SolarCity responds to the headline: "Panasonic's efficiency was based on just the glass (aperture) area not the whole module, as ours was. It was an understandable, honest mistake. The record will definitely be broken and we look forward to that day."
PV Magazine: Panasonic Announces 22.5% Module-Level Efficiency Solar Panel
Mere days after U.S. solar company SolarCity claimed to have produced the world’s most efficient rooftop PV module -- achieving 22.04% module-level efficiency -- Japan’s Panasonic has raised the bar even higher with today’s announcement that it has produced a 22.5% efficient solar module based on mass-production technology.
The electronics giant revealed that its latest commercial-sized prototype panel has been produced using solar cells based on mass-production techniques, utilizing a 72-cell, 270-watt prototype that incorporates Panasonic’s enhanced technology that can be immediately scaled into volume production.
Guardian: Renewables Could Supply Nearly a Quarter of Africa's Energy by 2030
Almost a quarter of Africa’s energy needs could feasibly be supplied by renewables within the next 15 years, according to a new report released by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) yesterday.
The report, which provides a roadmap for renewable energy deployment on the continent, found that a variety of modern renewable technology options could more than quadruple the contribution of renewables to Africa’s energy mix compared to the 5 percent used in 2013, taking renewables' share to 22 percent of the mix.
The report identifies four modern renewable energy technologies that could play a major role in the continent’s energy mix: hydropower, wind, solar power, and modern biomass systems for cooking.
Huffington Post: Germany Announces €1 Billion Solar Power Fund for India
A deal to fast-track approvals for German companies in India, and a €1 billion solar power fund in India, were among the major takeaways from the talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chancellor Angela Merkel, with both sides inking 18 memorandums of understanding to scale up ties in strategic areas.
Modi and Merkel agreed to enhance ties in key areas of defense, security, intelligence, railways, trade and investment, clean energy, and combating terrorism.
"We see Germany as a natural partner in achieving our vision of India's economic transformation. German strengths and India's priorities are aligned," said Modi at a joint media event with Merkel after talks of more than three hours long.
Gazette Live: North Sea Wind Farms Could Present 'Higher Risk' to Migrating Seabirds
Gannets could face a much higher risk from offshore wind farms being built around the U.K.’s coasts than previously thought, a new study has warned.
New analysis of the height at which the seabirds fly has revealed that 12 times as many gannets could be killed by turbine blades than previous estimates at planned wind farm sites which overlap with their feeding grounds.
The warning comes following reports the world’s biggest offshore wind farm could be built of the Northeast coast, with the potential of powering around 2 million homes.
Venture Beat: Nest Is Releasing Its Weave Communication Protocol for Other Connected Devices to Use
Ever since Nest Labs first started selling its learning thermostat in 2011, consumers have responded to its simplicity and the fact that it just works. It wasn’t the first thermostat on the market, but likely helped accelerate the move toward more connected homes. Today, the company has several announcements aimed at promoting this space and improving its Works with Nest program.
Nest Labs is introducing a new device-to-device communications protocol, called Weave -- which works sans Wi-Fi -- into its developer platform. Initial launch partners include P&G, GE’s branded lighting controls, Hunter Douglas, Philips Hue, iHome, and Lutron Electronics.