Solar

Solar power technologies and projects: photovoltaic, concentrating solar, solar tower

Global Monitor (January 2007)
Global Monitor (January 2007)

DOE walks the clean coal talk The U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Treasury Department have awarded $1 billion in tax credits to nine companies for seven projects involving advanced…



Global Monitor (October 2006)
Global Monitor (October 2006)

Consult the Guinness Book of World Records if you want to know which monster truck has made the highest jump ("Bigfoot 14"—24 feet) or the length of the longest freight…


Renewable contracts merit longer terms
Renewable contracts merit longer terms

The length of term allowed for power sales contracts is a critical determinant of the ability of states to meet their increasingly ambitious renewable power targets. Many utilities advocate limiting…


Bavaria Solarpark, Germany
Bavaria Solarpark, Germany

Germany has embraced renewable energy in general—and solar power in particular—like no other country in the world. The key driver of "green" generation in Germany has been the Renewable Energy…


Saguaro Solar Power Plant, Red Rock, Arizona
Saguaro Solar Power Plant, Red Rock, Arizona

Solar energy projects over the past few years have been predominantly based on photovoltaic (PV) cells. But given enough land and flat plate collectors, just about any size plant could…


Tapping the western sun

In an effort to tap the significant solar energy resources of New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, California, Utah, Texas, and Colorado, the U.S. DOE will support efforts to install a total…


Big batteries blooming
Big batteries blooming

All interconnected transmission and distribution (T&D) grids have one thing in common: Their operators must continually dispatch generators to keep the network's supply and demand in balance at all times…


Roadmap for the all-electric warship

The United States Navy's interest in electric propulsion dates back to the launching of the 19,360-ton USS Jupiter (Figure 1) in August 1912. The Jupiter had a prototype electric propulsion…


A new player in backup power
A new player in backup power

There are many different types of fuel cells, and each has characteristics that make it more suitable than others for certain applications. For example, because molten carbonate fuel cells operate…