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Apple Launches $200M Fund To Counter Climate Change

Apple Inc. announced the creation of a $200 million investment fund to reduce carbon emissions into the atmosphere and support sustainable forestry. This new solution – called the Restore Fund – will be co-managed by Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and the non-profit organization Conservation International, thus ensuring that funding projects meet rigorous environmental and social standards. The goal…
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Two projects feeding 180 MW of solar to Facebook enter service

D. E. Shaw Renewable Investments announced commercial operation of the Cove Mountain and Cove Mountain II solar projects, both part of a PPA frenzy that Facebook undertook beginning last fall. D. E. Shaw Renewable Investments has announced commercial operation of the 180 MW Cove Mountain solar projects in Iron County, Utah, northeast of Las Vegas. Cove…
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Fraunhofer ISE develops front/back solar cell with 26.0% efficiency

The cell showed open-circuit voltage values of up to 732 mV. It was fabricated with a back junction (BJ) design with a full-area p-n-junction at the back surface. Researchers at Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) have demonstrated a p-type back junction (BJ) front/back‐contacted (FBC) crystalline silicon solar cell with a power conversion efficiency of 26.0%…
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Canadian Solar begins production of 640-665 W panel series

The panel was unveiled in October and is the most powerful product the company has brought to the market to date. The Canadian manufacturer expects to reach, for this product, a 10 GW capacity by the end of the year. Canadian solar module manufacturer Canadian Solar has begun mass production of its 640-665 W panel series that was launched…
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New York real estate owner marks halfway point on solar deployment project

Solar panels have been installed on 26 of the 45 buildings Zara Realty owns and manages in Queens, producing 1.3 million kWh. A landlord in Queens, New York, has installed solar technology on more than half the buildings it owns in the borough. Solar panels have been installed on 26 of the 45 buildings Zara…
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Australia’s ‘largest’ solar facade

Victorian-based property developer Beulah has announced its soon-to-be-completed Paragon tower, in the heart of Melbourne, will be home to the nation’s largest and most efficient vertical solar PV system. The AU$200 million (US$153 million), 48-storey, mixed-use building in Melbourne’s CBD is due to be completed later this month but already Beulah is claiming the 42…
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Duke Energy Renewables looks to build 175 MW of solar in Indiana

The $180 million project would spread across two counties just southwest of Indianapolis. Duke Energy Renewables is planning a $180 million, 175 MW solar installation in Indiana. It would cross 1,500 acres of reclaimed strip mine in two counties southwest of Indianapolis. Company representatives went before the Vigo County Council in early March, seeking a…
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Facebook to buy power from offshore PV plant in Singapore

Facebook has revealed plans to buy electricity from a 5 MW floating solar array in the Straits of Johor. The project will sell power through a virtual power purchase agreement. Singapore-based renewables developer Sunseap will sell power to Facebook in Singapore through a virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA). The electricity will be provided by a 5 MW offshore floating PV…
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Monograin layer solar cell with 6.4% efficiency

The lightweight and flexible cell was built by Estonian researchers with microcrystalline powders. The device is claimed to be the most efficient solar cell fabricated with a semiconductor compound known as Cu2CdGe(SxSe1−x)4. Scientists at Estonia’s Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech) have developed a monograin layer solar cell based on a semiconductor compound made of microcrystalline powders that…
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Here’s a recap of key energy proposals from the Biden administration and Congress

It’s been a busy two months since Joe Biden became president. Here are highlights of key initiatives on the energy and cleantech fronts. President Joe Biden and his team have been in office for just over two months, and they’ve been busy, especially in terms of renewable energy and climate legislation and commitments. Let’s take…
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