The Department of Energy announced the 20 university teams selected to participate in the next Solar Decathlon in the U.S....and California is a big winner with four teams from the Golden State. The third place winner in 2009, Santa Clara University, will be joined by newcomers Stanford, University of Southern California, and a collaboration between Southern California Institute of Architecture and California Institute of Technology.
And, none of the four teams will need to travel far. Read more
We’ve all seen it happen many times, especially during major events such as the post-thanksgiving Black Friday, Cyber Monday and holiday sales: gadgets that were expensively priced for early adopters are suddenly affordable and accessible to the average person, which in turn spur a jump in demand. A 55-inch 3D LED TV, for example, that retailed for more than $3000 USD not too long ago now sells for about $1300 (and it comes with a 3D Blu-ray player and 4 sets of 3D glasses!) Similarly, a respectable laptop PC can cost less than $300 USD these days when they were more than $2000 just a couple years back. My 486 desktop computer used to be two grand! Aside from consumer electronics, we’re seeing similar trends of cost reduction in industries such as solar and LED lighting. A photovoltaic (PV) solar module that used to cost more than $5 per watt five years ago now goes for about $1.50 per watt. LED light bulbs for general lighting sold for more than $40 per bulb in hardware stores two years ago now sell for less than $20, and I am sure they will be comparably priced with today’s CFL bulb in the near future.
So how do these incredibly technologically advanced products become so affordable? The answer is technology and scale.Read more
This week marks an important milestone in the development of a robust solar industry in the US. The Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA) and the Solar Alliance have merged to form one voice advocating for policies that advance solar deployment in the US.
SEIA traditionally focused on federal legislative and regulatory policy which drives solar deployment like clean energy standards, the Investment Tax Credit for renewable energy generation and the loan guarantee programs for renewable energy projects. Meanwhile, the Solar Alliance was a state based organization, working to advance renewable energy standards and incentive programs at the state level as well as ensuring that appropriate net metering policies and renewable energy credit mechanisms are in place to allow solar markets to flourish.
With the merger, the two entities will now speak with one strong and consistent voice about the jobs created by growing domestic solar energy, the advances the industry has made in cost reduction, and the value of including solar in the US’s energy generation mix. Read more
Today, we are honored to announce that Thomson Reuters has named Applied Materials as a 2011 Top 100 Global Innovator, recognizing the company’s achievements as one of the world’s most innovative companies.Read more
A gathering of 2000+ twenty-somethings these days is usually a rave party or another edition of Occupy Wall Street. The gathering I attended last week in Portland, Oregon, however, was something much different, it was a convening of young people from universities around the country and abroad, all of whom are vitally interested in using business skills to tackle the world’s toughest problems. Read more
This week marks an important milestone in the development of a robust solar industry in the US. 
A gathering of 2000+ twenty-somethings these days is usually a rave party or another edition of Occupy Wall Street. The gathering I attended last week in Portland, Oregon, however, was something much different, it was a convening of young people from universities around the country and abroad, all of whom are vitally interested in using business skills to tackle the world’s toughest problems. 
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