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Thermal Solar Goes Where PVs Can’t

Cars That Think

Global solar energy supplies are growing rapidly, with nearly 10 times as much solar capacity installed today as there was a decade ago. Leading the boom is the photovoltaic (PV) panel, which converts sunlight into electricity using semiconductors. The first utility-scale solar-thermal plants were built in the 1980s.

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Thermal Solar Goes Where PVs Can’t

Cars That Think

Global solar energy supplies are growing rapidly, with nearly 10 times as much solar capacity installed today as there was a decade ago. Leading the boom is the photovoltaic (PV) panel, which converts sunlight into electricity using semiconductors. The first utility-scale solar-thermal plants were built in the 1980s.

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Engineers Are Working on a Solar Microgrid to Outlast Lunar Nights

Cars That Think

Like a gearbox converts from one speed and torque value to another, power electronics can convert from one power and voltage level to another.” These power electronic converters will be key in managing the power between the battery or the solar panels and the main bus.

Solar 103
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US DOE Awarding Up To $62M for Concentrating Solar Power Research and Development

Green Car Congress

The US Department of Energy has selected 13 projects for investment of up to $62 million over five years to research, develop, and demonstrate Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) systems capable of providing low-cost electrical power. The thirteen award selections announced today fall into two areas: Concentrating Solar Power Systems Studies.

Solar 240
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A closer look at why heat pumps are dominating EV HVAC systems

Charged EVs

If you want to heat up a space that is cold, there are a number of options, from burning a fuel to directly converting electricity into heat (i.e. To convert between the two, the ratio is 1 W = 3.412 BTU / hr. A at 115 VAC, or 586 W, which works out to a COP of 3.0

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DOE announces more than $65M in public and private funding to commercialize promising energy technologies

Green Car Congress

To date, the TCF has funded more than 380 projects by unlocking more than $170 million in funding from more than 300 private sector partners, including automotive manufacturers, energy storage companies, utilities, bioenergy companies, solar providers, and aerospace companies. First Solar Inc. CSolPower, LLC (Albuquerque, New Mexico).