Solar Cells Info

By John Croman, Saint Paul, MN 
Source: Kare.com
http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=764805

The sun is shining again for Minnesota’s long suffering solar power advocates, thanks in large part to action by state lawmakers to capitalize on federal stimulus money targeted to renewable energy.  State Senator Ellen Anderson stood in front of a large mobile array of solar panels atop the Capitol steps Thursday and predicted the 2009 session will do for solar what the 1994 session did for wind power. “Today we’d like to announce we’re kicking off the solar energy revolution in Minnesota!” the Saint Paul Democrat told a group of alternative energy supporters and media who gathered for an event highlighting the new initiative.  “If you’re a homeowner and you want to install solar you can get rebates of up to $10,000 to put solar on your home,” Anderson remarked, “Pair that up with a federal tax credit and you are good part of the way toward paying for your solar installation.” (more…)

Exclusive two-year supply agreement calls for a minimum of 5.7 megawatts of Solar Power, Inc.’s modules with shipments to begin immediately. 
Roseville, CA, June 18, 2009
Source: Solar Power Inc press release
http://www.solarpowerinc.net/ViewPressRelease.aspx?PressReleaseID=71

Solar Power, Inc. (“SPI”) (OTCBB: SOPW) announced today that it has entered into an exclusive agreement with the Australian solar developer Beyond Building Systems Pty Ltd. (“BBS”) for the purchase of SPI’s 170 – 220-watt solar modules. The agreement provides BBS with exclusive access to SPI’s highly rated panels for use throughout Australia.  The two-year supply agreement calls for a minimum purchase of 5.7 megawatts of SPI modules with shipments commencing in June. (more…)

The European project known as Desertec is nothing if not ambitious.
By TOM ZELLER Jr., NEW YORK, June 21, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/22/business/energy-environment/22iht-green22.html?_r=1&ref=earth

It aims to harvest the sun’s energy — using a method known as concentrating solar power, or C.S.P. — from the vast North African desert and deliver it as electricity, via high-voltage transmission lines, to markets in Europe. Eventually, its backers say, it could satisfy as much as 15 percent of the European Union’s power needs.  The idea, which has been bouncing around for years, arises out of an alphabet soup of organizations, formal multinational partnerships and regional acronyms like TREC, for Trans-Mediterranean Renewable Energy Cooperation; Eumena, or European Union, the Mediterranean and North Africa; the Union of the Mediterranean; and the Club of Rome. (more…)

Kyoto, Jun 19, 2009 
By Mayumi Negishi and Reiji Murai
Source: Reuters.com
http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-GreenBusiness/
idUSTRE55I1EH20090619?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0
 
Kyocera Corp, fighting to hold its own in a competitive solar panel market, is banking on a revival of Japanese subsidies to bolster sales, and said orders for its panels in Japan have jumped this year.  Kyocera, which has been losing market share amid price competition with rivals Q-Cells, First Solar and Suntech, has also seen a slight recovery in orders for its solar panels in Europe, its president said on Friday. Japan is also home to Sharp Corp and Sanyo Electric Co, which along with Kyocera are pioneers in solar panels, but the market remains small amid on-again, off-again state support for the technology.  “There’s a strong tailwind in Japan,” Kyocera President Tetsuo Kuba told Reuters in an interview. “This year (the strength of orders) is completely different.” (more…)

By JAMES KANTER,  June 18, 2009
Source: New York Times.com,
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/18/european-solar-power-from-african-deserts/

Germany has become a global leader in solar energy by building up a substantial industry at home. Can the country now repeat the feat in North Africa? Munich Re, an insurance company, is leading efforts to garner support for a vast project, dubbed Desertec, to collect energy at solar farms in countries like Tunisia and then send it to Europe in the form of electricity. Munich Re wants other companies like the giant engineering group Siemens, Deutsche Bank, and utilities like RWE and E.ON to become involved. (more…)

FRANKFURT, June 16,2009
Source: Reuters.com
http://www.reuters.com/article/
rbssFinancialServicesAndRealEstateNews/idUSL033295420090616

A consortium of around 20 companies, including Munich Re (MUVGn.DE), Siemens (SIEGn.DE), RWE (RWEG.DE) and Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE), plans to build a 400 billion euro ($555.3 billion) solar power project in Africa, a Munich Re executive told a German newspaper on Tuesday.  The project, led by Munich Re, would use the energy from the Africa-based solar project to provide electricity to German households, Munich Re board member Torsten Jeworrek said in an interview with Sueddeutsche Zeitung. The consortium members plan to meet in Munich on July 13 to set up the group formally, he added.  He decline to give details on members but said they include Siemens, RWE, Deutsche Bank, the German Economy Ministry and the Club of Roome — a non-government group based in Zurich.  “We want to start an initiative that would present concrete plans in two to three years time,” Jeworrek said.

Source: Jerusalem Post Staff, June 1, 2009
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?
pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull&cid=1243346524122

Sunday Energy Ltd , the leading solar energy service provider in Israel, and Ormat Technologies, one of the world’s largest geothermal power solutions companies, have announced the signing of an agreement to build a 1MW photovoltaic (PV) solar installation on the roof of Ormat’s factory in Yavne.  Once complete, the companies claim the 16,000 square meter installation will be the largest PV roof in the Middle East, and will generate over NIS 60 million from solar energy sales over the next 20 years. (more…)

Division Dedicated to Turnkey Solar Development and Finance  Complements Nationwide Roofing, Solar Construction Business
Skokie, IL, June 3, 2009
Source: Tecta America press release
http://www.tectaamerica.com/corporate_news_info.php?id=166

Tecta America, the nation’s largest roofing contractor, announces the launch of Tecta Solar, a division of Tecta America dedicated to the development of turnkey solar energy systems. Tecta Solar’s expertise encompasses the design, engineering, financing, installation, maintenance, warranty, and monitoring performance to ensure the best possible results for its clients and investors. (more…)

Rome, Italy, May 24, 2009
Source: Reuters.com
http://in.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idINLO46892420090524

More than 38,000 photovoltaic (PV) installations that turn sunlight into power are currently on stream in Italy with a total capacity of 485 megawatt, the state-run power management agency GSE said on Sunday.  PV installations mushroomed in Italy from about 22 MW in early 2007 after the government launched a new incentive plan, considered by analysts to be among the most generous in Europe.  GSE has issued its closely watched update of PV capacity in Italy during a meeting of energy ministers from the Group of Eight industrialized nations that runs in Rome May 24-25.
(Reporting by Svetlana Kovalyova, editing by Maureen Bavdek)

by Tiernan Ray,  June 8, 2009
Source: Barrons’
http://blogs.barrons.com/techtraderdaily/2009/06/08/
solar-tech-analysts-see-rising-demand-falling-silicon-prices/

Better late than never, I thought I’d mention two solar technology industry reports out today. Reports from analysts last weekfollowing an industry conference indicated demand for solar panel modules was picking up, but concerns about pricing of product has remained a concern. Today, Barclay’s Capital Research analyst Vishal Shah writes that the price of the basic ingredient, polysilicon, could decline to $50 per kilogram from the current $65 to $75 per kilogram by the end of this year as “the next phase of supply ramp” begins in the second half. (more…)