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...
by piotr | Feb 11, 2010 | Solar
Solar Distinction Inc., part of the Noribachi Group said this week that it plans to build a solar photovoltaic manufacturing plant in Albuquerque. The plant will employ 300 within two to three years with a potential of up to 500. Solar Distinction will also sell its photovoltaic technologies to third party companies throughout the Southwestern U.S. The plant is set to open by year-end 2010, with enough operating capacity to produce 25 megawatts of solar panels. It will expand to a 50 megawatt capacity within two years, the Noribachi said. Visible Light Solar Technologies plans to be the first to purchase Solar Distinction solar panel products. Visible Light Solar will be using the panels produced by Solar Distinction as part of its LED lighting fixtures (new or retrofit) with on-and-off-grid energy optimization solutions. “We are pleased to participate in today’s announcement as one of Solar Distinctions first New Mexico customers,” said J. Dee Dennis, Jr. CEO of Visible Light Solar. “Our order is already in for custom solar panels. Keeping our own carbon footprint low is a big part of our company mission. Once their plant is up and running and our order fulfilled, we will be sourcing local components, supporting the New Mexico economy, reducing shipping costs, and helping revitalize a U.S. manufacturing economy. This is all part of our triple bottom line approach to business.” Solar Distinction will also sell its photovoltaic technologies to third party companies throughout the Southwestern U.S. Visible Light Solar just announced its expansion into a 32,000 sq-ft facility in Albuquerque and nine new distributors to assist its global...
by piotr | Dec 29, 2009 | Solar
The Indian solar company plans to build factories with more than 600 megawatts of capacity by 2010, while developing solar power plants to take advantage of the new feed-in tariff in India. Moser Baer, an Indian company with aggressive plans to build solar panels and develop power plants, will begin mass production of thin-film panels this month. The New Delhi company will make the amorphous thin-film panels from its 40-megawatt manufacturing plant in Greater Noida, said Moser Baer executive vice president and CTO Rajiv Arya, who spoke on a panel at the Thin-Film Solar Summit in San Francisco Tuesday. The company already has lined up $500 million worth of deals to sell its thin-film panels to European customers, which include Ralos Vertriebs and Colexon Energy, both in Germany (see Moser Baer India Signs $500M in Thin-Film Contracts). Moser Baer began producing panels in small quantities in July. The panels on average can convert 6 percent of the sunlight that strikes them into electricity, Arya said. Thin-film panels are less efficient than those made with crystalline silicon, which dominate the market today and can reach an efficiency of 18 percent. But thin-films can be made cheaper. Amorphous silicon panels also are able to convert low light better than silicon panels, thin-film proponents say. That means thin-film panels can work longer during the day to produce electricity. “The overall energy you produce is much higher from amorphous silicon. It gets up early and goes to bed late, so it works harder than crystalline silicon modules,” Arya said. Moser Baer, a data storage company that launched a subsidiary Moser Baer Photo Voltaic...
by piotr | Nov 8, 2009 | Solar
A satellite that reaps the sun’s energy in space and beams it down to Earth for use as electricity may leave the realm of sci-fi and edge closer to reality this week following an energy deal in California. Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (PG&E) has long invested in renewable energy sources, including geothermal, wind and solar. Earlier this week, the utility company reached for the stars in announcing the first-ever deal of its kind: The California power utility, says spokesperson Jonathan Marshall, plans to purchase clean energy generated by a satellite beaming solar power from orbit. The agreement between PG&E and Solaren Corp., an eight-year-old company based in Manhattan Beach, Calif., still hinges on state regulatory approval. If the deal gets the green light, Solaren must then privately raise billions of dollars to design, launch and operate a satellite as well as an energy-receiving ground station slated for the Fresno County area, says Cal Boerman, director of energy services for Solaren. The challenges of building this satellite (due to be completed in 2016) and introducing so-called space-based solar power (SBSP) remain formidable. But driven by the urgency of climate change and the lowering costs of solar technology, a growing number of countries and companies believe an energy revolution could be in the offing. Why bother harvesting solar energy directly from space? It is abundant, and “you can get [this] power 24/7,” says Marty Hoffert, an emeritus professor of physics at New York University. Sunlight is some five to 10 times stronger in space, and its shine would reach energy-gathering satellites placed into geostationary (fixed) orbits—the realm of many currently...
by piotr | Oct 21, 2009 | Solar
Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd., the world’s leading manufacturer of crystalline silicon photovoltaic (PV) modules, has announced that it has beaten all previous records for multi-crystalline silicon module conversion efficiency, including its own record achieved in August. The new world record conversion efficiency (aperture area only) was measured at 16.53% by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE. Suntech’s world record breaking multi-crystalline silicon module is powered by Pluto PV cells utilizing solar grade silicon with each PV cell having a conversion efficiency well over 17%. In August, Suntech surpassed the previous record of 15.5% set by Sandia National Labs 15 years ago. The latest record is well above previous records and is a reaffirmation that Suntech’s Pluto powered multi-crystalline modules have the highest conversion efficiency in the world. “We are very pleased to announce that our Pluto technology has been recognized as the most efficient multi-crystalline silicon technology in the world,” said Dr. Stuart Wenham, Suntech’s Chief Technology Officer. “This shows that it is possible to combine both first class R&D and low cost manufacturing into a commercially viable business model that will bring clean alternative energy to the world’s growing energy demands.” Dr. Martin Green, Research Director of the ARC Photovoltaics Centre of Excellence at the University of New South Wales, Australia, and member of the Progress in Photovoltaics Committee said, “The 16.53% conversion efficiency Suntech module has a clear margin over other multi-crystalline silicon photovoltaic technologies. It has set the new benchmark for the highest performance multi-crystalline module.” Suntech brings utility-scale solar to China Meanwhile, Suntech has announced completion and grid connection of the first...
