solar power

This solar panel unit cost about $17,000, less than half as much as it costs to extend the electrical grid a mile. Thompson pays the power company $75 a month to maintain and service the unit.

National

Solar Power Makes Electricity More Accessible On Navajo Reservation

9:39pm April 21, 2015

by Ibby Caputo

The panels, funded by government grants, are helping thousands of tribal residents take advantage of the everyday luxuries enjoyed by other Americans — like turning on lights or storing food.

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Renewable energy sources — such as the Eolo wind park about 75 miles south of the Nicaraguan capital, Managua — generate about half of the country's electricity. Officials predict that figure could rise to 80 percent within years.

Nicaragua's Renewable Energy Revolution Picks Up Steam

4:26pm March 11, 2015

by John Otis

A few years ago, Nicaragua was almost totally dependent on imported fuel. Now the country's fierce winds, sun and volcanoes generate nearly half the country's electricity, and perhaps 80 percent soon.

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A handout image from Solar Impulse 2 shows the solar-powered airplane flying at the start of an attempt to make a historic round-the-world journey.

World News

Solar-Powered Airplane Embarks On Attempt To Fly Around The World

3:20pm March 09, 2015

by Bill Chappell

The trip began Monday morning in Abu Dhabi, with a 13-hour trip to Muscat, Oman. On Tuesday, the plane flies to India.

Without horsepower, they rely on human power: Mother and daughter-in-law Sheela and Sunita Devi shred sugarcane into feed.

World News

What's It Like To Live Without Electricity? Ask An Indian Villager

8:19am February 18, 2015

by Julie McCarthy

Some 77 million Indian households depend on kerosene lamps and candles when the sun goes down. Green entrepreneurs are looking to spread the light with affordable solar panels.

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Elizabeth Ebinger in Maplewood, N.J., bought her solar panels, while neighbor Tim Roebuck signed a 20-year lease. Both are happy with the approach they took, and both are saving money on energy bills.

The Great Solar Panel Debate: To Lease Or To Buy?

12:12pm February 10, 2015

by Jeff Brady

More homeowners are cutting energy costs by installing solar panels, due in part to leasing programs that require no up-front investment. Leasing means less hassle, but may also save you less money.

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A worker installs solar panels atop a government building in Lakewood, Colo. The industry has added more than 80,000 jobs since 2010, according to The Solar Foundation.

U.S. Solar Industry Sees Growth, But Also Some Uncertainty

7:32pm January 19, 2015

by Jeff Brady

The solar industry employs nearly 174,000 workers in the U.S., up 22 percent from a year ago. But the industry's future is murky, as government subsidies are set to expire within two years.

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Politics & Government

Should Homeowners With Solar Panels Pay To Maintain Electrical Grid?

12:14pm December 11, 2014

by Peter Overby

Utilities say consumers who put solar panels on their roofs should help pay to maintain the lines that carry the power they sell back into the system. Panel leasing firms say that's anti-competitive.

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A section of a bike path that uses solar cells to produce electricity is opening for full-time use Wednesday.

Solar Bike Path Opens This Week In The Netherlands

12:39pm November 10, 2014

by Bill Chappell

Integrating solar panels into a bike commuter path, a special roadway outside Amsterdam will generate power that's then funneled into the national energy grid.

In Del Norte, Colo., Public Works Supervisor Kevin Larimore shows off solar panels that provide electricity for the town's water supply. Despite generating its own solar energy, the town is still at risk of a blackout if its main power line goes down.

When The Power's Out, Solar Panels May Not Keep The Lights On

7:50pm September 17, 2014

by Dan Boyce

With the price of solar panels falling, more municipalities and homeowners are installing them. But having solar panels doesn't mean you won't lose power in a blackout — at least not yet.

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The Solar Impulse, a solar-powered plane, flies over Switzerland. The makers will be journeying across the U.S. this spring, hoping the flight helps challenge assumptions about what solar technology can do.

Solar-Powered Plane Uses Its Lightness To Fly In The Dark

7:54am March 27, 2013

by Steve Henn

Creators of a solar-powered aircraft hope to fly it day and night across the U.S. with no fuel, and eventually around the world. It's a quixotic — some might call it nutty — undertaking. But the creators hope the flight helps challenge assumptions about what solar technology can do.

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