Tue, 1 Dec 2009 0:00:00 EST Renewable Generation in North America... http://www.powermag.com/renewables/solar/2307.html Tue, 1 Dec 2009 0:00:00 EST For decades, the solar energy industry has struggled to become cost-competitive with other sources of power generation. Recent technology innovations and creative ways of installing solar generation are beginning to enable solar power to increase its share of the electricity market.... http://www.powermag.com/renewables/solar/2308.html Tue, 1 Dec 2009 0:00:00 EST Since Robert Stirling invented the Stirling engine in 1816, it has been used in an array of specialized applications. That trend continues today. Its compatibility with clean energy sources is becoming apparent: It is an external combustion engine that can utilize almost any heat source, it encloses a fixed amount of a gaseous working fluid, and it doesn’t require any water — unlike a steam engine.... http://www.powermag.com/renewables/solar/2199.html Thu, 1 Oct 2009 0:00:00 EDT A solar thermal demonstration power plant in Jülich, Germany, that was developed by the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR), was formally handed over to its future operator, the Jülich Department of Works this August.... http://www.powermag.com/renewables/solar/2202.html Thu, 1 Oct 2009 0:00:00 EDT The first aircraft designed to fly day and night propelled solely by solar energy was unveiled at Dübendorf airfield, Switzerland, in late June. The Solar Impulse has the wingspan of a Boeing 747-400 and the weight of an average family car (1,600 kg)... http://www.powermag.com/renewables/solar/2140.html Tue, 1 Sep 2009 0:00:00 EDT