The high peaks of the Himalayas may soon be a beacon for adventurous solar power entrepreneurs, suggests a new study that identified the lofty region as having some of the world’s greatest potential to capture energy from the sun.

Other regions not traditionally considered hotbeds of solar power potential include the Andes of South America and Antarctica, note Takashi Oozeki and Yutaka Genchi with the National Institute of Industrial Science and Technology in Japan.

In addition to copious amounts of sunlight, these regions are chillier than the usual suspects such as the southwestern United States and the deserts of North Africa. Colder temps increase the operational efficiency of certain photovoltaic solar cells, which turn sunlight into electricity.

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Spain, Abu Dhabi royals gather for molten salt solar

King Juan Carlos of Spain and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi, along with Masdar CEO Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Sener President Jorge Sendagorta, and several other royals from the United Arab Emirates, oversaw opening ceremonies at a 19.9-megawatt solar plant in Fuentes, Andalucía, Spain.

The plant, which uses molten salt thermal storage to generate electricity, is the result of Torresol Energy, a joint venture backed by Spanish engineering firm Sener and the Abu Dhabi’s energy company Masdar.

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Abengoa SA (Seville, Spain) announced that it has completed a 3 MW concentrating solar power (CSP) plant for the India Institute of Technology Bombay (ITT, Mumbai, India), as the nation’s first completed CSP plant.

Abengoa was responsible for design, engineering, supply and commissioning of the plant, which represents an investment of USD 4 million. The plant is located in Gwal Pahari, Haryana State, 35 kilometers from New Delhi.

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Future Perfect Generating green energy in the desert

What’s Happening Right Now?

As far as meeting the ever growing energy need of the world is concerned, two distinct trends are clearly visible. First, there is a growing realization among policy makers, researchers and the general public that existing resources of energy are depleting faster than ever and that a permanent solution has not yet been found. Second, ideas for harnessing alternative sources of energy like water, wind, and sun are being implemented, even though on a small scale. As a part of the second trend, plans for harnessing solar energy in the vast spread deserts like the Sahara have been made in recent times, as you will see below.

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Denver International Airport (DIA) now has more solar power than any other commercial airport in the United States. Renewable Energy World reports that DIA has just completed a 4.4-megawatt ground-mounted solar power system, increasing its total solar power capacity to more than 8-MW. In total, the DIA solar installations cover 45 acres of farmland near the airport.

Put into an operational perspective, DIA now receives over 6 percent of its electricity from solar-generated power. This is positive news from both green and economic standpoints.

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Tepco turns on 7,000 kw solar plant on Tokyo Bay

Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) has launched a large-scale solar power plant on Tokyo Bay with enough juice to power 2,100 homes. The Ukishima power plant, situated on an 11-hectare site in Kawasaki City near Haneda airport, will generate electricity from approximately 38,000 solar panels made by Sharp.

It produces up to 7,000 kw, enough to power 2,100 households, and it’s expected to reduce CO2 emissions by 3,100 tons per year.

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New Energy Technology’s Spray-On Solar Cells Applied on Flexible Plastic Material

Last year, a company called New Energy Technology announced that they had succeeded making a photovoltaic substance that, applied on clear glass, could generate electricity. Now, they are announcing the same innovation being available for flexible plastic materials.

The researchers at New Energy Technology have successfully applied the coating on PET plastics (the material used for plastic bottles) at room temperature and low pressure. This, they say, will reduce manufacturing costs if the materials would be mass-produced.

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The Japanese automaker, Nissan, has developed a charging system that generates electricity from solar power and stores it in the lithium-ion batteries used in its Leaf electric car. On the roof of its global headquarters in Yokohama, the company has installed 488 solar panels, which generate electricity that is then stored in four Leaf batteries installed in the basement; power from the four batteries is sufficient to power 1,800 Leafs annually.

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