Solar Cells Info

By Bryan Walsh, Time, Aug. 07, 2008
Source: Time.com
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1830386,00.html

There were limits to how green Bruce Letvin was willing to go. For years, the 53-year-old anatomy professor had wanted to install solar panels on his Manhattan Beach, Calif., home. But the up-front installation costs always outweighed the benefits for the environment and his conscience. This spring, however, he managed to work out green financing with the help of solar company SunPower. After determining that his electricity bills and roof exposure were large enough to make him a good candidate for its solar panels, the company, based in San Jose, Calif., helped him find a 15-year loan for the $64,500 system. Yes, his $550 loan payment is more than the $300 or so he used to spend each month on electricity bills–so far, he has generated enough solar power that he doesn’t need to take any juice from the grid–but after he pays off the loan, his power will be free. And this year, he’ll get a $16,000 rebate in the form of federal and state tax incentives for solar. “I really wouldn’t have been able to do this without the financing,” he says. “But with [the loan], it’s a no-brainer.” (more…)

Source: ScienceDaily, Aug. 10, 2008
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080810214010.htm

Researchers have devised an inexpensive way to produce plastic sheets containing billions of nanoantennas that collect heat energy generated by the sun and other sources. The technology, developed at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory, is the first step toward a solar energy collector that could be mass-produced on flexible materials. (more…)

Changzhou, China, July 14, 2008
Source: Trina Solar Ltd /PR Newswire press release

Trina Solar Limited (“Trina Solar” or the “Company”), a leading integrated manufacturer of photovoltaic products from the production of ingots, wafers and cells to the assembly of PV modules, founded in 1997, today announced a cooperation agreement with LISA Airplanes for the building of the Hy-Bird, a solar and hydrogen powered airplane that is set to be the first to fly around the world using only renewable energies as fuel. (more…)

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 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…)

New Solar Electric System Using Kyocera Photovoltaic Modules Tests Above 100 Percent of Expected Projections
Scottsdaloe, AZ, July 15, 2008
Source: Kyocera Solar press release/BusinessWire

Kyocera Solar, Inc. and American Solar Electric, Inc. today announced that a recently unveiled 19.2 kilowatt solar electric power system has tested at 106 percent of expected projections. The new system — independently tested by Phoenix’s utility company, Salt River Project (SRP) — is installed at the Integrity Building Corp (IBC) headquarters in Mesa, Ariz., and has allowed the small business to save thousands of dollars on electricity. (more…)

Thin-film solar cells are cheaper than traditional solar panels, such as those made of polycrystalline silicon, but the yield is lower. However, the combination of these properties is promising according to the Thin-Film Future conference organized recently by SolarPlaza in Munich. An impression of the heavily attended gathering.
By: Rijkert Knoppers
Source: GlassOnWeb.com
http://www.glassonweb.com/news/index/7986/

A solar installation over 6,000 m2 has been built in a field near to the German town of Waltenhofen. Its total power is 0.4 MW. Seven kilometers of electrical cable is required to transport the power generated by the Mitsubishi Heavy Industry thin-film solar panels. Another solar power plant has been produced next to this field in the same amount of space, but in this case using crystalline silicon solar panels. At 0.7 MV, the power from this plant is almost twice as much as that from the other installation. (more…)

by David R. Baker, San Francisco Chronicle Staff Writer, July 15, 2008
Source: SFGate.com
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/14/BUNL11OVEF.DTL

California has added enough solar power to its electrical grid this year to light a small town, according to an update released Monday on the state’s solar rebate program.  Those rebates, which go to businesses and homeowners who put solar panels on their roofs, have funded enough new installations this year to generate 59.4 megawatts of electricity, about enough to juice up 44,550 homes. All told, that’s more solar power than was installed in all of 2006, according to the update from the California Public Utilities Commission.
(more…)

By ANRICA DEB, Leewarden, Netherlands (AP), Jun 23, 2008    Source: Associated Press
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iXCfnzzTRbDj68vvvtfcpw_KHBRwD91G0P200

Forty boats sped off silently Monday in what is billed as the world’s largest race for solar powered watercraft. High winds capsized several boats during a time trial qualifying round Sunday, and technical problems with the launching crane pushed back Monday’s start. But all 40 qualifiers finally departed under fair skies, spokeswoman Christel Pieper of the Frisian Solar Challenge said.  The six-day race covers a 135-mile course on a network of canals, rivers and lakes in the north of the Netherlands. Speed limits on narrow waterways have been temporarily waived for the boats, the fastest of which can go nearly 19 mph. (more…)

Why is it so expensive? What subsidies are available? And answers to other questions for the perplexed.
By YULIYA CHERNOVA, June 30, 2008
Source: The Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121432258309100153.html

The idea of solar power sounds so simple. And it seems like it should be cheap compared to other sources of energy. After all, the sun is there, and it’s free.  But despite federal and some state government subsidies that have helped push up demand, solar power still accounts for less than 1% of power generation in the U.S. That’s because even with subsidies, solar power remains expensive compared with energy based on traditional fuels like coal and natural gas. (more…)