Researchers from the University of Michigan and Tyndall National Institute in Ireland have discovered new materials that could give birth to a new breed of highly efficient solar cells.
The research team, led by Rachel Goldman of the University of Michigan, is currently developing a unique class of materials called highly mismatched alloys to greatly enhance the efficiency of solar cells. They claimed that these materials can fully capture the sun’s rays, unlike traditional solar cells.
Conventional solar cells convert radiant energy from the sun into electricity by absorbing light. However, the sun gives out light at different wavelengths, each with different intensities of energy, and current solar cells only respond well to some wavelengths.
The cells only harness energy from the visible spectrum, holding 43 percent of the sun’s radiant energy. But the infrared portion of the range, which offers about 52 percent of solar energy, is often overlooked in solar panel production.
The most efficient solar cells are made of multiple materials that can capture a greater portion of the sunlight spectrum, and solar panel developers worldwide are seeking to develop the perfect solar cell that will make use of the sun’s infrared light.
The research team were very interested in using highly mismatched alloys for solar cells because its electrical and optical properties drastically change when exposed to certain elements.
In their experiments, the researchers made samples of gallium arsenide nitride, a highly mismatched alloy with nitrogen, to tap into the infrared radiation.
One of the biggest problems to get mismatched alloys out of the lab is that the materials do not naturally mix together with the elements that imbue them with special properties. However, the researchers used molecular beam epitaxy, which involves vaporizing pure samples of the mismatched elements and combining them in a vacuum, to coax the nitrogen to mix with their other elements.
If researchers can learn to control the formation of these clusters, they could build materials that are more efficient at converting light and heat into electricity, Ms. Goldman said.
A large amount of efficiency is possible if future solar panels could capture energy directly from the sun and indirectly from energy re-radiated all around by the ground and buildings.
"The availability of higher efficiency thermoelectrics would make it more practical to generate electricity from waste heat such as that produced in power plants and car engines," Ms. Goldman added.
The team’s research is funded by the National Science Foundation, the Science Foundation Ireland and the Center for Solar and Thermal Energy Conversion, an Energy Frontier Research Center financed by the United States Department of Energy.
Source: EcoSeed ... article written by Oliver M. Bayani
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
In Solar, Thin is no longer capturing the money
Solar cell manufacturer Solaria just announced that it has secured $65 million in financing, more than twice the funding it reportedly sought. What's interesting about Solaria is that unlike the thin-film solar darlings of late, the company makes solar modules based on a technology that requires more silicon. This is bad when silicon prices are high, but Solaria has an advantage when silicon is cheaper, as it is currently. Here's the lowdown from VentureBeat's GreenBeat blog:
Solaria plans to use its new influx of cash to increase availability of their patented modules, which are currently available in North America, Europe and Asia. The new financing includes $10 million set aside for a new growth loan facility.
The company’s appeal lies in its technology, which can cut capital expenditure dramatically for solar module manufacturing. Its solar modules are built for use in tracking systems, which follow the sun’s movement across the sky to maximize absorption and are used in large-scale solar projects by industrial companies and utilities.
This makes us wonder if solar will, so to speak, get a second wind when it comes to cleantech investment. Anything that appeals to the utilities in terms of meeting their renewable-energy objectives is going to stand a reasonable chance of at least being in the alternative energy mix in coming years.
Solaria plans to use its new influx of cash to increase availability of their patented modules, which are currently available in North America, Europe and Asia. The new financing includes $10 million set aside for a new growth loan facility.
The company’s appeal lies in its technology, which can cut capital expenditure dramatically for solar module manufacturing. Its solar modules are built for use in tracking systems, which follow the sun’s movement across the sky to maximize absorption and are used in large-scale solar projects by industrial companies and utilities.
This makes us wonder if solar will, so to speak, get a second wind when it comes to cleantech investment. Anything that appeals to the utilities in terms of meeting their renewable-energy objectives is going to stand a reasonable chance of at least being in the alternative energy mix in coming years.
Nanotubes could change the way we harvest solar energy
MIT chemical engineers have found that by using carbon nanotubes (hollow tubes of carbon atoms) solar energy can be concentrated 100 times more than a regular photovoltaic cell.
Such nanotubes could form antennas that capture and focus light energy, potentially allowing much smaller and more powerful solar arrays.
Michael Strano, the Charles and Hilda Roddey Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering and leader of the research team and his students tell that their new carbon nanotube antenna, or “solar funnel” might also be useful for any other application that requires light to be concentrated, such as night-vision goggles or telescopes.
Solar panels generate electricity by converting photons (packets of light energy) into an electric current, reports Nature.
Strano’s nanotube antenna boosts the number of photons that can be captured and transforms the light into energy that can be funneled into a solar cell.
The antenna consists of a fibrous rope about 10 micrometers (millionths of a meter) long and four micrometers thick, containing about 30 million carbon nanotubes. Strano’s team built, for the first time, a fibre made of two layers of nanotubes with different electrical properties - specifically, different bandgaps.
In any material, electrons can exist at different energy levels. When a photon strikes the surface, it excites an electron to a higher energy level, which is specific to the material. The interaction between the energized electron and the hole it leaves behind is called an exciton, and the difference in energy levels between the hole and the electron is known as the bandgap.
The inner layer of the antenna contains nanotubes with a small bandgap, and nanotubes in the outer layer have a higher bandgap. That’s important because excitons like to flow from high to low energy. In this case, that means the excitons in the outer layer flow to the inner layer, where they can exist in a lower (but still excited) energy state.
Therefore, when light energy strikes the material, all of the excitons flow to the centre of the fibre, where they are concentrated. The study has been published in the Sept. 12 online edition of the journal Nature Materials.
Source: The Hindu
Such nanotubes could form antennas that capture and focus light energy, potentially allowing much smaller and more powerful solar arrays.
Michael Strano, the Charles and Hilda Roddey Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering and leader of the research team and his students tell that their new carbon nanotube antenna, or “solar funnel” might also be useful for any other application that requires light to be concentrated, such as night-vision goggles or telescopes.
Solar panels generate electricity by converting photons (packets of light energy) into an electric current, reports Nature.
Strano’s nanotube antenna boosts the number of photons that can be captured and transforms the light into energy that can be funneled into a solar cell.
The antenna consists of a fibrous rope about 10 micrometers (millionths of a meter) long and four micrometers thick, containing about 30 million carbon nanotubes. Strano’s team built, for the first time, a fibre made of two layers of nanotubes with different electrical properties - specifically, different bandgaps.
In any material, electrons can exist at different energy levels. When a photon strikes the surface, it excites an electron to a higher energy level, which is specific to the material. The interaction between the energized electron and the hole it leaves behind is called an exciton, and the difference in energy levels between the hole and the electron is known as the bandgap.
The inner layer of the antenna contains nanotubes with a small bandgap, and nanotubes in the outer layer have a higher bandgap. That’s important because excitons like to flow from high to low energy. In this case, that means the excitons in the outer layer flow to the inner layer, where they can exist in a lower (but still excited) energy state.
Therefore, when light energy strikes the material, all of the excitons flow to the centre of the fibre, where they are concentrated. The study has been published in the Sept. 12 online edition of the journal Nature Materials.
Source: The Hindu
The Sahara Could Provide Europe with Electricity
The Sahara gets twice as much sunshine annually as most of Europe. The European Union wants to get 20 percent of its electricity from renewable sources within a decade. So why not build solar power plants across North Africa and ship the electricity north via power lines under the Mediterranean?
Over the past year, more than 30 European companies have joined the Desertec Industrial Initiative, a consortium that seeks a $560 billion investment in North African solar and wind installations over the next 40 years. The group is completing a feasibility study and hopes to be building its first power plant by 2013.
A separate group of companies called Transgreen, formed in July, is working on plans for the thousands of miles of high-voltage lines needed. The challenge is immense: Winning agreement from very different countries on two continents to carry out one of the biggest infrastructure projects in history.
Construction contracts
Many backers are eager for a share of rich construction contracts. They include engineering outfits such as Germany's Siemens and Swiss-Swedish group ABB and solar companies Abengoa Solar of Spain and First Solar of Arizona. Giant Italian utility Enel wants to rely less on Russian gas, and German insurer Munich Re sees the project as a hedge against damage from global warming.
"We are creating a large network of allies with complementary interests," said Desertec boss Paul van Son, a former Dutch utility executive.
There's little doubt that Sahara sun can power Europe. Cables already carry electricity under the Mediterranean - though the power flows from Spain to Morocco. And after years of false starts, scores of large-scale solar power plants are being built or in advanced planning stages, from the American Southwest to the Mideast.
"There is now a good track record," said Bernd Utz, head of Siemens' renewable energy division.
With the technology the consortium plans to use, solar-powered electricity costs at least four times as much per kilowatt-hour as power from coal- and gas-fired plants, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, an analysis group. Governments have used subsidies to support alternate energy companies until their costs are more in line with oil and gas. The United States awarded a $1.45 billion loan guarantee in July to reduce financing costs for the planned Solana power plant in Arizona, at 280 megawatts one of the world's largest.
The Sahara project envisions generating capacity equal to almost 400 Solanas. Where would the financing come from? Desertec and Transgreen member companies so far have put up less than $10 million for feasibility studies. They want Europe's governments to require utilities to pay more for Sahara-generated energy, a preferential arrangement that European countries use to spur solar and wind energy development at home.
Trouble is, Germany and Spain are reducing these rates, which the utilities often pass on to customers. The depth of political support in North Africa is another issue. Morocco, Tunisia, and Egypt back the project. Algeria wants to develop solar plants on its own. Some European critics, meanwhile, see a case of overreach.
"European countries can develop faster and cheaper than Desertec a renewable energy supply from indigenous sources," said Hermann Scheer, a member of the German Bundestag who heads Eurosolar, a solar research and advocacy group in Bonn.
Even Europe's sunniest regions, though, don't get enough sun to generate power as efficiently as in North Africa, says Abengoa Solar Chief Executive Officer Santiago Seage.
Room for mirrors
The Sahara's ample space is crucial because plans call for fields of mirrors, totaling hundreds of square miles, at more than 20 locations. The mirrors would concentrate the sun's rays to create heat and drive turbines - a technology known as concentrating solar power or CSP, that allows heat to be extracted and stored gradually so electricity is generated continuously. Plans also call for solar photovoltaic and wind turbine generators, whose energy costs less to produce than concentrating solar power but yet don't offer storage capacity.
"For utilities, CSP is a much more robust product," Seage said.
As the consortium feels its way forward, some European countries could strike bilateral deals with North African suppliers. Morocco, for example, has announced plans to build solar plants for its own use. Because Morocco's government can't afford the subsidies that would make solar power feasible inside its own borders, it might team up with Spain or France to help with financing in exchange for a share of output, suggests Logan Goldie-Scot, a London analyst with Bloomberg New Energy Finance.
"The (Desertec) project will happen," he said, but "it's likely to be a series of small projects."
Source: This article appeared on page D - 5 of the San Francisco Chronicle
To Read more click here:
Over the past year, more than 30 European companies have joined the Desertec Industrial Initiative, a consortium that seeks a $560 billion investment in North African solar and wind installations over the next 40 years. The group is completing a feasibility study and hopes to be building its first power plant by 2013.
A separate group of companies called Transgreen, formed in July, is working on plans for the thousands of miles of high-voltage lines needed. The challenge is immense: Winning agreement from very different countries on two continents to carry out one of the biggest infrastructure projects in history.
Construction contracts
Many backers are eager for a share of rich construction contracts. They include engineering outfits such as Germany's Siemens and Swiss-Swedish group ABB and solar companies Abengoa Solar of Spain and First Solar of Arizona. Giant Italian utility Enel wants to rely less on Russian gas, and German insurer Munich Re sees the project as a hedge against damage from global warming.
"We are creating a large network of allies with complementary interests," said Desertec boss Paul van Son, a former Dutch utility executive.
There's little doubt that Sahara sun can power Europe. Cables already carry electricity under the Mediterranean - though the power flows from Spain to Morocco. And after years of false starts, scores of large-scale solar power plants are being built or in advanced planning stages, from the American Southwest to the Mideast.
"There is now a good track record," said Bernd Utz, head of Siemens' renewable energy division.
With the technology the consortium plans to use, solar-powered electricity costs at least four times as much per kilowatt-hour as power from coal- and gas-fired plants, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, an analysis group. Governments have used subsidies to support alternate energy companies until their costs are more in line with oil and gas. The United States awarded a $1.45 billion loan guarantee in July to reduce financing costs for the planned Solana power plant in Arizona, at 280 megawatts one of the world's largest.
The Sahara project envisions generating capacity equal to almost 400 Solanas. Where would the financing come from? Desertec and Transgreen member companies so far have put up less than $10 million for feasibility studies. They want Europe's governments to require utilities to pay more for Sahara-generated energy, a preferential arrangement that European countries use to spur solar and wind energy development at home.
Trouble is, Germany and Spain are reducing these rates, which the utilities often pass on to customers. The depth of political support in North Africa is another issue. Morocco, Tunisia, and Egypt back the project. Algeria wants to develop solar plants on its own. Some European critics, meanwhile, see a case of overreach.
"European countries can develop faster and cheaper than Desertec a renewable energy supply from indigenous sources," said Hermann Scheer, a member of the German Bundestag who heads Eurosolar, a solar research and advocacy group in Bonn.
Even Europe's sunniest regions, though, don't get enough sun to generate power as efficiently as in North Africa, says Abengoa Solar Chief Executive Officer Santiago Seage.
Room for mirrors
The Sahara's ample space is crucial because plans call for fields of mirrors, totaling hundreds of square miles, at more than 20 locations. The mirrors would concentrate the sun's rays to create heat and drive turbines - a technology known as concentrating solar power or CSP, that allows heat to be extracted and stored gradually so electricity is generated continuously. Plans also call for solar photovoltaic and wind turbine generators, whose energy costs less to produce than concentrating solar power but yet don't offer storage capacity.
"For utilities, CSP is a much more robust product," Seage said.
As the consortium feels its way forward, some European countries could strike bilateral deals with North African suppliers. Morocco, for example, has announced plans to build solar plants for its own use. Because Morocco's government can't afford the subsidies that would make solar power feasible inside its own borders, it might team up with Spain or France to help with financing in exchange for a share of output, suggests Logan Goldie-Scot, a London analyst with Bloomberg New Energy Finance.
"The (Desertec) project will happen," he said, but "it's likely to be a series of small projects."
Source: This article appeared on page D - 5 of the San Francisco Chronicle
To Read more click here:
Mars-inspired technology makes PV panels self-cleaning
Scientists have discovered a technology that solves the problem of dust accumulation on the surface of solar panels, overcoming a key obstacle in harvesting electricity from the sun – and it came straight from Mars.
The technology, which was originally intended for use in rovers and other machines sent to space missions to the moon and to Mars, allows solar panels to self-clean
Boston University professor Malay K. Mazumder and his colleagues, who worked with the National Aeronautics and Space Association, expressed optimism that the technology will play an important role in boosting the $24 billion solar photovoltaic market. He presented the study at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society held this week.
The technology involves the deposition of a transparent, electrically sensitive material on glass or on a transparent plastic sheet that cover the panels. Sensors monitor dust levels on the surface of the panel and energize the material when dust concentration reaches a critical level.
The electric charge sends a dust-repelling wave cascading over the surface of the material, lifting away the dust and transporting it off of the screen's edges.
Mr. Mazumder said that within two minutes, the process removes about 90 percent of dust on a solar panel. The mechanism reportedly requires only a small amount of the electricity generated by the panel for it to work.
"Mars of course is a dusty and dry environment," explained Mr. Mazumder, "and solar panels powering rovers and future manned and robotic missions must not succumb to dust deposition. But neither should the solar panels here on earth."
"Our technology can be used in both small- and large-scale photovoltaic systems. To our knowledge, this is the only technology for automatic dust cleaning that doesn't require water or mechanical movement," said Mr. Mazumder.
Large-scale solar PV installations, such as those found in the United States, Spain, Germany, the Middle East, Australia and India are almost ideally located in sunny desert areas. But dry weather and winds sweep dust into the air and deposit it on the surfaces of the PV panels. Dust reduces the amount of light that a solar panel can absorb and convert to electricity.
"A dust layer of one-seventh of an ounce per square yard decreases solar conversion by 40 percent," Mr. Mazumder explains. "In Arizona, dust is deposited each month at about 4 times that amount. Deposition rates are even higher in the Middle East, Australia and India."
Currently, only about 4 percent of the world’s deserts are used in solar power harvesting. Conventional methods of cleaning solar panels usually involve large amounts of water which is costly and scarce in such dry areas.
The researchers hope the use of the self-dusting technology will not only improve the performance of existing solar farms in desert areas but will open up more of them for solar power plants.
Source: EcoSeed Author: Katrice R. Jalbuena
The technology, which was originally intended for use in rovers and other machines sent to space missions to the moon and to Mars, allows solar panels to self-clean
Boston University professor Malay K. Mazumder and his colleagues, who worked with the National Aeronautics and Space Association, expressed optimism that the technology will play an important role in boosting the $24 billion solar photovoltaic market. He presented the study at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society held this week.
The technology involves the deposition of a transparent, electrically sensitive material on glass or on a transparent plastic sheet that cover the panels. Sensors monitor dust levels on the surface of the panel and energize the material when dust concentration reaches a critical level.
The electric charge sends a dust-repelling wave cascading over the surface of the material, lifting away the dust and transporting it off of the screen's edges.
Mr. Mazumder said that within two minutes, the process removes about 90 percent of dust on a solar panel. The mechanism reportedly requires only a small amount of the electricity generated by the panel for it to work.
"Mars of course is a dusty and dry environment," explained Mr. Mazumder, "and solar panels powering rovers and future manned and robotic missions must not succumb to dust deposition. But neither should the solar panels here on earth."
"Our technology can be used in both small- and large-scale photovoltaic systems. To our knowledge, this is the only technology for automatic dust cleaning that doesn't require water or mechanical movement," said Mr. Mazumder.
Large-scale solar PV installations, such as those found in the United States, Spain, Germany, the Middle East, Australia and India are almost ideally located in sunny desert areas. But dry weather and winds sweep dust into the air and deposit it on the surfaces of the PV panels. Dust reduces the amount of light that a solar panel can absorb and convert to electricity.
"A dust layer of one-seventh of an ounce per square yard decreases solar conversion by 40 percent," Mr. Mazumder explains. "In Arizona, dust is deposited each month at about 4 times that amount. Deposition rates are even higher in the Middle East, Australia and India."
Currently, only about 4 percent of the world’s deserts are used in solar power harvesting. Conventional methods of cleaning solar panels usually involve large amounts of water which is costly and scarce in such dry areas.
The researchers hope the use of the self-dusting technology will not only improve the performance of existing solar farms in desert areas but will open up more of them for solar power plants.
Source: EcoSeed Author: Katrice R. Jalbuena
Thursday, September 9, 2010
New Efficiency Record for A-Si Panels
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has confirmed results for a record-breaking conversion efficiency in solar cell technology. Oerlikon Solar and Corning Incorporated have combined technologies to produce a tandem solar cell using thin-film silicon. Oerlikon’s proprietary Micromorph® solar cells and Corning’s specialty, advanced light-capturing glass combined to achieve 11.9-percent stabilized conversion efficiency in NREL tests.
That efficiency beats out the previous record of 11.7 percent in 2004. This is the latest advancement in Oerlikon’s ThinFab line of solar panels, which, according to the company, have also achieved a world record in production cost per watt at 50 euro cents per watt-peak (about $0.64 USD).
Micromorph technology is itself an advancement on amorphous silicon solar cells (a-Si cells). Put simply, a-Si cells consist of a thin layer of silicon deposited onto a transparent conductive oxide (TCO). Oerlikon’s Micromorph technology adds another layer in tandem with the first. This added microcrystalline absorber enables the solar cell to absorb a wider spectrum of light, edging into the red and near-infrared spectrum which conventional silicon solar cells cannot do. According to Germany-based Oerlikon this extra absorption increases cell conversion efficiency (the rate at which sunlight is converted into electricity), by 30 percent.
Corning Inc.’s proprietary glass, or glazing, technology ensures that a higher amount of light is available for absorption by the solar cells beneath it. It is in this way that the two companies continue to make advancements in thin-film silicon.
Low production costs have long been a point of pride for thin-film technologies. Last year, American firm First Solar broke the coveted $1.00/watt barrier (now residing at about $0.76/watt) for its cadmium telluride solar cells (CdTe). Yet low conversion efficiency has been the only factor preventing thin-film products from surpassing their crystalline silicon predecessors, which still dominate more than 90 percent of the global solar market.
However, with efficiencies nearing 12 percent and production costs approaching a half dollar, the gap continues to close between first- and second-generation technologies. Most crystalline silicon (c-Si) modules on the market produce at efficiencies between 15 and 20 percent, but cost well over $1.00 per watt to manufacture. a-Si products use much less silicon and are cheaper to produce than conventional panels. It’s for this reason — and based on advancements such as Oerlikon and Corning’s — that thin-film solar cells are expected to take over dominance of the solar market within the next decade, depending on a variety of technological and commercial factors.
Oerlikon Solar is presenting its record-breaking Micromorph technology this week at the 25th Annual European Photovoltaics Solar Energy Conference in Valencia, Spain.
That efficiency beats out the previous record of 11.7 percent in 2004. This is the latest advancement in Oerlikon’s ThinFab line of solar panels, which, according to the company, have also achieved a world record in production cost per watt at 50 euro cents per watt-peak (about $0.64 USD).
Micromorph technology is itself an advancement on amorphous silicon solar cells (a-Si cells). Put simply, a-Si cells consist of a thin layer of silicon deposited onto a transparent conductive oxide (TCO). Oerlikon’s Micromorph technology adds another layer in tandem with the first. This added microcrystalline absorber enables the solar cell to absorb a wider spectrum of light, edging into the red and near-infrared spectrum which conventional silicon solar cells cannot do. According to Germany-based Oerlikon this extra absorption increases cell conversion efficiency (the rate at which sunlight is converted into electricity), by 30 percent.
Corning Inc.’s proprietary glass, or glazing, technology ensures that a higher amount of light is available for absorption by the solar cells beneath it. It is in this way that the two companies continue to make advancements in thin-film silicon.
Low production costs have long been a point of pride for thin-film technologies. Last year, American firm First Solar broke the coveted $1.00/watt barrier (now residing at about $0.76/watt) for its cadmium telluride solar cells (CdTe). Yet low conversion efficiency has been the only factor preventing thin-film products from surpassing their crystalline silicon predecessors, which still dominate more than 90 percent of the global solar market.
However, with efficiencies nearing 12 percent and production costs approaching a half dollar, the gap continues to close between first- and second-generation technologies. Most crystalline silicon (c-Si) modules on the market produce at efficiencies between 15 and 20 percent, but cost well over $1.00 per watt to manufacture. a-Si products use much less silicon and are cheaper to produce than conventional panels. It’s for this reason — and based on advancements such as Oerlikon and Corning’s — that thin-film solar cells are expected to take over dominance of the solar market within the next decade, depending on a variety of technological and commercial factors.
Oerlikon Solar is presenting its record-breaking Micromorph technology this week at the 25th Annual European Photovoltaics Solar Energy Conference in Valencia, Spain.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Sharp to Expand Annual Solar Cell Module Production Capacity in the UK to 500 MW
Sharp Corporation will double its annual production capacity for crystalline solar cell modules to 500 MW at Sharp Manufacturing Company of U.K. (SUKM), its production base in the UK (Wrexham, Wales), starting December 2010.
SUKM began producing solar cell modules in the spring of 2004, becoming Sharp’s second international production base for solar cell modules following a facility in the US. To meet the growing demand for solar cells, SUKM’s production capacity will be gradually increased, starting December 2010, from the current level of 250 MW per year to 500 MW by February 2011.
The solar cell market is expected to see expansion on a global basis, spurred on by environmental government policies in countries around the world. Sharp began research into solar cells in 1959 and since then has built up technologies and know-how as well as earned a reputation for reliability. Based on these achievements, Sharp is currently expanding its solar cell business from two sides—crystalline solar cells and thin-film solar cells. Sharp is also pushing forward with a “local production for local consumption” approach in order to increase cost competitiveness and shorten delivery times.
Sharp is aiming to become a company that provides total solutions in the field of solar power by globally expanding its new business model, which includes solar cell development, solar cell sales, and running a power generation business.
• Target date: Increase gradually from December 2010
• Capital investment: Approx. 4 billion yen
• Annual production capacity: 500 MW (in February 2011)
SUKM began producing solar cell modules in the spring of 2004, becoming Sharp’s second international production base for solar cell modules following a facility in the US. To meet the growing demand for solar cells, SUKM’s production capacity will be gradually increased, starting December 2010, from the current level of 250 MW per year to 500 MW by February 2011.
The solar cell market is expected to see expansion on a global basis, spurred on by environmental government policies in countries around the world. Sharp began research into solar cells in 1959 and since then has built up technologies and know-how as well as earned a reputation for reliability. Based on these achievements, Sharp is currently expanding its solar cell business from two sides—crystalline solar cells and thin-film solar cells. Sharp is also pushing forward with a “local production for local consumption” approach in order to increase cost competitiveness and shorten delivery times.
Sharp is aiming to become a company that provides total solutions in the field of solar power by globally expanding its new business model, which includes solar cell development, solar cell sales, and running a power generation business.
• Target date: Increase gradually from December 2010
• Capital investment: Approx. 4 billion yen
• Annual production capacity: 500 MW (in February 2011)
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