Solar Cells Info

August 26, 2007
Source: WashingtonPost.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/
2007/08/25/AR2007082500173.html

Solar power, which is much more expensive than other forms of power generation, would become more competitive if lawmakers tax or price carbon-dioxide emissions.   “Electricity prices could go up 50 percent over the next 10 years. Then solar will be cheaper than the grid,” said Jesse W. Pichel, a senior analyst at Piper Jaffray, who expects rising oil and coal prices and falling solar costs as companies innovate the way semiconductor chip firms did. For now, solar relies heavily on government subsidies, including a $2,000 federal tax credit for installations, supplemented by generous aid in places like California, New Jersey and the District.
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Kerry A. Dolan, FORBES, Aug 16, 2007
Source: Forbes.com
http://www.forbes.com/technology/2007/08/16/
financing-solar-energy-tech-07egang-cz_kd_0816solarfinance.html

For lots of good reasons, more corporations are turning to solar power installations: lower electricity bills, generous state rebates, the 30% federal investment tax credit and the overall “green” sheen that comes with putting solar panels on an otherwise unadorned corporate roof.  But one common roadblock to going solar is the sizable upfront installation cost. Depending on the size of the installation, it can run $600,000 or more per commercial rooftop.
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By Paul Davidson, USA TODAY
Source: USA Today /Aug 26, 2007
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/environment/2007-08-26-solar_N.htm

Solar power has long been the Mercedes-Benz of the renewable energy industry: sleek, quiet, low-maintenance.  Yet like a Mercedes, solar energy is universally adored but prohibitively expensive for most people. A 4-kilowatt solar photovoltaic system costs about $34,000 without government rebates or tax breaks.  As a result, solar power accounts for well under 1% of U.S. electricity generation. Other alternative energy sources, such as wind, biomass and geothermal, are far more widely deployed.

The outlook for solar, though, is getting much brighter. A few dozen companies say advances in technology will let them halve the price of solar-panel installations in as little as three years. By 2014, solar-system prices will be competitive with conventional electricity when energy savings are figured in, Deutsche Bank (DB) says. And that’s without government incentives.
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Aug 27, 2007 /Tyler Hamilton, Energy Reporter
Source: The Star.com
http://www.thestar.com/columnists/article/250043

The Cleantech Network released an insightful report last week that paints a rosy picture of the clean-technology sector, highlighting 2006 as a year of significant expansion.  “The year 2006 proved to be even more exciting than 2005,” the report states. “Total venture investment rose; M&A (mergers and acquisitions) and IPO (initial public offerings) remained robust; public policies gained clarity and purpose; and innovators showed they were up to the task of developing and marketing new and better ways to conserve natural resources.”  Among the highlights of the report is that investment in clean-tech companies rose 70 per cent, to $3.9 billion (U.S.) in 2006, with clean-energy-related investments such as solar and biofuels accounting for more than $3 billion of that.

Amid all the hype – and the hype, at this point, may be justified – it’s fair to ask whether all clean-tech investments are created equal.  Some investors have strong views on this, including Vinod Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures and a long-time partner with venture capital titan Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (the firm that made early and successful bets on Google, Amazon.com and AOL). (more…)

Aug 28, 2007
Source: RadioAustralia.net
http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/s2017084.htm

European Union funding will provide solar power to 400 homes on a remote atoll in the Marshall Islands, providing electricity for the first time.  The Marianas Variety news website reports that the Marshall Islands will be the first of five Pacific countries that have been negotiating solar aid packages with the EU to sign a funding contract which will see 440 home solar units delivered to the small island nation. (more…)

HØVIK, Norway, Aug 28, 2007
Source: RECGroup press release
http://www.recgroup.com/default.asp?V_ITEM_ID=448

REC today entered into an agreement to build and own a 2.5 MW solar power plant in South Korea.  Through its REC Solar division and its 60 percent owned subsidiary HanBit Solar Co. Ltd. (HanBit), REC today entered into an agreement with Daegu City in South Korea to build and own a 2.5 MW solar power plant, which will produce some 3 million kWh of clean energy per year. (more…)

Solis Energy Unveils its Complete Solution for Reliable Outdoor Power Generation, Connectivity and Emergency Back-Up Supporting Traditional & ‘Green’ Powering Initiatives – Customers Can Now Power Critical, Low-Wattage Applications and Electronics – Anytime and Anywhere – Including WiFi Hotspots, WiMax Radios, Security/Surveillance Cameras, Traffic Monitoring, Lights, Sensors and More

Orlando, FL, Aug 27, 2007
Source: Solis Energy press release
http://www.solisenergy.com/pr/082707.pdf

Solis Energy, a global provider of continuous outdoor power generation and connectivity, today announced its suite of powerful, unique products that provide customers with easy, immediate access to 100 percent power necessary to run critical, low-wattage devices (typically 100 watts or less), wherever they are located, even where grid-supplied electricity is unavailable. Such critical, low-wattage devices and applications include security/surveillance cameras, WiFi hotspots, WiMax radios, lights, traffic control sensors, and more.
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28 Aug 2007
Source: PressTV, Iran
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=20956&sectionid=3510212

A solar power plant has started its work in the Parvar Environmental Protection Zone, in the central Iranian province of Semnan.  “The $21-billion plant has the capacity to produce the 5KW of electricity needed by Sidva’s ranger post,” Head of Semnan’s Environment Protection Department, Hossein-Ali Ebrahimi-Karnami said. He said if the plant proves beneficial, solar power plants will also be set up in four other protected zones.

New Boston, Texas, Aug 38, 2007
http://www.earthtoys.com/news.php?section=view&id=3008

Ark-La-Tex Solar Power installs first Photovoltaic (SOALR) Powered Electrical Generation system in the region approved for co-generation operation with Bowie-Cass Electric Cooperative.  The GRID TIED solar powered electrical generation system, with a production capacity of 3,800 watt per hour, was installed by Patrick McLeod, Owner of Ark-La-Tex Solar Power. McLeod worked with the Bowie-Cass Electric Cooperative in meeting all the requirements for interconnection of his system to the coop’s electrical grid.
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Scientists are researching new ways of harnessing the sun’s rays which could eventually make it cheaper for people to use solar energy to power their homes.
Source: Science Daily, Aug 24, 2007
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070823100023.htm

The experts at Durham University are developing light-absorbing materials for use in the production of thin-layer solar photovoltaic (PV) cells which are used to convert light energy into electricity. The four-year project involves experiments on a range of different materials that would be less expensive and more sustainable to use in the manufacturing of solar panels. Thicker silicon-based cells and compounds containing indium, a rare and expensive metal, are more commonly used to make solar panels today. (more…)