Solar Cells Info

By J.N. Sbranti,  February 29, 2008
Source: ModBee.com
http://www.modbee.com/business/story/225893.html

Solar power is now standard for about 280 new JKB Homes in Turlock, Denair, Hughson and Oakdale.   JKB Homes will include photovoltaic cells built into roof tiles that generate electricity and reduce energy costs.  “We’re really committed to making this work and doing the right thing for the community,” said James K. Brenda, whose Turlock-based company has been building for more than 20 years.  He said the solar power systems will make JKB homes less expensive to live in. “People want to see value (in new-home features), and this is something they will see reflected in their monthly utility bills.”
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by Kui Kinyanjui
Business Daily (Nairobi) / 26 February 2008
Source: AllAfrica.com
http://allafrica.com/stories/200802260953.html

Investors from China are expected in Nairobi next week to deliberate the fate of a Sh9 billion solar energy factory whose construction has been thrown into doubt by the political uncertainty in the country.  The joint initiative between a Kenyan partner and a Chinese solar panel manufacturer was supposed to have seen the completion of a local solar panel factory on Mombasa Road in Nairobi by the end of the month. (more…)

Source: Centrosolar.de /press release
Munich, February 13, 2008
http://www.centrosolar.de/index_e.php

Centrosolar Italia S.r.l., a subsidiary of CENTROSOLAR Group AG, and Milan-based Sunsystem S.r.l. have concluded a long-term cooperation agreement. The partnership envisages that Centrosolar Italia S.r.l. will supply Sunsystem S.r.l. with solar modules and accessories for 8 MWp in the form of integrated systems in 2008. (more…)

The Fourth Gift of the Three Kings: „A Solar Cell“/ Solar power annually avoids 315 tons of CO2
Source: Corporate News from SolarWorld AG  /Jan 4, 2008
http://www.solarworld-usa.com/The-Fourth-Gift-of-the.1598.0.html

SolarWorld AG is making a gift in the form of a solar power system to Pope Benedict XVI. This was announced by Frank Asbeck, Chairman and CEO of SolarWorld AG, in Bonn. ‘If the Three Wise Men from the East came to Bethlehem today they would in all probability bring a solar cell in addition to gold, frankincense and myrrh. It is the symbol for the preservation of creation and for the energy supply of the future.’ That is how Frank Asbeck explains this gift on the occasion of the forthcoming Epiphany Day. In Southern countries this day is marked by the giving of gifts to commemorate the Three Holy Kings. (more…)

Berlin/ Carmignano di Brenta , February 5, 2008
Source: SOLON press release
http://www.solonag.com/

SOLON S.p.A. (formerly S. E. Project s.r.l.), the recently renamed Italian subisidiary of SOLON AG, Berlin/ Germany, and the largest manufacturer of photovoltaic modules in Italy is strengthening its leading position in the fast growing Italian photovoltaic market by building a new production site for solar modules in Carmignano di Brenta, Province of Padova. The new factory will have an annual capacity of 120 Megawatts bringing up the total production capacity of the company to 150 Megawatts by the end of 2008. In the course of this expansion, 200 additional jobs will be created at the Carmignano site, raising the total number of employees to 300 by the end of 2008. The total investment for the expansion will amount to 25 Mio. Euro. (more…)

Payback time for the unlucky, oil-free desert?
By John Lettice, 25th January 2008
Source: The Register UK
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/01/25/faiman_negev_solar_plan/

A series of solar energy power stations in the Negev could supply all of Israel’s power needs – or, if you wanted to be really ambitious, you could supply all of the world’s electricity needs with the aid of slightly under 10 per cent of the Sahara. So says Professor David Faiman of Israel’s Ben-Gurion University, man with a plan and current proprietor of the largest solar energy dish in the world.  The Negev Desert dish is operated by Ben-Gurion’s National Solar Energy Center in the Negev, and speaking at the DLD (Digital Life, Design) conference in Munich earlier this week, Center director Faiman tallied off the economics of solar power generation. Conventional solar panels are expensive, because photovoltaic cells, which combine the capability to collect energy and to convert it to electricity, are themselves expensive. (more…)

Source: Deutsche Welle.de / Feb 21, 2008
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,3100372,00.html

Berlin’s Adlershof district is striving to become the place to be when it comes to solar technology. In Europe’s largest science park, the experiment to merge science and industry is now taking off.  Located on the eastern outskirts of Berlin, Adlershof is a quick 20-minute train ride from the city center. In GDR times Adlershof was Berlin’s celebrated socialist science mecca. So when Germany’s reunification threatened its further existence, the area embarked on an experiment: the creation of a science park, merging solar technology research with solar industry, in one winning equation. (more…)

Source: DongA.com / Feb. 11, 2008
http://english.donga.com/srv/service.php3?bicode=060000&biid=2008021184168

Marburg in Hessen has become the first city in Germany to require all new buildings to install a solar energy heating system.  House owners in Marburg, with a total population of 78,000, must install a solar energy facility when they build new houses or renovate existing ones. The cost of installation begins at 5,000 euros (6.9 million won) at the minimum and the facility must be replaced once every 10 to 15 years.  Anyone who fails to fulfill the city’s new requirement has to pay a penalty of 15,000 euros (20.9 million won). House builders have the obligation to report their installation to relevant authorities after it is complete. (more…)

Irvine, CA, Jan. 22, 2008
Source: Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies press release/PRNewswire
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/prnewswire/LATU00422012008-1.htm

Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide, Inc. today announced that it has completed the acquisition of a 25% equity stake in ASOLA Advanced and Automotive Solar Systems GmbH (“ASOLA”), a leading German solar energy technology company that develops and manufactures high quality and high-efficiency photovoltaic modules for a number of innovative applications, including commercial, residential and automotive. (more…)

by Ashley Seager, The Guardian, February 15 2008
Source: The Guardian UK
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/feb/15/renewableenergy.solarpower

The scale of the renewable energy challenge facing Britain was revealed yesterday by figures showing Britain installed about 270 solar photovoltaic (PV) systems on houses in 2007, compared with 130,000 in Germany. Britain is the worst performer behind Malta and Luxembourg in the EU in its use of renewables and produces only 2% of its energy from them. Last month the EU said Britain must raise that share to 15% by 2020. Malcolm Wicks, the energy minister, acknowledged last week that Britain needs a “revolution” in green technologies and insisted the country was showing “leadership” in the area.

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