Solar firm's focus: power to the people
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A Bridgewater company is betting the road to success goes through some of the world's poorest countries.
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(InfoWorld) - Sharp is planning to double production of solar electricity modules at a factory in Wales, it said Friday. Behind the planned expansion is growing demand for solar energy systems in several European countries including Germany, Spain, Italy, Greece, and France. Sharp said long hours of sunlight coupled with electricity buy-back programs, which allow consumers to sell surplus electricity back to the power company, are driving the demand. The company will invest Â¥2.2 billion ($18.2 million) to take annual production to a total of 220 megawatts of panels. The factory in Wrexham began operations in early 2004 and is Sharp's second international solar module production base after a manufacturing plant in the U.S. Sharp's announcement comes on the same day that a major international report is expected to lay theÂ blame for global warmingÂ at the feet of man's actions. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)Â reportÂ will be published in Paris later Friday. Companies and consumers are becoming increasing concerned about the issue and some are investing vast sums of money in solar power systems that will likely pay off in the long run through lower power bills. Last year Google said it would build a 9,000-panel generation system to power its Mountain View, California, headquarters. The system will use Sharp panels. Sharp is one of the world's largest producers of photovoltaic panels, which convert sunlight into electricity. Last year it spent about Â¥3.5 billion increasing production at a factory in Japan to 600 megawatts per year.
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The company continues to bolster its growing position in renewables.
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In Silicon Valley, the bandwagon is now electric-powered, as a who's who of IT stalwarts reinvent themselves as cleantech entrepreneurs. This map presents a small sampling of the companies, causes, and familiar faces behind the greening of the Valley.
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Scientist assess the possibility of building giant solar panels in space in order to meet the planet's rising energy needs.
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Company calls them more powerful and simpler to operate.
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A quarter of further education colleges are set to use solar panels, says a survey.
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The European market is hot, so the solar technology company plans to expand there.
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Upstart NRG Dock shows off a general-purpose solar panel and battery to power electronics.
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A solar-powered city is about to rise in the Persian Gulf. Why not in the United States?.
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The idea of renewable energy at home is  no longer as distant as an offshore wind farm. More companies  are waking up to the popularity of green energy and the Web  hosts many sites showing steps people can take -- or gadgets  they can buy -- to use renewable technology, from renting a  solar panel to burning calories with a pedal-powered washing  machine.
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Silicon Valley entrepreneurs have found a new purpose in transforming the $1 trillion domestic energy market.
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Some of the regionâs best minds are captivated by the challenge of solar power and hope to put the development of solar technologies on a faster track.
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Investor's Business Daily - The rush of calls that came during last summer's electricity blackouts didn't surprise Aaron Davis, marketing director for American Power Conversion  .
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Sun Microsystems on Tuesday took what it says are early steps toward a future in which computing power is sold as a commodity like electricity.
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Solar Data Centers, a Web-hosting company, plans to power its servers on electricity generated by solar panels.
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Blog: Envision Solar seeks to put solar panels on the roofs of parking structures, but financing could prove to be tricky.