A thin film of plastic which conducts electricity and produces solar power could be the basis for a revolution in the way we light our homes and design clothes. An international research project has begun that could help bring to mass-market organic light emitting devices (OLEDs), which could have far reaching technological implications and cut the cost of lighting by billion of pounds each year.

Light-sensitive panels today are a boon to the wallet as well as the environment Solar panel installer Becca Litke pauses amid on work a system that will bring power to Mission Plaza apartments, 132 units for the elderly and handicapped in San Francisco. Sun Light & Power photo by Jesse Cutia. During the disco days of the 1970s, a few brave pioneers began installing solar panels on the roofs of their homes. With the enthusiasm of the newly converted, they explained to their incredulous neighbors that the flat, black objects would harness the power of the sun to provide the family with hot water. The neighbors, no doubt, reacted much as if their acquaintance had insisted on demonstrating his newly acquired magic skills by sawing his wife in half: They nodded their heads in wary approval -- and made a silent vow to immediately install a more secure lock on the side gate.

Nissan has signed an agreement with NEC TOKIN to establish a joint-venture company – Automotive Energy Supply Corporation (AESC) – to focus on lithium-ion batteries.

Yazd, April 13, (IRNA) Head of 267 MW Yazd Solar Energy Power Plant (YSEPP) said here Friday from viewpoint of combining a solar farm's energy with a conventional cycle, YSEPP is fist of its kind globally.

Due to recent advances in technology, this year and the last have witnessed the emergence of solar power from obscurity. There is a lot of activity in the sector and the technological complexity can be quite intimidating. So it is especially satisfying to know that as a chart reader one doesn’t need to be an engineer to profit in this sector. I’ve been concentrating on the recent price action and find that it reminds me of something I read in Stan Weinstein’s Secrets of Profiting in Bull and Bear Markets. Weinstein provides a very methodical way of not only understanding the market but also of successively narrowing down one’s focus and drilling down from market, to a sector and then to a specific stock. Weinstein teaches that when we overlay the timing of the wider market on top of sector timing and then use stage analysis to select individual stocks, we exponentially increase the chance of finding explosive returns: Back in the good old days of 1978, I noticed unusual strength appearing in the individual casino stock charts while the hotel-motel and leisure time groups also showed fabulous technical strength. In addition, their respective relative-strength lines were all extremely bullish. Furthermore there ...

Scientists link bacteria and quantum physics in sunlight conversion By Ian Hoffman Berkeley scientists have found that light-loving bacteria — and probably plants — rely on quantum physics to turn sunlight into usable energy rapidly and efficiently, overturning the standard explanation for how green living things get their energy.

The California Pacific Gas & Electric Company is developing a 'smart grid' battery-charging system for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.

Unique three-dimensional solar cells that capture nearly all of the light that strikes them could boost the efficiency of photovoltaic (PV) systems while reducing their size, weight and mechanical complexity.

If solar power is going to play a significant role in the energy equation of the future, there must be advances in technologies to store that power and more investment by manufacturers.

Lennar Bay Area Homebuilding is announcing three Bay Area solar-driven communities, located in the Windemere community of San Ramon. All 275 homes will come equipped with a roof integrated solar electric system from PowerLight, a subsidiary of SunPower Corporation (Nasdaq:SPWR) as a standard feature. The three Windemere communities, Paloma, Escalante and Stafford Place, are the latest addition to Lennar’s solar-electric program. The company introduced their solar home program in February, when it unveiled the 77-home Milano community in Danville, at the time, the largest solar-driven community in the Bay Area. The homes in the three communities range in square footage from 2,600 to 4,300. In recognition of the Earth Day celebration, Lennar will host grand opening events in all three communities on April 21, from 11am-4pm. Visit www.lennar.com for details.