US solar power sector small but growing

Solar power, only a minuscule part of the energy mix in the United States, is getting a boost from cheap panels, growing acceptance by large companies and chances for homeowners to rent solar systems.

Air, water and sun: The ingredients of 'green gasoline'

(Phys.org) —Mimicking a natural process perfected over billions of years to capture solar energy, researchers are creating artificial photosynthetic systems that will turn air and water into transport fuel.

World record solar cell with 44.7% efficiency

German Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, Soitec, CEA-Leti and the Helmholtz Center Berlin announced today that they have achieved a new world record for the conversion of sunlight into electricity using a new ...

Lotus Mobile unfolds its solar-charging petals

(Phys.org) —A Scottsdale, Arizona, company is making the news with its fold-able solar charging system of 18 panels that resemble a flower, and can sit atop a vehicle, which gives the device the appearance of a supersized ...

Fully renewable electricity could be competitive

(Phys.org) —A carbon price of between $50 and $100 per tonne of carbon dioxide would make coal-fired and gas-fired power less economical than renewable electricity, a UNSW study shows.

Patented technique key to new solar power technology

(Phys.org)—A novel fabrication technique developed by UConn engineering professor Brian Willis could provide the breakthrough technology scientists have been looking for to vastly improve today's solar energy systems.

Scientists shed light on riddle of Sun's explosive events

(Phys.org)—Four decades of active research and debate by the solar physics community have failed to bring consensus on what drives the sun's powerful coronal mass ejections (CMEs) that can have profound "space weather" ...

Sunflowers inspire more efficient solar power system

(Phys.org) -- A field of young sunflowers will slowly rotate from east to west during the course of a sunny day, each leaf seeking out as much sunlight as possible as the sun moves across the sky through an adaptation called ...

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