More usable energy reaches the earth from the sun in an hour than the whole world uses in a year.

Solar electricity has powered satellites since the dawn of the space program. It has run remote communications outposts high in the mountains and turned on the lights, kept medicines cold, and pumped water in rural areas for more than 30 years. More recently, solar electric systems have been used to provide power to homes and commercial buildings in cities.

The Kramer Junction Solar Electric Generating Station (to the right) is a 150 megawatt solar power plant located in California's Mojave Desert. The Kramer Junction plant (right) consists of an array of parabolic mirrors which focus the sun's energy on a narrow tube containing a synthetic oil. The oil is heated, then flows into the power generating station where it heats water to steam which drives a turbine. Kramer Junction is one of several plants in the Mojave Desert which, together, produce a total of 354 megawatts of power.

The green dye that Dr. Campbell is holding is synthetic chlorophyl.

Where silicon cells need direct sunlight to operate efficiently, organic cells will work efficiently in low diffuse light conditions,” says Dr Campbell . The solar cells are the product of more than 10 years research funded by the New Zealand Foundation for Research, Science and Technology.

In the near future, energy now lost as heat during the production of electricity (solar or otherwise) will be harnessed through the use of silicon nanowires synthesized via a technique developed by researchers with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California at Berkeley. The far-ranging potential applications of this technology include personal power-jackets that could store heat, as electricity, from the human body to re-heat itself later, or to power electronic devices.

It’s a fact that people who install solar energy systems on their homes save money. In fact, BP Solar customers report an average electric bill savings of 73% per month.

The combination of the 30% Federal investment tax credit and other rebates and incentives currently being offered by many states and local utilities make purchasing a solar electric system for your home more affordable than ever.

An average 2,500 sq. ft. single-family home uses about 5,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per year. The 3 kilowatt system that powers the Domes would cost between $20,000 and $25,000 to install - that's before rebates and incentives.

The 3 kilowatt system that powers a Dome

In fact, there is only one energy source we are all looking to...

Where in it's lifecycle we choose to tap it is the only choice we have. When we generally speak of "solar energy", we are actually refering to the use of photo-voltaic cells to convert light energy from the sun into electrical energy. Wind power and thermo-electrics convert the suns heat energy into electricity.Remember what creates ocean currents and weather? Thats a lot of heat!

What we call fossil fuel energy, is really the burning of high energy chemicals produced by the sun's energy in living organisms. When fossil fuels are burned to generate electricity, a variety of gases and particulates are formed. If these gases and particulates are not captured by some pollution control equipment, they are released into the atmosphere.

Kramer Junction Solar Electric Generating Station

February 11, 2006, in the Desert outside Las Vegas, a major milestone was reached for renewable energy that could represent a shift in how the fastest growing region in the U.S. get its energy. Hundreds of people from around the world were on hand in Boulder City, Nevada, to commemorate the groundbreaking for the beginning of construction on the first Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) energy project in the U.S. in more than 15 years. The first of many to come on line sequentially.

30 kilowatt system that powers a small community

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