Russia to Invest $300 Billion in Renewable Energy

Some interesting news recently went unnoticed. Indeed, last month, Russia unveiled a massive energy efficiency plan as the country wastes as much energy as the French economy consumes.

Soviet-era buildings and factories completely lack energy efficiency as they were built as cheaply as possible to answer the demands of the government at that time.

But this might soon change. The Moscow Times recently noted that:

Promoting energy efficiency is one of the priorities of Medvedev’s modernization program and includes a goal to cut the amount of energy spent per unit of economic output by 40 percent by 2020.

The country is estimated to use 2.5 times more energy to produce a given amount of goods and services than the world average.

To solve this, Dmitry Medvedev’s government will invest no less than $300 billion in order to cut the amount of energy spent per unit of economic output by 40 percent by 2020.

The recent heat waves and related events as well as the prices of energy have pushed the local government to start acting on climate change.

It is estimated that the efforts will enable the population and companies to save an estimated $35 billion on energy per year.

Russia is the world’s first natural gas producer and has ample reserves. Local selling prices are fixed by the State and this drastically slows energy efficiency efforts and behavioral changes.

Additionally, 13 millions smart meters will be installed over the next ten years

Beyond energy efficiency, Russia is also working on implementing renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and hydro power.

Recycling is also gaining some interest as RBTH notes :

Russia’s Natural Resources and Environment Ministry also drafted a bill in August to promote recycling. The legislation would require factories to recycle the material they currently throw away.

Pulp and paper factories could easily sell much of their waste to biofuel plants, resulting in economic gains for them as well as reduced waste.

Will the country join the cleantech arms race? Only time will tell.

Source:  Cleantechies Blog

More Renewable Investment for India

Looks like the news flow and announcements of investments into India continue unabated. Just a few weeks ago Areva had announced plans of massive investments to the tune of $3 Billion  into India in the Solar CSP space in  the next 5 to 7 years.

According to new reports,India and France are expected to enter into an agreement to promote investment and technology transfer in the renewable energy segment.

Recently, the CEO of Areva Renewables, Anil Srivastava talked about the lifetime opportunity India had in building the CSP industry.

France will encourage investments in renewable energy by French companies, while also promoting sharing of technology. Also, Nuclear Power Corporation (NPC) and Areva will enter into an early works contract for supply of two nuclear reactors of 1,650 Mw each. The proposed agreements are expected to be signed during French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s visit to India during December 3-7.

Officials at the commerce ministry and the Indo French Chamber of Commerce and Industry, who did not wish to be quoted, told Business Standard, “The French government has already set a target of raising the installed capacity for wind power from 810 Mw in 2006 to 25,000 Mw by 2020. Also, installed capacity for photovoltaic power is to increase from 32.7 Mw in 2006 to 3,000 Mw by 2020.”

“French companies can play a major role in India’s proposed wind and solar capacity addition plans. At present, against the total installed capacity of over 1,40,000 Mw, renewable energy contributes a mere 10,000-14,000 Mw,” said an official. They added the proposed agreement would be similar to the pact between India and the US that aimed to promote investment and technology sharing in renewable energy.

It will be interesting to see what kind of initiatives are announced during the visit of the French President to India early next month.

It is clearly an exciting time for renewable energy and cleantech in India given the developments. Panchabuta, will strive to keep its readers appraised of the latest developments in the ground and track the announcements and their progress in the time ahead.

Source:  Linkedin

Largest Single Operating PV Solar Farm in Europe - Online in Italy

SunEdison, a global solar energy provider, just announced it has successfully interconnected a 70MW photovoltaic power plant near Rovigo, a town in the northeast of Italy - making this the largest single operating Solar Farm in Europe.

“With construction completion in less than one year, we believe this deployment signifies a new milestone for the industry and will become the standard for future mega projects,” said Carlos Domenech, SunEdison’s president.

The Rovigo solar plant is expected to generate energy to power more than 16,500 homes and prevent the emission of more than 40,000 tons of CO2. That would equal removing 8,000 cars from the road.

I'ts an interesting fact that such a great plant will be realized in north of Italy, in a foggy region...... instead of South Italy?

First Solar-Powered Hydrogen Fueling Station Opened

Proton Energy Systems, a provider of on-site hydrogen generation, and SunHydro, an upcoming chain of hydrogen fueling stations, have opened their first station at 10 Technology Dr. in Wallingford, Conn., the companies' headquarters.

The solar-powered station in Connecticut marks the start of the East Coast Hydrogen Highway, a project SunHydro is creating to make it possible to travel from Maine to Florida on sun and water, the companies explain.

The SunHydro hydrogen fueling station will have limited public access to start and full public access in the future. According to the companies, it will offer businesses and government vehicles a quick and easy option to fill up their fuel cell vehicles and will provide the infrastructure to support broader availability of fuel cell vehicles, which is expected in 2015.



SOURCE: SunHydro

Solar Hiring - up 26%

Hiring in the solar workforce is on the rise, and more than half of solar employers nationally plan to increase their workforce in the next year, according to "National Solar Jobs Census 2010: A Review of the U.S. Solar Workforce," a report released by the Solar Foundation, a nonprofit solar education and research organization. The survey examined employment along the solar value chain, including installation, wholesale trade, manufacturing, utilities and all other fields, and includes growth rates and job numbers for 31 separate occupations. The report includes data from more than 2,400 solar company survey respondents. As of August, the National Solar Jobs Census 2010 identified more than 16,700 solar employment sites and 93,000 solar jobs in all 50 states. It also found that solar employers expect to increase the number of solar workers by 26%, representing nearly 24,000 net new jobs by August 2011. By comparison, the fossil-fuel power generation sector is expected to have a 3% net job loss, and the overall economy is expected to have a 2% growth rate over the same period. “Among other things, this study shows that investments made through [the American Recovery and Reinvestment] Act - including the $2.3 billion in tax credits to U.S.-based clean energy manufacturing - are already generating positive results,” says Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. “The solar energy sector is an increasingly important source of good jobs for Americans. Fostering the growth of this emerging industry will help protect our environment, ensure the U.S. remains competitive in the global economy and offer great opportunities for the nation’s working families.” SOURCE: The Solar Foundation

GE Releases 1 MW Solar Inverter

GE has introduced a 1 MW solar inverter, which will make it the largest in GE's portfolio. The inverter is available in 50- and 60-hertz versions.

"As the demand for cleaner energy continues to grow in the United States and around the world, we expect to see an increase in the number of larger, multi-megawatt solar installations," says Bruce Norman, general manager of solar technologies for GE Power & Water. "As renewable energy penetration increases, so too will the challenge to effectively integrate these larger solar projects into the grid. Our solar inverter technology is designed to tackle the issue of grid reliability, which is critical to the future growth of the solar industry."

GE Energy: gepower.com

SOURCE: GE Energy

Yingli Reports 3rd Quarter 2010 Results

Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited (NYSE: YGE) ("Yingli Green Energy" or the "Company"), a leading solar energy company and one of the world's largest vertically integrated photovoltaic manufacturers, which markets its products under the brand "Yingli Solar," today announced its unaudited consolidated financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2010. Third Quarter 2010 Consolidated Financial Highlights Total net revenues were RMB 3,284.2 million (US$490.9 million), and shipment increased by 25.2% quarter over quarter. Gross profit was RMB 1,094.5 million (US$163.6 million), representing a gross margin of 33.3%. Operating income was RMB 735.8 million (US$110.0 million), representing an operating margin of 22.4%. Net income(1) was RMB 456.1 million (US$68.2 million) and diluted earnings per ordinary share and per American depositary share ("ADS") was RMB 2.92 (US$0.44). On an adjusted non-GAAP(2) basis, net income was RMB 556.6 million (US$83.2 million) and diluted earnings per ordinary share and per ADS was RMB 3.57 (US$0.53). Source:   Yingli Green Energy Holding Company

PV Manufacturing Equipment Spending Reaches Record Levels in 2010 as c-Si and Thin-Film Fabs Enter New Investment Cycle Phases

A diverse range of competing technologies and manufacturing methods has resulted in an increasingly fragmented solar PV manufacturing landscape: one that is resulting in record equipment spending levels as strong investment within PV capacity continues across both c-Si and thin-film technologies.


Capacity expansion by c-Si cell manufacturers has created headline news during 2010 with 100MW+ expansion phases being announced with increasing regularity from within China and Taiwan. Moreover, the ability of c-Si cell makers to ramp up capacity within 9 months will drive the market-share of c-Si cells to 90% during 2010. 


However, this by no means detracts from the investment and equipment spending within the thin-film segment.


Despite a reduction in thin-film's share of the global PV market from 2009 to 2010, thin film manufacturing is in fact entering a new cycle of investment. This has emerged as part of new research coverage by Solarbuzz on PV cell manufacturing equipment line and tool spend.


Source:  Solarbuzz - Read the full article here.

Yingli To Expand Production Capacity By 700 MW

Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. Ltd. has announced 700 MW in capacity expansion projects at its Baoding headquarters and in Hainan province.

The company plans to build 600 MW of PANDA monocrystalline silicon manufacturing lines for monocrystalline ingots and wafers, cells and modules at its Baoding headquarters, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Yingli Energy (China) Co. In addition, Yingli plans to build 100 MW of multicrystalline silicon manufacturing lines in Haikou, Hainan Province, through Yingli China.

With the completion of these two new expansion projects, Yingli's capacity will total 1.7 GW. The two new expansion projects are expected to start initial production in mid-2011.

SOURCE: Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. Ltd.

Make a difference! Help prevent 1,000 children from remaining vitamin D deficient

A message from Vitamin D Council and our web site on behalf of GrassrootsHealth...


Dear Friends,

At this time we are presented with an opportunity.  An opportunity to make a difference in the lives of 1,000 uninsured children and their families.  There is little effort required and no cost involved, simply all that is needed are votes.  Votes to help GrassrootsHealth win a $250K grant in the Pepsi-Refresh Project.

Receipt of this grant will enable GrassrootsHealth to:

• Provide multiple, free vitamin D tests to 1000 San Diego area children and their families (a total of 3,000 vitamin D tests in all).
• Educate family members and healthcare personnel about vitamin D.
• Create community involvement.
• Develop a community action plan to solve the vitamin D deficiency dilemma.
• Use the information and knowledge learned from this effort to replicate the same effort in other communities.

Time is of the essence, as there are only 4 voting days left (voting ends Nov. 30th).  GrassrootsHealth's current status in the contest is at number 60...

Let us join in unity and good-will, casting our votes to bring the benefits of vitamin D to these families.  Let's help GrassrootsHealth go from number 60 to number 1 in only four short days.

Please spread the word, get others involved.

Success for GrassrootsHealth in this endeavor will not be their success alone, nor will it result in benefit only to the 1,000 participating children and their families.  The results of this campaign are likely to be instrumental in furthering the progress of the entire vitamin D movement in general.  For each small victory brings the end of the vitamin D deficiency epidemic that much closer to becoming reality.

Vitamin D Council thanks each and every one of you for your continued support.


Sincerely,
Vitamin D Council

For more information, please visit www.grassrootshealth.net/pepsi.

---

 

 

Why is vitamin D important for children? A few of the many reasons...

1) NHANES 2001-2004 found over 70% of US children and adolescents were vitamin D deficient or insufficient (serum levels < 29 ng/mL).  This was six years ago - incidence has been steadily increasing.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19661054


2) Childhood obesity affects 17% (12.5 million) of America's children, placing them at risk of significant adverse health outcomes.  Obese children with atherosclerosis-promoting risk factors are showing signs of advanced "vascular age."  Low vitamin D levels are associated with obesity.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20381783

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19920030

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18230896

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18191047


3) Inadequate vitamin D nutrition during perinatal development may threaten a child’s long-term health outcome well into adult years, as a risk-modifying factor for many chronic diseases including osteomalacia, rickets, multiple sclerosis, schizophrenia, heart disease, type 1 diabetes, and cancer.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20974417

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20646224

 

---

Vitamin D Council  1241 Johnson Ave #134  San Luis Obispo, CA 93401

Solar Arrays do Double Duty

A startup called Cogenra Solar recently installed a bank of solar arrays with a difference at a Northern California winery. The arrays combine conventional photovoltaic solar cells with a system for collecting waste heat. This produces electricity for lighting and bottling equipment, and it heats water that can be used for washing tanks and barrels.

Cogenra plans to install these "hybrid" solar arrays at businesses that use large quantities of electricity and water, and then charge them for supplying both. The company has not released an estimate for the cost per watt of its electricity, but it says that the cost of heated water will be considerably less than the norm.

At the winery, owned by Sonoma Wine Company, several parabolic dishes, each 10 meters long and three meters wide and lined with mirrors, concentrate sunlight onto two strips of monocrystalline-silicon solar cells suspended above. The parabolic dishes sit on top of mechanical arms that move them to follow the sun. Heat is collected with a mixture of glycol and water that flows through an aluminum pipe behind the solar cells. The glycol solution is fed into a heat exchanger, where it heats up water. The water is then pumped to a storage tank, and the cooled glycol solution is fed back to the solar arrays.

Similar hybrid solar systems have failed in the past because the solar cells have overheated. Cogenra uses sensors to monitor the temperature of its solar cells and an automated control system to draw fluid away more quickly if they need cooling down.

Overheating impairs the performance of a solar cell and is a big problem for hybrid solar systems, says Tim Merrigan, a senior program manager at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado. Merrigan notes that more sophisticated equipment for monitoring the buildup of heat and adjusting the flow of liquid away from the cells can help prevent this, but "it is certainly not an easy thing to do correctly." With Cogenra's technology, there is also a trade-off between the amount of heat that can be produced and the efficiency of the solar cells.

The winery installation will serve as an important test bed for Cogenra's technology and for hybrid solar technology in general. The system will generate data showing how efficiently it can produce electricity and heated water under different weather conditions and how well it can meet the fluctuating needs of the winery's operation.

The solar arrays will be able to produce 50 kilowatts of electricity, and the equivalent of 222 kilowatts of thermal energy. Gilad Almogy, the CEO of Cogenra, says this will cut the winery's use of natural gas for water heating by 45 to 50 percent and meet about 10 percent of its electricity needs.

Making the technology cost effective will be another challenge for Cogenra. But a growing number of government programs that dole out rebates for installing solar water heaters could help. One such program was launched in California in October. Lasting through 2017, it will provide $350.8 million in rebates for installing solar water heaters. Most water heaters in the state currently run on natural gas.

Vinod Khosla, whose venture capital company Khosla Ventures has invested $10.5 million in the project, says the technology is remarkably cost-effective. "Other solar companies used hundreds of millions of dollars to go to market," he says.

Source:  Technology Review

View:   My own company ReOil - is accomplishing much the same result (although at higher returns ) using a combination of bank and FIT eligible roof-top mounted solar panels and biofuel based co-generation systems that produce electricity and hot water.   Great for large apartment complexes.

Yingli Can Sit Out a Price War—and Profit

While the United States has dithered over how, when, and whether to invest in the energy industries of the future, solar cells and panels have become a commodity business. And that gives a huge edge to China’s solar manufacturers with their significantly lower labor costs. Morningstar estimates that it costs 20% to 30% less to produce a solar panel using traditional solar panel technology in China than in Europe. (Notice, please, the word “traditional.” Thin-film solar technologies are an entirely different ballgame.) That has led to a global price war at a time of an uncertain demand for solar panels as companies try to grab or maintain market share. For investors, price wars always present the danger that competitors will cut their prices so far that they sacrifice profit margins in an effort to grow market share. That’s not a formula that investors want to buy into. So the best news from China’s Yingli Green Energy Holding Co.’s (NYSE:YGE) third-quarter earnings report November 19 was that gross margin stayed extraordinarily healthy at 33.3%. Gross margin beat the company’s guidance for 31% to 32% for the quarter. Gross margin in the second quarter of 2010 was 33.5%, and in the third quarter of 2009, the figure was 22.5%. Operating margin came in at 22.4%. Guidance for the first half of 2011 was not as downbeat as that from other solar panel producers—that’s either a reflection of Yingli’s strong market position or a bit of wishful thinking. (My suspicion is some of both.) The company forecast that average selling prices would be flat in the first half of 2011 and show a slight decline in quarters three and four. It would surprise me if prices were that strong in 2011. Germany, the world’s largest market for solar panels because of generous government support, has said it will cut subsidies by 13%. Spain and the United States, other big solar markets, are under extreme budget pressure. All this as the global solar industry, including Chinese solar producers, is expanding capacity. This is where a second Yingli advantage comes into play. Besides lower labor costs, Chinese solar manufacturers have access to extremely cheap financing. That enables a company like Yingli to invest in a new silicon plant, set to go into production at the end of 2010, even though the returns on that investment are likely to be relatively low. But although that plant isn’t likely to be cost-competitive with the best silicon producers in the world, Yingli will, by cutting out the middleman’s profit for the key raw material in making traditional solar panels, be able to raise its own gross margins. Higher gross margins would give Yingli a choice between grabbing market share while maintaining current margins and increasing its profits. With China in the midst of a solar energy drive that is on track to make China the world’s largest solar market by 2014, that’s not a bad choice to have. (And since Chinese officials are very good at devising methods to give Chinese companies preferential access to China’s markets without violating global trading rules, I expect that the bulk of that growth will go to Chinese solar manufacturers. That could be why Yingli is so confident about demand and average selling prices in 2011.) I was going to wait a few days to see if I could get these shares for less than $11, but lo and behold, the stock dropped to $10.76 on Monday. So as of November 22, I’m adding shares of Yingli Green Energy Holdings to  Jubak’s Picks with a target price of $16 a share by October 2011. YINGLI GREEN ENERGY HOLDING CO. LTD. ADS (NYSE:YGE) Source:  Jubak's Picks

The Power Grid Will Fail In 36 Months!

Porter Stansberry is breaking this important story in the brand new October issue of his Stansberry's Investment Advisory newsletter.

It turns out that the very heart of our nation's economy - the power grid itself - is dangerously exposed to even the smallest rise in the price of coal. Porter describes in great detail how our nation's power producers cannot afford more expensive coal and that coal prices are headed up, way up.

From The "Eye" To The Storm

What's the recipe for a perfect storm to shut down the grid in Porter's opinion? The feds new printing press policy, the perilous state of our currency in world markets and the rise of the Chinese economy mean dramatically higher coal prices and the death of the grid as we know it. (The Chinese are building one new coal fired plan every week!) According to the Stansberry Investment Advisory newsletter:

"We believe we are a few months away from the failure of the U.S. Power Grid. The causes will be economic, not technical. But that won't matter to you if your heat doesn't work any more... or if your lights won't come on."

As it turns out, the nation's leading power producers simply cannot withstand rising coal prices. When they come (like snow in Fargo) it will prove to be devastating, not only to the shareholders of these energy producing companies, but to the entire power grid itself.

Conclusion

As I've said before, only God knows the future. So again take all of this with a grain of salt. I'm simply trying to give you next years news headlines today so you can take action if you so desire. By getting an early warning, you can prepare and take cover if you feel the need. And, because I think this and other "storms" are coming, we've made a very special "Eye of the Storm offer" for those of you who agree we are living in truly dangerous times.

Source:  Off The Grid News

View:   To read more about Natural Risks to our grid system click here.

Boeing To Enter Solar-Power Market with High Efficiency Cells in January

Boeing Co., the world’s largest aerospace company, plans to deliver its first commercial scale high-efficiency solar-power cells for earth-based electricity production in January.

The concentrating solar photovoltaic cells, developed by Boeing’s Spectrolab subsidiary for satellites and the international space station, can convert as much as 39.2 percent of sunlight into electricity, Chicago-based Boeing said today in a statement.

Spectrolab, which says its solar panels supply power for 60 percent of the satellites orbiting earth, plans to boost output of the higher-efficiency cells for land-based production. Efficiency may average 40 percent next year as improvements are made during production, Boeing said.

SunPower Corp., based in San Jose, California, in comparison says its 22 percent efficiency cells produce more power per square inch than all panels in commercial production.

Source:  Bloomberg

In A Depressed Job Market - Solar Shines Brightly

The reports are so grim, it is hard to believe at times. America is staring down a 10% unemployment figure and the number doesn't seem to budge as the months tick by.

Analysts report that if you take into account the number of Americans that have stopped looking for employment as well as the number who have found only part-time work but seek full-time employment, the figure is more like 18%.  In California, it's 22%, an unemployment percentage that hasn't been seen since the depression. In total, as many as 30 million people are looking for work right now.For years, the clean energy industry has claimed that it is the one bright spot in the U.S. economy.  While other industries shrink and lose jobs, clean energy grows.

In looking at the data, it is clear that in all renewable energy technologies but one, in 2011 there will be significantly more jobs than there are now. The simple fact is that clean energy is indeed growing and creating jobs, but with U.S. unemployment figures so large, it’s just been hard to notice. 

Solar Power

The solar power industry doubled the number of people that worked in the industry from 2009 to 2010, from approximately 50,000 in 2009 to 100,000 in 2010, according to the latest reports.   In 2011, it is expected to grow the number of jobs in the industry by 26%.  “You’d be hard pressed to find another industry with a 26 percent job growth rate for 2011,” said Rhone Resch, president of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).

The Solar Foundation released its National Solar Jobs Census 2010 at Solar Power International in October, showing that the solar industry is creating jobs at a much faster rate than the overall U.S. economy, which is expected to grow at around 2%.  The report documents, through 2500 interviews with employers throughout the country, that over the next 12 months, more than half of U.S. solar firms expect to add jobs, while only 2% expect to cut workers.  Firms are adding employees in all 50 states and the fastest growing jobs are installers and electricians. 

Jobs for installers are growing because installations are growing at very high rates as well. SEIA along with GTM Research recently released a report that shows solar installations in 2010 are up more than 100% over 2009. The U.S. Solar Market Insight report compiled data for the first half of 2010 and shows significant growth in the U.S. solar industry.

It appears very likely that when accounting for both solar electric and solar thermal installations, the industry will surpass the 1 GW mark for annual installations in 2010.  While 1 GW is a big number, Resch announced at SPI that the industry’s goal is to be installing ten times that number annually in 5 years.  Resch said that installing 10 GW annually by 2015 would create as many as 220,000 jobs.

Source:   Renewable Energy World.com

Five Ways to Harvest Solar Energy from Roads

Solar News:

Knowing what we know now about climate change, it's clear that the tangled web of black asphalt roads that outlines our country is working against us.  Asphalt can absorbs tons of heat, often reaching temperatures of up to 140 degrees in the summer and the process by which it's made isn't environmentally friendly either, but there may be a way to turn that pavement into an energy resource.


Researchers at the University of Rhode Island have come up with four ways to harness the solar energy absorbed by pavement and put it to good use and they're working on ways to implement them now.


The first, and the simplest, is is to wrap flexible solar PV cells around the top of Jersey barriers that divide highways.  Those cells would power streetlights and illuminate road signs.  Cells could also be embedded in the pavement between the barriers and rumble strip.


The second is to embed water-filled pipes under the asphalt and the heat from the sun would warm the water.  That water could be piped to bridges to melt ice and reduce the need for road salt and ice-clearing trucks.  It could also be piped to nearby buildings for hot water and heating needs or converted to steam to turn a turbine. Because asphalt retains heat really well, the pipes would stay warm even after sunset.  Tests have shown the water can even get hotter than the asphalt.


The third use is to use a thermo-electric effect to generate energy.  By linking a hot and cold spot with two types of semiconductors, a small amount of electricity can be generated in the circuit.  Those thermo-electric materials could be embedded in the road (some in sunny parts and some in shady ones) and the energy produced could be used could to defrost roads.


The fourth use is the most complex and it involves getting rid of the asphalt completely and replacing it with huge electronic blocks that contain PV cells, LED lights and sensors.  The blocks would generate electricity, illuminate lanes and emit warnings when maintenance was needed.  The researchers say this technology already exists but is very expensive.  They see this technology coming to parking lots before roadways.


Souce:   EcoGeek & Physorg


Views:   The original article focused on the four methods mentioned above -- but for readers of this blog - we wanted to bring your attention to a fifth method that is showing great promise -- convert the kinetic motion of the cars and trucks into electricity -- see my earlier blog on New Energy Technologies - Motion Power™ this is their "other" technology - and it is also quite impressive.

Solar Panel Makers Face Supply-Glut "Armageddon"

Solar panel makers from Arizona to Shanghai face a price crunch in 2011 because they’re adding manufacturing capacity just as global demand is poised to fall, Axiom Capital Management Inc. said.

The BLOOMBERG CHART OF THE DAY shows the supply of photovoltaic panels may climb to almost triple the level of demand next year, flooding the market and potentially crashing the price, said Gordon Johnson, Axiom’s New York-based solar power analyst.

“It could be Armageddon,” he said in an interview. “Demand is about to fall at a time when you’re going to have a significant increase in supply. In a commoditized industry, that is a formula for disaster.”

Manufacturers have sold a record number of panels this year as developers rushed to connect them to the grid and lock in subsidized power prices before the rates are cut by governments in Germany, Italy and the Czech Republic. In Germany’s case, the world’s largest panel market, demand will fall in 2011 after the state cuts rates producers earn by 13 percent, Johnson said.

That will glut the market next year for photovoltaic panels, which turn sunlight into electricity, and drive the price manufacturers can charge down to as low as $1.10 per watt from about $1.80 this year, Johnson said.

Revenue may be undercut for panel-makers from Tempe, Arizona-based First Solar Inc. to JA Solar Holdings Co., the Shanghai-based company that got a $4.4 billion credit facility for expansion this year from a Chinese state-owned bank. JA Solar alone added 0.5 gigawatt of factory capacity in the second half, or 5 percent of global demand forecast for next year.

Source:   Bloomberg

Views:     As a developer - we are happy to read such forecasts as we are planning to substantially expand our development of solar projects in 2011 -- because while it is true that FIT rates in Germany and Italy are falling - costs to develop solar are falling quicker - making it still very profitable for us to build new projects and we're attracting new investor capital to do this.   Learn More

300% Energy Savings over Conventional Solar Systems

New Energy Technologies, Inc. (OTCBB: NENE) successfully debuted its proprietary SolarWindow™ technology, capable of  transforming veryday surfaces, such as glass, into electricity-generating windows, on September 16 at the University of South Florida (USF) to a standing-room-only crowd of investors, academics, commercial glass companies, and members of the media.

Company President and CEO, Mr. John A. Conklin, revealed that the application of SolarWindow™ to exterior glass surfaces of commercial towers could generate energy savings several-fold greater than today’s rooftop solar systems during his introduction of New Energy’s  SolarWindow™, the world’s first see-thru, spray-on technology of its kind.

In commercial applications, such as the building facades of office towers, engineers conservatively estimate that installation of New Energy’s SolarWindow™ can generate more than 300% energy savings over conventional rooftop solar systems.  Key to maximizing energy production, SolarWindow™ can be applied to the extensive glass surfaces on commercial skyscrapers, an important advantage over conventional solar systems confined to installation on space-prohibitive rooftops.

By way of example, engineers modeling a 40-story building, similar to Tampa’s landmark “100 North Tampa,” estimate annual cost-savings of $40,000 to $70,000 when installing New Energy’s SolarWindow™ to exposed window facades.  In contrast, mounting today’s popular poly-crystalline silicon modules on the rooftop produces only $20,000 in energy savings per year.

The Company expects to publish comprehensive performance data in upcoming weeks, following independent, third-party measurement and engineering validation.

“The successful public demonstration of SolarWindow™ boldly underscores our confidence in the technology, and marks a significant achievement for all of our stakeholders who have patiently supported us as we’ve worked towards this milestone,” stated Mr. Conklin.  “I’m eager to aggressively advance this technology towards commercial prototyping in preparation for eventual full-scale production to capitalize on our market of more than five million commercial buildings and 80 million detached homes in America.”

SolarWindow™: Early Performance Prompts Commercialization Efforts

Researchers at the debut event shared early technical hurdles and subsequent achievements which enabled advancement from concept to working prototype, further explaining that efforts are now focused on product development for commercialization of New Energy’s see-thru SolarWindow™.

SolarWindow™ is made possible by spraying an electricity-generating coating on to glass at room temperature– an important attribute highlighted by researchers.  Scientists also demonstrated numerous features of New Energy’s SolarWindow™, including its ability to remain see-thru while generating electricity.  Unique to SolarWindow™, both natural and artificial light were used in demonstrations to generate electricity. 

Following Mr. Conklin’s introduction, scientists powered lights on a scale-model house by exposing New Energy’s see-thru SolarWindow™ to artificial light from fluorescent lamps, mimicking lighting typically installed inside offices.  In artificial light, SolarWindow™ technology outperforms today’s commercial solar and thin-films by as much as 10-fold under low-intensity irradiance.

Researchers then repeatedly opened and closed the boardroom’s window shades, successfully powering LED lights each time SolarWindow™ was exposed to natural light.  This demonstration mimicked outdoor exposure such as sunlight on the exterior façade of commercial buildings – New Energy’s initial target market and a promising early application of its technology.

Importantly, scientists at the event not only demonstrated the ability to generate ‘voltage’ to power lighting, but also revealed SolarWindow’s capacity to produce ‘current’ necessary for powering mechanical devices and appliances.

Following a boardroom display of LED lights powered by SolarWindow™ using both natural sunlight and artificial fluorescent light sources, attendees crowded inside inventor and Lead Researcher Dr. Xiaomei Jiang’s laboratory where PhD-candidate and Researcher Jason Lewis, successfully powered the mechanical rotor blades of a small helicopter using only a single, small-scale SolarWindow™ prototype.

New Energy’s working SolarWindow™ prototype is a precursor to the development of a commercial scale prototype and eventual full-scale production.  Low production costs, improved manufacturability and increased power performance are among important, recently announced objectives researchers are now targeting.  Key to these advances are the development of new methods and technologies for applying New Energy’s electricity-generating coatings to glass surfaces.

Electrical power is generated on glass when New Energy’s SolarWindow™ coatings are sprayed onto surfaces using commercially available equipment. This patent-pending process enables researchers to spray SolarWindow™ coatings onto glass at room temperature, eliminating expensive and often cumbersome high-temperature or high-vacuum production methods typically used by current solar manufacturers.

Through established relationships with universities, research institutions, and commercial partners, we strive to identify technologies and business opportunities on the leading edge of renewable energy innovation.  Unique to our business model is the use of established research infrastructure owned by the various institutions we deal with, saving us significant capital which would otherwise be required for such costs as land and building acquisition, equipment and capital equipment purchases, and other start up expenses. As a result, we are able to benefit from leading edge research while employing significantly less capital than conventional organizations.