This doesn't have anything directly to do with solar ... but it does have to to do with BP oil spill.
Enjoy.
Monday, June 28, 2010
SunPower Announces Record Cell Efficiency
SunPower has announced that it has produced a full-scale (mono-crystalline) solar cell with a sunlight to electricity conversion efficiency of 24.2 percent at its manufacturing plant in the Philippines.
This is a new world record, confirmed by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL), for large area silicon wafers.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Top 10 Solar PV Manufacturers for Q1 of 2010
Despite seeing a slight decline in module shipments, CdTe giant First Solar still led the market in 1Q10, according to calculations from IMS Research.
Overall 1Q10 was another record quarter for PV modules, with a 3% increase from the previous quarter, and a fourth consecutive Q/Q increase; look for another record in 2Q10 as most suppliers are still at full utilization of ever-expanding production capacity, the analyst firm notes.
The top module suppliers have a distinctively Far East flavor, with five of the top seven firms in China. Trina shipped more modules than Yingli Solar (a first). Yingli did manage to enjoy higher ASPs after a year of declines, and 33% gross margins, though that ASP growth (9% vs. 4Q) was in Euros, the destination for most of its modules -- and the Euro devaluation translated to only a 2% increase in terms of local Renminbi currency.
Overall 1Q10 was another record quarter for PV modules, with a 3% increase from the previous quarter, and a fourth consecutive Q/Q increase; look for another record in 2Q10 as most suppliers are still at full utilization of ever-expanding production capacity, the analyst firm notes.
The top module suppliers have a distinctively Far East flavor, with five of the top seven firms in China. Trina shipped more modules than Yingli Solar (a first). Yingli did manage to enjoy higher ASPs after a year of declines, and 33% gross margins, though that ASP growth (9% vs. 4Q) was in Euros, the destination for most of its modules -- and the Euro devaluation translated to only a 2% increase in terms of local Renminbi currency.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Solar Cells with 60% Efficiency Could be Possible
by Lee Clippard, University of Texas, Austin
Published: June 21, 2010
Conventional solar cell efficiency could be increased from the current limit of 30 percent to more than 60 percent, suggests new research on semiconductor nanocrystals, or quantum dots, led by chemist Xiaoyang Zhu at The University of Texas at Austin.
Zhu and his colleagues report their results in this week's Science.
The scientists have discovered a method to capture the higher energy sunlight that is lost as heat in conventional solar cells.
The maximum efficiency of the silicon solar cell in use today is about 31 percent. That's because much of the energy from sunlight hitting a solar cell is too high to be turned into usable electricity. That energy, in the form of so-called "hot electrons," is lost as heat.
If the higher energy sunlight, or more specifically the hot electrons, could be captured, solar-to-electric power conversion efficiency could be increased theoretically to as high as 66 percent.
"There are a few steps needed to create what I call this 'ultimate solar cell,'" says Zhu, professor of chemistry and director of the Center for Materials Chemistry. "First, the cooling rate of hot electrons needs to be slowed down. Second, we need to be able to grab those hot electrons and use them quickly before they lose all of their energy."
Zhu says that semiconductor nanocrystals, or quantum dots, are promising for these purposes.
As for the first problem, a number of research groups have suggested that cooling of hot electrons can be slowed down in semiconductor nanocrystals. In a 2008 paper in Science, a research group from the University of Chicago showed this to be true unambiguously for colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals.
Zhu's team has now figured out the next critical step: how to take those electrons out.
They discovered that hot electrons can be transferred from photo-excited lead selenide nanocrystals to an electron conductor made of widely used titanium dioxide.
"If we take the hot electrons out, we can do work with them," says Zhu. "The demonstration of this hot electron transfer establishes that a highly efficient hot carrier solar cell is not just a theoretical concept, but an experimental possibility."
The researchers used quantum dots made of lead selenide, but Zhu says that their methods will work for quantum dots made of other materials, too.
He cautions that this is just one scientific step, and that more science and a lot of engineering need to be done before the world sees a 66 percent efficient solar cell.
In particular, there's a third piece of the science puzzle that Zhu is working on: connecting to an electrical conducting wire.
"If we take out electrons from the solar cell that are this fast, or hot, we also lose energy in the wire as heat," says Zhu. "Our next goal is to adjust the chemistry at the interface to the conducting wire so that we can minimize this additional energy loss. We want to capture most of the energy of sunlight. That's the ultimate solar cell.
"Fossil fuels come at a great environmental cost," says Zhu. "There is no reason that we cannot be using solar energy 100 percent within 50 years."
Source: Renewable Energy World
Published: June 21, 2010
Conventional solar cell efficiency could be increased from the current limit of 30 percent to more than 60 percent, suggests new research on semiconductor nanocrystals, or quantum dots, led by chemist Xiaoyang Zhu at The University of Texas at Austin.
Zhu and his colleagues report their results in this week's Science.
The scientists have discovered a method to capture the higher energy sunlight that is lost as heat in conventional solar cells.
The maximum efficiency of the silicon solar cell in use today is about 31 percent. That's because much of the energy from sunlight hitting a solar cell is too high to be turned into usable electricity. That energy, in the form of so-called "hot electrons," is lost as heat.
If the higher energy sunlight, or more specifically the hot electrons, could be captured, solar-to-electric power conversion efficiency could be increased theoretically to as high as 66 percent.
"There are a few steps needed to create what I call this 'ultimate solar cell,'" says Zhu, professor of chemistry and director of the Center for Materials Chemistry. "First, the cooling rate of hot electrons needs to be slowed down. Second, we need to be able to grab those hot electrons and use them quickly before they lose all of their energy."
Zhu says that semiconductor nanocrystals, or quantum dots, are promising for these purposes.
As for the first problem, a number of research groups have suggested that cooling of hot electrons can be slowed down in semiconductor nanocrystals. In a 2008 paper in Science, a research group from the University of Chicago showed this to be true unambiguously for colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals.
Zhu's team has now figured out the next critical step: how to take those electrons out.
They discovered that hot electrons can be transferred from photo-excited lead selenide nanocrystals to an electron conductor made of widely used titanium dioxide.
"If we take the hot electrons out, we can do work with them," says Zhu. "The demonstration of this hot electron transfer establishes that a highly efficient hot carrier solar cell is not just a theoretical concept, but an experimental possibility."
The researchers used quantum dots made of lead selenide, but Zhu says that their methods will work for quantum dots made of other materials, too.
He cautions that this is just one scientific step, and that more science and a lot of engineering need to be done before the world sees a 66 percent efficient solar cell.
In particular, there's a third piece of the science puzzle that Zhu is working on: connecting to an electrical conducting wire.
"If we take out electrons from the solar cell that are this fast, or hot, we also lose energy in the wire as heat," says Zhu. "Our next goal is to adjust the chemistry at the interface to the conducting wire so that we can minimize this additional energy loss. We want to capture most of the energy of sunlight. That's the ultimate solar cell.
"Fossil fuels come at a great environmental cost," says Zhu. "There is no reason that we cannot be using solar energy 100 percent within 50 years."
Source: Renewable Energy World
Thursday, June 24, 2010
New Sanyo Hybrid Solar Panels Reach 20.7% Efficiency
Sanyo is a major manufacturer of solar panels, with three factories in Japan, one in Hungary serving Europe, and a fifth in Mexico that serves the US market. The N series of modules are produced in Japan and consist of solar cells of the Hetero-junction with Intrinsic Thin-layer (HIT) type.
HIT solar cells contain a single thin crystalline wafer of silicon surrounded by ultra-thin amorphous layers of silicon. They are characterized by high efficiency at high temperatures, and increased output power even during high summertime temperatures. The high conversion efficiency of HIT cells means more capacity can be installed compared to conventional crystalline silicon solar cells.
The new N230 solar cell module is claimed to have an energy conversion efficiency of 20.7 percent, which makes it the most efficient solar module produced so far. The unprecedented efficiency was achieved by increasing the number of solar cell tabs from two to three and making each tab thinner. They also applied AG coated glass to the cells, and this reduces the amount of scattering and reflection of light. The increase in energy conversion efficiency could make the solar modules useful in areas with less than ideal amounts of sunshine.
Sanyo is already one of the leading manufacturers of solar cells and modules, and the company is currently expanding its solar cell module production at Kaizuka City and Ohtsu City in Japan in response to increased demand. In total Sanyo plans to nearly double its HIT solar cell production from the current level of 340 MW to 600 MW by March next year.
National and local installation subsidies in Japan have seen the local market expand rapidly, and this has also been helped by the national government’s new program for purchasing surplus electricity generated by solar installations.
The 230W model N230 and 225W N225 will both be officially launched in Japan in autumn this year and in Europe in 2011.
HIT solar cells contain a single thin crystalline wafer of silicon surrounded by ultra-thin amorphous layers of silicon. They are characterized by high efficiency at high temperatures, and increased output power even during high summertime temperatures. The high conversion efficiency of HIT cells means more capacity can be installed compared to conventional crystalline silicon solar cells.
The new N230 solar cell module is claimed to have an energy conversion efficiency of 20.7 percent, which makes it the most efficient solar module produced so far. The unprecedented efficiency was achieved by increasing the number of solar cell tabs from two to three and making each tab thinner. They also applied AG coated glass to the cells, and this reduces the amount of scattering and reflection of light. The increase in energy conversion efficiency could make the solar modules useful in areas with less than ideal amounts of sunshine.
Sanyo is already one of the leading manufacturers of solar cells and modules, and the company is currently expanding its solar cell module production at Kaizuka City and Ohtsu City in Japan in response to increased demand. In total Sanyo plans to nearly double its HIT solar cell production from the current level of 340 MW to 600 MW by March next year.
National and local installation subsidies in Japan have seen the local market expand rapidly, and this has also been helped by the national government’s new program for purchasing surplus electricity generated by solar installations.
The 230W model N230 and 225W N225 will both be officially launched in Japan in autumn this year and in Europe in 2011.
Four Key Industry Trends
Stabilizing prices, strong European demand, ongoing shortages of critical components, and finally some green-lit funding were key messages coming out of last week's Intersolar conference in Munich, according to Gartner's James Hines.
In a research note, he lists the four main points:
Prices stable, modest increases possible. Module prices are in the ~$1.70/W range. Chinese manufacturers can't cut prices because of still-low Euro valuations, and tight supply is underpinning pricing. There's some talk among manufacturers about raising prices, with module ASPs likely rising ~5% in 2H10.
Strong PV demand in Europe. For all the hand-wringing over its FiT plans, Germany will likely see 7GW this year, and Italy and the Czech Republics are also hot markets with possibly ≥1GW each by year's end. Greece's financial crisis seems to have had "little direct impact on PV demand," since the bulk of project financing is foreign-based, and incentives are (for the time being) intact.
PV inverters are still scarce. Inverter manufacturers are unable to meet demand -- to the point of being apologetic about it -- due to a lack of components they need (e.g. semiconductor devices, capacitors, and resistors). And there seems to be no resolution on the horizon. "Inverter availability might prove to be the limiting factor for the PV market in 2010," Hines writes.
Project financing is back. Among the PV industry's woes in 2009 was that financial supporters for PV projects promptly shut off their spigots. But this now appears to be a thing of the past -- project financing "appears to be largely resolved in European PV markets," Hines says. And investors are "back to the table" in the US as well, as credit markets recover and visibility improves for domestic renewable energy programs in the stimulus package.
In a research note, he lists the four main points:
Prices stable, modest increases possible. Module prices are in the ~$1.70/W range. Chinese manufacturers can't cut prices because of still-low Euro valuations, and tight supply is underpinning pricing. There's some talk among manufacturers about raising prices, with module ASPs likely rising ~5% in 2H10.
Strong PV demand in Europe. For all the hand-wringing over its FiT plans, Germany will likely see 7GW this year, and Italy and the Czech Republics are also hot markets with possibly ≥1GW each by year's end. Greece's financial crisis seems to have had "little direct impact on PV demand," since the bulk of project financing is foreign-based, and incentives are (for the time being) intact.
PV inverters are still scarce. Inverter manufacturers are unable to meet demand -- to the point of being apologetic about it -- due to a lack of components they need (e.g. semiconductor devices, capacitors, and resistors). And there seems to be no resolution on the horizon. "Inverter availability might prove to be the limiting factor for the PV market in 2010," Hines writes.
Project financing is back. Among the PV industry's woes in 2009 was that financial supporters for PV projects promptly shut off their spigots. But this now appears to be a thing of the past -- project financing "appears to be largely resolved in European PV markets," Hines says. And investors are "back to the table" in the US as well, as credit markets recover and visibility improves for domestic renewable energy programs in the stimulus package.
China PV Manufacturer's See Slowing Growth Rate
Recent revenue and shipment announcements by some of China's major PV makers suggest that growth for end-market demand is slowing.
With the exception of Yingli (primarily affected by the depreciation of the Euro vs. Yuan), the major Chinese PV players showed slowing growth vs. previous quarters -- and their growth in 1Q10 was mainly due to increased demand in Europe to get new PV systems installed ahead of Germany's upcoming changes to its feed-in tariff.
With the exception of Yingli (primarily affected by the depreciation of the Euro vs. Yuan), the major Chinese PV players showed slowing growth vs. previous quarters -- and their growth in 1Q10 was mainly due to increased demand in Europe to get new PV systems installed ahead of Germany's upcoming changes to its feed-in tariff.
Coupled with the euro volatility, this could mean a weaker outlook for installations through this year and maybe 2011, and will likely affect demand since all these suppliers are significantly exposed to European markets. Continued financial weakness in Europe (Greece, Portugal, Spain, and Italy), could lead to a roll back in solar incentives, which could affect the PV market for years.
The currency valuations also could spell cost problems for Chinese suppliers, since they report costs in dollars but sales in Euros -- this squeezes gross margins, and narrows the cost-advantage gap between them and European companies (e.g. REC, SolarWorld), Koh writes.
Source: Electro IQ Read the full article here.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Stirling CSP for 1.5 MW Comes on Line
This is the Maricopa Solar project, a 1.5-megawatt (MW) array of SunCatcher Systems (also known as the Stirling Dish Engine). In January NTR plc, which owns both SES and Tessera Solar, opened the plant after breaking ground just four months earlier.
Maricopa Solar is the first commercial project for the SunCatcher concentrating solar power (CSP) technology, which was designed and manufactured by SES. The SES SunCatcher is a 25-kilowatt solar power system that uses a 38-foot high, mirrored parabolic dish combined with an automatic tracking system to collect and focus the sun’s energy onto a Stirling engine to convert the solar thermal energy into grid quality electricity.
Maricopa Solar is comprised of 60 SunCatcher dishes and will bring energy to Salt River Project (SRP) customers in Greater Phoenix, Arizona. The SunCatchers unveiled at Maricopa Solar were manufactured and assembled in North America, mostly in Michigan by automotive suppliers. Parts for the SunCatcher dishes are also on track to be made by Linamar Corp. in Canada, which has said that it is expanding its local workforce by 1,200 people in large part to manufacture parts for SES.
The project is the result of a long development process for Stirling and Tessera. SES has been working for more than two decades to perfect the SunCatcher’s technology to make it utility-friendly. The company experienced many technical delays along the way, raising a lot of skepticism from people in the industry who feared that the technology was being over hyped.
Invented in 1816 by Robert Stirling, Stirling engines use air, helium or hydrogen, which is sealed inside the engine. The Stirling cycle needs an external heat source, which could be either solar or biomass. The heat moves the gas from a hot side to a cold side, expanding, contracting and pushing pistons. There are no exhaust valves and no combustion takes place inside the engine’s cylinders.
High volume manufacturing of the SunCatcher is expected to begin later this summer and Tessera Solar's vice president of development, Felicia Bellows said that the company expects to break ground on utility-scale projects late this year in California and Texas. She said that despite long backlogs for transmission permitting, especially in California, where a new project could be in the queue for three years before getting permits, Tessera's projects are on track.
“Everything is based on permitting right now, if everything moves as planned, Imperial Valley solar is the project that is most likely to come online first, followed by or even possibly preceded by the Western Ranch facility in Texas,” she said.
SES has been talking about developing large projects for years, with little to show for it. The company said it would have 300 MW developed by this year. It only has 1.5 MW.
But with backing from a larger energy company, SES and Tessera officials are still talking about building large projects. According to the company, the first project in the Imperial Valley will be a whopping 750-MW, with the first 300-MW contracted under a power purchase agreement with San Diego Gas & Electric near El Centro, California. The second, Calico, is an 850-MW project with Southern California Edison near Barstow, California; and Western Ranch is a 27-MW project with CPS Energy in West Texas. Given the company's earlier claims, it remains to be seen whether they can pull it off.
Source: by Graham Jesmer, Video Producer
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Italy's Renewable Energy Sector Stunned by Government Cuts
ROME (Dow Jones)--A shock change in Italy's public incentives for renewable energy investment has brought financing for the sector to a halt, stunning aspiring players in the green economy that many hoped would be a driver of growth.
A decree packed into Italy's austerity budget relieves the state-run energy management agency, or GSE, from its role as the buyer of last resort for green certificates issued to support development of cleaner energy production.
Source: Wall Street Journal
A decree packed into Italy's austerity budget relieves the state-run energy management agency, or GSE, from its role as the buyer of last resort for green certificates issued to support development of cleaner energy production.
Source: Wall Street Journal
Intersolar 2010 Sets New Records (again)
The world's largest exhibition for the solar industry, Intersolar Europe, exceeded the expectations of the organizers last week in Munich, Germany. Close to 72,000 visitors from around 150 nations visited Intersolar Europe at the New Munich Trade Fair Center. 1,880 exhibitors, 33% more than in 2009 presented their products and services on 134,000 m² of exhibition area covering twelve halls and the connected outdoor area.
The organizers of Intersolar Europe, in cooperation with the German Solar Industry Association (BSW-Solar) from Berlin jointly presented the Intersolar Award.
The overwhelming success of Intersolar Europe 2010 can be summed up with the phrase: 'a world champion!', believes Markus Elsasser, managing director of Solar Promotion GmbH, Pforzheim, one of the two organizers of Intersolar Europe. "The number of visitors exceeded our wildest expectations. According to the preliminary results we were able to welcome around 72,000 visitors – an increase of around 23% of the previous year. Intersolar Europe thus sends a strong signal from Munich to the solar industry around the world", he said.
For the third time running, the Intersolar Award rewarded innovative, groundbreaking products and services at Intersolar Europe. The organizers of Intersolar Europe, in cooperation with the German Solar Industry Association (BSW-Solar) from Berlin jointly presented the Intersolar Award.
This year, prizes were awarded in the fields of “Photovoltaics” and “Solar Thermal Technology” and for the first time in the category “PV Production Technology”.
The Intersolar Award for “Photovoltaics” went to ABB Schweiz AG, Gehrlicher Solar AG and SMA Solar Technology AG this year. The following companies received the Intersolar Award in the new category “PV Production Technology”: Festo AG & Co. KG, GEMO-TEC Ltd. and Gebr. Schmid GmbH + Co.
The winners in the "Solar thermal" category were FSAVE Solartechnik GmbH, InvenSor Gmbh as well as the joint submission from the Institute for Building Construction and Design at Stuttgart University, Ritter Energie- und Umwelttechnik GmbH & Co. KG, Hydro Building Systems GmbH and Frener & Reifer Metallbau GmbH.
source: Renewable Energy World
The organizers of Intersolar Europe, in cooperation with the German Solar Industry Association (BSW-Solar) from Berlin jointly presented the Intersolar Award.
The overwhelming success of Intersolar Europe 2010 can be summed up with the phrase: 'a world champion!', believes Markus Elsasser, managing director of Solar Promotion GmbH, Pforzheim, one of the two organizers of Intersolar Europe. "The number of visitors exceeded our wildest expectations. According to the preliminary results we were able to welcome around 72,000 visitors – an increase of around 23% of the previous year. Intersolar Europe thus sends a strong signal from Munich to the solar industry around the world", he said.
For the third time running, the Intersolar Award rewarded innovative, groundbreaking products and services at Intersolar Europe. The organizers of Intersolar Europe, in cooperation with the German Solar Industry Association (BSW-Solar) from Berlin jointly presented the Intersolar Award.
This year, prizes were awarded in the fields of “Photovoltaics” and “Solar Thermal Technology” and for the first time in the category “PV Production Technology”.
The Intersolar Award for “Photovoltaics” went to ABB Schweiz AG, Gehrlicher Solar AG and SMA Solar Technology AG this year. The following companies received the Intersolar Award in the new category “PV Production Technology”: Festo AG & Co. KG, GEMO-TEC Ltd. and Gebr. Schmid GmbH + Co.
The winners in the "Solar thermal" category were FSAVE Solartechnik GmbH, InvenSor Gmbh as well as the joint submission from the Institute for Building Construction and Design at Stuttgart University, Ritter Energie- und Umwelttechnik GmbH & Co. KG, Hydro Building Systems GmbH and Frener & Reifer Metallbau GmbH.
Entrion Signs Term Sheet to Acquire more than 30 MW of Italian PV Projects
Etrion Corporation (listed on Toronto stock exchange) has signed a non-binding term sheet to acquire more than 30 megawatts of solar power projects in Italy for cash consideration of approximately 45 million Euros plus the assumption of the related non-recourse loan facilities.
Marco Northland, the Company's CEO, commented, "We are very excited about this potential acquisition to strengthen our solar PV portfolio in Italy. If completed, the acquisition would more than triple the size of our company in terms of installed capacity, and it would make us one of the major solar power players in Italy. We look forward to closing the transaction soon."
The solar power plants that Etrion intends to acquire are expected to produce over 55 million kilowatt hours of electricity and more than 20 million Euros of cash flow per year. The projects are operational or near-operational, ground-based solar photovoltaic power plants that benefit from the 2009 feed-in-tariff of 0.353 Euros per kWh or the 2010 feed-in-tariff of 0.346 Euros per kWh plus a market price of approximately 0.08 Euros per kWh. The Italian feed-in-tariff is a premium purchase price for renewable electricity that is guaranteed by the Italian government for 20 years from the start of operations.
The acquisition of the solar projects is subject to completing the negotiation of a definitive agreement, which is expected by July 2010, and which will include standard closing conditions such as change of control waivers for the existing debt facility agreements.
The Company intends to fund the acquisition through a bridge loan from its major shareholder, Lundin Petroleum, subject to regulatory approval. The bridge loan would carry interest at LIBOR plus 3%.
Source: Etrion
Marco Northland, the Company's CEO, commented, "We are very excited about this potential acquisition to strengthen our solar PV portfolio in Italy. If completed, the acquisition would more than triple the size of our company in terms of installed capacity, and it would make us one of the major solar power players in Italy. We look forward to closing the transaction soon."
The solar power plants that Etrion intends to acquire are expected to produce over 55 million kilowatt hours of electricity and more than 20 million Euros of cash flow per year. The projects are operational or near-operational, ground-based solar photovoltaic power plants that benefit from the 2009 feed-in-tariff of 0.353 Euros per kWh or the 2010 feed-in-tariff of 0.346 Euros per kWh plus a market price of approximately 0.08 Euros per kWh. The Italian feed-in-tariff is a premium purchase price for renewable electricity that is guaranteed by the Italian government for 20 years from the start of operations.
The acquisition of the solar projects is subject to completing the negotiation of a definitive agreement, which is expected by July 2010, and which will include standard closing conditions such as change of control waivers for the existing debt facility agreements.
The Company intends to fund the acquisition through a bridge loan from its major shareholder, Lundin Petroleum, subject to regulatory approval. The bridge loan would carry interest at LIBOR plus 3%.
Source: Etrion
Sharp Starts Building Thin Film Modules in Germany
Hamburg, Germany:
For the first time, Sharp Energy Solutions Europe is building solar power plants for energy providers in Germany. It is a project in cooperation with EnBW Erneuerbare Energien GmbH on the one hand and a project for the Pfalzwerke Aktiengesellschaft through the partner Eurosol on the other.
With an investment of around € 6 million in 2009, both megawatt projects promise good yields. Sharp’s silicon-based thin-film technology is a central success factor for the profitability of photovoltaics.
EnBW is entering into the solar energy market as an investor with the Leibertingen solar park in Baden-Württemberg and makes use of Sharp‘s solar technology in the process. The same goes for Pfalzwerke Aktiengesellschaft, with its photovoltaic plant in Höheinöd, Rhineland-Palatinate.
“Together with our partners, we could realise a showcase project which will act as a beacon even beyond the boundaries of the regions”, says Peter Thiele, Executive Vice President of Sharp Energy Solution Europe. “Both solar power plants clearly demonstrate how cost-effective photovoltaics can be, especially the thin-film technology. They make it clear that photovoltaics is a secure, profitable and environmentally friendly energy technology, thus making it a lucrative future model for energy providers.”
Roughly 17,000 Sharp thin-film modules produce environmentally friendly electricity in each of the solar power plants.
Second-generation microamorphous thin-film modules are used in both power plants: the 1.42 square metre silicon-based modules generate a high yield and are well-suited to sophisticated system designs thanks to their low output voltage of 60 volts.
“We put the world’s largest thin film cell factory online in March 2010 in Sakai, thus increasing our production capacity to its current 870 megawatts,” reports Peter Thiele. The technology enterprise also produces LCD panels in addition to solar cells here. The similar production processes secure important competitive advantages for Sharp:
"In Sakai, we can produce the raw material-saving thin film modules highly efficiently and cost-consciously”, Peter Thiele continues.
In the future, Sharp intends to produce thin film cells in Sakai in a microamorphous triple-junction structure and expand the production capacity to up to 1,000 megawatts.
European PV Market to Change Significantly over Next 3 Years
The News: FIT rates in Europe are being reduced over next few years - as EU countries plan to follow the lead of Germany to reduce incentives.
My View: You can expect the following trends to emerge:
1. Chinese companies to get a bigger share of the market - as developers shop for lower prices to keep investor yields attractive at the lower FIT rates
2. Big power companies (e.g., ENEL in Italy, and Electricite' de France (EDF) will expand large scale projects - pushing prices down further).
3. Big name companies - GE, Siemens, ABB will be active in the big ground-based project development.
Growth will remain strong - but market share will shift toward Asian suppliers.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Solar Industry To Hit US $77B in 2015
Boston, United States
As the books close on what was a turbulent 2009 for the solar industry, Lux Research said that the solar market will soon see the lopsided supply and demand that characterized much of the last year return to equilibrium. According to the new report Solar's Shakeout: Europe Loses Leadership as China Rises," strong demand growth in Asia and the U.S. will push the market to 9.3 GW in 2010, hitting a dollar value of US $39 billion.
Building from there, continuing price reductions for all types of solar technology are expected to open new markets and help the solar industry reach $77 billion in revenue and 26.4 GW in capacity by 2015.
A large portion of the growth is expected to come from China, which in the last few years has become large manufacturer of solar modules and materials, but not yet a large buyer of them. Lux said it expects China to be the world's largest solar market in 2015.
The report underscores, however, that the renewed balance between supply and demand will arrive only after a wave of company failures and lower utilization rates.
Lux analyzes economic competitiveness and other drivers for the industry's six major technologies, crystalline silicon (x-Si), cadmium telluride (CdTe), thin film silicon (TF-Si), copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS), high concentrating photovoltaics (HCPV) and concentrating solar power (CSP).
"We found that solar's short-term pain will enable it to exceed growth expectations over the very long-term," said Ted Sullivan, a senior analyst for Lux Research, and the report's lead author. "The volume of solar installations will grow at a 23% annual rate from 2010 to 2015, but revenue will grow by just 14%, as prices fall due to remaining over-capacity. While current subsidies in China and elsewhere will help soak up some of that capacity, there will be widespread company failures throughout the value chain first."
The report updates earlier market size and demand forecasts, extends Lux Research's outlook through 2015, and adds three new geographies -- Czech Republic, New Jersey, and Ontario -- due to their high levels of subsidies and rapidly developing markets.
Among the key findings are that capacity remains well above demand -- signaling violent changes ahead.
Lux expects the supply and demand curves to move abruptly together over the next few years due to company failures. Demand will also increase in producing regions such as China, prompted by government subsidies and other factors.
Low-cost x-Si technologies will continue to dominate the marketplace, but thin-film and CSP will gain market share.
Lux said that as financing begins to return to solar in 2010, crystalline silicon players will continue to use low price as a weapon against new technologies that don't share its "bankability" or scale. However, new technologies such as CSP, CIGS, and even HCPV technologies are expected to gain at the margins.
The biggest take away from the report is that solar adoption will be a multi-decade story. Lux said that solar will wildly beat its expectations in the long-term. When it comes down to deploying solar the industry will rely on an energy and construction business model rather than a consumer-oriented one. As a result the report said that solar's adoption will rely in large part on replacement cycles for residential and commercial roofs and for natural gas power plants.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
US to Make Public Lands Available for Large Solar Projects
Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) President and CEO Rhone Resch released the following statement on today’s U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announcement of its rent policy for utility-scale solar power plants on federal lands:
“Recent independent polling shows that three out of four Americans support putting solar power plants on public lands. Yet while oil and gas companies have received more than 74,000 permits to operate on federal lands in the past two decades, utility-scale solar developers have received zero. We applaud Interior Secretary Salazar and BLM Director Abbey for achieving this milestone and taking another step toward the clean energy future that the American public wants.
“Utility-scale solar projects are moving forward with today’s announcement and the BLM’s efforts to fast-track the review of pending applications for solar projects on public lands. These policies, combined with other initiatives like the Treasury Grant Program (where project developers obtain a grant in lieu of a tax credit), have helped the utility-scale solar power project pipeline grow to 22 gigawatts, enough to provide clean power to 4.4 million homes and create tens of thousands of jobs from coast to coast.
“We look forward to continuing to work with the Interior Department and BLM to develop the right policies to rapidly deploy clean, reliable solar energy on public lands in a responsible manner.”
Source: Renewable Energy Sources
SCHOTT Solar Upgrades Guarantee on Solar Power Modules
By introducing a new extended performance guarantee, SCHOTT Solar AG is offering new buying and investment incentives on photovoltaics. The company has now switched over its warranty on solar power modules from being a graduated to a linear digressive model that guarantees customers higher performance than before for each year covered by the guarantee period. Already in September 2009, SCHOTT Solar extended its warranty on its glass-foil modules to 25 years and to 30 years for its double glass modules and also introduced continuous “Plus Tolerance”. Together with the new linear performance guarantee, system operators will now be able to benefit from even higher, fixed calculable yields and thus improve their return on equity.
The previous warranty on photovoltaic modules that SCHOTT Solar had issued guaranteed that output would remain at a constant level of 90 percent for the first 10 years and 80 percent beyond that period. In the future, the company will be guaranteeing output of at least 97 percent for the first year. Then this declines only slightly by 0.7 percent per year on glass-foil modules and 0.5 percent on double glass modules for the remaining period. In other words, SCHOTT Solar customers can count on receiving higher guaranteed output each year during the term of the guarantee in comparison to the previous policy. With glass-foil modules, this will be up to 10 percentage points higher than in the past and even as much as 12 percentage points higher for double glass modules.
A 6 KWp installation on top of a roof, for example, helps to illustrate how the efficiency of photovoltaic systems improves rather considerably as a result of the extended performance guarantee from SCHOTT Solar. If one were to take the solar radiation in the Rhine-Main region for a period of 20 years, starting on December 31, 2010, for example, the guaranteed yield that the new policy would cover would increase by 6.5 percent from 37,128 euros to 39,530 euros. The return on equity would increase from 4.52 to 5.39 percent.
Ökotest and Fraunhofer ISE confirm quality
The new output guarantee from SCHOTT Solar is made possible by the exceptionally high quality standards in the areas of development and manufacturing that were repeatedly confirmed only recently by independent parties. For instance, for its April 2008 edition, the consumer magazine “Ökotest” tested a total of 15 solar modules from German and foreign manufacturers for their ability to perform and possible defects. The SCHOTT Poly 220 module was given the top score of "Very Good". And in the long-term test performed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) in Freiburg, the modules from SCHOTT Solar also proved to deliver exceptionally stable performance. Even after 25 years of permanent use, the degradation was only 9 percent.
"The name SCHOTT Solar stands for reliable premium quality in photovoltaics all over the world. This applies to our warranty in particular – and will do so even more in the future," emphasizes Dr. Martin Heming, Chairman of the Board of Management and CEO of SCHOTT Solar AG, and adds: "With our new performance guarantee that has been improved from the customer’s point of view, we are setting clear accents in competing at a time when buying decisions are highly dependent on being able to achieve returns without having to take any risks. We view this measure to be an important step in further strengthening consumer confidence in us as a manufacturer," he concludes.
Source: Renewable Energy sources
Abengoa Solar partners with Total and Masdar to build, own and operate the first large scale Solar Power Plant in the Middle East
Abu Dhabi, June 9, 2010.- The bidding consortium of Abengoa Solar and Total has been selected in the competitive international Shams -1 tender by Abu Dhabi’s future energy company Masdar to enter with Masdar into a joint venture to develop, own and operate in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi the largest solar plant in the Middle East. Featuring some 6,300,000 square-feet of Abengoa Solar parabolic trough collectors, the plant will have a 100 megawatts capacity of clean solar power.
With construction beginning in mid 2010, the Shams concentrating solar power (CSP) station will be operational in 2012 and will cover 741 acres of desert. The plant will produce enough electricity to power 62,000 households with sustainable energy. The Shams -1 plant represents one of the first steps in the region towards the introduction of sustainable energy sources in an energy market which until now has depended mostly on hydrocarbons. To make solar power generation viable, the Government of Abu Dhabi has approved for the Shams -1 project a solar incentive premium in the form of a long term Green Power Agreement.
With construction beginning in mid 2010, the Shams concentrating solar power (CSP) station will be operational in 2012 and will cover 741 acres of desert. The plant will produce enough electricity to power 62,000 households with sustainable energy. The Shams -1 plant represents one of the first steps in the region towards the introduction of sustainable energy sources in an energy market which until now has depended mostly on hydrocarbons. To make solar power generation viable, the Government of Abu Dhabi has approved for the Shams -1 project a solar incentive premium in the form of a long term Green Power Agreement.
Enecsys PV Micro-Inverter Increases Solar Power Harvesting
Cambridge, U.K.-based Enecsys Ltd. has introduced its first solar PV grid-connected micro-inverter for the European and North American markets. According to the company, a solar PV system based on Enecsys' micro-inverters will have improved energy harvest and, therefore, cut the cost of harvested power by up to 20% over the lifetime of the installation, compared with a conventional system using string inverters.
The Enecsys micro-inverter is equipped with a built-in ZigBee wireless communication system that connects to the Internet via a gateway and provides detailed information on the performance of each solar module.
The micro-inverter is designed for high-reliability operation and to have a life expectancy of at least 25 years, thereby matching the life of solar modules to which they are directly connected, Enecsys adds. Three product versions are available: one for 200 W maximum inverter input power, one for 240 W output and one for 280 W output.
The products operate on both European (220-240 Vac, 50 Hz) and North American (110-120 Vac, 60 Hz) electricity grids. Products are presently CE-certified, and country-specific requirements, including VDE V 0126-1: 2006 compliance, are achieved through the use of specific Enecsys installation products. The North American market certification, UL1741, is expected in July.
The Enecsys micro-inverter is equipped with a built-in ZigBee wireless communication system that connects to the Internet via a gateway and provides detailed information on the performance of each solar module.
The micro-inverter is designed for high-reliability operation and to have a life expectancy of at least 25 years, thereby matching the life of solar modules to which they are directly connected, Enecsys adds. Three product versions are available: one for 200 W maximum inverter input power, one for 240 W output and one for 280 W output.
The products operate on both European (220-240 Vac, 50 Hz) and North American (110-120 Vac, 60 Hz) electricity grids. Products are presently CE-certified, and country-specific requirements, including VDE V 0126-1: 2006 compliance, are achieved through the use of specific Enecsys installation products. The North American market certification, UL1741, is expected in July.
Avancis to Construct Second CIGS Manufacturing Plant
Torgau, Germany: Avancis to Construct Second Thin Film Manufacturing Plant
Saint-Gobain's subsidiary Avancis, will be building a new manufacturing plant to produce photovoltaic modules to cover the roofs of residential, industrial and commercial buildings as well as for solar plants. This industrial site will be located in Torgau, Germany, where the Group is already present through Saint- Gobain Glass (flat glass and coated glass), Saint-Gobain Sekurit (automotive glass) and Avancis (PV modules).
This new plant will be Avancis’ second German facility manufacturing thin-film CIGS (Copper - Indium - Gallium - Selenide) photovoltaic panels. It will be built close to the first Avancis industrial site.
The new Avancis plant will have a production output of 100 MWp/year, capable of supplying year after year the electricity needs for cities of 15,000 inhabitants. With a surface area of 25,000m², the site should come on stream by the first quarter of 2012.
The innovative technology based on depositing a coating of CIGS on a glass substrate offers a way to avoid traditional crystalline silicon and achieve higher conversion efficiencies than other thin-film technologies (above 12% industrially and up to 20% in the laboratory). The company says it is also efficient at lower light levels, and offers competitive advantages in terms of manufacturing costs. In addition, its aesthetic style is particularly appealing.
This technology requires leading-edge expertise when it comes to coating and thermally-treating glass material, two core-competency processes for Saint-Gobain, the world’s leading coated glass specialist for the building and automotive industries.
“This project marks a new milestone in Saint-Gobain’s commitment to the renewable energy sector. With this plant, Saint-Gobain will boost the industrial development of Avancis and help it become a major reference in the field of high-efficiency thin-film PV modules” explains Jean-Pierre Floris, President of the Innovative Materials Sector and Senior-Vice President of Saint-Gobain.
The company says this is an extremely promising technology which combines the low production costs associated with all thin-film based techniques, with efficiencies approaching the higher levels achieved using polycrystalline silicon cells. Whilst being well-adapted for solar fields, the Avancis modules are particularly recommended for roof installation, being simple to mount, stylish and reliable.
Source: solarbuzz
Saint-Gobain's subsidiary Avancis, will be building a new manufacturing plant to produce photovoltaic modules to cover the roofs of residential, industrial and commercial buildings as well as for solar plants. This industrial site will be located in Torgau, Germany, where the Group is already present through Saint- Gobain Glass (flat glass and coated glass), Saint-Gobain Sekurit (automotive glass) and Avancis (PV modules).
This new plant will be Avancis’ second German facility manufacturing thin-film CIGS (Copper - Indium - Gallium - Selenide) photovoltaic panels. It will be built close to the first Avancis industrial site.
The new Avancis plant will have a production output of 100 MWp/year, capable of supplying year after year the electricity needs for cities of 15,000 inhabitants. With a surface area of 25,000m², the site should come on stream by the first quarter of 2012.
The innovative technology based on depositing a coating of CIGS on a glass substrate offers a way to avoid traditional crystalline silicon and achieve higher conversion efficiencies than other thin-film technologies (above 12% industrially and up to 20% in the laboratory). The company says it is also efficient at lower light levels, and offers competitive advantages in terms of manufacturing costs. In addition, its aesthetic style is particularly appealing.
This technology requires leading-edge expertise when it comes to coating and thermally-treating glass material, two core-competency processes for Saint-Gobain, the world’s leading coated glass specialist for the building and automotive industries.
“This project marks a new milestone in Saint-Gobain’s commitment to the renewable energy sector. With this plant, Saint-Gobain will boost the industrial development of Avancis and help it become a major reference in the field of high-efficiency thin-film PV modules” explains Jean-Pierre Floris, President of the Innovative Materials Sector and Senior-Vice President of Saint-Gobain.
The company says this is an extremely promising technology which combines the low production costs associated with all thin-film based techniques, with efficiencies approaching the higher levels achieved using polycrystalline silicon cells. Whilst being well-adapted for solar fields, the Avancis modules are particularly recommended for roof installation, being simple to mount, stylish and reliable.
Source: solarbuzz
German PV Manufacturers Can Expect Difficulties
Munich, June 9, 2010 - Roland Berger Although photovoltaics (PV) is a growing market, competitors from Asia in particular are stepping up the pressure on German manufacturers. Worldwide, the industry will continue to expand by around 35% per annum. Oversupply and improved cost efficiency will nevertheless cause prices to drop by as much as 15% per year.
One consequence of ever fiercer competition is that German companies will offshore production to low-cost regions such as Asia. As a result, German firms that do keep production onshore will face the threefold threat of low-cost competition from Asia, declining sales at home and a dwindling presence in the world's growth markets. These are the findings of a market study entitled "Light and shade – German PV companies in the global competitive arena".
he report concludes:
- Competition heating up for German solar power companies
– few prepared to face difficult market climate
- More production will be off-shored to Asia
- Not every German photovoltaic company will survive
- Success factors: Production volumes that are large enough to facilitate low costs and healthy market access – especially in project business – to fuel high-volume sales.
- Competition heating up for German solar power companies
– few prepared to face difficult market climate
- More production will be off-shored to Asia
- Not every German photovoltaic company will survive
- Success factors: Production volumes that are large enough to facilitate low costs and healthy market access – especially in project business – to fuel high-volume sales.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Solar Panels Can be Shaped to Look Like Leaves
The panel, which has an efficiency of 13%, will be distributed by Sonelis Technologies and can be manufactured in a variety of colors. In a statement, Greendix president Joseph Lin noted, “One of the goals of my team was to take an existing technology, like solar panels, and revolutionize it so that it can seamlessly merge with our surroundings.”
Lin imagines that his leaf-shaped panels could one day populate entire solar forests. And who knows–since the leaves can be produced in multiple colors, those energy-generating forests might look a little psychedelic, too.
Source: Inhabitat
Ventizz Study: German solar supplers enter consolidation phase
The market for German solar companies is facing consolidation. This is shown by the results of a recent study by Wiesbaden Business School on behalf of Ventizz Private Equity AG. Participants are forecasting strong growth over the coming years with a simultaneous decrease in the number of suppliers. Further internationalization of sales and production are clearly apparent – in particular shifting to Asia.
The majority of German solar suppliers questioned are expecting a period of consolidation for the industry over the next two years. More than 40% of companies are playing a passive role – they are not actively planning acquisitions or mergers or preparing for corresponding talks. This passive behavior could reinforce German technology being sold off to other countries, thus endangers German solar equipment companies´ leading position on the global market. “Foreign investors in particular believe that this process offers an opportunity to acquire German expertise,” commented Dr. Helmut Vorndran, a Managing Partner with Ventizz Private Equity, on the results of this study. “That means that the solar equipment sector could see a repeat of the trends in other industries, such as tooling machine manufacturers: The centers of competence are increasingly migrating from Germany to China or South Korea. That means that another German domain – solar equipment suppliers – could find itself in a dangerous situation.”
The majority of German solar suppliers questioned are expecting a period of consolidation for the industry over the next two years. More than 40% of companies are playing a passive role – they are not actively planning acquisitions or mergers or preparing for corresponding talks. This passive behavior could reinforce German technology being sold off to other countries, thus endangers German solar equipment companies´ leading position on the global market. “Foreign investors in particular believe that this process offers an opportunity to acquire German expertise,” commented Dr. Helmut Vorndran, a Managing Partner with Ventizz Private Equity, on the results of this study. “That means that the solar equipment sector could see a repeat of the trends in other industries, such as tooling machine manufacturers: The centers of competence are increasingly migrating from Germany to China or South Korea. That means that another German domain – solar equipment suppliers – could find itself in a dangerous situation.”
Power Correcting Chipset Improves Previousl Installed Solar Panel Efficiency
Publisher's Note: Here is an article that suggests it is possible to increase electrical production on existing PV installations.
National Semiconductor Corporation has developed a new accessory that would increase the efficiency of solar panels – the SolarMagic chipset. The chipset uses sensors to automatically detect disparities in the input voltage and the current electrical flow throughout the solar array.
SolarMagic is a “thinking” chipset installed directly into the solar power system’s junction box – the container where the solar modules are electrically wired together with the fusing.
The chipset uses sensors to automatically detect disparities in the input voltage and the current electrical flow throughout the solar array.
Mismatch losses are critical problems hounding solar power modules and arrays today. In worst cases, the power production of an entire solar power installation could be significantly driven down as the output of an entire system is determined by the solar cells with the lowest output.
SolarMagic uses a step-by-step process to determine the optimum levels for voltage and current. It then adjusts these to maximize the flow of energy throughout the system and into the grid. The enhanced flow of electricity increases the efficiency of the solar power system.
Simply put, the chipset determines and corrects the differences among the solar panels to maximize the flow of energy. The system can also gather information from each solar panel and report these through the internet.
National Semiconductor (NYSE:NSM) claims that the chipset can recover up to 71 percent of power lost under such circumstances. The chipset also offers additional features such as a fire safety panel shut-off.
SolarMagic is a “thinking” chipset installed directly into the solar power system’s junction box – the container where the solar modules are electrically wired together with the fusing.
The chipset uses sensors to automatically detect disparities in the input voltage and the current electrical flow throughout the solar array.
Mismatch losses are critical problems hounding solar power modules and arrays today. In worst cases, the power production of an entire solar power installation could be significantly driven down as the output of an entire system is determined by the solar cells with the lowest output.
SolarMagic uses a step-by-step process to determine the optimum levels for voltage and current. It then adjusts these to maximize the flow of energy throughout the system and into the grid. The enhanced flow of electricity increases the efficiency of the solar power system.
Simply put, the chipset determines and corrects the differences among the solar panels to maximize the flow of energy. The system can also gather information from each solar panel and report these through the internet.
National Semiconductor (NYSE:NSM) claims that the chipset can recover up to 71 percent of power lost under such circumstances. The chipset also offers additional features such as a fire safety panel shut-off.
The power optimization chipset has reportedly been tested on a SunEdison solar power installation in Oakland, California, with good results.
"For over four years, our Oak Street installation has been helping residents pay less electricity. SolarMagic is helping us to get 22.6 percent more power out of the same panels, making the system even more productive and cost effective," said Jigar Shah, SunEdison founder.
"For over four years, our Oak Street installation has been helping residents pay less electricity. SolarMagic is helping us to get 22.6 percent more power out of the same panels, making the system even more productive and cost effective," said Jigar Shah, SunEdison founder.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Bill Gates and Jeff Immelt call for tripling clean-tech spending
Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates and General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt hope to convince the federal government to triple clean tech investments.
The pair of corporate titans said Thursday they want $16 billion to go each year to research, develop and deploy technologies including wind energy, solar and nuclear fission. Their newly created American Energy Innovation Council includes fellow heavyweights John Doerr, a venture capitalist, and Bank of America Chairman Chad Holliday, among others.
On the surface, this flood of money makes obvious sense. But from another perspective, it is nothing new. Contained in proposed federal legislation that is now awaiting congressional approval is clean-tech spending that will increase to $50 billion a year by 2020, according to Mark Trexler, director of climate strategies and markets at risk management firm DNV.
About $13 billion comes from tax credits and other fiscal measures. The rest is the result of ratepayer increases for electricity and other energy.
The spending should lead to massive investments for wind, solar and carbon capture, Trexler said at the Cleantech Institute conference recently held at the University of California, Berkeley.
The trouble is that the legislation has a slim chance of passing and the stalemate over bills, such as Waxman-Markey, could last another five to six years, according to Trexler. If Democrats lose seats this fall and again in 2012, "it doesn't make sense that the numbers look any better," he says.
According to Maximilian Auffhammer, also in attendance at the Cleantech conference, the Waxman-Markey proposal has another big benefit for clean tech that is not well known.
Among the bill's important policy mechanisms are "the most stringent building codes we have ever seen," says Auffhammer, an associate professor at UC-Berkeley.
The bill would bring into existence the first nationwide system of building codes and tighten them every year through 2030. These codes will spark considerable demand for green building technologies, he says.
Source: greentech media
The pair of corporate titans said Thursday they want $16 billion to go each year to research, develop and deploy technologies including wind energy, solar and nuclear fission. Their newly created American Energy Innovation Council includes fellow heavyweights John Doerr, a venture capitalist, and Bank of America Chairman Chad Holliday, among others.
On the surface, this flood of money makes obvious sense. But from another perspective, it is nothing new. Contained in proposed federal legislation that is now awaiting congressional approval is clean-tech spending that will increase to $50 billion a year by 2020, according to Mark Trexler, director of climate strategies and markets at risk management firm DNV.
About $13 billion comes from tax credits and other fiscal measures. The rest is the result of ratepayer increases for electricity and other energy.
The spending should lead to massive investments for wind, solar and carbon capture, Trexler said at the Cleantech Institute conference recently held at the University of California, Berkeley.
The trouble is that the legislation has a slim chance of passing and the stalemate over bills, such as Waxman-Markey, could last another five to six years, according to Trexler. If Democrats lose seats this fall and again in 2012, "it doesn't make sense that the numbers look any better," he says.
According to Maximilian Auffhammer, also in attendance at the Cleantech conference, the Waxman-Markey proposal has another big benefit for clean tech that is not well known.
Among the bill's important policy mechanisms are "the most stringent building codes we have ever seen," says Auffhammer, an associate professor at UC-Berkeley.
The bill would bring into existence the first nationwide system of building codes and tighten them every year through 2030. These codes will spark considerable demand for green building technologies, he says.
Source: greentech media
Monday, June 14, 2010
One Oil Spill not enough for you to change to solar -- consider this
You think the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster is horrifying?
Shell Oil leaks that much in the Nigerian delta - EVERY year.
And there's more.
Elsewhere on earth - in a place you'd never expect - a forest the size of England is being turned into a permanent wasteland ... for oil.
Video: http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/863.html
Source: Brasschecks TV
Shell Oil leaks that much in the Nigerian delta - EVERY year.
And there's more.
Elsewhere on earth - in a place you'd never expect - a forest the size of England is being turned into a permanent wasteland ... for oil.
Video: http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/863.html
Source: Brasschecks TV
1366 Tech leaping from pure silicon to solar wafer
Solar start-up 1366 Technologies is developing a technology to convert raw silicon ingots directly into solar cells, a process that could slash solar manufacturing costs.
The Lexington, Mass.-based company, which was spun out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, had received a $4 million grant last fall from ARPA-E, the federal government's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, to pursue the technology.
If successfully commercialized, the technology could reduce the costs of making silicon wafers, which are turned into solar cells, by 60 percent, said Frank van Mierlo, CEO of 1366. Its target customer: companies that manufacture solar cells.
"This can give significant competitive advantage. If anything can let us manufacture in this country, this is it," he said Tuesday.
he company is cagey on how it produces wafers from silicon ingots--which look like large logs of very pure, gray silicon--but executives say that it has already tested the process. The machine is being designed to cut out two steps in the traditional wafer-making process and use less silicon material.
Early runs have allowed it to make a wafer, which was turned into a cell with efficiency that's higher than existing thin-film solar cells, van Mierlo said. By the end of this year, it hopes to boost efficiency to the equivalent of multi-crystalline silicon cells, he added. Its plan is to start construction of a 100-megawatt demonstration plant with its Direct Wafer machines next year.
In addition to its ARPA-E-funded work, 1366 is also designing machines for improving silicon cell efficiency.
By year's end, 1366 plans to deliver its "patterning machine," which adds a texture to solar cells to trap more light and improve overall efficiency slightly. By next year, it hopes to finish its second piece of equipment, a machine that allows cell manufacturers to put thinner wires on solar cells and use copper, rather than silver.
Until recently, the company had not discussed its Direct Wafer work, but company executives began talking about it at last week's ARPA-E Summit near Washington, D.C.
The Lexington, Mass.-based company, which was spun out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, had received a $4 million grant last fall from ARPA-E, the federal government's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, to pursue the technology.
If successfully commercialized, the technology could reduce the costs of making silicon wafers, which are turned into solar cells, by 60 percent, said Frank van Mierlo, CEO of 1366. Its target customer: companies that manufacture solar cells.
"This can give significant competitive advantage. If anything can let us manufacture in this country, this is it," he said Tuesday.
he company is cagey on how it produces wafers from silicon ingots--which look like large logs of very pure, gray silicon--but executives say that it has already tested the process. The machine is being designed to cut out two steps in the traditional wafer-making process and use less silicon material.
Early runs have allowed it to make a wafer, which was turned into a cell with efficiency that's higher than existing thin-film solar cells, van Mierlo said. By the end of this year, it hopes to boost efficiency to the equivalent of multi-crystalline silicon cells, he added. Its plan is to start construction of a 100-megawatt demonstration plant with its Direct Wafer machines next year.
In addition to its ARPA-E-funded work, 1366 is also designing machines for improving silicon cell efficiency.
By year's end, 1366 plans to deliver its "patterning machine," which adds a texture to solar cells to trap more light and improve overall efficiency slightly. By next year, it hopes to finish its second piece of equipment, a machine that allows cell manufacturers to put thinner wires on solar cells and use copper, rather than silver.
Until recently, the company had not discussed its Direct Wafer work, but company executives began talking about it at last week's ARPA-E Summit near Washington, D.C.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Dow Corning Invests in European Solar Research Center
Dow Corning plans to invest up to $13 million in a Solar Energy Exploration/Development (SEED) center in order to expand its Europe-based research in silicon-based materials and technologies.
The SEED center will include the European Solar Solutions Application Center, which will focus on advancing the company's technology for use in photovoltaic cells. Construction is expected to begin later this year.
The European Solar Application Center will enable engineers and scientists to work with customers to develop, evaluate and test silicon-based materials solutions used to make solar cells, Dow Corning says.
SOURCE: Dow Corning
The SEED center will include the European Solar Solutions Application Center, which will focus on advancing the company's technology for use in photovoltaic cells. Construction is expected to begin later this year.
The European Solar Application Center will enable engineers and scientists to work with customers to develop, evaluate and test silicon-based materials solutions used to make solar cells, Dow Corning says.
SOURCE: Dow Corning
UL Selects Spire's SPI-Sun Simulator as Industry Testing Standard
Spire announced that Underwriters Laboratories (UL) has once again selected Spire’s world class SPI-Sun Simulator 4600SLP as a standard to test and certify PV modules. Already in use at UL facilities in the United States, China, and Germany, the Spire Simulator will now serve as the primary test equipment gauge at the new UL facility in Bangalore, India.
Spire’s proprietary method of controlling the simulator’s pulse or flash length, large irradiance range, and superior spectral control, allow test labs the ability to measure modules beyond their own test standards and understand critical aspects of their performance.
“We have set the bar very high with our SPI-Sun Simulators,” Little said. “I am pleased to know that test agencies such as UL, NREL, TÜV, FSEC, CSA, KIER, Intervac, and Bodycote all use our simulators as their standard.”
Source: Renewable Energy World
Spire’s proprietary method of controlling the simulator’s pulse or flash length, large irradiance range, and superior spectral control, allow test labs the ability to measure modules beyond their own test standards and understand critical aspects of their performance.
“We have set the bar very high with our SPI-Sun Simulators,” Little said. “I am pleased to know that test agencies such as UL, NREL, TÜV, FSEC, CSA, KIER, Intervac, and Bodycote all use our simulators as their standard.”
Source: Renewable Energy World
Spire Produces Most Efficient Large Area CPV Cell
Spire Corporation announced its wholly owned subsidiary, Spire Semiconductor, LLC, has matched the current efficiency record for a concentrator solar cell.
The record efficiency is available on a production ready cell with a photo area of 1.0 cm². The U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) measured the efficiency of 41.0% at 500x suns concentrated sunlight.
Spire is working with NREL to boost efficiency to 42.5%.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Q-Cells Sets CIGS Efficiency Record of 13.0%
Q-Cells has set an efficiency record for mass-produced CIGS thin-film modules. The Fraunhofer ISE has confirmed a total area efficiency of 13.0% for a Q-Cells Q.SMART UF solar module manufactured by Solibro GmbH.
The record efficiency was measured on June 1 by the Fraunhofer Institute.
With a power output of 97.4 Watt peak (Wp) under standard test conditions for a Q.SMART UF (former CIGS SL1) module with 0.750 m² area, a total area efficiency of 13.0% was confirmed.
Moreover, with an aperture area of 0.684 m², the module's aperture area efficiency is 14.2%, which brings it to the world lead based on the record efficiency table compiled by Progress in Photovoltaics.
According to the journal, the previous record of 13.5% was held by a module just half the size which - unlike the Q-Cells Q.SMART was not mass-produced.
Source: Solarbuzz
The record efficiency was measured on June 1 by the Fraunhofer Institute.
With a power output of 97.4 Watt peak (Wp) under standard test conditions for a Q.SMART UF (former CIGS SL1) module with 0.750 m² area, a total area efficiency of 13.0% was confirmed.
Moreover, with an aperture area of 0.684 m², the module's aperture area efficiency is 14.2%, which brings it to the world lead based on the record efficiency table compiled by Progress in Photovoltaics.
According to the journal, the previous record of 13.5% was held by a module just half the size which - unlike the Q-Cells Q.SMART was not mass-produced.
Source: Solarbuzz
Milestone: 10 Gigawatts of PV in 2010
In 2010, we will cross the threshold of 10 gigawatts of photovoltaic solar installed globally in a single year -- a record-setting and once-inconceivable number.
Rewind to ten years ago: the total amount of photovoltaics installed in the year 2000 was 170 megawatts. Since then, the solar photovoltaic industry has grown at a 51 percent annual growth rate, and 170 megawatts is now the size of a healthy utility installation or a small solar factory. As Andrew Beebe mentions below, Suntech has a single building with a one-gigawatt capacity.
Photovoltaic module pricing has made radical progress, as well, moving from $300 per watt in 1956, to $50 per watt in the 1970s, to $10 per watt in the 1990s, to $2 per watt today. It's not exactly Moore's law, but it is that drop in pricing, chicken-or-egg with policy and technology, that is driving this industry. Pricing of $1 per watt is not that far off.
Ten gigawatts is a significant milestone for the PV industry, but it warrants some perspective:
That's the total power that five or six nuclear power plants generate -- and there are about one hundred nuclear plants in the U.S alone.
Source: greentechsolar Read full article here.
Rewind to ten years ago: the total amount of photovoltaics installed in the year 2000 was 170 megawatts. Since then, the solar photovoltaic industry has grown at a 51 percent annual growth rate, and 170 megawatts is now the size of a healthy utility installation or a small solar factory. As Andrew Beebe mentions below, Suntech has a single building with a one-gigawatt capacity.
Photovoltaic module pricing has made radical progress, as well, moving from $300 per watt in 1956, to $50 per watt in the 1970s, to $10 per watt in the 1990s, to $2 per watt today. It's not exactly Moore's law, but it is that drop in pricing, chicken-or-egg with policy and technology, that is driving this industry. Pricing of $1 per watt is not that far off.
Ten gigawatts is a significant milestone for the PV industry, but it warrants some perspective:
That's the total power that five or six nuclear power plants generate -- and there are about one hundred nuclear plants in the U.S alone.
Source: greentechsolar Read full article here.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
DelSolar Introduces New Black PV Modules
DelSolar Co. Ltd, a subsidiary of Delta Electronics, has developed a new series of black photovoltaic modules with black-anodized aluminum frames. The dark appearance of the black module model is designed to be aesthetically attractive and can be blended elegantly into a variety of residential roofs, the company says.
Source: DelSolar Co. Ltd.
Source: DelSolar Co. Ltd.
Cumulative Installed PV expect to increase 40% in 2010
According to the latest market analysis, the global solar photovoltaic (PV) electricity market saw about 7.2 GW of new capacity installed in 2009, bringing the total global installed capacity to more than 22 GW worldwide.
Crucially, the industry itself, through the European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA), identifies this growth as 'the most important annual capacity increase ever' which it says is particularly impressive in light of the difficult financial circumstances seen over the past year.
Furthermore, in 2010, global cumulative installed PV capacity is expected to grow by at least 40%, while the annual growth is expected to increase by more than 15%. Much of this growth is anticipated to be seen in Europe, which remains the leading market for PV technology.
Furthermore, in 2010, global cumulative installed PV capacity is expected to grow by at least 40%, while the annual growth is expected to increase by more than 15%. Much of this growth is anticipated to be seen in Europe, which remains the leading market for PV technology.
Source: Renewable Energy World Read full article here
UL Launches new PV Certification
Underwriters Laboratories (UL), a U.S.-based provider of safety testing and certification services with German branch offices in Neu-Isenburg, Munich and Krefeld, has introduced its latest UL-Europe (UL-EU) mark for the European photovoltaics market. The mark is based on the applicable EN safety standards for photovoltaic products.
For companies operating in the North American and other international photovoltaics markets, UL offers the possibility to obtain the UL-EU mark in combination with UL certificates for the U.S. and Canada, as well as the IEC certificates from a single source. Doing so makes it considerably easier for companies to enter the market, as it significantly lowers administrative and logistics costs and, therefore, certification costs, according to UL.
Certificates are valid for 10 years, as long as neither the product nor safety requirements change.
As part of the introduction of the new product safety certificate, UL is offering companies that are obtaining UL and IEC certificates for global market access the new UL-EU mark free of charge. This offer also applies for companies only requiring the IEC certificate for their products. For any projects started before the end of this year, UL will not charge any inspection, administration or annual costs during the first year.
SOURCE: UL
For companies operating in the North American and other international photovoltaics markets, UL offers the possibility to obtain the UL-EU mark in combination with UL certificates for the U.S. and Canada, as well as the IEC certificates from a single source. Doing so makes it considerably easier for companies to enter the market, as it significantly lowers administrative and logistics costs and, therefore, certification costs, according to UL.
Certificates are valid for 10 years, as long as neither the product nor safety requirements change.
As part of the introduction of the new product safety certificate, UL is offering companies that are obtaining UL and IEC certificates for global market access the new UL-EU mark free of charge. This offer also applies for companies only requiring the IEC certificate for their products. For any projects started before the end of this year, UL will not charge any inspection, administration or annual costs during the first year.
SOURCE: UL
First Solar to Double German PV Manufacturing Capacity
First Solar Inc. plans to expand its German manufacturing plant in Frankfurt an der Oder - doubling local production capacity and creating several hundred new jobs.
The company, which already employs more than 600 associates in Frankfurt to manufacture its thin-film solar modules, says it is in advanced talks with the German regional and federal authorities to obtain the necessary regulatory permits and financial framework for the expansion.
The expansion would be the first major foreign direct investment in the German green technology sector this year, according to First Solar. It would double the annual capacity of the manufacturing plant to around 446 MW by the fourth quarter of 2011 from 223 MW. The expansion also helps the company increase its natural income hedge against euro/dollar exchange rate risk by producing more in Germany for European customer demand, First Solar adds.
SOURCE: First Solar
The company, which already employs more than 600 associates in Frankfurt to manufacture its thin-film solar modules, says it is in advanced talks with the German regional and federal authorities to obtain the necessary regulatory permits and financial framework for the expansion.
The expansion would be the first major foreign direct investment in the German green technology sector this year, according to First Solar. It would double the annual capacity of the manufacturing plant to around 446 MW by the fourth quarter of 2011 from 223 MW. The expansion also helps the company increase its natural income hedge against euro/dollar exchange rate risk by producing more in Germany for European customer demand, First Solar adds.
SOURCE: First Solar
Monday, June 7, 2010
AUO Introduces Self-Cleaning Smart Module
AU Optronics Corp. (AUO) has developed the Smart Module, a photovoltaic module featuring a layer of thin film coated on the surface that is designed to reduce reflection and increase both ray transmission and the module's power generation. The product will be formally unveiled at the upcoming Intersolar conference in Munich, Germany.
The thin-film coating also features a self-cleaning ability to dissolve foreign particles on the PV module, thereby keeping the surface of the PV module clean, the company notes. According to AUO, a PV system using the Smart Module during the initial operation can increase power generation by about 3%; three months after installation, the power generation can increase by about 4%.
The thin-film coating also features a self-cleaning ability to dissolve foreign particles on the PV module, thereby keeping the surface of the PV module clean, the company notes. According to AUO, a PV system using the Smart Module during the initial operation can increase power generation by about 3%; three months after installation, the power generation can increase by about 4%.
Singapore: Next Center for Solar Development?
Renewable Energy Corp. is currently building an integrated solar manufacturing plant in Singapore. In addition, SolarWorld Group, Solar-Fabrik and Phoenix Solar AG have established their regional headquarters in this rapidly expanding market for solar equipment manufacturing and technology research.
Source: Solar Industry
German FIT Changes Still Being Negotated
Germany's upper house of parliament has voted to reduce the severity of the reductions planned for solar installations in the country.
Under the chamber's new plan, subsidies for rooftop and ground-mounted installations would be cut only up to 10%, Bloomberg reports. The existing proposal, supported by German Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition, would reduce solar subsidies between 11% and 16%.
The bill, as approved by the upper house of parliament, will now be sent to a committee comprising both houses. However, Merkel's coalition holds the power to reject changes with a second vote in the lower house.
The subsidy reductions are due to take effect July 1.
Source: Solar Industry
Under the chamber's new plan, subsidies for rooftop and ground-mounted installations would be cut only up to 10%, Bloomberg reports. The existing proposal, supported by German Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition, would reduce solar subsidies between 11% and 16%.
The bill, as approved by the upper house of parliament, will now be sent to a committee comprising both houses. However, Merkel's coalition holds the power to reject changes with a second vote in the lower house.
The subsidy reductions are due to take effect July 1.
Source: Solar Industry
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Which Solar Training Program is Best?
The growth in the solar market is creating a lot of opportunity in the area of credentialing. It's also creating a lot of confusion for consumers and job-seekers looking for a way into the technical side of the industry.
As the federal government and U.S. states continue to push green-collar job initiatives, the need for a clear path from the classroom to the roof is as important as ever. But with more training and certification programs emerging all the time, that path is getting difficult to navigate.
Certainly competition is a good thing — and the credentialing space is no different. However, if new organizations continue to push different standards and give people mixed messages, up-and-coming renewable energy practitioners may not get the proper experience required to perform reliable, safe installations, says Jane Weissman, executive director of the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC).
“It's a very chaotic and confusing market out there,” says Weissman. “I want to make sure that we have safe competent workers on the roof and that the public isn't confused about who's doing what under what kind of competencies.”
Ultimately, the end consumer is who matters most. If the consumer has a bad experience with solar because of poor work done by an under-qualified installer, the whole industry suffers.
Certainly competition is a good thing — and the credentialing space is no different. However, if new organizations continue to push different standards and give people mixed messages, up-and-coming renewable energy practitioners may not get the proper experience required to perform reliable, safe installations, says Jane Weissman, executive director of the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC).
“It's a very chaotic and confusing market out there,” says Weissman. “I want to make sure that we have safe competent workers on the roof and that the public isn't confused about who's doing what under what kind of competencies.”
Ultimately, the end consumer is who matters most. If the consumer has a bad experience with solar because of poor work done by an under-qualified installer, the whole industry suffers.
Solon Introduces Global Solar Test Sites
SOLON Corp., a crystalline silicon solar manufacturer and a provider of turnkey solar power plants, has unveiled its Global Test Site (GTS) Network.
Consisting of three identical outdoor proving grounds located in Tucson, Ariz.; San Pietro, Italy; and Berlin, Germany, the GTS Network gives SOLON the ability to test and understand regional affects on PV modules and related technologies to optimize module and system design, the company explains.
Regional factors such as temperature, humidity, wind, snow and dust can significantly affect the performance of solar PV modules. At the solar test facilities, SOLON will study various areas of performance on four platforms: fixed-tilt at zero degrees, fixed-tilt at latitude, single-axis tracking and dual-axis tracking.
A custom data acquisition system will be used to measure voltage and current before and after the inverter, as well as cell temperature, ambient temperature, irradiance (direct and diffuse), wind speed and humidity. This information is stored on a central server, which allows SOLON scientists from around the world to access and analyze the performance of the modules at all three facilities.
SOURCE: SOLON Corp.
Consisting of three identical outdoor proving grounds located in Tucson, Ariz.; San Pietro, Italy; and Berlin, Germany, the GTS Network gives SOLON the ability to test and understand regional affects on PV modules and related technologies to optimize module and system design, the company explains.
Regional factors such as temperature, humidity, wind, snow and dust can significantly affect the performance of solar PV modules. At the solar test facilities, SOLON will study various areas of performance on four platforms: fixed-tilt at zero degrees, fixed-tilt at latitude, single-axis tracking and dual-axis tracking.
A custom data acquisition system will be used to measure voltage and current before and after the inverter, as well as cell temperature, ambient temperature, irradiance (direct and diffuse), wind speed and humidity. This information is stored on a central server, which allows SOLON scientists from around the world to access and analyze the performance of the modules at all three facilities.
SOURCE: SOLON Corp.
Using Ice to Cool Down the Grid
Utilities are installing devices that make ice at night to replace air-conditioning during times of peak power demand.
Over the next few weeks, a consortium of municipal utilities in California will begin retrofitting government offices and commercial properties with systems that use ice made at night to replace air-conditioning during the day. It's part of a pilot program for the devices, which are built by Windsor, CO-based Ice Energy. If widely deployed, they could reduce fuel consumption by utilities by up to 30 percent and put off the need for new power plants.
Each Ice Energy device is designed to make ice overnight, when demand for electricity is low, using a high-efficiency compressor to freeze 450 gallons of water. Around midday, the cooling mode kicks in, and the device shuts off the building's regular air conditioner for a six-hour cycle. It pipes a stream of coolant from the slowly melting block of ice to an evaporator coil installed within the building's heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning blower system. Once the ice is melted, the air conditioner returns to normal operation. Brian Parsonnet, Ice Energy's chief technology officer, says the technology can cut a building's power consumption by 95 percent during peak hours on the hottest days.
Cutting demand for electricity during peak hours reduces the need to build new power plants. It also allows utilities to rely on their most efficient power plants, says Ronald Domitrovic, a senior project manager for electric utilization at the Electric Power Research Institute. He says that when utilities fire up their "least efficient, oldest, and least desirable" generating resources to meet peak demand, every increment of increased power on the grid sends costs surging, whether one is talking fuel costs, greenhouse gas emissions, or service reliability. However, at night, utilities draw on their most efficient power plants, which use less fuel than power plants used only during peak hours. The utility also saves energy at other points in the grid--for example, cooler power lines at night transmit electricity more efficiently.
Source: Technology Review Read full article here.
By David Richardson
Thursday, June 3, 2010
German PV Market Could Double, Despite Feed-In-Tariff Cuts
Despite rumors of a slow-down, the German PV market could have another banner year in 2010, setting yet another record for the world’s largest solar market.
Henning Wicht, senior director and principal analyst at iSuppli, a leading technology market research firm, predicts up to 7 Gigawatts will be installed in Germany in 2010.
“The experiences from Spain in 2008 and Germany in the second half of 2009 indicate that the German market in 2010 can grow by 100 percent,” Wicht said.
Despite the looming cuts in Germany’s feed-in tariffs, solar continues to represent attractive investment conditions, said Wicht, a headlining speaker at next week’s global solar conference, “The Solar Future,” in Munich.
“Also, after the feed-in tariff cuts in 2010, we will still see attractive investment rates for all roof-top installations and self-consumption,” Wicht said. “Everyday, we are anxiously awaiting new data on the monthly installation report published by the Bundesnetzagentur (German Grid Agency). But the exciting time is now.”
Wicht is one of a dozen industry experts slated to speak at SolarPlaza’s 12th executive conference June 8 in Munich. The conference offers a single-day event, packed with information and insight from an all-star panel of industry experts like Wicht.
“With so much activity in the world solar market now, industry players need to be up to the minute on the latest news and trends,” said Edwin Koot, CEO of conference organizer Solarplaza. “Solar has proven again that it will defy conventional wisdom.”
Italy may overtake Germany as the leading market, with the US, France, Japan and China soon to follow, Wicht said.
“We expect numerous countries offering solar incentives which are not yet visible today. Indeed we expect markets to shift, however, Europe will still attract approximately 60 percent of all installations,” according to Wicht.
For more information on the conference “The Solar Future” in Munich on June 8 at the Sheraton Munich Arabellapark , and to register, please visit www.thesolarfuture.com , or contact Edwin Koot, e.koot@solarplaza.com .
Source: Solar Plaza
Henning Wicht, senior director and principal analyst at iSuppli, a leading technology market research firm, predicts up to 7 Gigawatts will be installed in Germany in 2010.
“The experiences from Spain in 2008 and Germany in the second half of 2009 indicate that the German market in 2010 can grow by 100 percent,” Wicht said.
Despite the looming cuts in Germany’s feed-in tariffs, solar continues to represent attractive investment conditions, said Wicht, a headlining speaker at next week’s global solar conference, “The Solar Future,” in Munich.
“Also, after the feed-in tariff cuts in 2010, we will still see attractive investment rates for all roof-top installations and self-consumption,” Wicht said. “Everyday, we are anxiously awaiting new data on the monthly installation report published by the Bundesnetzagentur (German Grid Agency). But the exciting time is now.”
Wicht is one of a dozen industry experts slated to speak at SolarPlaza’s 12th executive conference June 8 in Munich. The conference offers a single-day event, packed with information and insight from an all-star panel of industry experts like Wicht.
“With so much activity in the world solar market now, industry players need to be up to the minute on the latest news and trends,” said Edwin Koot, CEO of conference organizer Solarplaza. “Solar has proven again that it will defy conventional wisdom.”
Italy may overtake Germany as the leading market, with the US, France, Japan and China soon to follow, Wicht said.
“We expect numerous countries offering solar incentives which are not yet visible today. Indeed we expect markets to shift, however, Europe will still attract approximately 60 percent of all installations,” according to Wicht.
For more information on the conference “The Solar Future” in Munich on June 8 at the Sheraton Munich Arabellapark , and to register, please visit www.thesolarfuture.com , or contact Edwin Koot, e.koot@solarplaza.com .
Source: Solar Plaza
Renewables Hit the Big Time
Once upon a time, not too long ago, renewable-energy projects sized in kilowatts (kW) were considered large. The biggest solar array in 1963 had a mere 242 watts of capacity, and was installed on a lighthouse in Japan. Wind power, which took off more quickly, reached its first 100-kilowatt system in 1931, in Yalta, then part of the Soviet Union. And at that time, wave and tidal power plants were still twinkles in researchers' eyes.
But renewable-energy projects have grown inexorably larger, from kW-size systems to megawatt-size systems and now to gigawatt-size systems. “It’s just the natural progression of what’s happened to renewable energy,” said Clean Edge principal Ron Pernick, a firm that picked “megaprojects” as one of its top five trends for 2010. Starting with 150-kW wind turbines at Altamont Pass in California, one of the first U.S. wind projects, turbines have grown to 3.5 MW and even 5 MW today, he said, and solar projects have expanded from off-grid homes to commercial and industrial buildings and now to utility-scale solar farms.
The gigantic renewable systems in the works today match – and in some cases even exceed – the size and scope of some conventional fossil-fuel power plants. If they materialize, these projects will represent a major turning point, as renewable energy becomes just, well…energy.
Source: Renewable Energy World To read the full article click here.
By Jennifer Kho, Contributor
But renewable-energy projects have grown inexorably larger, from kW-size systems to megawatt-size systems and now to gigawatt-size systems. “It’s just the natural progression of what’s happened to renewable energy,” said Clean Edge principal Ron Pernick, a firm that picked “megaprojects” as one of its top five trends for 2010. Starting with 150-kW wind turbines at Altamont Pass in California, one of the first U.S. wind projects, turbines have grown to 3.5 MW and even 5 MW today, he said, and solar projects have expanded from off-grid homes to commercial and industrial buildings and now to utility-scale solar farms.
The gigantic renewable systems in the works today match – and in some cases even exceed – the size and scope of some conventional fossil-fuel power plants. If they materialize, these projects will represent a major turning point, as renewable energy becomes just, well…energy.
Source: Renewable Energy World To read the full article click here.
By Jennifer Kho, Contributor
Integrating Solar: CSP and Gas Turbine Hybrids
An interesting move to increase solar integration is underway in North Africa and the Middle East, where a number of CSP and gas-fired combined cycle hybrids are under development.
Integrated Solar Combined Cycle (ISCC) technology aims to draw the environmental benefits of solar energy together with the operational advantages of a 'conventional' gas turbine-steam turbine combined cycle plant. While the solar resource partially substitutes fossil fuels, the installation can also supply energy to the grid whenever it is required. In addition, by taking advantage of the existing infrastructure associated with the development of a conventional thermal power plant – including but not limited to site access, power transmission links and a steam turbine power island – the economics of the concentrating solar thermal component are likely to be significantly enhanced.
In a combined cycle plant, the high temperature exhaust gas from the turbine is passed through a heat recovery steam generator from which high-pressure steam is used in a steam turbine. Such installations are now operating at above 50% efficiency and the technology is well proven. In ISCC installations, additional thermal energy from the solar collector field is effectively injected into the heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) of a conventional combined cycle plant. This boosts steam production and consequently electrical output. It also potentially allows CSP to be easily integrated into conventional fossil-fired thermal plants at relatively low extra cost.
Source: Renewable Energy World Read the full article here.
by David Appleyard, Associate Editor
Integrated Solar Combined Cycle (ISCC) technology aims to draw the environmental benefits of solar energy together with the operational advantages of a 'conventional' gas turbine-steam turbine combined cycle plant. While the solar resource partially substitutes fossil fuels, the installation can also supply energy to the grid whenever it is required. In addition, by taking advantage of the existing infrastructure associated with the development of a conventional thermal power plant – including but not limited to site access, power transmission links and a steam turbine power island – the economics of the concentrating solar thermal component are likely to be significantly enhanced.
In a combined cycle plant, the high temperature exhaust gas from the turbine is passed through a heat recovery steam generator from which high-pressure steam is used in a steam turbine. Such installations are now operating at above 50% efficiency and the technology is well proven. In ISCC installations, additional thermal energy from the solar collector field is effectively injected into the heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) of a conventional combined cycle plant. This boosts steam production and consequently electrical output. It also potentially allows CSP to be easily integrated into conventional fossil-fired thermal plants at relatively low extra cost.
Source: Renewable Energy World Read the full article here.
by David Appleyard, Associate Editor
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
NASA Releases First Images from SDO
A huge loop of material shooting up from the sun's surface in March was one of the first events witnessed by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. Known as a prominence eruption, the loop was born from a relatively cold cloud of plasma, or charged gas, tenuously tethered to the sun's surface by magnetic forces. Such clouds can erupt dramatically when they break free of the sun's unstable hold.
"We are all living in the outer atmosphere of a star. Its variability influences Earth, the other planets, and the whole solar system," Richard Fisher, NASA's director of heliophysics, said today at a press conference. For example, strong solar eruptions called coronal mass ejections can send bursts of charged particles streaming toward Earth, where they can overload our planet's magnetic shield, knocking out satellite communications and power grids.
(Read "Magnetic-Shield Cracks Found; Big Solar Storms Expected.")
Since launching the Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, in February, mission managers have been powering up and calibrating the craft. Today NASA unveiled the first pictures and video taken by the SDO's suite of instruments, which were designed to show the full range of the sun's magnetic activity in unprecedented detail.
Although the Solar Dynamics Observatory isn't the only solar probe in orbit, it is "the most advanced spacecraft ever built to study the sun," said NASA spokesperson Dwayne Brown. Billed as the Hubble of heliophysics, the SDO "will change textbooks," Brown predicts.
Source: National Geographics To see more images from SDO click here.
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