UK Goverment Expands Feed In Tariff Program

Less than two months after Britain's Labour Party launched its highly regarded feed-in tariff program, the newly elected conservative government has announced the program will be expanded. The announcement is included in the coalition government's agreement published as the new government took office.

Britain is one of Europe's renewable energy laggards. Despite the best wind resource in Europe, the county has only developed 4,000 megawatts (MW) of generation after two decades of effort. During the same period, Germany has installed 25,000 MW of wind capacity. France, itself a laggard, has installed as much as Britain in half the time. Both Germany and France use feed-in tariffs. 

Is this political rhetoric or a promise?   Given the success of Feed In Tariff programs throughout the rest of Europe ... and the economic benefits it has led to ... we're anticipating that further announcements will be forthcoming.

Source: Renewable Energy World    Read the full article here.

System Photonics Introduces Innovative Solar Roof Tiles

System Photonics today announces the availability in the UK of their solar roof tiles.

System Photonics has combined its ceramic industry know-how with photovoltaic technology to create a unique solar roof tile, a highly aesthetic and functional photovoltaic solution designed from the outset as a roof covering that can be integrated seamlessly into the building design, without compromises on the efficiency of the photovoltaic system.

“We are very excited both about the start of our operation and the availability of the Feed- in Tariff in the UK. The crucial thing about the feed-in tariff is the benefit goes back directly to the homeowner. We are confident that our superior solar roof tiles and comprehensive service and support programme will benefit our partners in the market and their customers who are the home owners”, said Reza Shaybani, Director of System Photonics UK.

“The issue with solar power has been a matter of aesthetics, homeowners have hesitated to install solar panels on their roofs due to the bulky, unsightly systems available on the market and their possible effect on the curb appeal of a property” said Gianluca Aiazzi, CEO of Solar Photonics.

“Our unique roof tile has a ceramic back sheet and is available in a wide range of colours. As well as being pleasing to they eye, System Photonics roof tiles are modular, tough, waterproof, easy to install and eco-friendly, since they are almost entirely made of recyclable materials”.

System Photonics solar roof tile features:

• Aesthetics –built on 3mm ceramic substrate, available in 13 permanent colours including slate grey and clay red.

• Solid durable construction - ultra-resistant thermally conductive ceramic dissipates heat from cells. Our Laminam ceramic is non-porous, weatherproof and recyclable. Tempered glass front.

• Efficiency - we use crystalline cells for high efficiency, equal to normal solar panels.

• Reliability - 10 year guarantee from defects, 25 year performance guarantee.

• Complete solution – solar roof tiles and complementary passive ceramic tiles complete with mounting accessories ensure architectural consistency.

• Fast installation – solar roof tiles can be installed rapidly on an existing roof, no extra precautions are needed for waterproofing, and our solar roof can be walked on.

• Recyclability – unlike solar panels, at the end of our product’s useful lifetime, all materials can be separated by heating and recycled.

• Company strength - the System group is the largest manufacturer of machinery for the ceramic tile industry, it also makes the machinery to manufacture System Photonics solar roof tiles.

• Standards - TÜV certified at full 110 PSF loading, IEC 61215, IEC 61730 security certified, protection class II, CE marked. UL and MSC pending.


Source:  System Photonics

SANYO Brings More HIT High Efficiency PV Modules to Europe

Exclusive launch of new modules for European Market at Intersolar 2010.

SANYO Component Europe GmbH has recently announced that it will be showcasing a new range of high efficiency HIT modules at this year’s Intersolar, to be held from June 9th through June 11th at the New Munich Trade Fair Centre in Germany (Stand 170 in Hall A6). Keeping with SANYO’s tradition for presenting a fun and interactive exhibition experience, this year also sees the introduction of a new host of attractions to be featured alongside these new products.

SANYO’s HIT modules are highly appreciated in Europe thanks to their industry leading energy conversion efficiency. The modules are based on thin mono crystalline silicon wafers surrounded by ultra-thin amorphous silicon layers to deliver a superior conversion efficiency, outstanding temperature characteristics and higher output power on a given roof area compared to conventional crystalline modules. These new modules see these characteristics taken a step further to provide added cost efficiency to users in Europe.

Not keep to stop there, SANYO will also be introducing a pioneering energy solution “Smart Energy System (SES)” that utilizes its expertise in the fields of energy generation, energy storage and energy efficiency. Through advancements in the method of harnessing the suns power to address our day-to-day energy needs, this solution is expected to contribute significantly to the reduction of CO2 emissions in Europe.

To meet the European markets growing needs, SANYO has continued to invest in its production facilities for photovoltaic products. This year alone, the module assembly plant in Hungary will undergo an expansion that will see output capacity increase from 165MW to 315MW, making SANYO well equipped to react quickly to the European market.

Source:  Renewable Energy Sources

Solar Car to Lead Runners in Kenyan Open Marathon

A solar car equipped with Sharp solar cells will be the lead car in the 2nd Sotokoto*1 Safari Marathon on May 23, 2010 in Nairobi, the Republic of Kenya. The environmentally friendly solar car is driving in support of this open marathon in the equatorial country of Kenya, which boasts one of the highest quantities of solar radiation on Earth.

This open marathon is held to encourage people to contribute to society and protect the environment. The marathon was first held in 2009 as part of the Smile Africa Project*2, in which Japanese children donate their used shoes to their less fortunate counterparts in developing countries.

Once again participating as a runner in the race will be Naoko Takahashi of Japan, winner of the women’s marathon gold medal at the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games. Behind the wheel of the solar car will be another luminary—Kenjiro Shinozuka, an experienced driver who has participated in solar car races in South Africa and Australia and who was the first Japanese to achieve overall victory in the Paris to Dakar Rally (in 1997).

The “ELA” solar car is equipped with Sharp polycrystalline residential solar cells.

Source:  Renewable Energy Sources    For full details regarding the marathon click here.

50 MW CSP Plant in Spain Becomes Operational

Seville, Spain: Abengoa Solar Begins Commercial Operation of Solnova 1

Abengoa Solar has initiated commercial operation of Solnova 1, the new parabolic trough technology plant located at the Solúcar Platform, following the successful completion of the operation and production testing conducted over the course of three days. During this phase plant performance matched theoretical electrical power generation design, thereby validating the tremendous potential of parabolic trough technology.

The Solnova 1 plant incorporates parabolic trough technology developed by Abengoa Solar and has integrated significant design enhancements. Worthy of special mention is the Abengoa Solar-developed ASTRØ parabolic trough collector which ensures far superior precision thanks to its design and exclusive process of construction and alignment.

The accumulative experience gained by Abengoa Solar through its trough pilot plant built in 2007, the use of a motor-driven start-up station, and the expertise of highly specialized technical personnel dedicated to optical alignment, collector manufacturing and process optimisation proved to be key factors in the successful start-up of Solnova 1, a plant built by Abener.

Santiago Seage, CEO of Abengoa Solar, emphasized that reaching theoretical design capacity during production testing constitutes a significant milestone.

"Our technological progress and accumulative expertise have enabled us to reach our goals much sooner than we had anticipated. We will use this experience in the two 280 MW CSP plants planned for the United States in Arizona and California," he added.

With its 50 megawatts of power, the new Solnova 1 solar station will generate enough clean energy to meet the electricity needs of 25,700 homes, while preventing the emission of approximately 31,400 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere each year.

Solnova 1 is made up of around 980,000 square feet (300,000 square meters) of mirrors that cover an area totalling approximately 280 acres (115 hectares). The plant employs technology which concentrates solar radiation onto a heat-absorbing pipe inside of which flows a liquid that reaches high temperatures. This fluid transfers its energy to the water vapor that reaches a turbo-generator, where it expands to produce electricity.


Source:   Solarbuzz    Further details about: Abengoa Solar

73 MW Solar Project Approved for Thailand

Manila, Philippines:     

The Asian Development Bank's (ADB) Board of Directors has approved investment in a 73-megawatt solar power plant in central Thailand. The plant, likely to be one of the largest solar photovoltaic projects in the world, will be central to Thailand's efforts to generate much more of its energy from domestic, renewable sources. ADB will lend up to $70 million equivalent in Thai baht to Natural Energy Development Company, a Thai company jointly owned by CLP Holdings Ltd., Japan's Mitsubishi Corp., and the Electricity Generating Public Company Ltd., Thailand's first independent power producer, to build the plant.

The loan will come from ADB's ordinary capital resources, and the plant will be located in Lopburi province in central Thailand.

Currently, around 90% of Thailand's power comes from natural gas, coal, and lignite. In an effort to diversify the country's energy mix and promote renewable energy, the government has prepared an Alternative Energy Development Plan that aims to generate 20.4% of primary commercial energy from renewable sources by 2022. This implies a sharp increase in renewable capacity to 5,608 megawatts from the current 1,750 megawatts.

"Solar energy is an abundant resource throughout Thailand and therefore has huge potential to fill the rising demand from Thai businesses, communities and households," said Joe Yamagata, Deputy Director General in ADB's Private Sector Operations Department.

"This private sector undertaking should demonstrate clearly to other investors the viability of investing in solar projects if the right financing structure including carbon credits is in place," he said.

Source:  Solarbuzz   Read the full article here.

Solar Sector Faces Power Struggle

The world's photovoltaic industry is heading for a shake-out with big Chinese and US manufacturers of solar modules competing for dominance in Europe as smaller companies suffer from a collapse of prices and lower subsidies.

Executives speaking at the Italian PV Summit and trade fair in Verona last week were heartened by higher forecasts of demand for solar power made by the Paris-based International Energy Agency but they also warned of the dangers of a bubble forming in fast-growing Italy following the bursting of the Spanish market last year.

"We will see more consolidation of players, leaving a handful of very large manufacturers," said David Hogg, head of European operations for China's Suntech Power, which plans to increase output to 1,250MW in 2010 from 700MW last year and is developing a new generation of high-efficiency Pluto panels.

"As the industry matures only those with a low cost base will be left," he said, stressing the importance of economies of scale.

A collapse of some 50 per cent in module prices over the past 18 months has left some companies vulnerable, particularly in Germany where Anton Milner resigned in March as chief executive of Q-Cells, formerly the world's largest solar cell producer, after what he called "very dramatic negative figures" for 2009.

Source:   Financial Times.   Read the full article here.