Solar Cells Info

Beijing, April 24, 2008
Source: Oerlikon Solar press release
http://www.oerlikon.com/ecomaXL/index.php?site=SOLAR_EN_press_releases_detail&udtx_id=5888

Oerlikon Solar and Baoding Tianwei announced today the contract signing for a turnkey thin film solar module production line. The initial production capacity will be 46.5 MWp (Megawatt peak) per year. The deal includes all major thin-film solar module production equipment including metrology and testing facilities. In the coming months the machinery will be shipped, installed and commissioned by a team of Oerlikon Solar experts. The project site is located in Bao Ding。 (more…)

by Dr. Paula Doe, Contributing Editor, Solid-State Technology
Source: Solid State Technology /April 24, 2008
http://sst.pennnet.com/display_article/326845/5/WNART/none/UPFRN/1/

What country surpassed perennial solar leader Japan in photovoltaic production last year, turning out more than 1GW of solar cells? That would be China, where a new crowd of suppliers also plans to ramp production of 3GW in thin film cells over the next two years. And Asia is just getting started. Major PV makers in Taiwan plan to increase capacity to more than 2GW, those in India to 1GW, by 2010, according to reports from Solid State Technology partner Nikkei Microdevices and the Japanese consultancy Tech Biz, based in part on data from the regional solar industry associations. By way of comparison, Solarbuzz reports worldwide solar production last year totaled about 3.4GW. (more…)

Siemens Advances Sustainability In Sacramento With Renewable Energy at Light Rail Manufacturing Facility – First privately owned company in the Greater Sacramento Area to install a 1 megawatt solar energy system
Sacromento, CA, April 21, 2008
Source: Siemens Transport Systems Inc, press release/PRNewswire
http://press.siemens.us/index.php?s=43&item=894

Siemens Transportation Systems Inc. (STS), part of the Siemens Mobility Division, approved the installation of a 1 megawatt (MW) solar energy system at its Sacramento light rail manufacturing facility to be completed by mid- to late-October 2008. STS is the first privately owned company in California’s capitol to install a photovoltaic system of this magnitude — twice the size of any privately installed system in the Sacramento Area. The system is expected to generate 29,664,213 kWh (kilowatt hours) of electricity over the first 20 years and is equal to approximately 150 average-size residential solar panel systems. (more…)

By Larry P. Vellequette, Blade Business Writer /April 25, 2008
Source: ToledoBlade.com
http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080425/
BUSINESS03/804250350/0/BUSINESS04

A start-up solar energy firm with ties to the University of Toledo announced this morning that private investors will contribute $22.3 million to enable the metro area to have a second manufacturer of the alternative energy product in a year.  Xunlight Corp. plans to build a production line for thin-film, silicon-solar modules at its fledgling facility at 3145 Nebraska Ave., said Xunming Deng, company founder and a UToledo professor.
(more…)

by Staff Writers, Washington DC (SPX) Apr 24, 2008
Source: Energy Daily.com
http://www.energy-daily.com/reports/
FedEx_Adds_More_Solar_Powered_Operations_To_Facilities_In_California_999.html

FedEx has announced that its operating company FedEx Freight has completed the installation of a solar-electric system in Whittier, Calif., and is nearing completion on a similar solar-powered facility in Fontana, Calif. Both systems will provide a substantial portion of the facilities’ peak energy needs.  The 282 kilowatt (kW) solar power system in Whittier has the capacity to produce over 414,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity each year, providing almost 40 percent of the facility’s annual energy needs and significantly reducing the service center’s dependence on the electric grid. The Whittier terminal employs about 500 workers and serves the East Los Angeles area. (more…)

Mark LaPedus, EE Times
San Jose, CA, April 21, 2008
Source: EETimes
http://www.eetimes.com/news/semi/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=207400875

Solar startup eSolar Inc., a producer of ”scalable” solar thermal power plants, has closed $130 million in funding from several investors, including search-engine giant Google.  Investors in the startup include Idealab, Google.org, Oak Investment Partners and others. In total, Google and its investment arm, Google.org, have invested $10 million in eSolar.  The funding will be used for the construction and deployment of the company’s pre-fabricated power plants. Esolar’s distributed solar thermal plants achieve economies of scale at 33 megawatts (MW), according to the company. (more…)

Large Scale Solar Generation to Become Reality
Source: Stirling Energy Systems, Inc press release / 17 April 2008
http://www.stirlingenergy.com/downloads/
17-April-2008-Stirling-Energy-Systems-Announces-$100-Million-Investment-by-NTR-plc.pdf

Stirling Energy Systems, Inc. (SES), a Phoenix-based developer of utility-scale solar powered  electricity generation plants, today announces an agreement for NTR plc, a leading  international developer and operator in renewable energy and sustainable waste management,  to invest $100 million and take a controlling interest in the company.  SES is developing two of the world’s largest solar generating projects in the Imperial Valley
and Mojave Desert to bring clean, renewable power to Southern California. The partnership with NTR provides SES with the financial strength and commercial expertise to deliver these projects. (more…)

By Matt Nauman, Mercury News /April 22, 2008
Source: (Silicon Valley) Mercury News
http://www.mercurynews.com/greenenergy/ci_9011289

A Pasadena company with plans to make small-scale solar power plants announced Monday it had raised $130 million, including money from Google’s charity wing.  ESolar said it would use the money from Google.org, Idealab and Oak Investment Partners to make and install prefabricated solar-thermal power plants near towns and cities. The company said its plants will generate up to 33 megawatts, typically enough power for up to 25,000 California homes, and that several of these plants could be connected to create a larger facility. (more…)

Govt of India sanctioned projects for installation of 1500 kWp capacity of grid connected solar photovoltaic power plants
Source: Govt of India press release /April 25, 2008
http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=38004

During the Tenth Five Year Plan period, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy had sanctioned projects for installation of 1500 kWp capacity of grid connected solar photovoltaic power plants in the country and projects for a total capacity of 900 kWp have been installed.
(more…)

by Rajesh Chhabara /23 Apr 2008
Source: ClimateChangeCorp.com
http://www.climatechangecorp.com/content.asp?contentid=5283

Muhammad Yunus harnesses the power of the carbon markets to put green energy in the hands of his country’s poor.  While world powers continue to debate climate change and who should take more responsibility for saving the world, an ambitious green energy program in Bangladesh is banking on the poor to find a sustainable solution.  Nobel peace laureate Muhammad Yunus has successfully extended his microfinance magic to power rural communities with renewable energy that creates more jobs and income for the poor and reduces greenhouse gases. (more…)