chandigarh to become a solar cityThe state governments of Punjab and Haryana have agreed to develop Chandigarh as a solar city.once Chandigarh is made a solar city, solar thermal and photovoltaic energy can be used by the governments and private persons in their buildings. The energy that is not drawn from the grid can be used by the industry.-more»

Orissa Secretariat adopts solar energyThe 50 kilo watt plant will be directly connected to the secretariat grid. The solar panels installed on the roof top will meet only a small portion of the energy required.The new renewable energy has incurred an expense of 1.2 crores.the ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE) has given a subsidy -more»

MNRE plans more Solar CITIESThe Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) has released solar city master plans for six cities across India. The ministry has released master plans for Agra, Chandigarh, Aizawal, Kalyan-Dombivili, Kohima and Thane. The central government has already allocated Rs 100 crore for the solar city programme. The…[Read more]-more»

The world's best-known investor Warren Buffett's MidAmerican Energy Holdings is making a huge bet on solar energy by proposing to buy a 49-per cent stake in an Arizona power plant from NRG Energy, its second investment in the solar industry in 10 dqays. The investment comes after early this month MidAmerican acquired the $2-billion Topaz Solar Farm project from First Solar, the world's biggest solar company by market value.  - more»

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Startup Semprius took the transfer-printing technology it originally developed for flexible electronics and applied it to solar cells. What did they create in return? Tiny solar cells — each a dot the size of a ballpoint pen tip — able to convert 41 percent of solar energy into electricity using low-cost lenses to concentrate the sun more than 1,000 times. The Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Lab announced Wednesday it had recently validated the 41 percent efficiency of the company’s solar cells. Semprius was selected by the DOE and NREL as one of its PV Incubator (now called SunShot) companies. The startup, which began… - more»

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Dhaubadi, in remote Nepal has become Asia's first 'renewable energy village' with the installation of mini wind-solar hybrid power system with the financial and technical support from ADB. The two sets of 5 kw wind turbines complimented by 2 kwp of solar PV panels can generate 43.6 kwh per day electricity which can light 46 households of the village, according the Asian Development Bank country office in Nepal. The installation of this ultra-modern facility will allow women to cook and clean, and children to study or play after dark, ADB says in a press release issued at a function today. - more»

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We don't often hear about solar water heating, but it's taking off around the world.  Unlike solar PV, which convert solar radiation into electricity, solar thermal collectors use the sun's energy to heat water, indoor space, or both. Guess which country leads on solar water installations? Yes, China has nearly two-thirds of the world total, with an estimated 1.8 billion square feet at the end of 2010. - more»

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Application segment Target for Phase I (2010-13) Status March 2011 Grid solar power incl. roof top & distributed small grid connected plants 1,000 MW  100 MW 704 MW allotted 98 MW allotted Off-grid solar applications 200 MW 40.6 MW sanctioned Solar collectors 7 million sq. meters 4.5 million sq. meters sanctioned - more»

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The mushrooming of several entrepreneurs providing solar solutions will see two effects: 1)    India reaches its solar goals much quicker than expected – outside the government schemes – due to the scalability of these smaller solar models. 2)    Solar energy prices nosedive further due to large demand – opening up the market to the rural and residential sector. While this outlook looks promising, India is still a very difficult place to start a business. A World Bank survey rates India as one of the worst places in the world to start a business. Issues such as licenses and registrations can… - more»

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It is now widely agreed that Phase I resulted in aggressive bidding on the part of project developers in India, which saw a total of 470MW awarded to local players.The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission had previously set the feed-in tariff for CSP at 15.31Rs/kWh, with the winning developers proposing even lower discounts varying from between Rs.10.49 to Rs.12.24. Despite the undeniable interest and support for CSP in India since the first round tender was awarded, the overall progress made by project developers has been questioned. With the project completion deadline looming, important steps are now being taken to successfully complete… - more»

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Tata Power Co., one of India’s biggest non-state generators, will order equipment for a 3.65 billion-rupee ($68 million) solar project from panel suppliers including Suntech Power Holdings Co. Suntech, the world’s biggest panel maker, Canadian Solar Inc. and Tata BP Solar Ltd. will supply the 25-megawatt plant in western Gujarat state with crystalline silicon-based modules, the Mumbai-based utility said in an e-mail today.   - more»

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A videohttp://www.freeenergydays.com/free_energy/selco-india-affordable-solar-power-ashden-award-winner/ - more»

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Speaking at Intersolar India, a conference of the solar industry here, and also at a press conference later, Mr Kapoor said that the government is “working on several options”. To aid policy formulation, a “brainstorming meeting” of all the electricity distribution companies (discoms) will take place in New Delhi on the 20th of this month. The discussion would revolve around why, even with a 30 per cent capital subsidy, the ‘roof-top solar' has not taken off in India. “We will come up with something very special for roof-tops,” Mr Kapoor said. Today, the economics works out very well. With 30… - more»

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Solairedirect, France's second largest solar power company, made a game-changing bid to supply solar power to India's national power grid at Rs7.49 (US$0.14) per unit (kWh). This rate is now better than the average cost of power generated by diesel generators, which is about Rs 13 (US$0.25) per unit. While this is good news for solar power consultants and EPC contractors, it poses a major threat to the Rs122 billion (US$2.32 billion) diesel generator industry in India. The news comes at a particularly crucial time for the diesel generator market as it places larger bets on opportunities from India’s ever-growing… - more»

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L&T Infrastructure Finance Ltd promoted by engineering and construction conglomerate L&T Ltd, is betting big on the solar energy sector in the power portfolio which accounts for nearly 37 per cent of its total business.“Solar energy is very much in demand in the country and has very good potential for growth. This segment is set to be a key driver of growth in our power portfolio which has a share of 36.7 per cent in our total business. Besides solar projects, the company is also financing captive power plants that are also coming up in a big way in the… - more»

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Nice article by Nilesh Jadhav, pl read - more»

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Photovoltaic (PV) efficiency is a significant problem for today’s commercial solar panels, which can collect only a theoretical maximum of about 30 percent of available light. Now, a team that includes a University of Missouri engineer is developing a flexible solar film that can theoretically capture more than 90 percent of available light. Prototypes could be produced within the next five years.Patrick Pinhero, an associate professor in the MU Chemical Engineering Department, says energy generated using traditional photovoltaic methods of solar collection is inefficient and neglects much of the available solar electromagnetic (sunlight) spectrum. The device the team is developing… - more»

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When Adalberto Ríos founded Ríos Renovables two decades ago in the town of Fustiñana in northern Spain, he didn’t expect an airline to become a key part of his strategy. But as the company expands into new markets, such as Italy, Romania, and the U.S., to offset flagging sales at home, Adalberto and his chief executive officer, Ramón Tejadas, have spent countless hours on airplanes. And Ireland’s Ryanair (RYAAY), with cheap flights from the airport in nearby Zaragoza, has come in handy as the company seeks to cut costs. “We joke that we only go to those countries where Ryanair… - more»

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China's major solar panel companies -- whose low-cost products led some American factories to close, helped create the Solyndra controversy and spawned talk of a trade war -- were bankrolled in the United States by the world's largest investment banks. Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Citigroup, Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, USB Investment Bank and others raised $6.5 billion for seven young Chinese solar panel makers in the mid-2000s by underwriting their securities on the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq, a Tribune-Review investigation has found. Documents show the process involved two steps. First, the Chinese companies were folded into holding company… - more»

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Continuing on its path of sustainability, IIM Shillong has solar panels of 50kW capacity installed to meet the electricity and power needs of the campus. These solar panels supply power to the entire campus, specifically to administrative building, classrooms, 72 hostel rooms, mess and dining halls, guest houses and the study room. These panels were set-up in collaboration with Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India. - more»

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