With increased incentives for homeowners to install solar photovoltaic power systems in the form of tax credits and tie in agreements with the local grid, many people are looking to purchase properties that already have solar systems installed. In fact, all across the country potential buyers are talking with their real estate agents about properties that utilize these systems to generate clean renewable power.

Whether you might be searching for solar powered storefronts in Portland, OR or Wilmington NC real estate, you should speak to an agent in your area to discuss the potential tax relief and incentives you would incur by purchasing a home that utilizes solar energy. There are a lot of great properties out there right now and we are in a buyers market so the power is literally in your hands.

NRG Dock wants you to save some greenbacks this year by switching to solar. When I say switching to solar, I’m referring to your re-charging methods for your cell, blackberry, PSP or other small communication tools. The device utilizes a small photovoltaic panel to collect energy and features a storage capacity that reliably delivers stored energy when sunlight is unavailable.

In addition to utilizing free, off the grid, energy, the government is issuing 30% tax credits off the original purchase price of your technology. NRG charging stations are just another innovation in the ever blossoming field of solar products bursting onto the scene in ’08, so why not take the plunge into solar with NRG?

We’ve already seen larger applications used on digital signage as well as traffic lights, street lights and billboard lights.  This is just another example of the technology applying things at a more micro level for off grid reliable energy situations.

Everyday, more and more people are exploring alternative, eco-friendly, ways of powering their homes and businesses from tankless water heaters to solar power to biofuels. Solar power has gained much attention as both a viable and affordable alternative to fossil fuels and the like. The Discovery Channel’s program, “How It’s Made”, takes viewers through the process of producing a solar panel for commercial use.

With so much attention focused on the benefits of solar power, it is interesting to see just what goes into producing a photovoltaic panel. Not only is the process surprisingly basic, it is quite “green” as well.

Mich. House starts passing comprehensive energy legislation
MLive.com – MI,USA
And Hemlock Semiconductor Corp. near Saginaw, which makes materials used in solar energy products, would get tax breaks based on electric costs if

Claymore Launches Global Solar ETF
ETFguide – Carlsbad,CA,USA
The index currently consists of 25 globally-listed investable public companies that specialize in providing solar energy products and services and uses

France set for rapid growth in photovoltaic technology
Creamer Media’s Engineering News – Garden View,South Africa
… growth in photovoltaic sales is Europe’s leading solar energy company, Solarcentury, which specialises in building integrated solar energy products. …
New Solar ETF Helps Spread Sector’s Risk
TheStreet.com – USA
The methodology for index construction is to select from companies that “specialize in providing solar energy products and services,” subject them to common …
Suntech Power wins solar award from Frost & Sullivan
PV Tech – London,England,UK
… provide the most innovative, highest quality solar energy products to customers around the world,” said Dr. Zhengrong Shi, Suntech’s Chairman and CEO

Worldwide Energy Ships First Order Of Solar Modules
Solar Industry – Oxford,CT,USA
… and Manufacturing USA Inc. has received a solar module contract valued at $4.8 million from one of Europe’s largest end users of solar energy products

I came across an interesting article about a proposed field test in the United Arab Emirates. The test is actually a competition amongst 22 companies. The UAE is not prone to sitting back hitting golf balls into the Persian Gulf and entirely relying on oil revenues, it is working to build a capital city that is powered by renewable energy, and has zero wastes and carbon emissions.

Dr. Al Jaber said: “Few studies of this size and with this level of participation have been undertaken outside of the laboratory. Our involvement will generate a wealth of original data and strengthen ties with the leading names in the PV industry. It will also position Abu Dhabi as an ideal location for the testing and verification of PV, spanning all crystalline and mature ‘thin film’ technologies.”
The competition site may be a modest plot of land at Masdar City near Abu Dhabi International Airport, but the implications are profound for the companies taking part. The results will help determine how renewable power is ultimately realised for Masdar’s zero carbon, zero waste city, which will one day be home to as many as 50,000 residents and hundreds of renewable energy businesses.
The site houses 26 one-kilowatt at peak (1KWp) PV modules mounted on aluminum structures; the equipment has been designed and installed by a major PV system integrator. The long-term testing will be carried out in cooperation with TÜV Rheinland of Germany, a leading authority on PV system performance and certification.
The generated electricity is converted into alternating current and fed directly into the local grid, representing the first grid-connected solar power system in Abu Dhabi history.
Masdar is at the forefront of research into larger scale applications of solar power and recently signed a contract with the Tokyo Institute of Technology to explore solar tower ‘beam down’ technology, an advanced solar thermal process that offers lower electricity generation costs and higher efficiency.
Photovoltaics is solar power technology that uses solar cells, either made from silicon or ‘thin film’, to convert sunlight directly into electricity.  Masdar Puts Solar Power To The Test

Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahayan is the hereditary ruler of Abu Dhabi (UAE). He is the son of Sheikh Zayed Al Nahayan, the first president of the United Arab Emirates.

Anyone that has been to visit any of the hotels in Las Vegas in the last 10 years knows that the corporate powers that rule the crown jewel of the desert never miss an opportunity to pull a profit on any segment of business.  Every cost driver there has been turned into a revenue stream.  The next revenue stream to be lit up in the city of games is Solar Power.

The Power is in the Windows

New technologies offer up the ability to apply thin plastic solar power gathering material on high rises.  Other nanotech solar products might even be sprayed on some day.  But for the technology to take off it needs to be purchased.

Vegas corporations have the money to invest in the technology, they have the real estate in terms of high rises and in terms of windows,

These new technologies offer a number of benefits in terms of results and in terms of cost savings (as compared to buying more traditional solar power photovoltaic solutions).

Upside

• Uses less polysilicon (Silicon like all natural resources, is in short supply.)
• The Film is cheaper to produce
• more durable
• more aesthetic
• The sheets can serve as insulation, facades, even a shade for the inside of the building against the heat of the sun in the summer.

Almost half the cost of production from traditional solar energy products comes from the materials required to produce them and this innovation and technology not only make it cheaper to produce, but it can be deployed on existing real estate with minimal costs of installation.

Downside

Currently they Generate less power per centimeter than traditional technologies.

Who will Field this Technology and Benefit First?

Vegas hotels are in the right spot at the right time with the right resources to benefit from this technology and from this investment.  They are also in the right place to broadcast and advertise the message to the world.

They could even run advertisements on the film and charge money for that, and I can guarantee you that Vegas rarely backs away from an opportunity to earn money from advertising.

Source – Thin-film solar sheets seek time in the sun

This week and I got started working with my Solio portable charger, a photovoltaic solar charger that also has a built in battery for transferring a charge to other electronic devices.  First off the design packaging is relatively simple, and there are no tricks or anything peculiar that is required to get at the actual device. 

The first thing I did was look at the quick start guide as I attempted to make heads or tails of what I was supposed to do with the device first.  Now the quick start guide shows the device connecting to a laptop computer at step one.  This does not seem to be necessary actually, but an option.  There are two ways to charge the device:

1. plug the device into your USB slot on your computer and charge it there, or
2. set the device out in direct some light and let it charge from the sun

There were no written instructions on the quick step guide and no other instructions elsewhere in the package, so I guessed and stuck it out in the sun, while I went to get a Jura capresso for my coffee snob wife.  That did seem to work just fine, and so I was off and running.  Once the device is charged up my next experience with it.

I was somewhat impressed with just how slim this device is, how light it is, and the hiking like clamp connected to the top of in case you want to hook it to a backpack or something.

The buttons an LED readouts work very well and remind me of some extremely rugged equipment that I used to use the military. 

United Solar Ovonics is a wholy owned subsidy of ECD Ovonics and just happens to specialize in the ever-growing solar energy industry. As the industry leader in the production of amorphous photovoltaics technology, USO currently operates the worlds most complex and efficient silicon film solar cell manufacturing plant.

Creating the solar cells that will power the future, United Solar Ovonics has opened several new production plants in Michigan and plans to unviel more in 2008, to meet the growing demand for their services and expertise. I would expect ECD’s United Solar Ovonics shares to rebound strong over the next quarter and find their way back to $35-40 per share by years end.

First Solar Inc. is the largest thin film photovoltaic manufacturer in the world, due to their capacity of 75-megawatt distribution. In addition to boasting the aforementioned feats, FSI achieved an average of 9% PV module efficiency in 2005, which is a remarkable benchmark in the industry.
With the inception of their ultra thin PV film technology in early 2007, First Solar Inc. has had investors foaming at the mouth to get in on the action. Having begun 2007 with shares valued at a mere $25 dollars, First Solar Inc. has climbed to an astonishing $127.30 as of this entry. Clearly, the leadership at FSI has the knowledge and drive to be leaders in the solar power industry for years to come.

Trina Solar specializes in the high quality monocrystalline module industry in the development of photovoltaic cells. Trina Solar was founded in 1997 and is one of the few solar companies that utilize a vertically integrated business model that ensures a continual improvement in both quality and reliability throughout the production process. Specializing in both residential and commercial applications of solar technology, Trina Solar offers unparalleled value to its customers through industry knowledge and experience.

Backed by a number of high profile investment firms such as Good Energies, Merrill Lynch and Milestone Capital, who are active on the board of directors, Trina Solar recently made a successful initial public offering (IPO) to the New York Stock Exchange. Staying true to their core beliefs, Trina Solar has made a pledge to work toward a brighter future.