Ingersoll Rand, an industrial business committed to sustainable business practices, has become a sponsor of the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Solar Decathlon 2013, an international competition for solar and sustainable housing.

PV project developer NRG Energy is bringing solar to the new Santa Clara stadium — the home of the National Football League’s (NFL) San Francisco 49ers — which is due to be opened in 2014. 

US energy provider SolarCity is promoting its net zero home concept at this year’s International Builders Show (IBS) which runs from 22 January to 24 January and hosted by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).

Envision Solar International and Horizon Energy Group have entered into a collaboration agreement to develop several solar shaded parking projects which incorporate BIPV. 

San Diego Zoo in California has unveiled a 90kW solar powered canopy in its car park which is able to charge electric vehicles (EVs). 

Vidaris, a US-based provider of technical consulting and monitoring services for high-performance buildings and speciality structures, has expanded its renewable energy division as a result of growing demand for renewable energy solutions including BIPV and BAPV. 

Installation of a 1.68MW PV system for a recreational vehicle (RV) and boat parking facility in Oakley, California, has broken ground. Representatives from Hayworth-Fabian and the Oakley Chamber of Commerce as well as local residents from the city of Oakley have gathered at a ceremony to celebrate. 

German solar cell manufacturer Sunways has announced that it will deliver its semi-transparent design solar cells for what has been dubbed as the largest transparent photovoltaic roof in the US. The order also represents Sunways’ largest individual order for its BIPV products to date. 

Solar-powered buildings viewed as “public art” could help to generate money for the local economy from tourism, Elizabeth Monoian said standing alongside Robert Ferry at the Photovoltaics, Forms and Landscapes seminar taking place at this year’s European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition being held this week. Monoian and Ferry are co-founders of the Land Art Generator (LAG) initiative. 

The US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has held a ribbon cutting ceremony at its new zero net-energy residential test facility — which is the first of its kind in the country — located at its campus in Gaithersburg, Maryland.