Solar Cells Info

by: Jennifer Kho, May 02, 2008
Source. GReentechmedia.com
http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/
xeroxs-parc-to-spin-out-solar-startup-856.html

The Palo Alto Research Center plans to launch a venture-capital-backed company that can improve solar cells’ efficiency with thinner electricity-conducting grid lines. The center also hopes to commercialize a low-energy water-filtration technology, reusable printing paper and energy-management software for data centers, all in the next year.

Xerox’s Palo Alto Research Center plans in the next six months to spin out a company that hopes to reduce the thickness of grid lines on solar cells, increasing efficiency by 6 to 8 percent.  At an open-house event called “Inside Innovation at Xerox” earlier this week, Scott Elrod, manager of the center’s Clean Technology Program, told Greentech Media that the group already has a solar-electric manufacturing partner that plans to invest in and adopt the technology. “We’re starting to engage VCs and hope to have a separate company in about six months from now,” he said. (more…)

Source: EMSNow.com /May 01, 2008
http://www.emsnow.com/npps/story.cfm?pg=story&id=33266

Backed by 40 years of experience as a market leader in electronic materials, the Thick Film Materials Business Unit of Heraeus has developed a series of metallization materials for silicon solar cells. The HeraSol line of screen-printable silver front side conductor pastes are tailored solutions for either SiNx or TiOx anti-reflective coatings used on single or multicrystalline wafers. The SOL950 series of fired pastes – available in leaded and lead-free formulations – provide higher efficiency due to low contact resistance and high fill factors. The HeraSol series is cadmium-free and is co-fireable with commercial back side metallizations. (more…)

by Michael Kanellos,  April 30, 2008
Source. CNet News.com
http://www.news.com/8301-11128_3-9932503-54.html?tag=nefd.top

First Solar exceeded expectations once again in its most recent quarter and told investors that revenue for 2008 would likely come in at $975 million to $1.05 billion, higher than the $900 million to $950 million range provided earlier. The company–which specializes in cadmium telluride solar cells–reported revenue of $196.9 million for the first three months of the year, more than double the $66.9 million in revenue garnered in the first quarter of 2007. Net income went to $46.6 million, or 57 cents a share, well above the $5 million for the first quarter of 2007. (more…)

Source: by Sandra Upson, Plentymag.com /May 2, 2008
http://www.plentymag.com/blogs/edge/2008/05/startup_announces_extreme_sola.php

Sunrgi, a Hollywood-based start-up, came out of stealth mode this week claiming it can collect twice as much sunlight as other photovoltaic designs and convert it to electricity for 5 cents a kilowatt-hour, on par with fossil fuels.  The company’s core technology is concentrating solar power, which uses lenses to focus sunlight onto small strips of photovoltaic cells. The advantage is that more photons are collected by smaller quantities of solar cells, meaning that the systems require much less of the expensive semiconductor materials that go into making ordinary solar panels. But the cells are also fragile and easily damaged in extreme heat, as I wrote about here. (more…)

Indium Nitride-Based Quantum-Dot Solar Cells Potentially Provide High Efficiency and Resistance to Extreme Conditions
Taunton, Mass., May 1, 2008
Source; Kopin Corp. press release/BusinessWire
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=93548&
p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1138255

Kopin(R) Corp. (NASDAQ: KOPN), the world’s leading provider of heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) wafers for cellular phones and wireless local area networks, today announced that it has been selected for the award of a $600,000 solar cell development contract from NASA. The contract is the second phase of a Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program to develop indium nitride (InN)-based quantum dot solar cell technology. Kopin’s partners on this NASA STTR project include groups at Virginia Tech and Magnolia Optical Technologies. (more…)

Albuquerque, N.M., May 5, 2008
Source: Emcore Corp. press release /PRNewswire
http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/markets/industries/technology/
emcore-receives–million-order-concentrator-solar-cell-receivers-es-korea/

EMCORE Corporation (Nasdaq: EMKR) a leading provider of Semi-conductor-based components and subsystems for the broadband, fiber-optic, satellite and terrestrial solar power markets, announced today that it has entered into a $28 million definitive supply agreement with ES System of Gwang-Ju, South Korea, for solar cell receivers to be fielded in fully licensed and funded solar farms in South Korea. This agreement incorporates an advance deposit to ensure production priority, and will enable the installation of 70 megawatts (MW: 25.38, -0.78, -2.98%) of solar farms. Production for this order has commenced and shipments are scheduled to occur over the next 24 months with the provisions for accelerated deliveries as well as future purchase options under the same terms. (more…)

Albuquerque, NM, April 2, 2008
Source: Emcore Corp. press release
http://www.emcore.com/news_events/release?y=2008&news=190

EMCORE Corporation (NASDQ: EMKR) a leading provider of semiconductor-based components and subsystems for the broadband, fiber-optic, satellite and terrestrial solar power markets, announced today that it has been awarded a $4.6 million follow-on production order for solar cell receiver assemblies from Concentration Solar la Mancha of Manzanares (Ciudad Real), Spain. The receivers will be incorporated into CS la Mancha’s 500X concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) system and will be deployed throughout Spain and other locations in fully licensed and funded projects. Shipments are scheduled to commence in the September quarter and complete in early 2009. CS la Mancha, part of Renovalia Energy, a renewable energy company in Spain, has been developing the CPV system for nearly two years, and has recently started production and volume deployment. (more…)

Albuquerque, NM, April 10, 2008
Source: Emcore Corp. press release
http://www.emcore.com/news_events/release?y=2008&news=192

EMCORE Corporation (NASDAQ: EMKR) a leading provider of semiconductor-based components and subsystems for the broadband, fiber-optic, satellite and terrestrial solar power markets, announced today that it has agreed to supply CPV systems to XinAo Group in China. XinAo Group is one of China’s largest energy companies and is well known for its clean-energy technologies. The program will start with the delivery of a 50 kilowatt (kW) concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) system to be installed in Langfang, China. This system will be used for test and evaluation purposes. Once the expected reliability and performance metrics have been demonstrated, XinAo plans to install CPV systems to provide electric power for its innovative coal gasification project, which is estimated to have a requirement of 60 megawatts (MW) of power. XinAo believes that EMCORE’s CPV technology will provide a cost-effective solution for its energy needs. (more…)

Los Angeles, CA., April 22, 2008
Source: Kyocera Solar Inc, press release
http://www.kyocerasolar.com/news/news_detail.cfm?key=522

Kyocera Solar, Inc. and East Los Angeles College (ELAC) today celebrated the inauguration of a colossal, 1.2 megawatt (MW) solar electric generating system at ELAC’s Monterey Park campus. As part of the Renewable Energy Plan of the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD), the project represents a major achievement toward the goal of making all nine LACCD colleges more energy independent.   Officials “flipped the switch” on the new solar installation during today’s Earth Day celebration. (more…)

San Diego, California — May 5, 2008
Source: Kyocera Solar Inc, press release
http://www.kyocerasolar.com/news/news_detail.cfm?key=527

The New Children’s Museum yesterday celebrated the opening of its new home at 200 West Island Avenue in downtown San Diego’s Marina District, in a facility equipped with a 96.4-kilowatt solar electric generating system.  The system, composed of 576 Kyocera 200-watt PV modules, was designed and installed by Independent Energy Solutions, Inc. (IES) of Vista, California, and is expected to generate approximately 136,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity per year. (more…)