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Solar PV: From Selenium to the Silicon Solar Cell

This piece is an excerpt from “Let It Shine: The 6,000 Story Of Solar Energy,” by historian John Perlin,

The great Scottish scientist James Clerk Maxwell wrote in 1874 to a colleague: “I saw conductivity of Selenium as affected by light. It is most sudden. Effect of a copper heater insensible. […]

Solar Power Plants: 10 Largest Globally

Five out of the ten largest operational solar power plants are in the US, while Spain and Germany each house two of the world’s largest solar power facilities. China too is contending to become a renewable power centre, winning a place in the top ten list. Power-technology.com profiles the world’s […]

Solar Power Generation: Top 5 Countries

Solar Power Passes 1% Global Threshold

Solar power now covers more than 1% of global electricity demand. In three countries in Europe – Italy, Germany and Greece – solar PV supplies more than 7% of electricity demand. This is reported by Solar Power Europe (previously EPIA – European Photovoltaic Industry Association). […]

LED Energy Efficient Lighting & the History of Lighting

More than 150 years ago, inventors began working on a bright idea that would have a dramatic impact on how we use energy in our homes and offices. This invention changed the way we design buildings, increased the length of the average workday and jump started new businesses. It also […]

UPDATE: Solar Impulse Round the World Flight

After 7 months on the ground, Solar Impulse 2 is ready to resume its around-the-globe trip

Switzerland-based Solar Impulse has an ambitious goal. The privately funded project wants to be the first team to circumnavigate the globe using a solar-powered fixed wing aircraft flown by a pilot. After an unexpected battery […]

Solar Power in Australia and the U.S.

U.S. has a record-breaking year for solar power

The U.S. solar industry installed 7,286 megawatts of solar power in 2015, according to data from GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).
The figures, announced Monday, represent an increase of over 1,000 megawatts of solar photovoltaic installations compared to 2014. Photovoltaic […]

Fluorescent vs LED lights – 10 Problems to Consider with Fluorescent lights

1. Frequent Switching Causes Early Failures
Unlike LED lights, if the fluorescent lamp is installed where it is frequently switched on and off, it will age rapidly.
Under extreme conditions, its lifespan may be much shorter than a cheap incandescent lamp.
Each start cycle slightly erodes the electron-emitting surface of the cathodes; when […]

Solar Photovoltaic Advancements: Solar Panel Paved Road Announced for France

Something a bit different for today’s blog post. I have collated two solar news articles that highlight world first solar photovoltaic applications, one in France and the other, the Netherlands. The French have plans to pave 1,000 km’s of road with solar panels and in the Netherlands; they have created […]

LED Lighting: 10 Advantages of Energy Efficient Lighting

1. Long Life

Long life time stands out as one of the main advantages of energy efficient LED lighting. LED lamps and diodes have an outstanding operational life time expectation, on average of 50,000 hours. If you leave your lights running 24 hours a day, every day, that equates to nearly 6 […]

Solar Energy: 40 Interesting Facts

Fact 1: Solar energy is a completely free source of energy and it is found in abundance. Though the sun is 90 million miles from the earth, it takes less than 10 minutes for light to travel from that much of distance.

Fact 2: Solar energy which comprises of radiant heat and light […]