Solar Industry performance,global PV market shares and the 'How to' and 'Top 10' of the latest solar technology.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Suntech Gets Certified To Sell Solar Panels In The UK (MCS)
In a press release, Jerry Stokes, Suntech’s Vice President of Strategy and Business Development in Europe, commented on the news:
“”We see the UK as a strategically important market and had no hesitation in engaging BBA to assess our modules for the MCS certification. With a high degree of home ownership and a positive feed-in-tariff legislation, which offers secure returns, we are confident that the UK market offers great potential.”
Thursday, May 27, 2010
why should a solar panel be square?
LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwire - May 27, 2010) - After the release of the Leaf shaped solar panel, this week Greendix announces the release of 5 more solar panels with different shapes, including circular, quarter, oval, heart and pentagon shaped. We hope that these different shapes can help designers and users think outside the box and not be limited to the conventional square shaped solar panels. Greendix's President, Mr. Joseph, would like to invite everyone to use their imaginations and apply these designs into building a greener future. Everyone should be their own best designer.
Production of these 5 shapes is expected by Q3 of 2010.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Wind or Solar? You don't need to choose anymore...
How about this for an all-purpose gadget? Cheng Peng has designed a portable wind turbine with solar panels on its blades. The device is capable of generating enough energy to power your cell phone or GPS, or it can power its own built-in LED light. It’s called Mobile Energy, and it measures just half a meter long when folded down, making it portable enough to carry with you on backpacking or cycling trips.
If the turbine’s base is really stable enough to hold this thing up when the wind is blowing, who could argue with the genius of this creation? You could take it with you everywhere and never plug in a charger again. And, let’s face it, you’d always have the coolest campsite around.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Why not install solar shingles?
Solar shingles, or photovoltaic shingles, were first released in 2005. Much like the larger solar panels we are used to, solar shingles capture sunlight and transform it into useable energy. Unlike the larger solar panel discussed above, they are typically 12 inches wide and 86 inches long and can be stapled directly to the roofing cloth just like normal shingles. Once installed, they give the roof a purplish blue tint but otherwise look much like regular tar and sand shingles.
Electricity is generated through solar shingles when the sun strikes a semiconductor layer, which is typically made from crystalline silicon, laminated to the shingle's surface. According to an article on Thisoldhouse.com, a single solar shingle produces about 50-200 watts of energy, which is enough energy to power a wall fan. This isn't bad for one tiny shingle but just think how much you could do with a whole roof of them? One of the big challenges with solar panels is determining how many to install, they don't usually come in smaller sizes so many customers end up with too much or just under what they could really use. The smaller dimensions of shingles eliminate this issue.
According to an article on solar shingles on Hubpages.com, solar shingles on your roof can create energy for your household for up to forty years! What's amazing about this is that most people replace the shingles at least once within this kind of time frame so you could actually cut down on the maintenance costs of your house in addition to the boost in sustainability. The biggest payoff with any solar technology is the savings in transporting energy to the location of use. With traditional coal or nuclear energy power is lost as it is transferred along lines all over the city. Micro power or localized solar solves this.
Just like regular solar panels, energy generated from solar shingles is stored either locally in a battery or passed through to the grid using net metering. During the night when users need energy the grid pumps it out but during the day they feed energy in which is shared all over the community, including corporations and businesses where the house owner may work.
Wikipedia states that, "Backup storage, in the form of batteries, is expensive, adds complexity to the installation, and is uneconomic in any large scale. Battery backup units require an array of additional hardware. This includes batteries, battery enclosures, battery charge controllers, and separate sub panels for critical load circuits. However, grid power is only useful as a backup system if it is available when solar power is not." If you live far away from an established grid, don't have access an electric company that offers net metering or are building a completely new sub division however, the battery storage option may begin to make sense.
Are solar shingles expensive? Well, compared to traditional solar panels, the answer is no. One author on Hubpages.com claims that not only will you be reducing your monthly energy bill, you will be increasing the overall value of your house by as much as 4%. With the price of energy and building uncertain going forwards, locking in your rates by tethering the energy of the sun might be a wise decision and reflect this increase in property value. While your neighbors are all suffering through brown outs and outages you may doing just fine.
In addition, Hubpages.com states that installing solar shingles "gives you back a price premium of about 10%, which is an increased value of your property, after making it energy efficient and renewable." So, depending on your situation as a home owner this return could represent a 6% increase in value at day one with ongoing benefits, minus the cost of interest if you take out a loan.
While older models of solar shingles were a bit more expensive because they were a new technology, new models such as shingles made with thin-film copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) cells are far more affordable and can be installed in as little as 10 hours instead of the 22 to 30 hours it takes to install large solar panels.
So who makes solar shingles? Companies that currently manufacture solar shingles include SunPower Corporation, Solar Components Corporation, Atlantis Energy Systems, and Dow Chemical. In addition, large homebuilders in California are partnering with companies like SunPower to offer homes that have solar systems already installed. This is a wonderful thing to see because the costs of rewiring and reinforcing a roof for solar can take up as much as 50% of the overall cost and regularly becomes a deciding factor for families considering renewable energy. Even homes that come "solar ready" but do not have solar panels or shingles installed are worth more than the status quo.
National Bank of Arizona to Install Solar System at Tucson Headquarters (May 17, 2010)
Tucson, AZ, USA: National Bank of Arizona to Install Solar System at Tucson Headquarters
National Bank of Arizona is to install a $2 million solar system on its Tucson headquarters this summer constructed by Natural Power and Energy. At 402.6 kilowatts, the project is the second largest corporate install in Tucson.
The 24,000-square-foot installation of 1,320 panels will be placed on three structures located on the rooftop of its parking garage at the NBAZ Wilmot Road and Carondelet offices. The system will reduce electricity costs of the two buildings by about 25 percent and will produce at least 580,000 kilowatt hours annually within the buildings that total 128,824 square-feet.
"This is both an economically and environmentally sound decision," said David Lyons, executive vice president of National Bank of Arizona. "We feel it's important to continue to expand our solar initiatives throughout the state and with Tucson being our founding city, we are excited to lead the way with one of the largest commercial solar systems."
"At Natural Power and Energy we are extremely proud to have been chosen to work on this special project for National Bank of Arizona," said Rob Dallal, CEO of Natural Power and Energy. "As a financier of solar installations in both the commercial and residential sectors, and now the prospective owner of a second of its own solar systems, in our opinion the bank has become the leading proponent of solar energy in the state."
National Bank of Arizona has made significant ongoing solar investments in the last few years including installing one of the state's largest commercial solar systems on its Phoenix headquarters back in May 2009 and spearheading Solar Phoenix, the nation's largest residential solar leasing program, by making the program possible with $25 million in financing.
In October 2009, National Bank of Arizona also partnered with various organizations to create one of the nation's largest distributed, community-wide solar power systems at Soaring Heights Communities at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson. Upon completion, the community is expected to be the largest solar-powered community in the continental U.S.
Further details about: Natural Power and Energy
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Window doubles as solar panel
The company has signed deals with manufacturers including Arkema, China Sunergy and Flextronics in order to get the new technology to market as quickly as possible.
Gonen Fink, co-founder and CEO of Phythagoras Sola, says the new material should help construction companies bridge the gap between materials that are energy efficient and aesthetically appealing. The material combines insulating qualities, shading and lighting benefits AND, as implied, solar generation features. So, it both blocks the sun to keep it cool inside and captures sunlight to create solar energy. The video below talks about how the technology works:
Friday, May 21, 2010
HP and PowerFilm working on futuristic solar powered ‘Dick Tracy’ watch
Big changes are in store. A display like this can function on a memory stick, or as a smart price tag, or anything! Myself, for one, can’t wait until a civilian version hits the market.
China Building “Biggest Solar Energy Production Base” in the World
Construction is in the works for what China is calling “The Biggest Solar Energy Production Base in the Whole World,” or more simply, Solar Valley. The base will be a clean energy technology hub that China hopes will rival Silicon Valley in California. The ambitious plans for the park were launched by Himin Solar Energy, whose headquarters is located at the Sun-Moon Mansion, which is currently the largest solar powered office building in the world. The planned development outside of Dezhou, China is expected to cost $740 million and accommodate 100 tenants.
Himin Solar Energy, started by Huang Ming, the ‘Sun King’ of China, is already the main tenant of Solar Valley and their large office building is completely powered by the sun. He has very ambitious goals about making Solar Valley a reality, and has already attracted about 100 companies, and spawned factories as well as a research center. The hope is that this clean energy epicenter will help propel China’s development of renewable energy technology and installation.
Solar Valley is located just outside of Dezhou, which is making some progress towards in building its reputation as a clean energy city. The city already requires that all new buildings be equipped with solar water heaters of the type made by Huang’s company, and last year they spent $10 million to install solar lighting along miles of road. Chiel Boonstra, a Dutch architect who heads up the International Solar Cities Congress, says that Dezhou “will be a new center of gravity for renewable technologies.” It’s just a shame that rural farmers are being relocated into block apartments in the city to make way for the grand new development.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
MIT Researchers Print a Solar Cell on Paper
Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have effectively coated paper with a solar cell. It is a part of a suite of research projects aimed at energy breakthroughs.
Susan Hockfield, MIT’s president, and Paolo Scaroni, CEO of Italian oil company Eni, formally dedicated the Eni-MIT Solar Frontiers Research Center. Eni financed the research project by investing $5 million into the center. This project is also financed by National Science Foundation. They are granting a fund of $2 million.
The MIT people took inspiration from the inkjet printer. They molded the solar paper panels on the similar lines. They used organic semi conductor material. The technique will be quite helpful in lowering the weight of solar panels. “If you could use a staple gun to install a solar panel, there could be a lot of value,” Vladimir Bulovic, director of the National Science Foundation, said.
MIT researchers utilized carbon-based dyes. The efficiency of paper based solar cells is not great, at around 1.5% to 2%. But Vladimir Bulovic says that one can use any material if it can be deposited at room temperature. He further says, “Absolutely, the trick was coming up with ways to use paper,” he said.
Prof. Karen Gleason is the head of the MIT research team. She has submitted a paper for scientific review but it has yet to be published. MIT and Eni have confirmed that this is the first time a solar cell has been printed on paper.
During the press conference, Paolo Scaroni said that Eni is funding the center because the company understands that hydrocarbons will eventually run out and believes that solar can be a replacement, although the currently available technology isn’t sufficient enough.
Paolo Scaroni said, “We are not very active (in alternative energy) today because we don’t believe today’s technologies are the answer of our problems.”
And as allways, dont forget to visit our sister website thousand suns ...
Competitive Inspection For Solar Panel Production
Greendix Announces the World's First Leaf-Shaped Crystalline Silicon Solar Panel
Breakthrough Technology Allows the Production of Multiple Different Shapes of Solar Panels
LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwire - May 19, 2010) - Greendix, a fast-rising supplier of custom solar panels, has developed the world's first leaf-shaped PV crystalline silicon solar panel in the world via new proprietary technology. Sonelis Technologies will handle supply and distribution in the Americas (N. and S. America) for this new exciting product line.Greendix's breakthrough new patented technology allows the manufacturing of custom shaped crystalline silicon solar panels. Greendix solar panels are also available in a variety of colors, so designers are no longer restricted by the usual rectangular shapes and dark colors. Greendix's new patented process offers designers unlimited new ways to integrate solar technology into their projects. This leaf-shaped solar panel is the first of many products showcasing this new technology.
Joseph Lin, President of Greendix commented, "One of the goals of my team was to take an existing technology, like solar panels, and revolutionize it so that it can seamlessly merge with our surroundings. Thus, we have developed the world's first leaf-shaped crystalline silicon solar panel. Our vision is that one day, 'solar forests' will be built using our solar leaves in places where real trees are not able to grow or survive."
Michael Yu, Director of Technology at Sonelis Technologies added, "We are excited to have partnered with Greendix to handle their business in the Americas. This new technique will take the solar panel industry to the next level. This technology really opens the door to integrate solar technology seamlessly into our daily life. We feel that the potential of this product is unlimited."
Greendix's solar tree concept not only provides aesthetic advantages, but also serves as a viable alternative to traditional solar panels in the generation of electricity from the sun. The company also plans to develop several new custom shaped solar panels in the near feature to showcase the potential of this new market.
About Greendix:
Greendix, a Taiwan-based company, is a leader in the design and supply of custom solar panels for the OEM/ODM market. Greendix designs and manufactures advanced custom shaped and colored solar panels with their innovative proprietary and patented cutting process. Additional information about the company is available on the web at www.Greendix.com.
About Sonelis Technologies:
Sonelis Technologies is based in Los Angeles, CA and specializes in the design and distribution of custom solar solutions.
Additional information about the company is available on the web at www.Sonelis.com.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Japan's solar module shipments double in 2009/2010
The shipments include those of solar cell modules made in Japan and those made by foreign makers and imported into Japan, with the share of the latter growing rapidly in the world's third-largest market for solar energy.
In the Japanese financial year to March 2010, the shipments rose to 623.13 megawatts (MW) from 236.79 MW a year earlier and exceeded the previous record in 2005/2006 of 305.07 MW, the Japan Photovoltaic Energy Association's data showed on Tuesday.
Behind the jump in shipments is a scheme the Japanese government introduced in November 2009 to make utilities buy surplus solar-power electricity that households produce at a higher rate. [ID:nT5219]
The government is now considering ways to make the unique "feed-in tariff" scheme into a full-fledged one, effective in November this year.
In January, 2009, Japan resumed subsidies to house owners who put solar panels on their roofs as one of the economic stimulus measures.
Demand for solar panels had dried up after the government pulled the plug on subsidies in March 2006, resulting in a shift to exports by Japanese makers, such as Sharp Corp and Kyocera Corp .
Exports of solar cell modules rose to 1,045.40 MW in 2009/2010, up 18 percent from a year earlier and almost double from 578.69 MW in 2005/2006, according to Tuesday's data.
Upcoming Conferences and events 2010
Solar 2010 | Phoenix, United States | 17 - 22 May 2010 | Tel: 1 303 443 3130 Fax: 1 303 443 3212 E Mail: ases@ases.org URL: www.ases.org |
2010 International Renewable Energy Fair | Poznan, Poland | 18 - 20 May 2010 | Tel: 48 618692-552 Fax: 48 618692-952 E Mail: poleko@mtp.pl URL: greenpower.mtp.pl/en |
Exhibition: Semicon Singapore 2010 | Singapore | 19 - 21 May 2010 | Tel: 1 408 94379-87 Fax: 1 408 94379-15 E Mail: dtracy@semi.org URL: www.semiconsingapore.org |
4th Renexpo Central Europe 2009 | Budapest, Hungary | 27 - 29 May 2010 | Tel: 49/7121/3016-0 Fax: 49/7121/3016-200 E Mail: international@energie-server.de URL: www.renexpo-budapest.com |
3rd POWER Sri Lanka 2010 | Colombo, Sri Lanka | 3 - 5 June 2010 | Tel: 1 347 5435543 Fax: 1 347 2422657 E Mail: cems@cemsonline.com URL: www.powersrilanka.com |
Solar Taiwan 2010 | Taipei, Taiwan | 9 - 11 June 2010 | Tel: 886 2 2396 7780 Fax: 886 2 2396 7805 E Mail: pamela@mail.pida.org.tw URL: www.optotaiwan.com |
Intersolar | Munich, Germany | 9 - 11 June 2010 | Tel: 49 7231 58598-0 Fax: 49 7231 58598-28 E Mail: info@intersolar.de URL: www.intersolar.de |
Renewable Energy Exhibition 2010 | Paris, France | 16 - 18 June 2010 | Tel: 33 4 722232-60 Fax: 33 4 722232-58 E Mail: cguillem@sepelcom.com URL: www.energie-ren.com |
35th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference | Honolulu, Hawaii, USA | 20 - 25 June 2010 | Tel: 1 908 981 0060 Fax: 1 908 981 9667 E Mail: corporate-communications@ieee.org URL: www.ieee.org |
Conference: 7th Annual Renewable Energy Finance Forum - Wall Street | New York, USA | 29 - 30 June 2010 | Tel: 1 202 429 20304 Fax: 1 202 429 5532 E Mail: weirich@acore.org URL: www.acore.org |
PV Japan 2010 | Yokohama, Japan | 30 June 2010 - 2 July 2010 | Tel: 81 3 3222575-5 Fax: 81 3 3222575-7 E Mail: jshowsinfo@semi.org URL: www.semi.org/PVJAPAN-EN/index.htm |
Intersolar North America | San Francisco, California, United States | 13 - 15 July 2010 | Tel: 49 7231 585982-2 Fax: 49 7231 585982-8 E Mail: doeppe@intersolar.us URL: www.intersolar.us |
Exhibition: Indo Renergy 2010 | Jakarta, Indonesia | 28 - 30 July 2010 | Tel: 62 21 865096-2 Fax: 62 21 865096-3 E Mail: info@indorenergy.com URL: www.indorenergy.com |
Soltec | Hameln, Germany | 2 - 5 September 2010 | Tel: 49 571 2 9150 Fax: 49 571 2 0270 E Mail: kontakt@rainer-timpe.de URL: www.rainer-timpe.de |
25th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference | Valencia, Spain | 6 - 10 September 2010 | Tel: 49 89 720 12 735 Fax: 49 89 720 12 791 E Mail: pv.conference@wip-munich.de URL: www.wip-munich.de |
PV Rome Mediterranean | Rome, Italy | 9 - 11 September 2010 | Tel: 39 02 6630 6866 Fax: 390 2 6630 5510 E Mail: info@zeroemission.eu URL: www.zeroemission.eu |
4th International Solar Cities Initiative (ISCI) Congress 2010 | Dezhou, China | 16 - 19 September 2010 | Tel: 86 534 22396-29 Fax: 86 534 22396-17 E Mail: jwsjk@sina.com URL: www.chinasolarcity.cn |
12th Renewable Energy Finance Forum - London | London, UK | 20 - 21 September 2010 | Tel: 44 207 779 8995 Fax: 44 207 779 8946 E Mail: energyevents@euromoneyplc.com URL: www.euromoneyenergy.com |
World Renewable Energy Congress XI & Exhibition | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | 25 - 30 September 2010 | Tel: 44 1273 625643 Fax: 44 1273 625768 E Mail: asayigh@netcomuk.co.uk URL: www.wrenuk.co.uk/wrecxi.html |
Conference: 3rd Renewable Energy Finance Forum West | San Francisco, California, USA | 28 - 29 September 2010 | Tel: 44 207 779 8995 Fax: 44 207 779 8946 E Mail: energyevents@euromoneyplc.com URL: www.euromoneyenergy.com |
Solar Power 2010 | Los Angeles, California, USA | 12 - 14 October 2010 | Tel: 1 202 857 0898 Fax: 1 202 682 0559 E Mail: info@solarelectricpower.org URL: www.solarelectricpower.org |
4th POWER Bangladesh 2010 | Dhaka, Bangladesh | 14 - 16 October 2010 | Tel: 1 347 543 5543 Fax: 1 347 242 2657 E Mail: cems@cemsonline.com URL: pv-expo.net |
Solar Industry Conference (CIS-ES) | Madrid, Spain | 21 - 22 October 2010 | Tel: 49 30 72629630-0 Fax: 49 30 72629630-9 E Mail: info@solarpraxis.de URL: www.solarpraxis.de |
Conference & Exhibition: PV Taiwan 2010 | Taipei, Taiwan | 26 - 28 October 2010 | Tel: 886 2 2725 5200 Fax: 886 2 2725 7324 E Mail: pv@taitra.org.tw URL: www.pvtaiwan.com |
Energytech Exhibition & Conference | Tel-Aviv, Israel | 27 - 28 October 2010 | Tel: 972 8 622 9300 Fax: 972 8 627 9637 E Mail: http://energytech.co.il/pages/contact-us.php URL: www.energytech.co.il/ |
Conference & Exhibition: DIREC 2010 | Delhi, India | 27 - 29 October 2010 | Tel: 91 11 427950-54 Fax: 91 11 427950-98 E Mail: rkhattar@exhibitionsindia.com URL: www.exhibitionsindiagroup.com |
PVTech | Milan, Italy | 17 - 19 November 2010 | Tel: 39 02 66 306866 Fax: 39 02 66 305510 E Mail: info@zeroemission.eu URL: www.hitechexpo.eu |
Cornwall's 'Silicon Vineyards' aim to triple solar capacity in UK
helping a few friends...
They sell MCS approved 185w panels at £160 per panel