Solar Cells Info

By David Louie, June 1, 2007
Copyright 2007, ABC7/KGO-TV/DT.
Source:  ABC Local news KGO-TV
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=business&id=5360706

The next dream for many high-tech leaders is to see Silicon Valley turn into a serious center for solar energy technology. But, it is easier said than done as attendees learned at a conference in the valley today.  In a room at San Jose’s Cypress Semiconductor may be the next Steve Jobs, David Packard or Bill Hewlett. Instead of computers, their focus will be on solar technology.
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By Todd Woody, Business 2.0 Magazine assistant managing editor, June 5 2007
Source: Business 2.0 Magazine /money.cnn.com
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2/

This is not the same old pipe dream. The economics — and the technology — of turning light into electricity have changed. Business 2.0 has the inside look at the industrial-strength power plants coming soon to a grid near you.

Clouds hang low over the New Mexico desert, deep inside a military reservation a dozen miles south of Albuquerque. A breeze stirs the air; tumbleweeds roll by. Then the sun shines through and a low whirring sound breaks the silence.  Six mirrored solar dishes that look like giant flowers with 15-foot stamens come to life. They pivot in unison, slowly tilting to face the sun rising over the jagged peaks of the Manzano ranges. A total of 468 mirrors — 78 on each flower –capture the sun’s rays and concentrate them into beams of light intense enough to melt lead. (more…)

June 5, 2007
Source: Theage.com.au
www.theage.com.au/news/1180809472909.html

Three time winners the Nuon Solar Team heads up the list of entries for this year’s World Solar Challenge from Darwin to Adelaide.  The Dutch team won the biennial solar car race across Australia in 2001, 2003 and 2005 and is favoured to take out a fourth victory in October this year.  Chasing it all the way to Adelaide will be the Victorian-based team from the Aurora Vehicle Association which won the race in 1999 and then finished second to Nuon in the last three events.
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Alzenau, Germany, June 4, 2007
Source: Schott Solar, press release
http://www.verivox.de/News/ArticleDetails.asp?aid=52833&pm=1

In early June, the “Nevada Solar One” parabolic trough power plant located in Boulder City, near Las Vegas, Nevada (USA), will begin supplying power to the grid. This 64 megawatt (MW) power plant is the first large solar thermal power plant to be built in 15 years and it will generate approximately 129 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of solar electricity annually. This will sufficiently cover the power requirements of 15,000 American households. “Nevada Solar One” takes up an area of 1.4 million square meters and is roughly the same size as 212 soccer fields. Acciona Solar Power Inc., a subsidiary of the Spanish Acciona group that is becoming increasingly active within the energy sector, has been responsible for building the plant and will operate it. Solar receivers from SCHOTT, the German technology group, are at the heart of “Nevada Solar One”.
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Europe’s largest trade fair for solar technology (June 21-23, 2007 at Freiburg im Breisgau) is already fully booked
Pforzheim, 19 April 2007
Source: Inter Solar 2007 / press release
http://www.intersolar.de/61+M5830d7b7262.html

As in previous years, the international trade fair Intersolar 2007 reflects the dynamically growing solar technology industry in Europe. After the tremendous growth of the last few years, this year has once again seen the leading trade fair achieve record growth. Compared with last year, the number of exhibitors is up from 454 to 560, while the exhibition space has been increased from 26,000 square metres to 31,000 square metres. At the same time, Intersolar is further consolidating its position as the leading European platform for solar technology. In 2006, the proportion of international exhibitors was 30%. This year, 37 % of exhibitors will be travelling to Freiburg from over 30 countries.
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Source: InterSolar.de
http://www.intersolar.de/2+M5074dbdb453.html

The European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA) expects new photovoltaic systems to be installed per year with a volume of 5,600 Megawatt peak from 2010 on. In 2006, the market volume was 1.362 Megawatt peak. The international photovoltaic industry will be discussing this ongoing dynamic development and other current issues at the 3rd PV Industry Forum. The industry-focussed conference will be communicating the latest trends of the international photovoltaic markets as well as key technical issues. The 3rd PV Industry Forum is supported by the German Solar Industry Association (BSW-Solar) and the German Energy Agency GmbH (dena), and will take place in the run-up to Intersolar, Europe’s largest solar technology fair, on the 20th of June 2007 in Freiburg, Germany.
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By Clare Watson, 5 june 2007
Source: Energy Business Review online
http://www.energy-business-review.com/

Solar cell manufacturer Canadian Solar Incorporated has commenced delivery of solar modules to German company City Solar for a series of large-scale, ground-mounted solar farm projects in Spain and Germany.  The deliveries are part of an annual project sales contract that Canadian Solar Incorporated (CSI) signed with City Solar in January 2007, to supply approximately 31MW of solar modules to seven specific projects in the two European countries. The contract is worth between E80 and E90 million.
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New Launch expands “eco friendly” partnership
Montreal, Canada, May 29, 2007
Source: ICP Solar Technologies Inc. press release
http://www.icpsolar.com/4105/news_details.asp?news_id=26

ICP Solar Technologies Inc. today announced that it has launched its 2007 Coleman® Solar Charger programme at Wal-Mart’s (NYSE:WMT) Sam’s Club division for Samsclub.com  The new range of latest generation thin-film solar panels has recently begun to hit the warehouse club’s website at samsclub.com. This Coleman line of portable solar chargers is designed for outdoor enthusiasts to provide backup or primary power for vehicles such as automobiles, boats, RVs and also for remote living applications The Coleman panels are up to 50% more efficient than competitively branded thin-film amorphous solar chargers on similar “mass merchant” retail shelves in the USA.
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Los Gatos, CA, April 15, 2007
source: Akeena Solar, Inc. press release
http://www.akeena.net/cm/Investor%20Relations/Home.html

One of the Largest Solar Installations in Fresno Area
The California Air National Guard is switching to solar power for the operation of its armory in Fresno. The Guard hired MCC Construction and Akeena Solar (OTCBB:AKNS), already one of the state’s biggest residential installer of solar systems, to do the multimillion-dollar job. Many government agencies are discovering that there never has been a better time to switch to solar, avoiding volatile and increasingly high prices for conventional energy sources.
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Office Marks Expansion to California’s Wine Country
Los Gatos, CA, May 7, 2007
source: Akeena Solar, Inc. press release
http://www.akeena.net/cm/Investor%20Relations/Home.html

Akeena Solar, Inc. — one of the largest solar installers in the country — acquired certain assets of Alternative Energy Inc. (AEI) of Santa Rosa. Under the terms of the agreement, Akeena will assume AEI’s backlog, and commence a marketing campaign to take advantage of the solar power opportunities in Sonoma and Napa Counties.
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