Solar Energy

The First Four-Seater, Solar-Powered Vehicle Hits The U.S. Road

January 23, 2015 Sarah Buhr, www.techcrunch.com Create! Environment, Solar Energy, Transportation

Stella, the first ever family sized road vehicle that runs on the sun has made its U.S. debut. The car took first place in the World Solar Challenge and won the Michelin Cruiser Class for completing a 3,000 kilometer journey from Darwin to Adelaide in Australia last fall. While other solar-powered vehicles have been made for racing, the solar-powered Stella is the first vehicle made for road travel. A large solar panel sits atop the roof to power the car up to 500 miles on a single charge. Compare that to a Tesla Roadster, which can run on an electric charge for 245-300 miles. The Netherlands team that designed the vehicle took Stella for a U.S. tour to help kick off National Drive Electric Week.

In US, There Are Twice As Many Solar Workers As Coal Miners

January 20, 2015 Kirsten Korosec, www.readersupportednews.org Educate! Energy, Environment, Labor, Solar Energy

SolarCity, the largest installer of residential solar systems in the U.S., nearly doubled its workforce last year, hiring 4,000 people to do everything from system design and site surveys to installation and engineering. The hiring spree at SolarCity isn’t slowing; it’s picking up speed as the company attempts to install twice as many rooftop solar systems than last year and readies its 1.2 million-square foot factory in New York, which is scheduled to reach full production in 2017. SolarCity SCTY -2.21% plans to eclipse 2014’s hiring numbers, CEO Lyndon Rive tells Fortune. In 2016, SolarCity will hire “quite a bit more” than it will in 2015, Rive says, though he didn’t provide specific numbers.