Solar Cells Info

June 2, 2008
Source: StreetInsider.com
http://www.streetinsider.com/Insiders+Blog/3705929.html

First Solar (Nasdaq: FSLR) stock is down about 6%, or about $15, to $252.23 today. Traders are selling the popular stock today amid a Bloomberg report detailing insider selling and possible concerns in the company’s largest market, Europe. Michael Ahearn, First Solar’s CEO and second-largest shareholder, has cut his holdings in half since its IPO at the end of 2006: from about 6.1 million shares to 3.07 million shares as of May 16. The CEO’s remaining stake still represents about 3.85% of outstanding shares. Investors view insider trades as a great way to gauge managements conviction in itself; an executive buying usually signals great confidence in his or her company, while a sell can often be viewed as a time to take profits.
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By Joi Preciphs, May 29, 2008
Source: Bloomberg.com
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601101&sid=azMxlriXcviY&refer=japan

Itochu Corp. plans to spend at least 110 billion yen ($1.05 billion) to develop solar farms in the Czech Republic and other Eastern European countries, building on those governments’ efforts to broaden access to clean energy projects, Nikkei English News reported, without citing anyone. The Osaka-based company will build two or three solar parks in the Czech Republic this year at an estimated total cost of 10 billion yen, the news service said. The facilities will be able to generate a combined 10 megawatts of power, Nikkei said.  The rest of Itochu’s investment will be used to build a solar farm in Bulgaria by 2010, Nikkei said. Officials expect the facility to generate 100 megawatts, which would be enough to supply 25,000 households in Japan.

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• Supply of about 40 MWp thin-film modules by contractual agreement
• ersol Thin Film to deliver “Nova®-T” type modules between 2008 and 2010
Erfurt, 3 June 2008
Soruce: Ersol Thin Film, press releaes
http://www.ersol.de/en/newsmediarelations/pressreleases/pressrelease/
news/1212330668/?tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=35&cHash=d28a11f472

ersol Thin Film GmbH (ersol Thin Film), a subsidiary of ersol Solar Energy AG, today signed a contract with Ralos Vertriebs GmbH (Ralos) for the supply of about 40 MWp thin-film modules. Amorphous thin-film modules are to be supplied to the German solar distributor over a period of three years from 2008.
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By Jeremy van Loon, June 2, 2008
Source: Bloomberg.com
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&sid=aNkjxKkZ0aUM&refer=europe

Germany is slashing the subsidies that built its solar industry up to $8.8 billion in sales and made the country the world’s biggest market for panels that capture the sun’s energy.  Homes and businesses earn a government-guaranteed price of as much as 47 euro cents ($0.74) for each kilowatt-hour of solar power they generate, enough to run a vacuum cleaner for 60 minutes and double the market rate. Spain and France are copying Germany’s model as a way to nurture clean-energy industries that can reduce reliance on fossil fuels and cut gas emissions blamed for global warming. (more…)

Kumarakom, 05 June, 2008
Source: SIFY.com
http://sify.com/finance/fullstory.php?id=14688966

Tourism major CGH Earth launched a solar-powered boat, which it claimed was the biggest in India, to mark World Environment Day at its resort here Thursday. Jose Dominic of CGH Earth said: “This solar-powered boat can seat 25 people and will be used in our resort in Kumarakom. We already use solar water heaters in all our properties.” (more…)

Brussels, June 6, 2008
Source: Verivox press release
http://www.verivox.de/News/ArticleDetails.asp?aid=85175&pm=1

On the verge of talks on the proposal of the « Grenelle law », the European Photovoltaic Industry Association and the actors of the French market, are organising a national photovoltaic symposium entitled « Towards a sustainable development of the photovoltaic sector in France », on 27 June in Aix les Bains, France. On this occasion over 900 participants from France and Europe are awaited to discuss possible ways to diminish the gap the French PV market is experiencing in relation to some of its European neighbours such as Germany or Spain. (more…)

Nairobi, June 5, 2008
Source: AFP
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gksE4lu5Mj2VjLaBiE6L4zeYIUXQ

Solar power from Africa’s deserts could supply all 600 million citizens currently without electricity and even export power to Europe, a green energy conference in Nairobi heard Thursday.  The ferocious desert sun could provide the energy equivalent of 1.5 barrels of oil per square kilometre, said Gerhard Knies, project manager for Trans-Mediterranean Renewable Energy Cooperation (TREC), at a meeting of nine African states.
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· Clean-tech revolution in country without oil or gas
· Project also includes wave and wind power
by John Vidal, Lisbon, June 6 2008
Source: Guardian UK
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jun/06/renewableenergy.alternativeenergy

From a distance the bizarre structures sprouting from the high Alentejo plain in eastern Portugal resemble a field of mechanical sunflowers. Each of the 2,520 giant solar panels is the size of a house and they are as technically sophisticated as a car. Their reflective heads tilt to the sky at a permanent 45 degrees as they track the sun through 240 degrees every day.

The world’s largest solar photovoltaic farm, generating electricity straight from sunlight, is taking shape near Moura, a small town in a thinly populated and impoverished region which boasts the most sunshine per square metre a year in Europe. When fully commissioned later this year, the £250m farm set on abandoned state-owned land will be twice the size of any other similar project in the world, covering an area nearly twice the size of London’s Hyde park. It is expected to supply 45MW of electricity each year, enough to power 30,000 homes. (more…)

by Moumita Bakshi Chatterjee, New Delhi, June 3, 2008
Source: The Hindu BusinessLine
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2008/06/04/stories/2008060452420100.htm

At a time when crude prices are peaking, a reduction in solar power costs could brighten the energy scenario. The solar photovoltaic (PV) business, which incurs a generation cost of Rs 12-14 per unit, is looking at reducing it to Rs 4-6 a unit in the next three to five years.  The reduction would mainly be on the back of anticipated easing of global demand-supply imbalance of silicon, advances in thin-film PV, higher cell efficiency and other innovations. (more…)