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The world market size for solar panels is projected to increase more than seven times by 2021. A total of $24.2 billion in solar panels were sold in 2014 and this number is expected to reach $180.7 billion by 2021. This would be an incredible seven-fold increase over seven years. This report, by way of […]

One of the first questions many homeowners have when initially looking into solar power is – how long do solar panels last? The question of solar panel lifespan is a reasonable one. After all, everything degrades in time and solar panel systems are no exception to this rule. The comforting answer to this question is […]

We’re most of the way through 2015 and solar panel direction is still a debatable topic. This is because the question – “which direction should solar panels face?” – is still a viable one. With the help of analysis done by a big data provider for utilities, Opower, we’ll look into some numbers. Opower develops […]

A recent solar industry report predicts that there will be 1 million American residences with a solar panel system on their rooftops by February of 2016. The report, from EnergySage, details the amazing growth of solar in the United States over the past decade. There were only approximately 30,000 homes that were utilizing solar power […]

Speaking at The Griffith Observatory this past Wednesday, October 7th 2015, California Governor Jerry Brown announced his further support for renewable energy measures. He has set the goal for his state to be generating 50 percent of its energy needs from renewable sources, mainly wind and solar power, by 2030. In addition to world wide […]

Utilities may be slow to enter the residential solar industry, but their foray into grid scale solar power is substantial. This is primarily due to the fact that solar power is cheaper than natural gas at this level. Data from a recent report from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory shows that electricity from less expensive […]

Power utilities across the country are beginning to consider entering the residential solar power market. Major power companies in Texas, Arizona, Georgia, and Michigan are looking to jump into the rooftop solar game. It could be argued that this move was inevitable as residential solar power has been spreading at considerable rates. Utilities are starting […]

Engineers from the University of Stanford have created a transparent, silica material that increases the efficiency of solar cells. This very thin, patterned silica material is able to help dissipate a significant amount of heat that is captured by solar panels. Solar pv cells convert light photons into electricity, not any available heat. A common […]

While not necessarily a new concept, the idea of “solar suburbs” is looking much more likely to be commonplace in the near future. A solar suburb is not just a neighborhood in which every home has a solar panel system on its rooftop. It actually refers to a completely new way in which we will […]

All too often, news stories about solar power deal with some major solar panel efficiency breakthrough that will completely change everything about this abundant energy source. The truth of the matter is that improvements in solar cell and solar module efficiency do not need to occur for the solar power movement to continue growing as […]