Solar Cells Info

The Space agency awards a two-year grant to use nanotechnology to improve the efficiency and radiation-resistance of solar cells for spacecraft.
(December 22, 2006)

source: Univ of California, Riverside Press release
http://www.newsroom.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/display.cgi?id=1482

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – www.ucr.edu – Just as mileage limits how far your car can go, the limitations of today’s solar panels restrict how far deep-space exploration craft can go before they run out of power. Researchers at the University of California, Riverside, however, are part of a team to improve our interstellar mileage.  Electrical Engineering Professor Alexander Balandin of the Bourns College of Engineering is co-leading a university-industry team, which received NASA funding to develop solar cells for space that use nanostructures to both increase efficiency and improve resistance to radiation damage.
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NEC Display Solutions Introduces Solar-Powered Battery Package for Renewable-Power Capability Monitors – New, Long-Lasting Solar-Powered System Reduces Harmful Pollutants, Use of Non-Renewable Energy; NEC First Display Company to Offer Such System For All Its Monitors

Source: NEC Display solutions press release
http://www.necdisplay.com/press/PressDetail.cfm?document_id=2333

CHICAGO –January 4, 2007 – Continuing its recognized environmental leadership in the electronics industry, NEC Display Solutions of America, the leading stand-alone provider of flat panel desktop displays, today announced a solar-powered system for use with all its monitors. In conjunction with Carmanah® Technologies Corporation, one of the fastest growing renewable and energy-efficient technology manufacturers in the world, NEC is the first display company to offer a solar-powered system for all of its monitors.

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New nanosilicon photovoltaic solar cell technology could adapt home and office glass windows into ones capable of generating electricity from sunlight, without losing significant transparency or requiring major changes in manufacturing infrastructure.

source: Octillion press release
http://www.octillioncorp.com/OCTL_20070103.html

Vancouver, BC – January 3, 2007 – Octillion Corp. (Symbol: OCTL) today announced its plans to enhance and expand its management team through the addition of individuals with in-depth knowledge of photovoltaic solar cell technology research, development of innovative, high performance photovoltaic products that can be manufactured in high volume with corresponding low costs, and particular experience in the commercialization of such technologies.

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By MyADSL, December 2006

Source:
http://www.mybroadband.co.za/nephp/?m=show&id=5192

For concerned environmentalists out there, there’s a new product on the market that allows you to charge your iPod using the Sun. But even if you don’t give a hoot about the environment and just want a way to power your iPod, which has a notoriously short battery life, this charger looks to offer a means to do so. Flexopower, a Johannesburg based company focusing on portable solar solutions for consumer electronics, has brought out a solar iPod/MP3 charger called the Flexopower Solar Uno.
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By Leah Krauss Dec 30, 2006, 6:36 GMT

Source: © 2006 by United Press International
http://news.monstersandcritics.com/energywatch/renewables/features/article_1238131.php/Solar_World_A_sunny_2006_for_solar

TEL AVIV, Israel (UPI) — The past year has seen landmark legislative support for solar in the United States; testing on the world`s largest solar dish in Israel; and the announcement of solar projects in locations as far-flung as Central America, southeast Asia and Africa. And despite high prices driven by demand for silicon, the main ingredient in most solar panels, solar energy firms sported big gains in the stock market and in their quarterly earnings reports.

Perhaps the most dramatic developments in the global solar energy industry happened in the United States in 2006. The country that uses most of the world`s energy finally put its efforts behind a comprehensive renewable energy program as part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which took effect January 1, 2006. Though many individual states already had tax breaks for solar in place, the Energy Policy Act introduced the first federal solar tax credit, encouraging businesses and homeowners to put photovoltaic panels on their roofs and to start using the sun to heat their water.
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by Brian Womack /Investor’s Business Daily / Dec 27, 2006

source: investors.com
http://www.investors.com/editorial/IBDArticles.asp?artsec=16&artnum=1&issue=20061227

The math isn’t complicated for the solar energy sector.  The industry wants to cut solar prices by roughly half to compete against traditional power utilities without government incentives.  SunPower, (SPWR) a major solar panel maker, has been a leader in this effort and recently announced one of the biggest acquisitions in the industry’s history to help the San Jose, Calif., company reach that goal.

The company plans to buy PowerLight, a firm that installs solar panels, for about $330 million. The cash-and-stock deal should close early next year, pending approvals. Together the companies will hold a stake in the key parts of the industry, from design through manufacturing to installation. With that breadth, the company hopes to find new ways to cut costs more quickly.
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By JILL CECIL WIERSMA Staff Writer
Ashland City Times / Monday, 01/01/07
http://www.ashlandcitytimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070101/COUNTY090101/70101009
FRANKLIN — An empty fishpond at Centennial High School should be ready for some tenants next semester. Environmentally concerned teens at the school have earned some solar panels that will be used to power an oxygen pump for the pond and some grow lights for the school greenhouse, ecology teacher David Schklar said.

The four panels were bought through a Clean Energy Technology Education initiative, designed to promote practical applications of renewable energy. The initiative is backed by the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. Centennial is one of five schools in the state chosen to participate in the initiative.

Alloy Solar Panels: a revolutionary new, highly efficient solar power technology

source:
http://newportpartnersllc.com/technologies/solarpanels.html

In a scientific breakthrough that has stunned the world, a team of South African scientists has developed a revolutionary new, highly efficient solar power technology that will enable homes to obtain all their electricity from the sun. This means high electricity bills and frequent power failures could soon be a thing of the past. The unique South African-developed solar panels will make it possible for houses to become completely self-sufficient for energy supplies.

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Opens Sales Offices in Shanghai and Beijing
December 28, 2006

Source: GT Solar -press release
http://www.gtsolar.com/news/shownews.php?id=101

Merrimack, NH (USA) : GT Solar Incorporated, a global leader in photovoltaic technologies and equipment, announced today an expansion of its presence in China by the formation of a Wholly Owned Foreign Enterprise (WOFE), GT Solar (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. GT Solar’s main office will be located in Shanghai on Nanjing Lu in the new Plaza 66 Tower 2. An additional office will be located in Beijing serving customers in the north. Future plans include warehousing in the Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone in PuDong.
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Aim is to clean up Tri-valley Area, Aid Property Owners

By Meera Pal / MediaNews / Dec. 27, 2006
Source: MercuryNews
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/16326607.htm

Pleasanton and Livermore, already neighbors, have something else in common: a plan to encourage property owners to step up their use of solar power — and help clean up the region at the same time.The two cities recently signed a joint agreement with Spectrum Energy, an Elk Grove-based energy services company that specializes in designing and installing energy-efficiency measures.

For $40,000, Spectrum Energy will develop and propose a design for a customer-friendly, communitywide system for residents and businesses interested in installing solar energy systems. Each city is contributing $20,000 toward the program.

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