Solar Cells Info

By Simon Clark, Sept. 24, 2008
Source: Bloomberg.com
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&sid=aESker8lE5B4

As the sun rises over Seville in southern Spain, its blinding light bounces on a field of 624 mirrors surrounded by sunflowers.  The moving mirrors reflect sunbeams onto a 115-meter-high white tower that uses the concentrated heat to boil water, making steam that spins an electric turbine 97 times a second. This is Europe’s first commercial solar-thermal-electricity plant, at the forefront of a growing movement for green power. (more…)

by Andy Stone, Sept 24, 2008
Source: Forbes.com
http://www.forbes.com/home/2008/09/24/
solar-tax-credit-tech-science-cz_as_0924solar.html

Solar-generated electricity, long decried as too expensive to be practical, may have gotten a little closer to being competitive. The Senate on Tuesday approved its version of a bill that would extend income tax credits for the solar industry through 2016. The Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008 would extend the 30% tax credit, which is due to expire at the end of the year, on the upfront cost of solar installations. With the 30% credit, solar cells can produce electricity for as little as 20 cents per kilowatt hour on residential rooftops, putting the cost of solar juice on par with grid electricity in states like California, where energy costs are high. The tax credit would be extended for commercial and utility-scale solar projects as well. (more…)

Silicon Valley, CA, Sept 19, 2008
Source: Sunpower Corp. press release
http://investors.sunpowercorp.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=335603

Applied Materials (Nasdaq: AMAT) and SunPower Corporation (Nasdaq: SPWR) today announced completion of two SunPower solar power systems totaling 2.1 megawatts at Applied Materials’ corporate facilities in Sunnyvale, Calif. The systems represent the largest solar power deployment at a corporate facility in the United States.  “This is another exciting milestone in the adoption of solar power in California,” said Mike Splinter, president and chief executive officer of Applied Materials. “More companies are realizing the wisdom of integrating solar as a non-intrusive, clean, silent form of energy generation into our businesses and communities. We’ve converted our parking lots to power plants and we encourage others to join us in making solar power a meaningful part of the energy supply.” (more…)

Ontario, CA and San Jose, CA, Sept 24, 2008
Source: PRNewswire/SunPower Corp. press release
http://investors.sunpowercorp.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=336440

Toyota and SunPower Corporation (NASDAQ:SPWR) , a manufacturer of high-efficiency solar cells, solar panels and solar systems, today announced the completion of the largest single-roof solar power installation in North America. The 2.3-megawatt SunPower system will begin operation in early October at Toyota’s North America Parts Center California (NAPCC) in Ontario, Calif.

Toyota expects the solar installation will provide nearly 60 percent of the total electricity needs for the 760,000-square foot NAPCC. The system covers more than 242,000 square feet of the NAPCC’s roof and includes 10,417 solar modules, enough to cover more than four football fields. It is expected to avoid about 6.4 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions annually, which is the equivalent to the emissions from the energy use of approximately 255 homes in a year. (more…)

by Windsor Genova - AHN News Writer, New York, September 12, 2008
Source: AllHeadNews.com
http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7012276449

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon took a solar-powered cab to work on Friday to raise awareness about climate change and to promote environmentally-friendly technologies.  The ride on the Swiss-built Solartaxi took Ban from his home in New York to the UN Secretariat building. Louis Palmer, the Solartaxi’s inventor, drove him to his office. (more…)

Solar Projects Would Supply Enough Renewable Energy Equivalent to the Energy Needs of 239,000 Californian Homes
San Franscisco, CA., Aug 14, 2008
Source: SunPower Corp. press release
http://investors.sunpowercorp.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=328221

Pacific Gas and Electric Company today announced it has entered into two utility-scale, photovoltaic (PV) solar power contracts for a total of 800 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy. This significant commitment to photovoltaic technology will deliver cumulatively 1.65 billion kilowatt-hours of renewable energy annually. This would be equivalent to the amount of energy needed to serve approximately 239,000 residential homes each year. PG&E entered into an agreement with Topaz Solar Farms LLC, a subsidiary of OptiSolar Inc., for 550 MW of thin-film PV solar power. The utility also signed a contract with High Plains Ranch II, LLC, a subsidiary of SunPower Corporation (Nasdaq: SPWR), for 250 MW of high-efficiency PV solar power. (more…)

San Jose, CA., Sept 09, 2008
Source: SunPower Corp. press release
http://investors.sunpowercorp.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=333249

SunPower Corporation (Nasdaq: SPWR), a Silicon Valley-based manufacturer of high-efficiency, solar cells, solar panels, and solar systems, today announced that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has installed a 205-kilowatt SunPower solar-electric system atop the roof of the Forrestal Building in Washington, D.C. U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman dedicated the system at a ceremony being held at the facility today. (more…)

Source: EETimes Asia, 21 Aug 2008
http://www.eetasia.com/ART_8800540499_765245_NT_811c0820.HTM

The large-scale photovoltaic (PV) demonstration project is now being prepared after the signing of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Energy Division, Prime Minister’s Office (EDPMO) and Mitsubishi Corp. in Brunei Darussalam. In this project, a PV system with a capacity of 1.2MW, which is the largest in Southeast Asia, will be built at Seria Power Station in Belait District, Brunei. Verification tests and evaluations for three years will be made after the start of the PV system installation and will be supervised by the combined efforts of EDPMO, the Department of Electrical Services and Mitsubishi. This is part of the MOU of the PV system agreement in Brunei Darussalam. (more…)

Source: ET Solar group press release / July 9, 2008
http://www.etsolar.com/en/ns_305__759.html

ET Solar Group Corp. (“ET Solar”), a Nanjing-based vertically integrated manufacturer of photovoltaic products including ingots, wafers, modules, and state-of-the-art dual-axis tracking systems with manufacturing facilities located in Taizhou, China, announced today a module sales agreement with Techwin Co Ltd. (“Techwin”), a leading Korean company in plant engineering and environmental technology development.  Under the contract, ET Solar will supply 500 kilowatt of PV modules to Techwin, in the third quarter of this year. (more…)

Source: ET Solar Group Corp. press release/ Aug. 8, 2008

ET Solar Group Corp. (“ET Solar”), a Nanjing-based vertically integrated manufacturer of photovoltaic products including ingots, wafers, modules, and state-of-the-art dual-axis tracking systems with manufacturing facilities located in Taizhou, China, announced today that it has donated multiple PV systems to eight remote Tibetan villages.  ET Solar donated multiple PV systems worth nearly one million RMB, which will provide electricity for the eight Tibetan villages. These villages are located in a remote rural area that is more than 4,000 meters high and not connected to any electricity grid system. (more…)