Solar Cells Info

The Advanced Technology Institute (ATI) at the University of Surrey has been awarded a £200,000 grant to produce prototype solid state lighting devices using nano-composite materials.

Source:
http://www.scenta.co.uk/scenta/news.cfm

Awarded by the carbon Trust, the funding will contribute to a larger programme of development worth £465,000, which will use carbon nanotube-organic composites to fabricate ultra low energy lighting devices. The ATI believes that its Ultra Low Energy High Brightness Light (ULEHB) will require minimal power, significantly reducing both energy costs and carbon emissions.

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Photovoltaics take a load off soldiers

by
Richard Stevenson (features editor of Compound Semiconductor)

Source: Compound Semiconductor Magazine
http://compoundsemiconductor.net/articles/magazine/12/10/5/1

A US consortium is aiming to smash the solar-cell efficiency record with a radical design that uses a lateral architecture and a dispersive concentrator. If they are successful, soldiers will be freed from a 20 lb load of spare batteries. Richard Stevenson reports.

Think of solar cells and you probably think of high-tech devices powering satellites or arrays of devices in sunny climes generating electricity for the national grid. But the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has another application in mind. It believes that solar cells can be used to recharge the batteries that power a soldier’s radio, night vision goggles, GPS navigation system and other electronic gadgets, and it is supporting a program that will receive up to $53 million to develop photovoltaics with the required efficiency.

The main disadvantage of batteries is their weight. Despite advances in technology, spare batteries still account for one-fifth of a soldier’s 100 lb battlefield load, which includes a pack, weapon, protective gear and a suite of electronic gadgets. Although these batteries are used to operate devices that can save lives, the weight encumbers movement and increases vulnerability.

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In the online “My Solar Shop”, you will find the largest selection of solar
landscape lighting and solar garden decor available in the USA. They have
the best solar light and solar outdoor lighting that you will find online.
Each category contains a collection of solar lights (solar light, solar stones,
solar specialty lights, solar flood light, solar real estate lights and
solar garden decor).
http://mysolarshop.com/index.html

Solar outdoor lighting requires no power source and
they can be installed anywhere, no wiring or electricity needed.

Solar Lights
Brighten up your garden decor or landscape with wide selection
of solar light and solar flood light.
solar garden lights and landscape lighting including stainless steel solar
lights, copper solar light, solar wall mount lighting, solar flood lights,
solar post lights, solar garden decor and more
e.g-.
Newport Stainless Steel Solar Garden Lamp Set Of 2(S12091-S) $29.99
Newport Stainless Steel Solar Light Set Of 4 (s12091s4-S) $49.99
18″ Minden Copper Solar Lights – Set of Two (BC101420090) $48.99
16″ Copper Solar Light – Set Of 2 (E2008AC-S)  $29.99
Solar Pathway Light – Silver Fox Series With Cat Tail Arm (DLHL102-BZ) $122.99
Solar Garden Spotlight (Sb-T008S) $18.99
26″ Solar Powered Plastic Light With Cane Holder (SS31p-S) $13.99
Newport Solar Garden Plastic Light – Hexagon(SS30w-S) $14.99

Solar Stepping Stone /Solar Power Stones/Rocks
Solar landscape rocks and solar stones can help you mark a tree
or ad magic to your garden decor.
14.5″ Solar Stepping Stone – Green Hexagon(30170-S) $18.99
14.5″ Solar Stepping Stone – White Hexagon(30169-S) 18.99
10.75″ Solar Butterfly Welcome Garden Stone (BC10046360) $57.99

Solar Gnome /Solar Figurines
Add a charming, decorative glow to your landscape or garden decor
with an solar garden accent statue.

Solar Globe /Specialty Solar Lights
Add that special touch to your landscape lighting or garden decor with
selection of solar garden accent lights.
4″ Solar Gazing Ball (CLW14-3)  $18.99
10″ Solar Gazing Ball Stand (CLW324-2) $31.99

Solar panels can be used for numerous applications, broken down into 2 categories:
“Grid-connected” applications and Remote areas applications.

1) Grid-connected” applications”

Photovoltaic panels are integrated into buildings, thus coupling PV energy with the Electricity Board power supply network.

1. Photovoltaic modules 2.Inverters 3. Network 4.Lighting
5. Household applications
6. Energy metering < produced by the customer > supplied to the customer

Direct current from the solar modules is transformed into alternating current via an invertor, which can then be directly used to supply power to the electric appliances in a building. The surplus supplied by the panels is sent onto the grid and resold.

Remote areas applications

– Remote sites: lighting, radio, television, small household appliances
– Public lighting: advertising signage, bus shelters
– Rural electrification
– Pumping
– Telecommunications: infrastructure, GSM relays, remote subscriber station
– Signage: road signs, maritime beacons, radio, television

1. PV modules 2. Regulation charge/discharge, storage batteries
3. Lighting 4. Refrigeration 5. Household appliances

The installation power supply is independent, i.e. there is no connection to the grid.

LPV modules convert sun rays into direct current. The electricity produced is stored in a battery. When there is insufficient sunshine and light, at night for example, the battery restores the power needed for the installation to function. A regulator protects the battery.

source:

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/pv_quick_facts.html

• The most frequently seen application of PV is in consumer products, which use tiny amounts of direct current (dc) power, less than 1 watt (W). More than 1 billion hand-held calculators, several million watches, and a couple of million portable lights and battery chargers are all powered by PV cells.
• PV is rapidly becoming the power supply of choice for remote and small-power, dc applications of 100 W or less.
• PV module production has increased more than thirteen-fold since 1989. Worldwide PV module shipments in 2002 were 560 megawatts (MW). The United States shipped 120 MW.
• 2002 worldwide production of PV modules includes 33% single-crystal silicon, 55% polycrystalline silicon, and 5% amorphous silicon, mostly used in consumer products. Modules based on cadmium telluride now represent about �% of the market. The remainder (about 6%) represents a Japanese technology of amorphous silicon on a crystalline silicon slice.
• The cost of larger PV systems (greater than 1 kW) is measured in “levelized” costs per kWh—the costs are spread out over the system lifetime and divided by kWh output. The levelized cost is now around 30 cents/kWh.At this price, PV is cost effective for residential customers located farther than a quarter of a mile from the nearest utility line. Reliability and lifetime are steadily improving; PV manufacturers guarantee their products for up to 25 years.
• The worldwide PV industry has grown from sales of less than $2 million in 1975 to greater than about $2 billion in 2001.
• Around 70% of U.S. solar cell production is exported, mostly to developing countries where 2 billion people still live without electricity.
• Since the inception of the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Photovoltaics R&D Program, thin films, one of our solar cell materials, have seen a steady rise in conversion efficiencies. Today’s conversion efficiencies, the amount of sunlight turned into electricity, have reached 18.8% for CIS cells, 15.8% for CdTe cells, and greater than 12% for a-Si cells.
• In 2001 PV module shipments jumped to almost 400 megawatts, which represents about a $2.5 to $3 billion dollar market.
• As of 1998, the PV industry creates about 3000 direct and indirect jobs for every $100 million of module sales.
• A residential energy system typically costs about $8-10 per Watt. Where government incentive programs exist, together with lower prices secured through volume purchases, installed costs as low as $3-4 watt—or some 10-12 cents per kilowatt-hour can be achieved.
• Currently, 48 states and a U.S. territory have some type of solar or renewable incentive—including investment credits, rebates, sales tax, or property tax waivers.13
• The largest commercial PV installation in the U.S. as of 2003 is 3.4 MW for Tucson Electric Power in Tucson, Arizona.

Print Magazines and Periodicals in the area of Solar Photovoltaics

• QBuzz of Solarbuzzprovides you 4 times a year with a succinct summary of news and comment, collated
  into a clearly structured quarterly report for rapid assimilation. Market activity,
  supply and technology developments, and PV company news are brought together
  with the latest information on solar funding programs and a retail market pricing summary.
  Paper or CD-ROM edition available. (Language: English)
• Solar Progress Solar Progress is a journal for the Australian and New Zealand Solar Energy Society
  (ANZSES) affliated with the International Solar Energy Society.(Language: English)
• Homepower Home Power magazine is the Hands-on Journal of Home-Made Power. If you are
  interested in: making your own electricity from renewable energy, alternative vehicles,
  or finding out the latest in related technologies and life-styles, then this publication
  can keep you up to date. (Language: english)
• .Journal of Solar Energy EngineeringThe Journal of Solar Energy Engineering publishes Technical Papers of permanent
  interest in all areas of renewable energy and energy conservation as well as
  Discussions of policy and regulatory issues that affect renewable energy technologies
  and their implementation. (Language: English)
• Photon Magazine a leading monthly photovoltaic magazine. Actual news, photovoltaic research and development,
  economy, new projects and other interesting information. (Language: English)
• Photovoltaics Bulletina periodical newsletter for proffesionals. (Language: English)
• Progress in Photovoltaics Progress in Photovoltaics offers a major forum for reporting advances in this rapidly
  developing technology, right through from research to practical application, and
  aims to reach all professionals, researchers, and energy policy-makers interested
  in worldwide activity in this important field. Language: English)
• ReFocus a bi-monthly ISES magazine. News on renewable energy (wind, biomass, solar…).
  (Language: English)
• Renewable Energy Worlda leading bi-monthly magazine on renewable energy. (Language: English)
• Solar Energy an official ISES magazine. For proffesionals in the field of solar energy research and development.
  (Language: English)
• Solar Energy Materials & Solar Cells research and development in field of solar cells materials and technologies.
  Publication for scientists and proffessionals. Language: english
• Solar Today – an ASES bi-monthly magazine on solar energy.
  Use and promotion of solar/wind energy in United States. (Language:english)

Online News and e-newsletter on Photovoltaics

• RenewableEnergyAccess.com daily on-line news and newsletter for individual and group members.
  Offers also on-line news for your web pages. (Languages: English)
• Newsbuzz of Solarbuzz summarizes the most important solar energy news items of the week.
  Some of these items will have appeared on the web site, some will only
  be displayed in the newsletter. )Languages: English)
• Refocus Weekly free regular e-news letter, information from all fields of renewable energy included.
  Refocus offers also on-line news integrated into your web pages.
  Languages: English
• Oekonews offers on-line news and newsletter in german language. Nice site with lots of
  useful and actual news mainly from Austria and Germany. (Language: German)
• Caddet News Bulletin InfoPoint Renewable Energy is a quarterly 8-page, full-colour
  news bulletin bringing together topical articles, news stories, projects, opinions and
  signposts to further information on the development of renewable energy worldwide.
  (Languages: English)
• EREN Network Newsa weekly newsletter from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency
  and Renewable Energy Network. (Language: English)
• NREL News NREL and renewable energy news (Language: English)
• PV-UK alert online information service of the british photovoltaic association. (Language: English)
• U-Solar Newsletter publication will keep you informed of the new websites relating to photovoltaic electricity
  as well as other information on this topic. (Languages: french and english)
• IEA PVPS NewsletterPV Power is the newsletter of the IEA PVPS Programme.
  The newsletter is intended to provide information on the activities of IEA PVPS.
  It does not necessarily reflect the viewpoints or policies of the IEA,
  IEA PVPS member countries or the participating researchers. (Languages: English)
• PV News a monthly, eight page newsletter with annual index that covers all aspects
  of Photovoltaics through out the world. (Languages: English)

Solar Photovoltaics Industry is an emerging industry of vital importance in 21st Century. It is a very vast domain with products based on many different materials, products for many different applications and in many different forms. It is an exciting field where I have continued research interests for over a decade.

This blog is designed as a forum to collect all basic information and recent advances in some organized way for my own use, one that I am happy to share with the general public, thanks to Internet.

Enjoy Browsing and feel free to leave your comments.

Kalyan
(K. Kalyanasundaram)