SolarSummary: February 18-24, 2003

by Kirsten Elder Companies in the news Delphi International ESD ExxonMobil Phnix SonnenStrom Shell Solar Tata BP Solar Applications Shell Solar has completed one of the largest solar electric installations at a public university in California. The $1.8 million Photovoltaic Project at Cal State Northridge was developed through a partnership with the university’s Physical Plant Management Department, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) and the Southern California Gas Company. The 3,000 solar panels are expected to save the university more than $50,000 annually in energy costs. (Shell Solar via Solarbuzz.com, 24/02/03)Markets The use of wind and solar will grow quickly over the next two decades, says the chairman and CEO of ExxonMobil, but growth will be due to government policies and incentives, and not market demand. Solar power costs the equivalent of US$100 to $250 per barrel of oil, Lee Raymond said, with the intermittent nature of solar energy adding additional costs. “Starting from such a low base today, wind and solar are unlikely to exceed a one-percent share of the world’s energy needs by 2020, even with double-digit growth rates,” he says. “Oil and gas – representing 60 percent of energy supplies today – will remain the […]

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