Solar Cells Info

Low-cost lighting system developed by THRIVE, a local NGO, is all set to light up Kenya and the eastern parts of Africa
Hyderabad, India, Oct 15, 2007
Source: The Hindu Online
http://www.hindu.com/2007/10/15/stories/2007101568180400.htm

In an era of competitive globalisation, small-time innovations rarely find their deserving place. But a low-cost innovation developed here is all set to light up the eastern parts of Africa.  Beginning with Kenya, white light emitting diode (LED) for clean lighting, the innovation of a local non-Governmental organisation, is set to penetrate the Dark Continent. THRIVE (Jumbled acronym for Volunteers for Rural Health Education and Information Technology) has signed an agreement with Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute (KIRDI) for promoting the low-cost lighting technology there, with an initial export of 10,000 pieces to Kenya.
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BULDON, Shariff Kabunsuan, October 16, 2007
Source:Sunstar.com
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/gen/2007/10/16/news/
sun.power.to.light.100.more.mindanao.villages.html

Ravaged by the 2000 all-out war declared by then President Joseph Estrada, at least 80 villagers here have been rewarded with solar panel systems of a United States-funded program.  The program vowed to light 100 more villages until next year. Barangay Kulimpang forms part of Camp Abubakar, the main camp of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) that fell into the hands of the government the same year.
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Tapan Chakravorti, Ranchi October 9, 2007
Source:Business Standard
http://www.business-standard.com/economy/storypage.php?
leftnm=lmnu2&subLeft=2&autono=300667&tab=r

Paharsingh is a hamlet, situated about 52 km from Ranchi. The village has a population of only 87 people, belonging to the primitive Birhor tribe.  Till a few months ago, the village had no source of drinking water. The villagers had to collect water from a hand pump located in a far-off village.  However, their water woes came to an end when a solar water pump of 1,200W capacity was installed in the village. The initiative was taken by Jharkhand Renewable Energy Development Agency (JREDA), run by the Jharkhand government. The agency works with the Ministry for New and Renewable Energy.
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By Brandon Reed, Madrid, Oct 10, 2007
Source: Reuters UK
http://uk.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUKL1051297620071010

Photovoltaic solar power plants are springing up throughout Spain, capitalizing on special tariffs for renewable energies and exceeding the government’s expectations.  With the current momentum, Spain will be over its target for 2010 of 400 megawatts (MW) of photovoltaic (PV) power by next summer, possibly having somewhere between 800 MW and 1,200 MW, according to the Industry Ministry.  “We already have 80 percent of the target,” Industry Minister Joan Clos said at a European energy conference in Madrid earlier in October.
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14 Oct, 2007
Source: 7Days.ae
http://www.7days.ae/en/2007/10/14/sold-on-solar-power.html

Environmentalists, politicians and the media have been focusing on global warming and the necessity for us to be ‘greener’ for some time now, but how many of us have actually done anything to try and make a difference? A glance around this emirate quickly shows that over-sized 4×4 gas-guzzling cars are still the motor of choice on Dubai roads and that Dubai’s public is determined to continue its love affair with plastic, despite the fact that reusable grocery bags – the ‘greener’ option – are widely (more…)

Oct 15, 2007
Source: OneNews- Technology, TVNZ
http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/1320238/1404463

Reflective dishes may be the answer to make solar energy competitive with conventional sources of power, Israeli scientists say.  A global race is on to find energy alternatives as subsidies tip the balance in favour of renewable sources of power, which answer security and climate change concerns about fossil fuels. New-found demand for one such renewable source, solar energy, has sucked up supply of the silicon raw material, prompting a search for alternatives. A team at Israel’s Ben Gurion University believe they have found just that, in a far less known material that is more expensive than silicon but also more efficient when used with a reflective dish.
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Student inventors are gathering at the Solar Decathlon in Washington to vie for the top prize and create a new generation of green homes.
By Marc Gunther, Senior writer, FORTUNE Magazine, October 15 2007
Source: CNNMoney.com
http://money.cnn.com/2007/10/12/magazines/fortune/solar_decathalon.fortune/
The clean energy homes of tomorrow are on display all this week on America’s Main Street, the national mall in Washington, D.C.- and they are generating excitement from the FORTUNE 500 companies, government advocates for renewable energy and even some venture capitalists. They are there as part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon, a contest in which 20 colleges vie to build energy-efficient, sustainable, attractive and affordable homes. The results can be eye-popping.
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Nuying Huang, Taipei; Esther Lam
Source: DIGITIMES, Friday 12 October 2007
http://www.digitimes.com/

Leading solar cell maker Sharp is confident about the prospects for the thin-film solar cell market, expecting that meaningful penetration should be seen from 2013, said company solar systems group deputy manager Tatsuo Saga at the ongoing Taiwan International Photovoltaic (PV) Forum & Exhibition 2007 (October 11-12) in Taipei.
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Nuying Huang, Taipei; Esther Lam,
Source: DIGITIMES, Monday 15 October 2007
http://www.digitimes.com/bits_chips/a20071015PD203.html

Neo Solar Power recently announced that it has secured a three-year order worth NT$4.4 billion (US$134.6 million) with Netherlands-based Scheuten Solar for solar cells. The total order amount from Scheuten is to reach NT$5 billion, the company added.  Neo Solar indicated that the deal with Scheuten will be effective from 2008. Since both parties already have a partnership underway, Neo Solar will land a total of NT$5 billion-worth of orders over the next three years. Based on present solar cell prices, industry players estimate that the deal will be equivalent to 50 peak megawatt (MWp) of solar cells.
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by Donald Shoup, October 14, 2007
Source: San Francisco Chronicle /SFGate.com
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/10/14/EDIOSO3NR.DTL

On hot, sunny days when air conditioners threaten to overload the power grid, solar power generation makes a lot of sense. Solar panels produce the most electricity exactly when demand peaks, so they reduce the load on conventional power plants at the right time. Solar panels also cleanly and quietly produce power exactly where it is consumed, so they help to prevent power outages caused by overloaded transmission lines.
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