LDK Solar Company Limited will secure up to 60 billion Chinese yuan ($8.97 billion) in credit from the China Development Bank over five years to bolster its long-term growth and development plans.
Details of the individual credit facilities will be subject to the bank’s internal risk management requirements and operational regulations."Through our strong partnership with [China Development Bank], we will have an enhanced ability to pursue our long-term growth strategy and further strengthen our position within the [photovoltaic] industry market,” said Xiafeng Peng, chairman and chief executive of LDK Solar.
The company is the largest producer of multicrystalline solar wafers in the world and is a leading vertically integrated manufacturer of photovoltaic products.
Early this month, LDK Solar completed the installation and trial runs of the first production line of solar cells in its new manufacturing facility in Xinyu city in China. The new manufacturing line has an annualized capacity of 60 megawatts and is expected to reach 120 MW by the end of the third quarter.
“Our objectives of in-house cell production are to produce approximately [50 percent] of our module manufacturing needs, thereby reducing the cost of our modules and attaining a stable supply of cells,” Mr. Peng explained.
The company also signed numerous agreements that will support its long-term growth goals. LDK Solar recently modified an existing solar wafer supply contract with Q-Cells S.E. inked in December 2007 worth $244.5 million. In the new agreement, LDK Solar will repay the prepayment in its entirety, which currently stands at $224.9 million, by the end of 2011.
Meanwhile, LDK Solar entered a research collaboration with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory that will look into ways to develop standards for solar grade silicon, as well as evaluation methods, crystallization technologies and commercial implementation.
Meanwhile, the China Development Bank also extended credit to JA Solar Holdings Company Limited worth $4.42 billion, with Suntech Power Holdings for $7.29 billion and Trina Solar for $4.3 billion.
Source: EcoSeed
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
World's biggest solar project powers up in Canada
The world's largest solar energy facility, the 80-megawatt Sarnia photovoltaic project in Ontario, is now fully operational and is supplying energy to the Canadian province's power grid, its owner and operator said on Monday.
The project, located in southern Ontario, is expected to make enough energy from sunlight to power 12,800 homes, its owner Enbridge Inc ENB.TO and operator First Solar Inc said in a statement.
"Completing the world's largest PV (photovoltaic) power plant demonstrates the migration of solar PV toward utility scale," said Frank De Rosa, senior vice-president of North American project development at First Solar, the world's biggest solar company by market value.
Enbridge, Canada's biggest oil pipeline operator, will sell the power from the Sarnia facility to the Ontario Power Authority under a 20-year power purchase agreement. The agreement was awarded under the provincial government's Renewable Energy Standard Offer Program.
In addition to its standard offer program, Ontario last year unveiled a green energy feed-in tariff (FIT), which offers rich incentives to renewable energy developers to set up shop in the province. The FIT program has lured a number of big-name companies including South Korea's Samsung, C&T and Germany's Siemens AG.
Enbridge, which has been much in the news recently because of pipeline leaks in the United States, has invested C$2 billion in green energy assets in recent years and now also has interests in seven wind farms and a geothermal project, among others.
It bought the 20 MW Sarnia project from First Solar last year in an agreement in which First Solar remained as the project's operator. The two companies then expanded the project's capacity by 60 MW.
First Solar's de Rosa said U.S.-based company expects to install 145 MW of solar power in North America this year, including this project. The Sarnia facility was built using First Solar's thin film solar panels.
Editors Note: Sarnia is also where the first commercial oil wells in North America were located.
Source: Reuters News Service
The project, located in southern Ontario, is expected to make enough energy from sunlight to power 12,800 homes, its owner Enbridge Inc ENB.TO and operator First Solar Inc said in a statement.
"Completing the world's largest PV (photovoltaic) power plant demonstrates the migration of solar PV toward utility scale," said Frank De Rosa, senior vice-president of North American project development at First Solar, the world's biggest solar company by market value.
Enbridge, Canada's biggest oil pipeline operator, will sell the power from the Sarnia facility to the Ontario Power Authority under a 20-year power purchase agreement. The agreement was awarded under the provincial government's Renewable Energy Standard Offer Program.
In addition to its standard offer program, Ontario last year unveiled a green energy feed-in tariff (FIT), which offers rich incentives to renewable energy developers to set up shop in the province. The FIT program has lured a number of big-name companies including South Korea's Samsung, C&T and Germany's Siemens AG.
Enbridge, which has been much in the news recently because of pipeline leaks in the United States, has invested C$2 billion in green energy assets in recent years and now also has interests in seven wind farms and a geothermal project, among others.
It bought the 20 MW Sarnia project from First Solar last year in an agreement in which First Solar remained as the project's operator. The two companies then expanded the project's capacity by 60 MW.
First Solar's de Rosa said U.S.-based company expects to install 145 MW of solar power in North America this year, including this project. The Sarnia facility was built using First Solar's thin film solar panels.
Editors Note: Sarnia is also where the first commercial oil wells in North America were located.
Source: Reuters News Service
Companies Plan 100 MW for India
Developers and manufacturers are eyeing India's burgeoning solar market.
he European power-electronics company AEG Power Solutions and the Indian solar developer Electrotherm have partnered to deploy 100 MW of solar PV projects around India in the next three years.
The first installations are targeted for the last quarter of 2010 (15 MW) and for the beginning of 2011 (30 MW) in the states of Gujrat and Rajastan.
Electrotherm will give AEG access to the Indian market through its existing presence in the country. The company will act as an EPC contractor (Engineering, Procurement and Construction). In addition, Electrotherm will provide MV transformers and other basic components such as structures and complete wiring which are parts of the company’s portfolio.
AEG will provide engineering services and will deliver key components such solar inverters, metering, monitoring and controlling equipment and intelligent combiner boxes, part of the total solar power solutions of the group.
Both companies expect to develop together a minimum of 100MW of business activity in India over a period of 36 months.
Source: Renewable Energy World
he European power-electronics company AEG Power Solutions and the Indian solar developer Electrotherm have partnered to deploy 100 MW of solar PV projects around India in the next three years.
The first installations are targeted for the last quarter of 2010 (15 MW) and for the beginning of 2011 (30 MW) in the states of Gujrat and Rajastan.
Electrotherm will give AEG access to the Indian market through its existing presence in the country. The company will act as an EPC contractor (Engineering, Procurement and Construction). In addition, Electrotherm will provide MV transformers and other basic components such as structures and complete wiring which are parts of the company’s portfolio.
AEG will provide engineering services and will deliver key components such solar inverters, metering, monitoring and controlling equipment and intelligent combiner boxes, part of the total solar power solutions of the group.
Both companies expect to develop together a minimum of 100MW of business activity in India over a period of 36 months.
Source: Renewable Energy World
Germany Adds 4.88 GW in 2010 so Far
Seemingly determined to put an end to speculation that solar photovoltaics (PV) can't "scale" quickly enough to make a dent in electricity consumption, the German solar industry continues to break records.
According to the latest data from the Bundesnetzagentur, Germany's solar industry added another 1,000 MW during July and August. This brings the total for the eight-month period from January through August to 4,900 MW from nearly 175,000 solar installations.
Solar PV installations to date in 2010 are capable of generating slightly less than 5 TWh of electricity under German conditions.
Germany consumed 580 TWh of electricity in 2009.
Installations of solar PV during the first eight months of 2010 are capable of providing 0.86% or nearly 1% of the country's electricity. At the current pace of development, Germany will add about 6,000 MW of PV for all of 2010 or more than enough to provide 1% of electricity supply.
Germany currently meets approximately 1% of its supply with solar PV. With the 2010 additions, the country will meet 2% of its supply with solar PV.
Wind energy supplied 6.5% of Germany's electricity in 2009. Germany is expected to add another 4 TWh of generation from wind energy in 2010 or somewhat less than 1% of consumption.
Critics of solar energy have often charged that solar could not be scaled or installed quickly enough to have a significant effect on electricity supply. It is now clear that solar PV can indeed scale where the policies are designed to do so.
Source: Renewable Energy World
According to the latest data from the Bundesnetzagentur, Germany's solar industry added another 1,000 MW during July and August. This brings the total for the eight-month period from January through August to 4,900 MW from nearly 175,000 solar installations.
Solar PV installations to date in 2010 are capable of generating slightly less than 5 TWh of electricity under German conditions.
Germany consumed 580 TWh of electricity in 2009.
Installations of solar PV during the first eight months of 2010 are capable of providing 0.86% or nearly 1% of the country's electricity. At the current pace of development, Germany will add about 6,000 MW of PV for all of 2010 or more than enough to provide 1% of electricity supply.
Germany currently meets approximately 1% of its supply with solar PV. With the 2010 additions, the country will meet 2% of its supply with solar PV.
Wind energy supplied 6.5% of Germany's electricity in 2009. Germany is expected to add another 4 TWh of generation from wind energy in 2010 or somewhat less than 1% of consumption.
Critics of solar energy have often charged that solar could not be scaled or installed quickly enough to have a significant effect on electricity supply. It is now clear that solar PV can indeed scale where the policies are designed to do so.
Source: Renewable Energy World
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Pike Research Sees Big Growth for BIPV
Building-integrated photovoltaics installed capacity to grow more than tenfold to 2.4 GW by 2016, says Pike Research.
According to a new report from Pike Research, BIPV and building-applied photovoltaics (BAPV) market dynamics will change beginning in 2010, transforming from a market that was too expensive to really take off to a viable PV market force, mostly due to the extreme drop in PV costs. The firm forecasts that installed capacity will grow more than tenfold by 2016, approaching 2.4 gigawatts (GW) worldwide in that year compared to just 215 megawatts (MW) in 2009.
Pike Research forecasts that this growth will generate annual wholesale market revenues of $4 billion by 2016, under a base case scenario.
“Rapidly falling cost per watt will be a major driver of BIPV and BAPV installations in the coming years,” says senior analyst Dave Cavanaugh. “In addition, rooftop installations are becoming much easier with the market entry of new, high-efficiency CIGS-technology panels and shingles. At the same time, the aesthetic appeal of BIPV and BAPV is improving with the introduction of solar crystalline-silicon modules and thin-film tiles and shingles that blend into building facades, atria and rooftops.”
Cavanaugh adds that other key growth drivers include newly-instituted generous BIPV/BAPV feed-in tariffs in countries such as Italy, Japan, France, the United Kingdom, and the Canadian province of Ontario, and he believes it is likely that the United States will institute BIPV/BAPV incentives beginning in 2011
Other drivers will likely include efficiency improvements in c-Si and thin-film modules, better aesthetics for BIPV applications and the increase in the popularity of green building among consumers.
Additional factors that are likely to fuel adoption of BIPV/BAPV are efficiency improvements in both c-Si modules and flexible thin film panels and shingles, an enhanced supply chain for BIPV/BAPV solar products, much easier rooftop installation, and an increasing desire to “go green” by owners of residences and commercial buildings.
Pike Research’s report, “Building-Integrated Photovoltaics,” reviews the global markets for BIPV and BAPV including a comprehensive analysis of demand drivers and economics, technology issues, and key industry players, according to the company. The company also says that the report includes base case and upside scenario forecasts for BIPV/BAPV installed capacity by world region and technology, along with forecasts of wholesale market revenues through 2016.
According to a new report from Pike Research, BIPV and building-applied photovoltaics (BAPV) market dynamics will change beginning in 2010, transforming from a market that was too expensive to really take off to a viable PV market force, mostly due to the extreme drop in PV costs. The firm forecasts that installed capacity will grow more than tenfold by 2016, approaching 2.4 gigawatts (GW) worldwide in that year compared to just 215 megawatts (MW) in 2009.
Pike Research forecasts that this growth will generate annual wholesale market revenues of $4 billion by 2016, under a base case scenario.
“Rapidly falling cost per watt will be a major driver of BIPV and BAPV installations in the coming years,” says senior analyst Dave Cavanaugh. “In addition, rooftop installations are becoming much easier with the market entry of new, high-efficiency CIGS-technology panels and shingles. At the same time, the aesthetic appeal of BIPV and BAPV is improving with the introduction of solar crystalline-silicon modules and thin-film tiles and shingles that blend into building facades, atria and rooftops.”
Cavanaugh adds that other key growth drivers include newly-instituted generous BIPV/BAPV feed-in tariffs in countries such as Italy, Japan, France, the United Kingdom, and the Canadian province of Ontario, and he believes it is likely that the United States will institute BIPV/BAPV incentives beginning in 2011
Other drivers will likely include efficiency improvements in c-Si and thin-film modules, better aesthetics for BIPV applications and the increase in the popularity of green building among consumers.
Additional factors that are likely to fuel adoption of BIPV/BAPV are efficiency improvements in both c-Si modules and flexible thin film panels and shingles, an enhanced supply chain for BIPV/BAPV solar products, much easier rooftop installation, and an increasing desire to “go green” by owners of residences and commercial buildings.
Pike Research’s report, “Building-Integrated Photovoltaics,” reviews the global markets for BIPV and BAPV including a comprehensive analysis of demand drivers and economics, technology issues, and key industry players, according to the company. The company also says that the report includes base case and upside scenario forecasts for BIPV/BAPV installed capacity by world region and technology, along with forecasts of wholesale market revenues through 2016.
Chinese Firms Developing Solar Power Plants for Less Than 1 Yuan per kWh?
A recent round of bids for utility-scale solar plants in China broke the 1 Yuan per kWh ($0.15 per kWh) threshold highlighting the government's push for clean energy at all costs.
The late August round of bids for utility-scale solar power projects in China yielded a new milestone in the economics of solar power in China: a sub-Yuan/kWh price for solar power. To achieve this impressive number, the Chinese government has used the state-owned sector (and particularly enterprises under the direct control of the central government) to help subsidize the price of solar power, to the point where the economics appear to be unsustainable.
Beijing also appears to have decided — at least for the time being -- that large-scale development of solar power will occur more rapidly through a coordinated effort led by a rather short list of government-controlled enterprises.
In its own way, this is China weighing in on the recent R&D vs. government funding debate featured on “Dot Earth” between Richard Rosen of the Tellus Institute and Microsoft’s Bill Gates. China is clearly arguing that marshalling the resources of the state in the form of huge government subsidies for solar power should trump market- and innovation-driven solutions to reduce its cost.
Whether there is a price point at which China’s private sector will be able to participate in utility-scale solar power development remains a question. Also in question is whether the much anticipated innovation culture that the Chinese have said that they are intent on building will contribute in a significant way to the development of solar power in China absent a meaningful incentive for that innovation to occur.
Building Utility-scale Plants Below Cost
The Chinese certainly are displaying their eagerness to scale up domestic use of solar energy, while driving down its cost. Winning bids for the 13 new projects (totaling 280 MW) ranged from US $0.10 per kWh (0.7288 Yuan/kWh, which equals $0.107/kWh@ 6.8 Yuan/$1) at the low end, to US $0.15 per kWh (0.9907 Yuan/kWh equal to $0.146/kWh) on the high end. These bids were approximately one-third lower than the bids that came in last year for the first utility-scale solar power plant, a 10-MW plant to be located in Dunhuang, Qinghai Province.
This year, more than 70% of the winning bids were won by government-controlled enterprises. The China Power Investment Group dominated the most recent round of bidding with a total of seven successful bids. The Upper Yellow River Hydropower Development Co., a subsidiary of the China Power Investment Group, submitted the lowest bid for this round of PPAs (0.7288 Yuan/kWh) and became the winning bidder for the Qinghai Gonghe 30-MW project. At 0.9907 Yuan/kWh, the Xinjiang Energy Co., Ltd., also a subsidiary of the China Power Investment Group, was the winning bidder for the 20-MW Xinjiang Hetian project.
There were a total of 135 bids submitted by 50 firms for the 13 solar power projects, which will be scattered among six provinces: Inner Mongolia (3 x 20 MW); Xinjiang (3 x 20 MW); Gansu (3 x 20 MW); Qinghai (1x 30 MW and 1 x 20 MW); Ningxia (1 x 30 MW) and Shaanxi (1 x 20 MW). The 20-MW Baotou, Inner Mongolia project attracted the most bidders at 16, yet there were at least 10 bidders for most projects. The term of each PPA is 25 years.
These 280 MW of solar power plants to be developed, though much larger than the 10 MW Dunhuang bid process in 2009, do not yet mark the initiation of a real market for scale development of solar in China. Instead this looks like the Chinese government’s attempt to explore the contours of the economics of utility-scale solar power development and to test the ability of firms to produce utility-scale solar power at steadily lower prices.
The 2009 Dunhuang solar PPA price subsequently was adjusted upward to 1.15 Yuan/kWh ($0.169/kWh) from the original successful bid of 1.09 Yuan/kWh. Based on the estimates of component, labor and financing costs for solar power development in China, it would not be surprising if the final prices per kWh for the most recent round of solar PPAs also were adjusted upward.
So, even though these prices may indicate that solar power will be produced in China for less than 1 Yuan/kWh as early as 2012, it is quite possible that the final price will not be as aggressive as the winning bids suggest.
At present the price for utility-grade solar power development in China is said to be as follows: 9-10 Yuan/watt for PV modules; 1 Yuan/watt for inverters; 1 Yuan/watt for structures; 1 Yuan/watt for electric cable; 1 Yuan/watt for labor and an estimated 6% bank interest rate. Based on these current costs, total PV system equipment and labor costs should be in the range of 15 Yuan/watt. If maintenance expenses over 25 years and an internal rate of return of 8% are also factored in, a PV system should be able to have a small profit at 16-17 Yuan/watt [US $2.35-2.50 per watt]. The present average PPA prices, however, are approximately 14 Yuan/watt [US $2.06 per watt].
And even though there are incentives for Chinese companies to bid as low as they did, including the desire to build a brand, realize required emissions reductions, gain recognition for being socially responsible and learn the economics and technology of solar power development, according to Li Junfeng, the Deputy Director of the Energy Research Bureau of the National Development and Reform Commission, projects in this most recent round of PPAs are not be expected to be profitable for 17-18 years. It’s no surprise, then, that the successful bidders primarily are enterprises under the direct control of the government, because other companies would not be able to persevere over such a long period without earning a profit.
As you might expect, this second round of bids resulted in serious grumbling among private enterprises that were among the bidders, including prominent PV firms as Suntech and LDK. They complained that they are unable to compete with their state-owned counterparts. One executive remarked, “Only central government enterprises that do not have funding pressures could operate at these price levels.”
Despite soothing assurances from officials at the China Renewable Energy Institute and elsewhere that as soon as the price of solar power drops enough, there will be room for everyone to enter the market, it is not clear that the private sector will ever be able to get in, especially if they will always be up against government-controlled enterprises.
It remains unclear whether there is room for the private sector in China as it scales up solar power development. In the end, utility-scale solar power development may well remain the province of the public sector a recognition by Beijing that subsidies, not innovation, are the key to large-scale solar development in China.
Source: Renewable Energy World
Author: Lou Schwartz: a lawyer and China specialist who focuses his work on the energy and metals sectors in the People's Republic of China, is a frequent contributor to Renewable Energy World. Through China Strategies, LLC, Lou provides clients research and analysis, due diligence, merger and acquisition, private equity investment and other support for trade and investment in China's burgeoning energy and metals industries. Lou earned degrees in East Asian Studies from Michigan and Harvard and a J.D. from George Washington University. He can be reached at lou@chinastrategiesllc.com.
The late August round of bids for utility-scale solar power projects in China yielded a new milestone in the economics of solar power in China: a sub-Yuan/kWh price for solar power. To achieve this impressive number, the Chinese government has used the state-owned sector (and particularly enterprises under the direct control of the central government) to help subsidize the price of solar power, to the point where the economics appear to be unsustainable.
Beijing also appears to have decided — at least for the time being -- that large-scale development of solar power will occur more rapidly through a coordinated effort led by a rather short list of government-controlled enterprises.
In its own way, this is China weighing in on the recent R&D vs. government funding debate featured on “Dot Earth” between Richard Rosen of the Tellus Institute and Microsoft’s Bill Gates. China is clearly arguing that marshalling the resources of the state in the form of huge government subsidies for solar power should trump market- and innovation-driven solutions to reduce its cost.
Whether there is a price point at which China’s private sector will be able to participate in utility-scale solar power development remains a question. Also in question is whether the much anticipated innovation culture that the Chinese have said that they are intent on building will contribute in a significant way to the development of solar power in China absent a meaningful incentive for that innovation to occur.
Building Utility-scale Plants Below Cost
The Chinese certainly are displaying their eagerness to scale up domestic use of solar energy, while driving down its cost. Winning bids for the 13 new projects (totaling 280 MW) ranged from US $0.10 per kWh (0.7288 Yuan/kWh, which equals $0.107/kWh@ 6.8 Yuan/$1) at the low end, to US $0.15 per kWh (0.9907 Yuan/kWh equal to $0.146/kWh) on the high end. These bids were approximately one-third lower than the bids that came in last year for the first utility-scale solar power plant, a 10-MW plant to be located in Dunhuang, Qinghai Province.
This year, more than 70% of the winning bids were won by government-controlled enterprises. The China Power Investment Group dominated the most recent round of bidding with a total of seven successful bids. The Upper Yellow River Hydropower Development Co., a subsidiary of the China Power Investment Group, submitted the lowest bid for this round of PPAs (0.7288 Yuan/kWh) and became the winning bidder for the Qinghai Gonghe 30-MW project. At 0.9907 Yuan/kWh, the Xinjiang Energy Co., Ltd., also a subsidiary of the China Power Investment Group, was the winning bidder for the 20-MW Xinjiang Hetian project.
There were a total of 135 bids submitted by 50 firms for the 13 solar power projects, which will be scattered among six provinces: Inner Mongolia (3 x 20 MW); Xinjiang (3 x 20 MW); Gansu (3 x 20 MW); Qinghai (1x 30 MW and 1 x 20 MW); Ningxia (1 x 30 MW) and Shaanxi (1 x 20 MW). The 20-MW Baotou, Inner Mongolia project attracted the most bidders at 16, yet there were at least 10 bidders for most projects. The term of each PPA is 25 years.
These 280 MW of solar power plants to be developed, though much larger than the 10 MW Dunhuang bid process in 2009, do not yet mark the initiation of a real market for scale development of solar in China. Instead this looks like the Chinese government’s attempt to explore the contours of the economics of utility-scale solar power development and to test the ability of firms to produce utility-scale solar power at steadily lower prices.
The 2009 Dunhuang solar PPA price subsequently was adjusted upward to 1.15 Yuan/kWh ($0.169/kWh) from the original successful bid of 1.09 Yuan/kWh. Based on the estimates of component, labor and financing costs for solar power development in China, it would not be surprising if the final prices per kWh for the most recent round of solar PPAs also were adjusted upward.
So, even though these prices may indicate that solar power will be produced in China for less than 1 Yuan/kWh as early as 2012, it is quite possible that the final price will not be as aggressive as the winning bids suggest.
At present the price for utility-grade solar power development in China is said to be as follows: 9-10 Yuan/watt for PV modules; 1 Yuan/watt for inverters; 1 Yuan/watt for structures; 1 Yuan/watt for electric cable; 1 Yuan/watt for labor and an estimated 6% bank interest rate. Based on these current costs, total PV system equipment and labor costs should be in the range of 15 Yuan/watt. If maintenance expenses over 25 years and an internal rate of return of 8% are also factored in, a PV system should be able to have a small profit at 16-17 Yuan/watt [US $2.35-2.50 per watt]. The present average PPA prices, however, are approximately 14 Yuan/watt [US $2.06 per watt].
And even though there are incentives for Chinese companies to bid as low as they did, including the desire to build a brand, realize required emissions reductions, gain recognition for being socially responsible and learn the economics and technology of solar power development, according to Li Junfeng, the Deputy Director of the Energy Research Bureau of the National Development and Reform Commission, projects in this most recent round of PPAs are not be expected to be profitable for 17-18 years. It’s no surprise, then, that the successful bidders primarily are enterprises under the direct control of the government, because other companies would not be able to persevere over such a long period without earning a profit.
As you might expect, this second round of bids resulted in serious grumbling among private enterprises that were among the bidders, including prominent PV firms as Suntech and LDK. They complained that they are unable to compete with their state-owned counterparts. One executive remarked, “Only central government enterprises that do not have funding pressures could operate at these price levels.”
Despite soothing assurances from officials at the China Renewable Energy Institute and elsewhere that as soon as the price of solar power drops enough, there will be room for everyone to enter the market, it is not clear that the private sector will ever be able to get in, especially if they will always be up against government-controlled enterprises.
It remains unclear whether there is room for the private sector in China as it scales up solar power development. In the end, utility-scale solar power development may well remain the province of the public sector a recognition by Beijing that subsidies, not innovation, are the key to large-scale solar development in China.
Source: Renewable Energy World
Author: Lou Schwartz: a lawyer and China specialist who focuses his work on the energy and metals sectors in the People's Republic of China, is a frequent contributor to Renewable Energy World. Through China Strategies, LLC, Lou provides clients research and analysis, due diligence, merger and acquisition, private equity investment and other support for trade and investment in China's burgeoning energy and metals industries. Lou earned degrees in East Asian Studies from Michigan and Harvard and a J.D. from George Washington University. He can be reached at lou@chinastrategiesllc.com.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
New Glass Coating Holds Promise for Solar Panels
Research company Tecnalia, with the University of Cantabria in Spain, made a new glass coating for photovoltaic solar cells that can enhance the performance of the device.
Solar cell coatings are currently made of materials not optimized for absorbing high-frequency radiation.
Tecnalia’s Sunglass project is focusing on improving solar cells’ conversion of frequencies, the ability to absorb photons of certain frequencies and emitting these afterwards in another range of frequency.
With this, the researchers hope to increase the performance of solar panels, which on the average have a solar conversion efficiency of around 15 percent.
The Sunglass project aims to develop a new coating, as well as an entire solar module product.
The researchers examined various photoactive substances to determine the substances’ capacity to absorb high-frequency radiation in order to subsequently emit it at ranges more effective for solar cells.
The new glass allow for a 2 percent to 3 percent efficiency increase for PV solar panels, said the researchers.
Though the photoactive substances can also be used in other applications, it is hoped that it will boost the production of clean energy.
Source: EcoSeed
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)