Solar Cells Info

by Gina Roos, Green SupplyLine, Taipei, Taiwan, Sept 18, 2008
Source: EETimes.com
http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=210602697

Taiwan’s manufacturers of solar cells reported revenues climbed by nearly 70 percent in the first half of 2008, compared to the same period a year ago, due to strong demand from European countries including Spain and Germany, according to the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA). Six of the solar cell makers listed on Taiwan’s stock exchange reported first half 2008 revenues of NT$35.6 billion (US$1.1 billion) compared with NT$21 billion in the same period a year ago. These companies include Motech Industrial Inc., Gintech Energy Corp., E-Ton Solar Tech, Sino-American Silicon Products Inc., Sinonar Corp. and Green Energy Technology. Motech, Gintech and E-Ton are among the world’s ten largest solar cell makers by revenues. (more…)

by Andy Stone, Sept 24, 2008
Source: Forbes.com
http://www.forbes.com/home/2008/09/24/
solar-tax-credit-tech-science-cz_as_0924solar.html

Solar-generated electricity, long decried as too expensive to be practical, may have gotten a little closer to being competitive. The Senate on Tuesday approved its version of a bill that would extend income tax credits for the solar industry through 2016. The Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008 would extend the 30% tax credit, which is due to expire at the end of the year, on the upfront cost of solar installations. With the 30% credit, solar cells can produce electricity for as little as 20 cents per kilowatt hour on residential rooftops, putting the cost of solar juice on par with grid electricity in states like California, where energy costs are high. The tax credit would be extended for commercial and utility-scale solar projects as well. (more…)

New materials for high-performance cells could make solar power affordable.
By Kevin Bullis, September 23, 2008
Source: MIT TechnologyReview.com
http://www.technologyreview.com/Biztech/21405/

A cheap new way to attach mirrors to silicon yields very efficient solar cells that don’t cost much to manufacture. The technique could lead to solar panels that produce electricity for the average price of electricity in the United States. Suniva, a startup based in Atlanta, has made solar cells that convert about 20 percent of the energy in the sunlight that falls on them into electricity. That’s up from 17 percent for its previous solar cells and close to the efficiency of the best solar cells on the market. But unlike other high-efficiency silicon solar cells, says Ajeet Rohatgi, the company’s founder and chief technology officer, Suniva’s are made using low-cost methods. One such method is screen printing, a relatively cheap process much like the silk-screen process used to print T-shirts. (more…)

Silicon Valley, CA, Sept 19, 2008
Source: Sunpower Corp. press release
http://investors.sunpowercorp.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=335603

Applied Materials (Nasdaq: AMAT) and SunPower Corporation (Nasdaq: SPWR) today announced completion of two SunPower solar power systems totaling 2.1 megawatts at Applied Materials’ corporate facilities in Sunnyvale, Calif. The systems represent the largest solar power deployment at a corporate facility in the United States.  “This is another exciting milestone in the adoption of solar power in California,” said Mike Splinter, president and chief executive officer of Applied Materials. “More companies are realizing the wisdom of integrating solar as a non-intrusive, clean, silent form of energy generation into our businesses and communities. We’ve converted our parking lots to power plants and we encourage others to join us in making solar power a meaningful part of the energy supply.” (more…)

Ontario, CA and San Jose, CA, Sept 24, 2008
Source: PRNewswire/SunPower Corp. press release
http://investors.sunpowercorp.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=336440

Toyota and SunPower Corporation (NASDAQ:SPWR) , a manufacturer of high-efficiency solar cells, solar panels and solar systems, today announced the completion of the largest single-roof solar power installation in North America. The 2.3-megawatt SunPower system will begin operation in early October at Toyota’s North America Parts Center California (NAPCC) in Ontario, Calif.

Toyota expects the solar installation will provide nearly 60 percent of the total electricity needs for the 760,000-square foot NAPCC. The system covers more than 242,000 square feet of the NAPCC’s roof and includes 10,417 solar modules, enough to cover more than four football fields. It is expected to avoid about 6.4 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions annually, which is the equivalent to the emissions from the energy use of approximately 255 homes in a year. (more…)

Success in Trial Manufacture of BN/Si Heterodiode Solar Cell
September 04, 2008
Source: National Institute for Materials Science NIMS, Japan press release
http://www.nims.go.jp/eng/news/press/press080904-1.html
Abstract
1. A team led by Dr. Shojiro Komatsu, Group Leader of the Wide Band Gap Semiconductor Group, Advanced Electronic Materials Center of the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS; President: Teruo Kishi) succeeded for the first time in the world in trial manufacturing a solar cell using high density boron nidtride (sp3-bonding BN), which is transparent to visible light and is one of the strongest of materials (high temperature refractory). (more…)

Solar Projects Would Supply Enough Renewable Energy Equivalent to the Energy Needs of 239,000 Californian Homes
San Franscisco, CA., Aug 14, 2008
Source: SunPower Corp. press release
http://investors.sunpowercorp.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=328221

Pacific Gas and Electric Company today announced it has entered into two utility-scale, photovoltaic (PV) solar power contracts for a total of 800 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy. This significant commitment to photovoltaic technology will deliver cumulatively 1.65 billion kilowatt-hours of renewable energy annually. This would be equivalent to the amount of energy needed to serve approximately 239,000 residential homes each year. PG&E entered into an agreement with Topaz Solar Farms LLC, a subsidiary of OptiSolar Inc., for 550 MW of thin-film PV solar power. The utility also signed a contract with High Plains Ranch II, LLC, a subsidiary of SunPower Corporation (Nasdaq: SPWR), for 250 MW of high-efficiency PV solar power. (more…)

San Jose, CA., Sept 09, 2008
Source: SunPower Corp. press release
http://investors.sunpowercorp.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=333249

SunPower Corporation (Nasdaq: SPWR), a Silicon Valley-based manufacturer of high-efficiency, solar cells, solar panels, and solar systems, today announced that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has installed a 205-kilowatt SunPower solar-electric system atop the roof of the Forrestal Building in Washington, D.C. U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman dedicated the system at a ceremony being held at the facility today. (more…)

by Maulik Pathak, Ahmedabad September 17, 2008
Source: Business Standard.com
http://www.business-standard.com/india/storypage.php?autono=334659

After unveiling its plans to harness wind energy, ONGC, the country’s leading crude and gas producer, now plans to foray into solar and geothermal energy. The company is in talks with four companies, including a US-based firm, for setting up a photovoltaic (PV) cells unit.  The oil and gas major is also exploring geothermal energy for which it is in talks with Iceland government. All these projects will be carried out under its ONGC Energy Centre housed at Rajiv Gandhi Urja Bhavan, New Delhi. (more…)

New york, September 12, 2008
Source: Associated press/CNNMoney.com
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/apwire/d3bfc4e2089883a8a96af9b6c551e3b4.htm

LDK Solar Co. Ltd. said Friday it has signed an 11-year agreement with Q-Cells AG of Germany to process solar-grade silicon into wafers. LDK, based in Xinyu City, China, said it will process at least 20,000 metric tons of solar grade silicon provided by Q-Cells between 2008 and 2018 with an option to process an additional 21,000 metric tons in the same decade. (more…)