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by Kirsten Elder Companies in the news APS AstroPower ICP Global Technologies Kyocera PowerLight Shell Solar Systems Design & Technology, LLC Emerging Technologies According to a paper published in the latest issue of Semiconductor Science & Technology, the Hahn Meitner Institute in Berlin has designed an ultra thin solar cell that uses cheaper semiconductor materials than conventional solar cells, and is up to 50 times more efficient. The trick, German physicist Rolf Koenenkamp told edie, is to find a design that can combine a cheap absorber with a cheap substrate. Typical cells that use planar substrates require expensive absorbing materials, so the German team devised an alternative substrate that could be used with cheaper absorbers, while also redesigning the shape of the absorber. The result was a cell with a layer of light-sensitive cadmium telluride (CdTe) placed on top of a layer of porous titanium dioxide. The goal for Koenenkamp is to come up with a cheap, undeveloped absorber that has previously been rejected for its poor performance in a conventional cell. (Edie news, 18/04/03)New Products Kyocera Corporation has announced the introduction of two types of residential solar power generation systems to the Japanese market. Kyocera will release the Samurai, […]
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by Kirsten Elder Companies in the news AET BP Solar PowerLight RWE Schott Solar Sharp Corp Sun Power & Geothermal Energy WorldWater Corp Xantrex Emerging Technologies Researchers at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel have said they have made improvements in “solar surgery”, a new technique that uses highly concentrated sunlight instead of laser surgery. The research team reported that it had built compact solar fibre-optic “concentrators” that provide the same power levels and densities as laser optic fibres. The technique can produce the same changes in biological tissue as conventional laser fibre-optic surgery and could provide a cheap alternative to this method. (PhysicsWeb via SolarAccess.com, 04/04/03)Applications Council officials have granted planning permission for a 560 kW solar roof for the main central car park in Woking town centre. The first 140 kW phase of the installation, for which grant funding from the UK government has already been approved, is scheduled for completion later this year by BP Solar. (Solarbuzz.com, 11/04/03) Markets The California Public Utilities Commission will not make owners of solar panels and wind turbines pay a special fee to electric utilities in the state. The Commission voted 3-to-2 to defeat the Cost Responsibility Surcharge that […]
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by Kirsten Elder Companies in the news Duke Solar: www.dukesolar.com Evergreen Solar: www.evergreensolar.com Mitsubishi Heavy Industries: www.mhi.co.jp Phoenix SonnenStrom: www.sonnenstromag.de Photowatt International: www.photowatt.com Solar Grade Silicon LLC: www.asimi.com WorldWater Corp: www.worldwater.com New Products Duke Solar Energy, LLC and TopEcology (K.K. and International) announced that they will jointly design, build and distribute advanced solar-thermal desalination and water purification systems. Initially, the two companies plan to integrate TopEcology’s revolutionary Aqua Kids desalination technology and water purification technology with Duke Solar’s highly efficient solar thermal technologies. (CNN Money, 27/03/03)Applications The world’s only solar-powered 50 horsepower irrigation pump has been installed at a Californian farm. The 36kW solar irrigation pump system, designed and built by WorldWater Corporation using Shell Solar panels, can convert solar DC current to AC, which powers the pump from either the solar array or from the electrical grid, or from both sources if necessary. (Solarbuzz.com, 27/03/03) The Sustainable Energy Solutions group at Northern Arizona University has been developing business plans for renewable energy resources like wind and solar power and are working on sustainable energy outlets to bring power to more than 10,000 structures on the Navajo Nation. The group is a part of the colleges of Business Administration and […]
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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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by Kirsten Elder Companies in the news Bekaert Energy Conversion Devices First Solar Konarka Technologies Kyocera MSK Corporation Rohwedder AG RWE Solutions New Products Japan-based MSK Corporation has officially launched its new range of high-efficiency crystalline solar modules on the international market, having completed the IEC 61215 and Safety Class II certification process. The new range comprises three sizes in mono and polycrystalline silicon, giving a total of six modules. The largest in terms of power is the 180W monocrystalline model, which has a module efficiency of 14.2 percent and is aimed primarily at grid-tied projects. (Solarbuzz.com, 17/02/03)Applications Nine high schools in northeastern Wisconsin have been selected to receive the SolarWise for Schools educational program from WPS Community Foundation, Inc. Over the next two years, these schools will receive 2 kW solar-electric systems on their rooftops and a three-week curriculum package to explore Renewable Energy resources and the use of solar power. These nine high schools join 23 others already participating in the SolarWise program, bringing the total to 32. (SolarAccess.com, 12/02/03)Markets The state-owned Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) has announced a contract with the German company, RWE Solutions, to install a 500 kW photovoltaic system. The new plant […]
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by Kirsten Elder Companies in the news Bekaert/Energy Conversion devices BP Solar Global Solar Energy Photowatt Solar Century Emerging Technologies Researchers at Heriot-Watt University in the UK say they have achieved considerable success in developing solar cells on textile substrates. The researchers have been investigating the feasibility of depositing the layers that make up a typical solar cell onto woven and nonwoven textile substrates. The silicon is deposited from a gaseous compound using a variation of conventional thermal chemical vapour deposition (CVD), to produce nanocrystalline thin films. In contrast to other forms of silicon deposition, the temperature that the substrate needs to withstand is only 200 C, and perhaps even lower. Therefore, not only can textile fabrics made from glass fibre be considered as suitable substrates, but so too can more everyday fabrics such as polyester. (Technical Textiles International via CNN Money, 05/02/03) The University of California in Santa Barbara are developing methods of producing PV cells, without the need of expensive, pure silicon. Rather than relying on the multi-tasking abilities that only pure silicon can provide, the university teams device uses a separate method to absorb light (using dye molecules lying on a gold film) thus allowing for the […]
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by Kirsten Elder Companies in the news Ebara Solar Inc: www.ebarasolar.com Powerlight Corp: www.powerlight.com Shell Solar (Philippines): www.shell.com/solar Spire Corp: www.spirecorp.com Applications The US Navy Region Southwest announced it has deployed the largest federal solar photovoltaic system in the nation. The system is a unique solar electric carport at Naval Base Coronado in San Diego, which makes innovative use of existing parking space. The installation is comprised of two contiguous solar arrays, covering a half-mile long parking structure that serves US Navy personnel. In addition to providing shade for parked cars, the system generates the equivalent energy during the day to power over 935 homes. This 750 kW solar electric system will reduce the demand on California’s power grid and was designed, manufactured and installed by PowerLight Corporation of California. The City of San Diego has taken the first step towards its goal of energy independence by commissioning its first solar-powered municipal building. The newly installed PV array consists of 468 panels and the entire structure will produce approximately 91,950 kWp per year to power the administration building, which currently uses 87,000 kWp of energy per year. The Citys Mayor believes that although the payback period may be as long […]
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by Kirsten Elder Companies in the news ASE Americas AstroPower Chicago Solar Partnership Dankoff Solar Products ENTECH, Inc IT Power RWE Schott Solar Shell Solar Terrasolar Ghana Ltd Applications The Western Isles of Scotland are set to be the site of a new pilot study examining whether solar-powered street lights could work effectively in the region. “These solar powered lights complement the renewable energy and energy efficiency initiatives taking place in the Western Isles and our aspirations for the islands to be a centre of green energy said the regions renewables spokesman. Already the islands have been earmarked for Europes biggest windfarm, at Barvas Moor in Lewis, costing 600 million, and over 2 million is to be invested in experimental wave energy generators off the coast. (The Scotsman via Solarbuzz, 18/10/02) A solar energy technology team led by ENTECH, Inc has been awarded a $195,000 contract from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop solar concentrator arrays for use in space. The solar concentrator array concepts use flexible, ultra-light lenses to focus sunlight onto high-efficiency solar cells, achieving unprecedented performance. NASA has already tested a prototype ENTECH solar array with a record 27 percent efficiency converting space sunlight to electricity. […]
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by Kirsten Elder Companies in the news AstroPower Black Country EEAC BP Solar Energy Conversion Devices First Solar LLC Grameen Shakti Kyocera NREL Renewable Power Association RWE Solutions Schott Glas Solar Century Shell Solar Applications Ashia Hansen, Commonwealth and European gold medallist, has helped put the final solar panels onto the roof of the new English Institute of Sport (EIS) indoor athletics training centre at the Alexander Stadium. The new centre is currently the UKs largest solar powered complex with 1,760 solar panels. The solar roof array was designed, installed and supplied by Solar Century. The project received a grant covering 65 percent of the solar costs from the UK Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). In addition the roof is sponsored by npower, who contributed 70,000 to its construction. (Solar Century via Solarbuzz, 30/09/02) In a move towards generating cleaner, cheaper electricity, fire stations in Ventura County, California are being installed with solar PV systems. Twelve of the Countys 31 stations are at least partly run on solar energy, and another dozen looks set to join them. With the current rebates and state grants, it costs about $7,000 to install each solar system on a fire station and will […]
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by Kirsten Elder Companies in the news BP Solar Carmanah Technologies Inc Duke Solar EcoEnergies Inc Kyocera Pfleiderer PowerLight Corp S.A.G. Solarstrom Schlumberger Schott Applied Power Shell Solar Solar Dynamics Solar Energy Systems ThinkEnergy New Products Carmanah Technologies Inc. of Canada has launched a solar-powered bus stop with a night visibility range of 1.6 km. The i-Stop bus stop uses high-intensity, light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for its lighting features, including a flashing beacon to notify bus drivers a passenger is waiting, an illuminated bus schedule and a security light that keeps passengers from waiting in the dark. According to the company, transit agencies across North America and London, England, have placed orders to test the product. (Canada.com via Solarbuzz, 17/09/02) Solar Dynamics, Inc., a manufacturer of portable solar power systems, has announced the availability of The Cub, a lightweight, portable power source that provides DC and AC electricity for small electronic devices and recharges itself through a 5 watt thin film solar module. (Solarbuzz, 18/09/02)Applications In Scotland, Edinburgh City Council plans to spend 1.3 million on solar-powered parking ticket machines which alert operators when they are being vandalised. Council chiefs claim the huge outlay will save money by cutting electricity bills […]
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