May 10, 2010 3:20:00 AM
Last week the Massachusetts Institute of Technology opened a new solar-energy research center. Named the Eni-MIT Solar Frontiers Center, it is funded largely with a grant from Italian energy giant Eni. According to Boston.com, students and faculty will tackle problems such as how to put solar cells on flexible, inexpensive material such as paper; how to use water to store solar energy; and how to make solar panels more efficient.
Read MoreApr 26, 2010 3:50:00 AM
The Midwest gets plenty of sunshine—some towns see as much sun as Miami and San Antonio—and the big cost considerations that for years have held back solar power in the region have changed, according to a story in the Kansas City Star. Solar-panel prices have plunged and tax rebates and credits have now cut the payback time for solar power from 25 years to 10 years. As a result, more businesses and homeowners are installing solar photovoltaic panels in Kansas City.
Read MoreApr 6, 2010 3:57:00 AM
Despite the down economy, demand for solar-power installations has been so large it threatened to drain Arizona’s solar rebate fund by June. So the Arizona Public Service Co. (APS) moved to reduce the amount of each rebate, in order to make the fund last longer and to provide solar incentives to more people. More APS home and business customers put solar panels on their roofs last year than in the previous eight years combined, and about 113 residential customers a week have applied for solar rebates from the utility this year, according to the Arizona Republic. The APS has proposed cutting its solar rebate from $3,000 per kilowatt to $2,150 a kilowatt.
Read MoreWe blog about all types of renewable energy. Our goal is to help explain the technology and the benefits of solar, wind, geothermal and other forms of alternative energy - and deliver those benefits to you.
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