Solar Cells Info

Waterloo, August 13, 2007
Nicole O’Reilley, Record Staff
Source: TheRecord.com
http://news.therecord.com/News/CanadaWorld/article/227560

Nineteen years after a solar-powered car was unveiled for the first time at University of Waterloo, the newest incarnation of the car has taken a practical twist.  “It’s not as fast, or as sleek as in past years, but it’s much more practical,” project manager Cameron Bruce said of Midnight Sun IX.

Bruce, a 2007 graduate in mechanical engineering, was part of the 15-member team that unveiled the solar car yesterday at a UW parking lot.  The team will drive Midnight Sun IX in the World Solar Challenge from Oct. 21 to Oct. 28 in Australia.
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By Tessa Salazar, Inquirer /with Cyril L. Bonabente, Inquirer Research
Manila, Philippines, August 8, 2007
Source: Inquirer.net
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/sports/view_article.php?article_id=81411

In an ironical twist, tropical storm “Chedeng” postponed the scheduled unveiling on Wednesday of a Philippine-made solar-powered car named Sinag (sun ray), designed to compete in a 3,000-kilometer race in Australia.  But despite the shadow of Chedeng — also Filipino street slang for a Mercedez Benz — Sinag’s creators from the De La Salle University (DSLU) still feel sunny about their chances in the 20th Panasonic World Solar Challenge, an eight-day race across the Australian outback this October.
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By: Briony Smith, IT World Canada , 17 Aug 2007
Source: ITWorld Canada.com
http://www.itworldcanada.com/a/News/cd6b854b-b9b1-4f7a-887f-621edbc3b47c.html

Queen’s University’s solar-powered vehicle program just got a great boost in its quest to craft the best solar vehicle in the world, thanks to Lenovo’s donation of some high-end hardware.  Queen’s has a long-standing stake in the world of solar-powered vehicle racing, having hosted a team for the last two decades. The university’s Solar Vehicle Team, led by senior engineering student Jonathan Mash, is in the process of putting the finishing touches on Aurum, the university’s eleventh solar vehicle. Come autumn, the eight-man team will maneuver the vehicle 3,000 km down the length of Australia, from Darwin to Adelaide, in the World Solar Challenge.
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Entrepreneurs race to claim title of largest power plant
August 15, 2007
By Viktor Velek, Staff Writer
Source: Prague Post Online
http://www.praguepost.com/articles/2007/08/15/

Czechs, who for a long-time have been inert to the energy potential of the sun, are suddenly turning into solar energy enthusiasts. Although the country is covered by an oft-clouded sky that allows in relatively modest sunlight, more and more companies are seeking to harness the sun, leading to a boom of solar powe plant construction. Sun farms are mushrooming as the use of renewable energy sources has become a matter of state concern — and state funding. Companies have been leapfrogging one another in a race for what each invariably calls “the biggest Czech solar power plant.” (more…)

By Matthew Knight for CNN
London, England (CNN), August 15, 2007
Source: CNN Future
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/08/15/fs.solarbikini/

Over the past 20 years technology has been shrinking in size as fast as it has been expanding our communication and entertainment horizons.  Designer and inventor of the solar bikini Andrew Schneider estimates that you can charge your iPod shuffle in around two hours.  Today’s latest gadgets are so refined and petite that they clip on to a belt or slip easily into a pocket or a bag. The next challenge confronting designers and engineers is to make technology not only portable but also wearable.
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San Jose, CA, Aug 15, 2007
Source: SunPower Corp. / press release
http://investors.sunpowercorp.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=259824

SunPower Corporation (Nasdaq: SPWR), a Silicon Valley-based manufacturer of high-efficiency solar cells, solar panels and solar systems, today announced that it has signed two agreements with NorSun AS to support its solar cell manufacturing expansion plans.
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New Offerings Provide Expanded Choice of High-Quality Inverters
San Jose, CA, Aug 15, 2007
Source: SunPower Corp. / press release
http://investors.sunpowercorp.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=260082

SunPower Corp. (Nasdaq: SPWR), a Silicon Valley-based manufacturer of high-efficiency solar cells, solar panels and solar systems, today announced it has signed a long-term supply agreement with SMA Technologie AG, the world’s largest solar inverter manufacturer. Under the terms of the agreement, SunPower will provide SMA’s brand of inverters for residential and small commercial applications.
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By AIDAN LEWIS, Associated Press Writer
ALGIERS, Algeria / August 11, 2007
Source: Associated Press/ The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6843377,00.html

It’s a vision that has long enticed energy planners: solar panels stretching out over vast swaths of the Sahara desert, soaking up sun to generate clean, green power.  Now Algeria, aware that its oil and gas riches will one day run dry, is gearing up to tap its sunshine on an industrial scale for itself and even Europe.

Work on its first plant began late last month at Hassi R’mel, 260 miles south of Algiers, the capital. The plant will be a hybrid, using both sun and natural gas to generate 150 megawatts. Of that, 25 megawatts will come from giant parabolic mirrors stretching over nearly 2 million square feet – roughly 45 football fields.
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London, UK, and Los Angeles, California, July 2, 2007
Source: Solar Integrated Technologies, Inc., press release
http://www.solarintegrated.com/SIT_PR_Dachland_TDDK_July%202_2007_FINAL.htm

Solar Integrated Technologies, Inc. (AIM:SIT.LN), a leading provider of building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) roofing systems, announced today that it has won a U.S.$3.3 million order from Dachland GmbH, a privately-owned German company that specializes in installing single-ply, green, and photovoltaic roofing systems, for the sale of a BIPV roofing system to be installed on a building owned by TDDK TD Deutsche Klimakompressor Gmbh, a division of Toyota Germany AG, in Strassgräbchen, Sachsen, Germany. The project is expected to be completed in 2007.
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London, UK, and Los Angeles, California, July 18, 2007
Source: Solar Integrated Technologies, Inc. / press release
http://www.solarintegrated.com/SIT_PR_First_Project_in_Belgium_July_18_2007_FINAL.htm

Solar Integrated Technologies, Inc. (AIM:SIT.LN), a leading provider of building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) roofing systems,  announced today the completion of its first BIPV project under Belgium’s new feed-in tariff program. The BIPV roofing system was sold by Solar Integrated and installed at a facility owned by Zelfbouw-Markt, a home improvement retailer in Belgium. The project was managed by Ikaros Solar, a turn-key PV engineering company based in Lier, Belgium.
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