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Articles on Solar PV

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The linchpin to Tesla’s proposed merger with SolarCity is the Gigafactory and whether it can lower costs and improve battery performance. Tesla Motors

Will a merged Tesla-SolarCity put a solar-powered battery in every home?

Critics don’t think Tesla can sell enough home batteries to justify its acquisition of SolarCity, but what they’re underestimating is the potential for innovation the Gigafactory brings.
Solar panels on a Walmart roof, Mountain View, California. Walmart/Flickr

Getting more energy from the sun: how to make better solar cells

Solar power has enormous potential, but provides only about one percent of world electricity today. An engineer explains the many steps it takes to make solar panels that are efficient, clean and cheap.
Thinking of going solar? Prices are approaching the cost of grid electricity, but only in some places – so far. joncallas/flickr

When will rooftop solar be cheaper than the grid? Here’s a map

When will residential solar be cheaper than the cost of power from the grid? This point of ‘grid parity’ is a moving target but moving closer in a number of places.
A solar array goes up in New York. Is this the best place to locate solar, given the relatively clean New York state grid? Lucas Braun

To cut emissions faster, U.S. should ditch tax credit-based subsidies for renewable energy

The wind and solar industries scored a huge win by getting extended tax credits, but research shows this isn’t the best policy for lowering emissions through renewable energy.
South Africa has installed solar water heaters in low cost housing areas. It should be installing solar PV for energy. Shutterstock

How South Africa can spread renewable energy to low income areas

South Africa has been slow to adopt renewable energy sources. One option, which has proved successful elsewhere, would be to install solar photovoltaic panels on rooftops in low-income areas.
Real hot: the Ivanpah solar power plant and others like it use mirrors to produce heat to make steam and drive an electricity turbine. BrightSource Energy

If a solar plant uses natural gas, is it still green?

The massive Ivanpah solar power plant uses natural gas – even more than it expected last year. It’s not ideal, but solar power and natural gas are a powerful, and relatively ‘green,’ combination.

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