Solar Cells Info

Source: EV World Blog, July 19, 2009
http://evworld.com/blogs/index.cfm?authorid=12&blogid=780&archive=1

Dr. Richard Komp sent the following report from Pakistan today. Since he’s been a guest in my house and I’ve spent a fair amount of time with him when he was here in Omaha, I thought I’d share his email with you. You can watch the multi-part video I shot of one of his presentations at the King Magnet School on YouTube.

The monsoons have arrived. For days now it had been hot and muggy (Like southern Indiana in the summer) but on Friday the rains started. Just sprinkles at first but Friday night a big storm came in with lots of thunder and lightning and torrential rain. On Saturday, Faizan’s father Irfan and I went out looking for the thin, tin plated copper ribbon we use to solder the solar cells together to make the PV modules we are building. There was flooding at some of the intersections but it wasn’t too bad getting around when we started out. (more…)

by Suman Chakraborti, TNN. Calcutta, 20 July 2009
Source: Times of India
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/NEWS-City-Kolkata-
Centre-gives-Rs-15-cr-for-solar-lanterns/articleshow/4796590.cms

The Centre has cleared Rs 1.5 crore for distributing 14,000 solar lanterns in the Aila-affected areas. This will give a major boost to the state government’s efforts to redevelop the affected villages in the Sunderbans.  West Bengal Green Energy Development Corporation (WBGEDC) managing director S P Gon Choudhuri said this was the first time the Centre has approved 100% grant for introducing solar lighting in a particular area. (more…)

Designed to accommodate specific needs of residential and commercial installations
Huntingon Beach and San Francisco, CA, July 15, 2009
Source: Solar Sharp USA press release
http://solar.sharpusa.com/solar/ads_and_pr/1,2482,0,00.html

Sharp Solar Energy Solutions Group, the U.S. solar arm of Sharp Corporation, a leading global provider of solar electric solutions, bolsters its NU line of solar modules with the introduction of the new NU-U230F3 and the NU-U235F1 modules.  Delivering powerful performance and enhanced aesthetics, the new NU modules are an optimal choice to meet the needs of both residential and commercial solar installations. (more…)

By Yuliya Chernova (of Dow Jones Clean Technology Insight),
New York, July 14, 2009
Source: Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20090714-708396.html

Solar panel maker Suntech Power Holdings Co. (STP) signed nonbinding agreements with four Chinese provinces and cities to develop up to 1.8 gigawatts of solar projects.  Projects resulting from these agreements could be installed between 2010 and 2012, Steve Chadima, Suntech’s spokesman, said in an email.  Suntech agreed to develop 300 megawatts in Shaanxi province, 500 MW in Shizuishan city, located in Ningxia province, 500 MW in Qinghai province, and 500 MW in the Panzhihua city of the Sichuan province. (more…)

by Erin Ailworth July 16, 2009
Source: Green Blog, Boston Globe
http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/greenblog/2009/07/new_state_entity_will_oversee_utility-scale_solar_projects.html

A new state entity will work with the four investor-owned utilities in Massachusetts to develop large-scale solar power installations, state officials announced Thursday.  “Development of solar generation through a statewide pool will drive down costs through economies of scale and spread the costs and benefits across the broadest base of customers,” Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley wrote in a statement announcing that her office would be working with Governor Deval Patrick’s office on the effort. (more…)

2,262 roofs can generate 19.4 megawatts of electricity
By Mike Lee, Union-Tribune Staff Writer, San Diego , July 16, 2009
Source: San Diego Tribune
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/jul/16/1m16solar001246-city-leads-california-solar-instal/?metro&zIndex=132821

The sun might seem to shine a little brighter in San Diego today with the release of an independent analysis that shows the city has the most solar roofs and greatest solar-power capacity in place statewide.  The nonprofit group Environment California ranked San Diego tops in its “California’s Solar Cities” report, ahead of Los Angeles, a much larger city, and San Francisco, which has a reputation for all things green. (more…)

by Lisa Zyga Prius flower, July 20th, 2009 , PhysOrg.com
http://www.physorg.com/news167321476.html

As part of Toyota’s national marketing campaign for the third generation Prius launch in 2010, the company is “planting” giant solar-powered flowers in urban areas. The flowers generate electricity and provide free Wi-Fi for anyone passing by.  Meant to represent the Prius theme of “Harmony between Man, Nature, and Machine,” the 18-foot flowers have solar cells behind their petals and at the base of the stem. The generated electricity travels down the stem to plastic green benches with 110-volt outlets. Each of the five flower provide room for up to 10 people to sit while charging their cell phones, laptops and other devices. Currently appearing in Boston, the solar flowers will later travel to New York, Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles. The flowers operate daily from 8:00 am to 9:00 pm. (more…)

by Camille Ricketts, June 25, 2009
Source: GreenBeat.com
http://green.venturebeat.com/2009/06/25/signet-solar-applies-for-federal-funds-to-fuel-thin-film-strategy/

Signet Solar, a Menlo Park, Calif.-based maker of thin-film solar panels, has applied for federal loan guarantees in addition to capital-raising efforts to aggressively expand its operations in the United States in the next three years.  The company’s plan is to install four production lines with the capacity to manufacture 65 to 80 megawatts-worth of solar panels a year in New Mexico. Each of these lines is predicted to cost $200 million to build and is dependent on technology acquired from Applied Materials. Construction will begin this year in hopes of ramping up panel production by 2011. Signet says it filed its application to the Department of Energy in February and is in talks with several private backers for the project already. (more…)

by Martin LaMonica, May 17, 2009
Source: Crave /Asia.Cnet.com
http://asia.cnet.com/crave/2009/05/12/transparent-plastic-solar-cells-fitted-into-windows/

Solar company Konarka has developed a transparent solar cell that it hopes will be built onto electricity-generating windows.  The Lowell, Mass.-based company on Tuesday said it has reached an agreement with Arch Aluminum & Glass to use Konarka’s plastic solar cells in building materials, including windows. A transparent solar cell Konarka hopes will be fitted into power-generating windows. Under its Arch Active Solar Glass development, the company has built prototypes of windows with the solar cells between two panes of glass. The photovoltaic cells can be tinted different colors. (more…)

by Candace Lombardi, Jun 27, 2009
Source: Asia.CNet.com
http://asia.cnet.com/crave/2009/06/22/solar-panels-take-on-roof-tile-shapes-for-aesthetics/

Will a better aesthetic tempt more people into going solar? SRS Energy is betting on it.  The company has partnered with US Tile, a leading manufacturer of Spanish, slate, and shake roof tiles, to design solar panels with the exact same shapes as their clay counterparts. The result is solar tiles that can be seamlessly integrated with the terra-cotta tiles on your roof. Instead of the solar panels being on your roof, your solar panels are the roof. Instead of consumers going solar as aftermarket adaptation, the Philadelphia-based company hopes that solar will become part of the architecture and building of residences and commercial properties. (more…)