Solar Cells Info

Austin, TX, (December 9, 2006)
Source: Earthtoys.com
http://www.earthtoys.com/news.php?section=view&id=1935

Verde Energy, based in Austin, Texas is the first company providing a one-stop, online source for homeowners and commercial businesses to obtain multiple quotes for installations of solar energy systems – saving time and money in the process while providing multiple bids and the high quality delivery of installations. Recent requests for installations include Reagan Airport in Washington, D.C., homeowners throughout the U.S., a large, 2.7 MW installation in Nevada and a 180,000 sq. ft. hotel in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

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Published: 14:35, December 11, 2006
Source: PhysOrg.com
http://www.physorg.com/news85070121.html

A new analytical technique that uses infrared spectroscopy to study light-sensitive organic materials could lead to the development of cheaper, more efficient solar cells. Using infrared (IR) spectroscopy to study the vibrations of atoms within the material, the technique provides information about the movement of electrons within a film of carbon-based materials. Obtaining this information is a critical step in the development of a new class of solar cells, which promise significant savings in production costs compared to conventional silicon-based cells. The new analytical technique, published as the cover story in this week’s issue of the Journal of Physical Chemistry B, was developed by a team led by Penn State University researcher John B. Asbury, assistant professor of chemistry.

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By Kevin Bullis  / Dec 12, 2006
source: MIT Technology Review
http://www.technologyreview.com/Energy/17887/

Researchers in Switzerland have demonstrated more-efficient water-splitting solar cells based on a cheap, abundant, and long-lasting material: rust. The advance could lead to a cheap and energy-efficient way to generate hydrogen for fuel-cell vehicles using solar energy. Water-splitting solar panels would have important advantages over existing technologies in terms of hydrogen production. Right now, the primary way to make hydrogen is to separate it from natural gas, a process that generates carbon dioxide and undercuts the main motivation for moving to hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles: ending dependence on fossil fuels. The current alternative is electrolysis, which uses electricity to break water into hydrogen and oxygen, with the two gases forming at opposite electrodes. Although electrolysis is costly, it can be cleaner if the source of the electricity is wind, sun, or some other carbon-free source.

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Kerry Fehr-Snyder, The Arizona Republic
Dec. 9, 2006
Source: Arizona central.com
http://www.azcentral.com/community/phoenix/articles/1209phx-solar1209Z3.html

Phoenix officials are taking advantage of the state’s seemingly limitless sunshine to power its soon-to-open community center in Ahwatukee Foothills. Solar panels were installed recently on the roof of the $10.3 million Pecos Park Community Center. The 30-kilowatt unit will supply 20 percent of the facility’s power needs at peak times. In addition to reducing its demand for non-renewable power, the project is designed to educate the public about the possibilities of solar power.

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Several Solar Energy related companies have been identified as 2007 Tech Pioneers in Energy by World Economic Forum

source: World Economic Forum
http://www.weforum.org/en/about/Technology%20Pioneers/SelectedTechPioneers/2007TechPioneers/Energy/index.htm

Following is list of Solar Energy-related companies who have been selected as 2007 Tech Pioneers by World Economic Forum panel of specialists:

Advent Solar, Inc / http://www.adventsolar.com
Advent Solar, Inc. is a developer of advanced technology solar cells and modules. The company is bringing to the market low-cost solar photovoltaic products based on its proprietary emitter wrap-through back-contact cell technology.

ClimateWell AB / http://www.climatewell.com
ClimateWell AB is a supplier of highly efficient solar air conditioner equipment with the unique ability to store energy and convert hot water to cooling and heating. ClimateWell’s technology makes it possible to use solar energy for delivering cooling not only when the sun shines but around the clock.

Flisom AG  / http://www.flisom.ch
Flisom, a Swiss Federal Institute of Technology spin-off, has a high-efficiency copper-indium-gallium-selenide solar cell technology that it plans to put on plastic foil—not glass—potentially opening up new applications like solar for cell phones.

NanoSolar   /http://www.nanosolar.com
NanoSolar, Inc. manufactures solar panels using high-throughput thin-film process technology. The company’s solar cells can be as efficient and last as long as conventional silicon solar cells. The key part of the company’s technology is that it can “print” (solution-coat) the most expensive layers of a solar cell.

Seahorse Power Company  /http://www.seahorsepower.com
Seahorse Power Company develops, manufactures, and sells energy-efficient products. It offers BigBelly, an automatic and compacting trash bin powered by solar energy, which reduces litter, cuts emptying frequency, and waste handling costs. The company primarily serves municipalities and outdoor entertainment venues.

By Mary Weston/Staff Writer, December 6, 06
Source: Oroville Mercury Register
http://orovillemr.com/news/ci_4785860

Butte County received a 2006 Green Power Leadership Award For On-Site Generation for using photovoltaic solar panels to meet the county’s energy needs. The United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy gave the award for the county’s role as a leading national green power purchaser and for the county’s role in developing the nation’s green power market, according to a press release from Paul McIntosh, chief administrative officer of Butte County.

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Industry has one more year of breaks, hopes the next Congress will extend the credit for a longer period.

By Jennifer Kho, December 11, 2006
Source: Red Herring
http://www.redherring.com/Article.aspx?a=20181

The solar industry Monday rejoiced over the 30 percent tax credit that the 109th U.S. Congress extended as one of its last acts before closing early Saturday morning. The one year extension of the solar tax credit, part of the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006, was part of a larger 79-to-9 vote to extend a number of tax breaks. “It’s a big victory for the solar lobby,” said Jesse Pichel, a vice president and senior research analyst for Piper Jaffray. “It would have created more uncertainty [if the credit hadn’t been extended.] This paves the way for continued big projects in solar.”

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A tiny solar cell doubles the efficiency of common photovoltaics’ conversion of sunlight to electricity
by capturing the energy from a broader spectrum of light.

David Biello, December 08, 2006
source:
SCIENCE NEWS /Scientific American
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa003&articleID=643C3D30-E7F2-99DF-3108C4CB8A197667

SOLAR EFFICIENCY: New solar cells capture more of the energy in sunlight by layering semiconducting material on top of germanium wafers. A tiny chip similar to the solar cells carried by many satellites and other spacecraft today–including the surprisingly long-lived Mars Rovers–has shattered previous records for maximum efficiency in producing electricity from sunlight. “This is the photovoltaic equivalent of the four-minute mile,” affirms Larry Kazmerski, director of the Department of Energy’s National Center for Photovoltaics in Colorado. “This is a disruptive technology that eventually could provide us, at least in the Southwest, with cost-competitive electricity fairly quickly.”

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By Craig D. Rose /UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

December 10, 2006
Source:  Union Tribune
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20061210-9999-1n10solarone.html

When the sun rises on New Year’s Day, it will signal the start of California’s most ambitious effort yet to generate electricity from sunlight. California hopes to subsidize the installation of enough photovoltaic systems, like this one atop a Qualcomm building in Sorrento Mesa, to generate 3,000 megawatts of solar electricity. That could power nearly 3 million homes on a sunny day.

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Nanotechnology meets solar energy
By Ed Taylor, Tribune
December 10, 2006
Source: East Valley Tribune of Arizona
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=80408

Two of the hot-button fields of scientific study — nanotechnology and solar energy — are being combined by a team of Arizona State University researchers in an effort to find a cheap source of household energy for the nation’s future. The team headed by Stuart Lindsey, director of the Center for Single Molecule Biophysics at the Arizona Biodesign Institute; Rudy Diaz, associate professor of electrical engineering; and chemistry professor Devens Gust, have received a $1.1 million grant from the National Science Foundation to explore creation of infinitesimal nanoscale devices on the molecular level that can convert sunlight into electric current.

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