by Steve Frazer | Aug 6, 2013 | Solar
According to a new report by NPD Solarbuzz, solar photovoltaic (PV) installations in the U.S. have broken through the 10 gigawatt (GW) barrier. During the first half of 2013, more than 1.8 GW of new solar PV capacity was installed according to the North America PV Market Quarterly report. So, per the DoE’s EIA, we just need to install enough additional solar panels to generate 956 GW of energy – roughly $3T (including the land). Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration and North American Electric Reliability Corporation The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), the electric reliability organization certified by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to establish and enforce reliability standards for three major electrical interconnections serving the United States, issues a reliability assessment each year. NERC estimated in November 2012 that the United States would have 966 gigawatts (GW) of electric supply capacity available for the summer of 2013. NERC estimated that about 786 GW would be needed to meet projected peak electricity demand and determined that another 117 GW should be available in case of supply outages or extreme weather (known as target reserve supply). The United States has 63 GW of capacity above and beyond the NERC target reserve supply. The level of above-target capacity varies by region: some areas have significant excess capacity and others are more constrained. ERCOT, the region that makes up most of Texas is of particular concern and is projected to be below target capacity for the summer of 2013 forward. Because of the layout of the electric transmission grid, excess resources in one region cannot necessarily be used to make up...
by piotr | Mar 14, 2012 | Solar
This seasoned team of engineers has basically developed a “Proton Knife” that produces silicon wafers for solar PV at half the price of current technologies. In the highly cost competitive field of solar PV manufacturing, this is game changing. “Hyperion, a manufacturing system developed by Twin Creeks Technologies, solves the problem of thick wafers with a technique called Proton Induced Exfoliation (PIE). In PIE, high-energy protons (or hydrogen ions) are embedded into “donor” wafers — standard wafers of silicon, germanium or other single-crystal materials— where they form a uniform layer beneath the surface of the donor. The physical attributes of hydrogen, combined with the conditions created by Hyperion, permit the ions to penetrate the surface of the donor wafer without changing its inherent properties and characteristics.” Financed at about $100M, this firm may radically alter the course of human history to bring solar PV to grid parity within a few years. “A single Hyperion 3 system, our commercial-scale manufacturing tool, can process over 1.5 million thin wafers per year, enough for more than 6 megawatts worth of solar cells. While Twin Creeks will initially concentrate on silicon wafers, Hyperion can be employed to produce thin crystalline wafers made from gallium arsenide, germanium, and other materials. They announced today they have complete manufacturing systems ready to ship and install. They go on with their explanation of their approach… “Solar cells, LEDs, and the chips inside everything from automobiles and computers to greeting cards come from expensive monocrystalline wafers made from materials like silicon, germanium, silicon carbide or gallium nitride. Despite tremendous technological advances over the last several decades, wafers still...
by piotr | Dec 8, 2011 | Solar
By Steve Leone December 7, 2011 inShare22 New Hampshire, USA — The “Oracle of Omaha,” who made his fortune by betting on technologies that appear underpriced, is now putting his money into solar. The solar industry got a turbo-boost of both name recognition and mainstream credibility on Wednesday as a subsidiary of billionaire Warren Buffett’s investment company MidAmerican Energy Holdings announced plans to purchase the Topaz Solar power development from thin-film PV module maker First Solar. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The 550-megawatt Topaz project in San Luis Obispo County, Calif., is among the world’s biggest solar farms under development, and many times larger than any project currently in operation. The First Solar project was not able to close its conditional loan guarantee with the Department of Energy prior to the Sept. 30 deadline, but it has gone ahead anyway. Construction on the project began in November and is expected to run through 2015. According to First Solar, it will create about 400 construction jobs. The $2 billion project will include First Solar’s thin-film panels, and the company will build, operate and maintain the project for MidAmerican. Pacific Gas and Electric will buy the electricity under a 25-year power purchase agreement. Based in Iowa, MidAmerican, a subsidiary of Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, is already a big player in wind energy. Some analysts are saying that the company’s move into solar power could be linked to the expiring Production Tax Credit for wind power, which is set to go away at the end of 2012. The solar industry, which is hoping for an extension of the Treasury Department grant that...
by piotr | Aug 28, 2011 | Solar
Kroger, the largest U.S. traditional grocer, is exploring solar energy and the first of its projects have been completed. Smith’s Food & Drug Stores, a division of Kroger, has completed the installation of photovoltaic (PV) solar panels on two of its locations in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Total combined output is estimated at 320,000 kWh. Each solar system is comprised of 442 panels. “We have done a lot of work over the last several years to integrate sustainable practices into our everyday business operations,” said Rodney McMullen, president and chief operating officer of Kroger. “Today, we are proud to unveil Kroger’s first operational solar energy project. Smith’s has done a tremendous job bringing this to realization. Kroger will continue reducing energy consumption and testing technologies that support future use of alternative energy sources.” The Smith’s stores were selected due to the sunny climate and economic incentives offered by energy provider PNM. Affordable Solar, based in Albuquerque, designed and installed the panels. Kroger is also developing photovoltaic systems in stores located in Wilsonville, Oregon (Fred Meyer) and Cincinnati, Ohio...
by piotr | Mar 15, 2010 | Solar
California homeowners and small-business owners who install solar-electric systems may soon start to receive an additional reward that could be worth hundreds of dollars a year. The California Public Utilities Commission has authorized the use of tradable renewable-energy credits as an incentive for increased adoption of rooftop solar photovoltaic electricity. Renewable-energy credits are certificates that represent the value of a specific amount of renewable electricity that has been generated, and are typically amassed in units that represent 1 megawatt-hour of electricity, equivalent to 1,000 kilowatt-hours. Electric utilities purchase such credits to help meet requirements that they produce a certain percentage of electricity from renewable sources. The commission’s decision allows RECs to be bought and sold “unbundled,” meaning the solar owner gets the electricity, but can sell the certificate that represents its environmental attributes. In New Jersey and other states, such certificates have been traded on the market for hundreds of dollars per unit and have produced significant revenues for owners of small solar arrays. Prices for Solar Renewable Energy Certificates in the Garden State have at times exceeded $600 for 1 megawatt-hour of production. The money generated helps to offset the cost of solar equipment. The California program will be much more modest initially than New Jersey’s, with a $50 interim price cap for certificates or credits bought by the state’s three large investor-owned utilities to meet their renewable-purchase requirements. The price cap will be in place through 2011. The decision says the temporary cap does not mean that $50 should be regarded as a “reasonable price” for RECs. Other companies or organizations that may buy RECs would not...
by piotr | Mar 11, 2010 | Solar
SunEdison, a division of MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc. WFR, received final approval from the Italian government to develop and construct a 72 Megawatt (MW) photovoltaic solar power plant in Northeastern Italy, near the town of Rovigo. When completed, this is expected to be the largest photovoltaic (PV) solar power plant in Europe. Power generation will begin in the second half of 2010 with final completion expected by year end. In the first full year of operation, the system will generate sufficient energy to power 17,150 homes and avoid 41,000 tons of CO2 – the equivalent of removing 8,000 cars from the road. SunEdison will jointly develop the project with financing partner Banco Santander. Additional financial partners are expected to join the project for final ownership. “SunEdison is focused on enabling the growth of global solar markets through strong capabilities in project finance, engineering, low-cost procurement and operations and maintenance services,” commented Carlos Domenech, President of SunEdison. “Veneto is taking decisive action to advance the use of clean, renewable energy sources,” said Renzo Marangon, government official of the Veneto region. “At the same time, this project is expected to create over 350 local construction jobs and build expertise in advanced energy technologies. We expect Rovigo to serve as a European model for large-scale, alternative-energy projects.” “A critical element of our approach is working closely with the right partners,” added Pancho Perez, General Manager for Europe and MENA region at SunEdison, “including developers, suppliers and contractors. For the Rovigo project, we selected Isolux Corsán, a large-scale infrastructure construction company with a strong track record in utility-scale solar plants.” “We are pleased...
