Solar Cells Info

Source: Business Standar Reporter
Chennai/ Bangalore December 17, 2008, 20:24 IST

SEMI, the global industry body of the microelectronic, display and photovoltaic (PV) industries, has formally marked its presence in India by setting up an office in Bangalore.  Having the solar photovoltaic market as its initial area of focus out of India, SEMI will form a PV advisory committee comprising executives from major solar cell, module, equipment and material manufacturers to support various SEMI initiatives in India, Paul Davis, executive vice-president of SEMI, said. (more…)

Taipei, Taiwan,Oct 25, 2008 (Reuters)
Source: Auriasolar.com

Taiwan’s E-Ton Solar has joined with Lite-On Technology Corp, Hermes-Epitek Corp. and MiTAC-SYNNEX Group to establish a firm to make thin-film solar cells, the company said late on Thursday. E-Ton and photovoltaic parts maker Lite-On will be the largest shareholders with 23.9 percent each in the company,which will have an initial capacity of up to 60 megawatts (MW) and have the manufacturing facilities fully installed by theend of 2008, the company said in an e-mail statement. (more…)

Company Files International Patent for BioBacksheet™
Santa Clarita, CA – December 8, 2008
Source: BioSolar Inc press release
http://www.biosolar.com/view_news.php?id=40

BioSolar, Inc. (OTC BB: BSRC), the developer of a breakthrough technology to produce bio-based materials from renewable plant sources that reduce the cost of photovoltaic solar cells, announced today that it has filed for worldwide patent protection of its proprietary BioBacksheet™. BioBacksheet is the world’s first solar cell backsheet made from renewable plant based materials, rather than expensive and environmentally unfriendly petroleum-based alternatives currently in use. (more…)

Company Poised to Address a Market Opportunity for Its Innovative BioBacksheetTM Product
Santa Clarita, CA,   December 22, 2008
Source: BioSolar Inc, press release
http://www.biosolar.com/view_news.php?id=41&PHPSESSID=c1d6b530faada0ae10cf49d3f6298402

BioSolar, Inc. “is ushering in the inherent benefits of biomass by leading a pioneering effort to reduce the costs of solar modules by replacing petroleum-based solar panel components with durable biomass-based materials,” according to a web exclusive article posted December 10, 2008 on the website of BioMass Magazine. The article features BioSolar’s BioBacksheetTM, a protective covering for photovoltaic solar cells made from renewable plant sources, rather than the expensive petroleum-based film currently in use. This protective covering is needed in virtually all solar panels. (more…)

by Energy Matters, Australia
Source:
http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=255

A recent report from the European Union’s Joint Research Center Institute for Energy  shows continued massive increases in the annual growth rate of global solar cell production. Growth in production averaged 40% over five years ; peaking at 60% in 2007 when solar cell production reached 4 GWp. The solar panel sector has become an AUD $28.5 billion a year business and is expect to grow to AUD $85.5 billion in 2010, while still seeing price drops on solar panels for end consumers.  Sharp Corporation is now the number one solar cell manufacturer followed by Q-cells and Suntech. The market share of the ten largest solar cell manufacturers has eroded from 80% in 2004 to 57% in 2007 due to an increasing number of companies entering the solar cell production market, predominantly in China and Taiwan. (more…)

by Tyler Hamilton, Dec 22, 2008
Source: Toronto Star
http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/557162

Most homeowners, it’s safe to assume, would seriously consider putting solar panels on their rooftops if it was economical and didn’t involve a massive upfront payment. As the kids might say on the drive to the cottage, are we there yet? Not quite – but we’re heading in the right direction. Ontario refunds the provincial sales tax on solar photovoltaic, or PV, equipment and under its standard offer program will pay 42 cents per kilowatt-hour if you want to feed your home-generated solar power into the grid. (more…)

Washington Gas Energy Services, Standard Solar and John E. Kelly & Sons Partner to
Construct System To Power Kelly & Sons Headquarters
Washington, DC, December 3, 2008
Source: Standard Solar /press release
http://www.standardsolar.com/News-and-Events/Press-Releases.aspx

Three Washington, D.C. area companies announced plans today to construct one of Maryland’s largest solar power systems at the headquarters of John E. Kelly & Sons Electrical Construction in Prince George’s County. Nearly 9,000 square feet of solar panels will cover the building’s roof, generating enough electricity to meet more than half the needs of the 20,000 square foot office/warehouse facility. The 150-kilowatt system is being constructed at no up-front cost to Kelly, and will be owned by Washington Gas Energy Services. Kelly will purchase electricity produced by the system at guaranteed prices for 20 years under a Power Purchase Agreement (“PPA”). Standard Solar is developing the project, and will design, construct, operate and maintain the system. (more…)

Source: Northern California Solar Energy Association
http://www.norcalsolar.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=86&Itemid=154

1.  Preface

The following Bay Area Solar Installations Report is another educational effort put forth by the Northern California Solar Energy Association (NorCal Solar) towards its mission: To foster the development and application of solar energy technology through the exchange of information.

Since 1975 NorCal Solar, then known as NCSEA, has promoted solar education and fostered the exchange of information through many venues.  Today, from our website www.norcalsolar.org where we maintain a world-wide electronic ‘portal’ of resources on solar and other renewable energy technologies to our Solar Energy Resource Guide, a publication sold locally while supporting independent reports, studies and classrooms as well as many consumer information and workshops in-between.  This year NorCal Solar was a co-organizer of the American Solar Energy Association’s conference, Solar 2008, in San Diego where NorCal helped to organize more than 70 consumer workshops.  NorCal Solar also participated in the conference committee of the first ever InterSolar Conference in North America.  This conference was held in San Francisco where 13,000 visitors received the latest information about the advances of the international solar industry.  This was an amazing experience to learn about the reaches of solar into the international markets.

(more…)

Largest CPV Deal in EU with Generation Capacity to Power City of 40,000 Residents
Mountain View, CA, November 3, 2008
Source: SolFocus.com press release
http://www.solfocus.com/news_file/20081103144613_solfocus-and-empe-solar-sign-deal.pdf

SolFocus, a provider of concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) solar energy solutions, today announced the signing of a $103 million (€80M) agreement with EMPE Solar to install over 10 megawatts (MW) of CPV solar energy projects in several sites across southern Spain by the end of 2010. SolFocus’ CPV systems use a proven combination of high‐efficiency PV cells and advanced optics to provide high solar energy yields at competitive costs for commercial, industrial, and utility applications. This project will be the largest deployment of CPV technology in Europe, and will be capable of meeting the domestic energy requirements for a city of approximately 40,000 residents. (more…)

By Matthew Knight, For CNN, London, Nov.12, 2008
Source: CNN
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/11/12/solar.coating/

Researchers have developed a new anti-reflective coating that boosts the efficiency of solar panels and allows sunlight to be absorbed from almost any angle.  Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute researchers say they’ve made advances in absorption of sunlight.  Scientists from the Future Chips Constellation (FCC) at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York have created the coating using nanotechnology — engineering devices on a molecular scale. (more…)