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SolarCity Launches Nonprofit, Donating Solar Systems to Schools Without Access to Electricity Across the Globe

Written by Jasper Dikmans From PVSolarReport.com SolarCity launches the Give Power Foundation, a nonprofit aimed at providing clean energy to communities across the globe. For every megawatt of residential solar power that SolarCity installs in 2014, the company will donate a solar power system and battery combination to a school without access to electricity. Initial recipients are expected to be in Haiti, Mali, Malawi, and Nepal. SolarCity (Nasdaq: SCTY) today launched the Give Power Foundation, a California nonprofit aimed at providing clean energy to communities across the globe. For every megawatt of residential solar power that SolarCity installs in 2014, the company will donate a solar power system and battery combination to a school without access to electricity. Initial recipients are expected to be in Haiti, Mali, Malawi, and Nepal. According to the company, approximately 291 million children attend primary schools that lack electricity globally, an…

Huge Solar Plane Could Fly For Five Years

You think waiting for your flight to land seems like forever? This new solar plane is designed to stay aloft for 43,000+ hours. That's 5 years in calendar talk. I think I’ll need more peanuts. From Cleantechnica A solar-powered high-altitude drone made by Titan Aerospace is intended to be able to remain in flight for about five years. When manufactured, it would have 3,000 solar panels producing about 7 kW of electricity and would be above the clouds, so it would be exposed to sunlight constantly during daylight hours. One is scheduled for completion next year. The point of having such a plane would be to keep a payload in flight long-term, presumably in a manner similar to communications satellites. They could be used for surveillance applications such as environmental monitoring, fire monitoring and disaster response, among other things. Using a long-term solar drone/plane also has the advantage of being a vessel that can be safely brought back down to g…

White House To Finally Get Solar Panels

How many years ago was it promised that the White House would have solar panels installed on the roof? Three that seemed more like twelve. The disappointments that resulted from the unfulfilled promise were great and not at all necessary. How hard is it to get a small number of them on the roof of the White House? Offers were made to provide the technology and installation for free, and they were ignored. Finally, the installation appears to be happening, according to the Washington Post. It’s hard to tell if this great news or just sort of a buzz kill drawn out over what seemed like a less than magical drought. The premise behind having them installed back in the 1970s by then President Jimmy Carter was simple enough and that was the main appeal. If the number one house in America could be powered by solar, at least partly, then many members of the public might come to see they could use them too. They didn’t last too long though, because the center of American culture was…

Solar — $1.20/Watt In Europe (Unsubsidized), & Much More Solar $ Fun

Originally published on Solar Love. We’re in the midst of a massive cleantech revolution. Solar power is beginning to disrupt the hell out of the power industry. Electric vehicles are on the verge of putting gasmobiles to sleep. Wind power is already one of the cheapest options for new electricity generation in the world — if not the cheapest. The movement is exciting to watch. And, in a decade or so, we might need to change our name from CleanTechnica to Your Life. The solar revolution is certainly one of the more exciting things to watch. Below is some solar number fun that should get your blood pumping. Full disclosure: much of the legwork for this piece was done by one of our excellent readers — we’ll just call him CleanTechnica advisor #1. Low Solar Prices Around the World EU solar without subsidies as low as $1.20/watt: Deutsche Bank has reported that about ⅓ of small- to mid-sized solar installations in the EU are now going in without subsidies. Furthermore, “Multi-me…

When Your Rooftop Solar Panels Make More $ than S&P 500

by Chris Meehan for SolarReviews Thirteen might not be a lucky number, but it seems like a better number when you consider that in 13 states—over a quarter of all states, including the most populous ones like California and New York—solar offers a better return on investment than investing in the S&P 500. That’s just another way to look at why solar is a better investment today than many other investments people can make. That’s according to the latest Geostellar Quarterly Index, which looked at the profitability of investing in rooftop solar across the U.S. The report found that the internal return on investment over the anticipated 25-year lifespan of solar panels was highest in Hawaii (24 percent) and that the majority of top states for internal returns on investing in solar were primarily on the East coast. Among the top 10 states only California (eighth with a 12 percent return), Colorado (fifth with a 15 percent return), New Mexico (seventh with a 13 percent r…

Solar-Powered Modular Relocatable Building Wins Top Eco Award

This article originally published on RenewEconomy Blue Planet Buildings, a Sydney based “solar energy building company” has won the Australian Business award for Best Eco Product in 2013 for a solar-powered, modular and relocatable building. Blue Planet says its structures have special solar panels built into the roof to power appliances such as air conditioners, computers and hot water systems, emit no carbon and in fact generate carbon offset credits. CEO Mark Ottery says the company has begun manufacturing and supplying the buildings for construction companies, government authorities, mine sites and farms – both in Australia and overseas. The buildings an be used both on or off grid (battery storage is available), are flat packed, making them easy to transport and install – and can be erected in less than an hour. Ottery says they are “clean, green, energy efficient and cheap to run.” Solar-Powered Modular Relocatable Building Wins Top Eco Award was origin…