manufacturing

Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond, a member of Scotland’s National Party (SNP) recently committed his fellow SNPers to a renewable energy goal of 100 percent by 2020.

MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc. (NYSE: WFR) subsidiary SunEdison LLC said today the Ontario Power Authority has confirmed that the company has met the 60% domestic content requirements of the Ontario feed-in-tariff (FIT) program for solar projects. This means the company’s solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, to be manufactured at a new facility in Newmarket, Ontario beginning in Q2 2011, will be accepted in FIT projects in the province.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced considerable funding this past week for advanced solar technologies, focusing the money on research and development and manufacturing in the U.S. 

Shares of Canadian-listed penny stock CO2 Solution, Inc. (CDNX: CST.V) jumped more than 60% (to Cdn$0.28 per share, market cap Cdn$17 million) in early trading today after Alcoa, Inc. (NYSE: AA) reiterated a previously announced carbon capture technology pilot collaboration with CO2 and Codexis, Inc. (Nasdaq: CDXS).

The world’s largest retailer of home furnishing had a busy year last year, and not just in retails sales. IKEA just released its 2010 Sustainability Report highlighting its significant achievements in both social and environmental responsibility and sustainability.

Although vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs) have the potential to be “the next big thing” that would enable economical storage of wind and solar energy, there are no existing or planned utility-scale installations after more than 25 years of development. One small venture capital-funded private company, Prudent Energy Corporation, is leading development.

In its recently released Marketbuzz® 2011, Solarbuzz, an energy consulting firm, reports the global solar photovoltaic (PV) industry had a record year in 2010.

A £500,000 interest free loan incentive has been launched by the Scottish government to encourage households to install energy saving heat and electricity technologies in their homes.

Here are the Top 10 Renewable Energy News Stories You May Have Missed this Week:

A new industry report conducted by the Solar Energy Industries Association and GTM Research highlights record-breaking growth for the United States' solar power industry in 2010.