NASA's $15.0 million solar-powered aircraft, the Helios, has begun its first flight over Hawaii. Designed and developed by NASA and AeroVironment Inc....
Solar Energy Ltd. (Los Alamos, NM) announced that, in an effort to make its stock a more viable investment, existing sharesholders and creditors have agreed to convert their loans or payables to stock in cancellation of this debt. In addition, the board of directors has authorized a 50-to-1 reverse split of the company's common stock. […]
American Honda Motor Co. Inc. (Torrance, CA) announced that the first hydrogen production and fueling station in the Los Angeles area has started operation at the company's research and development center in Torrance, CA. The station operates by using solar cells to produce electricity, which in turn is used to extract hydrogen from the water. […]
Neutrogena Corp. (Los Angeles, CA) announced that its new 200kW solar-powered facility, the largest corporated-owned system in LA, will be dedicated on July 12, 2001, at 10 in the morning. Attending the dedication will be Governor Gray Davis' senior policy advisor for energy reliability, Dr. Woodrow Clark; as well as Ruth Galanter, the city council […]
United Solar Systems Corp. (Troy, MI) a joint venture between Energy Conversion Devices Inc. (Troy, MI) and N.V. Bekaert S.A. (Belgium), announced that Bekaert ECD Solar Systems LLC, its joint venture with Bekaert, has received an order for 100kW of the Uni-Solar building-integrated photovoltaic roofing products from Sacramento Municipal Utilities District (SMUD, Sacrament, CA). The […]
As many as 35 race cars will leave Chicago on July 15, 2001, in the first-ever attempt to travel the entire historic...
H Power Corp. (Clifton, NJ) announced a multi-tier distribution and development agreement with Naps Systems Oy (Finland), a subsidiary of Fortum Corp. (Finland). Under the agreement, H Power will deliver fuel cells for Naps Systems' solar-power products. Both companies will work toward the distribution of H Power's standard and customized off-grid fuel cell units throughout […]
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has launched a program that will offer incentives to encourage customers of Pacific Gas and Electric, San Diego Gas and Electric, Southern California Edison, and Southern California Gas Co. to install self-generation units to lessen the electricity load on the power grid. Under the $125-million-per-year program, called the Self-Generation […]
BP (UK) announced that it has agreed in principle to acquire Agere Systems's (Allentown, PA) semiconductor plant in Madrid as a base for a five-fold expansion of its solar photovoltaic cell manufacturing in Spain. This expansion builds on the company's existing manufacturing and marketing operations in Madrid. The deal is expected to be completed within […]
AstroPower Inc. (Newark, DE) announced that it has formed an alliance with Pardee Homes Inc. (Los Angeles, CA) to offer solar-electric power as a feature in its new-home construction. The alliance has established a goal of building a total of 200 solar-powered homes over the next two and one-half years. Pardee will offer its homebuyers […]
Kyocera Solar Inc. (Scottsdale, AZ) announced the nationwide availability of a full line of standardized, rooftop-mounted solar-energy systems called the Kyocera Solar MyGen systems. The systems are designed to convert sunlight into utility-quality ac power that can be used by a residence or business, or automatically sold back to the electric utility company. Twelve complete […]
Spire Corp. (Bedford, MA) announced that Spire Solar Chicago has successfully installed a solar-electric system on the roof of Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History. The system, which is rated at a peak 49kW of dc energy with maximum sunlight, can deliver 60,000kWh annually, enough electricity to power approximately 10 houses. The Field Museum installation […]
American Superconductor Corp. (Westborough, MA) announced the commercial release of its 125kW PowerModule (PM-125). The PM-125 is a modular power electronic switch that is designed to replace conventional power converters, inverters and related auxiliary components with a single, integrated electronic device. It is programmable for power switching, modulation and control in a wide array of […]
What is being touted as the US's largest roof-mounted solar array, installed atop Santa Rita Jail (Alameda County, CA), was recently previewed by Almeda County's supervisors and the county's General Services Agency. The 500kW solar array, which was designed, manufactured and installed by PowerLight Corp. (Berkeley, CA) is already partially up and running. It will […]
Evergreen Solar (Marlboro, MA) has developed a solar panel called the EC-51. The new 51W panel incorporates solar cells that are wider and have a higher conversion efficiency than those in the company's previous products. Evergreen reports that the shift from a 2.2in-wide ribbon to a 3.2in-wide ribbon, both processed into 6in-long wafers, represents a […]