The economic slowdown, regulatory conflicts and competition from China pose the main risks to future growth of the solar industry, the head of the European Photovoltaic Industry Associations told Reuters. "The two key elements for me are the regulatory conflict in Europe, particularly in Germany with the revision of the feed-in law, and globally the economic slowdown," Adel El Gammal, secretary general of EPIA, said in an interview.

With the tariff for generation of power through solar energy being fixed at an attractive rate of Rs 15.96 per unit by the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC), the state is confident of attracting top corporate houses to set up solar power projects.

A large number of solar power panels installed at road traffic signals all over the Capital have been carted away by thieves in recent weeks and months. This has not only left most road crossings dependent on regular power supply for operation but also led to a situation where the authorities no longer have the solar option to ensure round-the-clock operation of signals at important junctions.

HIGHER subsidies for Victorians installing solar panels on their homes would put a significant burden on low-income families, Premier John Brumby has warned. Backing a cabinet decision to pay households for feeding solar power into the electricity grid, announced in this week's budget, Mr Brumby said the new solar "tariff" was the highest in Australia. Yesterday, The Age revealed that debate over the solar payment had sparked heated clashes between senior cabinet members Energy Minister Peter Batchelor and Environment Minister Gavin Jennings.

The Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has sanctioned 15 solar power plants of 1 kilo watt power each in 13 sub-divisions of DHBVN, Sirsa and in two sub-divisions of DHBVN, Faridabad. This step would help to meet the power requirements, besides creating awareness among the masses about the generation of power through solar photovoltaic technology.

Cornell, Stanford and Texas A&M universities each will receive grants of $20 million to $25 miliion from a new Saudi Arabian research institution to study nano materials solar energy and computational science. The grants come from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology or KAUST a graduate-level research school set to officially open next year in Thuwal,about80 km north of Jeddah. Cornell and Stanford will receive about $25 million each, and Texas A&M will receiveabout$20 million.

Perched on Killa Hill, Tobakla, a remote tribal hamlet in Tripura's South district, now shines in the dark with a non-conventional solar power plant supplying energy under the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vaidyutikaran Yojana. A septuagenarian, Bikram Singh Jamatiya is a delighted man today. "My village is remote which can be approached only on foot. We lived in darkness at night. Now it is different,' he told a group of visiting journalists. "Earlier, we saw electric lights only when we went to Udaipur, the district town, which is about 25 km from the village,' he said.

Bill Clinton's philanthropic summit has spurred nearly 1,000 commitments in the past three years from business, non-profit and government leaders that aim to improve the lives of 200 million of the world's poor. In a mid-year update of his Clinton Global Initiative summit held each September, Clinton gave a progress report of the commitments, including one by Rajendra Pachauri, the head of the UN's climate science panel.

Scientists, inventors and entrepreneurs are focusing on ways to help the environment. Some of our favorite ideas.

A large number of global energy players are focussing on renewable sources of cheap and clean energy, to meet the demand from developing countries. For them, what better source can there be than the sun?