Solar Cells Info

by Jonathan Watts /July 25 2008
Source: Guardian.CO.UK
http://www.guardian.co.uk/global/2008/jul/25/solarpower.alternativeenergy

If China is ever to produce a challenger for the title of the world’s richest and most respected businessman, a leading contender is likely to be Shi Zhengrong. The world’s first solar billionaire sits at the intersection of two of the most important vectors of the 21st century – China’s economic rise and the global imperative to cut carbon emissions.  Since founding Suntech Power – China’s largest photovoltaic manufacturer – in 2001, Shi has capitalised on a surge of environmentally driven demand in Germany, the US and elsewhere that has turned his company into a global powerhouse and made him, by some estimates, the richest man on the mainland. (more…)

by Praveen Bose & Mahesh Kulkarni / Bangalore July 28, 2008
Source: Business Standard
http://www.business-standard.com/india/storypage.php?autono=329781

Bangalore City-based public sector undertaking (PSU), Bharat Electronics (BEL), said it is planning a major investment in the solar energy space in a tie-up with another PSU, Bharat Heavy Electricals (Bhel).  BEL is in the process of setting up a greenfield facility to produce 2,500 tonnes of polycrystalline silicon (also known as polysilicon), the main raw material for making solar panels, at an investment of Rs 1,500 crore. This translates into 250 mw of power. This will be the first major facility for manufacturing a raw material for solar panels by BEL, which is a leading manufacturer of solar panels in the country. (more…)

Tempe, Ariz., Jul 16, 2008
Source: First Solar Inc, press release
http://investor.firstsolar.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=322481

First Solar, Inc. (Nasdaq: FSLR) announced today that Southern California Edison (SCE) has selected First Solar to engineer and supply the PV power plant system for a 2 megawatt project to be installed on the roof of a commercial building in Fontana, CA. This is the first installation in SCE’s plan to install 250 megawatts of solar generating capacity on large commercial rooftops throughout Southern California over the next five years. SCE began installation of this initial project on July 14, 2008, and expects to connect the PV power plant to the grid in September 2008. In March, SCE, with California Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, announced the five-year solar PV installation project, which is the largest rooftop solar program ever proposed by a U.S. utility. (more…)

Tempe, Ariz., Jul 24, 2008
Source: First Solar Inc, press release
http://investor.firstsolar.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=324202

First Solar, Inc. (Nasdaq:FSLR) announced today that it will build a 10 megawatt (MW) photovoltaic (PV) power plant for Sempra Generation near Boulder City, Nevada. First Solar will design, engineer and construct the turnkey PV power plant and will provide monitoring and maintenance services for the plant over its lifetime. Sempra Generation will be the developer for the project, and will own and operate the PV power plant once completed. Construction began in July, and the 10 MW PV power plant is expected to be completed by the end of 2008. The solar modules to be deployed in this ground-mount project will be produced at First Solar’s manufacturing facility in Perrysburg, Ohio. (more…)

Malaysian government granted First Solar a multi-year income tax holiday
Kedah, Malaysia, July 28, 2008
Source: www.ciol.com
http://www.ciol.com/Semicon/SemiPipes/News-Reports/
First-Solars-first-of-four-solar-plants-in-Kedah/28708108360/0/

First Solar Inc. announced that the first of its four solar module manufacturing plants being constructed at the Kulim Hi Tech Park in Kedah, Malaysia was formally inaugurated by YAB Dato’ Seri Ustaz Azizan Bin Abdul Razak, Chief Minister of Kedah Darul Aman and Bruce Sohn, President of First Solar. Also participating in the event from First  Solar were Heiner Eichermueller, Vice President of Global Manufacturing, and Tan Poh Beng, Plant Manager of First Solar Malaysia. (more…)

by Ken Liu, Taipei, July 24, 2008
Source. CENS News
http://news.cens.com/cens/html/en/news/news_inner_24119.html

Arima Electronics Inc. recently won a contract to supply a Spanish power plant an undisclosed amount of solar cells. Industry watchers estimate the volume at 0.3 megawatts valued at around US$2.1 million.  Arima, which has left personal-computer manufacturing for photovoltaic business, will begin to deliver the contracted products some time in August. Industry watchers point out that the Spanish power plant plans to buy a total of 1.3-megawatt solar cells in four contracts. For Arima`s part, the company will supply, install and maintain the cells. (more…)

by Martin LaMonica, July 16, 2008
Source: CNet News
http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-9991975-54.html

Wakonda Technologies said Wednesday that it has raised $9.5 million to pursue development of the ideal solar cell, one that is highly efficient and low cost. In spite of the claim–or perhaps because of it–the company is releasing few technical details. Wakonda, which recently moved to Medford, Mass., had its series A round funded by Advanced Technology Ventures, General Catalyst Partners, Polaris Venture Partners, the Massachusetts Green Energy Fund, and Applied Ventures, which is the venture capital arm of Applied Materials. (more…)

David R. Baker, San Francisco Chronicle Staff Writer/ July 8, 2008
Source: SFGate.com
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/07/BUFO11L7FO.DTL

Solar power on a Prius? It sounds like a match made in eco-heaven. Toyota Motor Corp. plans to stick solar panels on some models of its popular Prius hybrid car, according to news reports Monday. The panels, made by Kyocera, would help power the air conditioner.  Details are sketchy. The Nikkei financial newspaper of Japan and the Reuters international news service reported the story, but both relied on unidentified sources. Toyota refused to confirm or deny the reports, saying the company doesn’t talk about future product plans. (more…)

by Steve Bush, 25 July 2008
Source: ElectronicsWeekly.com
http://www.electronicsweekly.com/Articles/2008/07/25/44199/
thin-film-cdte-solar-cells-to-be-12-efficent-in-2012-first-solar.htm

Arizona-based CdTe solar cell firm First Solar expects to hit 12% efficiency in its thin film cells in the next four years.  “We are currently on track to achieve our 2012 goal of 12% conversion efficiencies. This represents an increase of approximately 0.5% per year,” spokesman David Erhart told Electronics Weekly. “In Q1 2008 our average efficiency was 10.6%.” (more…)

By Steve Connor, Science Editor, 11 July 2008
Source: The Independent UK
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/new-windows-double-as-solar-panels-865592.html

A new type of solar panel that allows light to pass through it like a pane of glass has been invented by scientists who said that it is 10 times more powerful than conventional methods of producing energy from sunlight. The discovery raises the prospect of using ordinary domestic windows to generate electricity with minimum structural alterations, although scientists have not yet worked out how much it would cost to convert a domestic home to a solar-powered generator. (more…)