Solar Cells Info

by Yukiko Kanou, Nikkei Electronics, Aug 19, 2008
Source: TechOn /
http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20080819/156577/

The global solar cell market will grow at an annual rate of 27% on average until 2012 to ¥4.6751 trillion (approx US$42.5 billion), 3.9 times larger than in 2007, according to the survey conducted by Fuji Keizai Co Ltd. The solar cell market was ¥1.2008 trillion (approx US$10.9 billion) in 2007.  Polycrystalline silicon solar cells accounted for nearly 90% of the market in 2007, but the presence of solar cells that use a small amount of silicon or no silicon at all will strengthen, Fuji Keizai said. The focus will be placed on thin-film silicon, CIGS and CdTe (cadmium telluride) thin-film solar cells, in particular, according to the company. (more…)

by Mark Selfe / 02 September 2008
Source: RedHerring.com
http://www.redherring.com/blogs/24784

It was the Greek philosopher Plato who first coined the phrase ‘necessity is the mother of invention’ and given the current global food shortage and ever increasing population trend, his old adage could never be more appropriately illustrated than with the latest plan to bring life to the barren sands of the Sahara.  The ingenious plan, known as the Sahara Forest Project is simple: combine huge greenhouses with concentrated solar power (CSP) and plain old seawater. The solar power provides electricity for the farm of greenhouses, the desalination of the seawater provides both the freshwater and cooling required to grow a wide variety of crops. (more…)

Source: Environmental Research Web.com / Sept 2, 2008
http://environmentalresearchweb.org/cws/article/futures/35662

Solar energy can make a large contribution to the energy needs of two-thirds of the world’s population by 2030, including those in remote areas. That’s according to Solar Generation, a report from Greenpeace and the European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA).  “Solar photovoltaic electricity has the potential to supply energy to more than four billion people by 2030 if adequate policy measures are put in place today,” said Ernesto Macias, EPIA president, as the report was presented at the 23rd European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference in Valencia, Spain.

By the end of 2007 more than 9,200 MW of solar photovoltaic systems had been installed around the world. But by 2030 Solar Generation estimates that more than 1800 GW of photovoltaic systems will have been installed worldwide, creating more than 2600 TWh of the electricity produced per year – or 14% of global electricity demand. The power would be enough to supply more than 1.3 billion people in developed areas and at least 3 billion people in remote rural areas who currently have no access to mains electricity. (more…)

Source: Energy Efficiency News.com / 04 sept 2008
http://www.energyefficiencynews.com/power-generation/i/1223/

Photovoltaic (PV) technology could generate enough electricity to meet 14% of global demand and cut CO2 emissions by 1.6 billion tonnes – equivalent to 450 coal-fired power plants - by 2030, according a joint report from the European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA) and Greenpeace International. “Solar photovoltaic electricity has the potential to supply energy to over 4 billion people by 2030 if adequate policy measures are put in place today,” said EPIA President Ernesto Macias at the report launch in Spain. (more…)

Delivering Utility Scale PV Solutions for General Motors Opel Factory in Zaragoza Spain Boston, USA & Zaragoza, Spain, Sept. 04, 2008 Source: Satcon press release http://investor.satcon.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=332163

Satcon, a leading provider of utility scale distributed power solutions for the renewable energy market, announced today its participation in the world’s largest rooftop solar photovoltaic power installation. The 12 megawatt (MW) system atop the General Motors car manufacturing facility in Figueruelas, Zaragoza Spain will cover approximately 2,000,000 square feet and has a surface area of 183,000 square meters. (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…)

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…)

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…)