The solar industry took another blow last week. Evergreen Solar stocks were downgraded by major investment firms, and subsequently fell further to less than $1.50 per share. Evergreen’s fall may be having the most direct effect in its home state of Massachusetts, but this decline is representative of a wider fall in solar stock prices, leading to both cutbacks in solar jobs and lower panel prices.

For Evergreen Solar, a bastion of solar industry success in Massachusetts, the twin problems of lower prices and oversupply influenced a recent decision to shift assembly of its solar panels to China, where the company says it can produce for $1.50 per watt. It is as yet unclear how many jobs in Massachusetts will be lost, although of the 577 or so current full-time employees, over half are involved in manufacturing.

Oversupply and weakened demand have forced a scaling-down of U.S. operations by several solar industry players. In terms of manufacturing, China continues to gain momentum due to lower labor costs and less barriers to implementation. In terms of innovation, the United States continues to compete, even lead. But it nevertheless remains cheaper to manufacture overseas and have products shipped back to the States than to simply make them closer to the point of use. (more…)

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How cool would it be if you could look out your window on a beautiful evening and see a giant LED media wall displaying the most popular concerts, shows and events going on that night? Better yet, what if the entire, tens-of-thousand square foot wall was powered only by the sun? Now that’s tuned-in technology! And that’s exactly what residents of Taipei, Taiwan will get if a design proposal for the new Taipei Pop Music Center is accepted. The design was submitted as part of an international architecture competition funded by the Chinese government.

Photo Credit: Green Cleaning Ideas

The media wall will be controlled from a central computer that changes the display to suit the night’s event. Entertainment, movie trailers, music videos, news, weather and other events could be projected as well. Conceptual images so far look like an Andy Warhol silkscreen cast onto a wall half the size of a football field. Or like a 30,000-square foot digital cocktail with a twist of solar. More realistically, the wall would stand as the largest beacon to date of a growing symbiosis between renewable energy, digital media and cutting-edge architecture. (more…)

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The 2009 Solar Decathlon is over, and although Team Germany took home first prize this year, every one of the 20 competing teams is worthy of honorable mention. Not least of which is Virginia Tech’s LUMENHAUS. The house is made with super-efficient glass walls and doors with an open-floor design to allow maximum light penetration.

But this is no glass house. LUMENHAUS is equipped with a shifting facade, called an “Eclipsis System,” that glides on tracks to cover or reveal the windows depending on time of day and weather conditions. LUMENHAUS finished 13th overall in the Solar Decathlon, but scored high in major categories, including engineering, market viability and third place in architecture.

The essence of LUMENHAUS, which by design is an homage to the Bauhaus architectural movement of the early 20th century, lies in its intelligence. The house automatically monitors in- and outdoor conditions and adjusts the sliding facade accordingly. Home conditions are displayed in the house on various screens, as well as remotely through a Smartphone application, allowing the homeowner constant awareness and control. (more…)

Popularity: 2% [?]