solar panels

Next spring, the First Family will begin to receive solar electricity and solar-heated water from a new solar system that will be installed on the roof of the White House as part of the Obama administration's effort to showcase American solar technology.

Japanese electronics company Sharp is turning up the heat in the increasingly competitive solar energy market, announcing plans Wednesday to acquire solar energy producer Recurrent Energy in a cash deal worth upwards of $305 million.

Applied Materials is cutting its SunFab line of equipment to make amorphous-silicon solar panels. The move marks the end of the semiconductor-equipment giant's big thin-film solar ambitions. What's next for AMAT?

Oregon is the latest state to notch a big win in the effort to attract green jobs: Silicon Valley solar company Solexant has announced plans to build a large factory to produce thin-film solar panels near Portland. Oregon gets jobs; Solexant gets a $25 million loan and $18.75 million in tax credits.

A fake oil tycoon. The biggest sports event in the world. A Formula One racing team. What do they have in common? They're all part of branding initiatives by solar panel makers seeking to make their names in a fast-growing industry.

This year is turning out to be a good one for solar energy equipment makers and project developers. Solar panel makers saw a 92% jump in shipments in the second quarter from a year ago, and market research firms have issued bullish outlooks for the industry.

China has long been the world's factory for a host of consumer electronics and appliances. Now, it's the biggest manufacturing hub for solar panels as well. A new report shows five of the top 10 producers are Chinese.

Two start-ups, biofuel maker Codexis and solar-energy firm Solyndra, recently filed, and others are rumored to be doing so, including sexy electric-car company Tesla Motors and smart-grid integrated-technology maker Silver Spring Networks.

At a recent panel discussion put on by The Indus Entrepreneurs, everyone agreed that the residential solar-panel market will grow by leaps and bounds in 2009 and 2010. I blogged about the possibility that wholesale solar panel prices in residential actually might rise again as a result of demand,...

President Obama is having a job summit on Thursday, gathering 130 business leaders, mayors and others to help figure out how to get the 15.7 million unemployed people in America back to work. As someone who was laid off 18 months ago, I have some simple advice for the group: Give job training for...