Solar Cells Info

by Jane Burgermeister, Contributing Writer
Vienna, Austria   September 7, 2007
Source: RenewableEnergyAccess.com

A new generation of ultra thin solar modules that can be integrated into the facades of buildings at low cost is to be produced in Germany next year. The German company Schueco has joined up with E.ON, the country’s biggest energy company, to invest 100 million euros [$US 136 million] in the research and production of this new ultra thin solar technology that cuts down on the need for silicon, the costly raw material for solar cells.  Production is due to start at a site in Saxony-Anhalt in the second half of 2008.
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High-Performance Encapsulant and Potting Agents Expand Dow Corning’s Industry-Leading Portfolio of Solar Products
Midland, Mich., Sept. 3, 2007
Source: PR Newswire / CNNMoney.com
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/prnewswire/CLM00703092007-1.htm

Following the launch of its first solar feedstock material (Dow Corning(R) PV 1101 SoG Silicon) last year, Dow Corning’s Solar Solutions Group has extended its product offerings for the global solar energy market with an encapsulant and two potting agents that have been tested and qualified for solar applications. “We’re taking the guess-work out of figuring out which of the hundreds of available coatings, encapsulants, potting agents, sealants, adhesives and other related products work best for demanding solar energy applications,” said Donald L. Buchalski, senior marketing specialist, PV module assembly and integration, for Dow Corning’s Solar Solutions Group. “These products demonstrate our commitment to providing total solutions throughout the PV value chain.”
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Christoph Hammerschmidt, EE Times Europe
Munich, Germany, Sept 9, 2007
Source: EETimes.com
http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=201803664

With a new integrated production line for large-area solar panels, Applied Materials claims it can reduce the costs of photovoltaic system installations by more than 20 percent. The SolarFab Thin Film Line production system is presented at the European Photovoltaic Solar Conference presently held in Milan, Italy.  The SolarFab production system processes ultra-large glass substrates with dimensions of 2.2 by 2.6 meter. The resulting area of 5.72 square meters is four times the size of today’s largest thin film solar production panels, driving down costs and improving productivity, the company says. It can be configured with single or tandem junction technology. In one year, the system can produce an amount of solar modules that generate 75 megawatts of electrical power.
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Milestone facility among world?s largest; will provide electricity for about 5,000 households
Kyoto, Japan – September 12, 2007
Source: Kyocera Solar / press release
http://www.kyocerasolar.com/news/news_detail.cfm?key=430

Kyocera Corporation (President: Makoto Kawamura) today announced its role as the sole supplier of photovoltaic (“PV”) modules for a super-large-scale solar electric generating system in Salamanca, Spain, that will meet the needs of about 5,000 private households. The facility, known as Planta Solar de Salamanca, incorporates about 70,000 Kyocera PV modules in three separate arrays on a 36-hectare (89-acre) site. Its peak rated output of 13.8 megawatts makes it the largest PV system ever created using Kyocera PV modules exclusively, and one of the largest PV systems in the world.
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August 13, 2007
Source: Kyocera Solar / press release
http://www.kyocerasolar.com/news/news_detail.cfm?key=410

Kyocera Solar, Inc. and TESSCO Technologies Incorporated (Nasdaq:TESS), a value-added supplier of the product solutions needed to design, build, run, maintain and use wireless systems, announce the launch of a revolutionary Web-based selection method for purchasing pre-sized Kyocera solar power systems for broadband and SCADA applications.  The Web-based selection method will reside on TESSCO’s Web site and will enable customers to easily purchase pre-packaged solar solutions designed for simplified and efficient installation. The complete turn-key Kyocera broadband and SCADA solar power systems can be ordered online and typically shipped within days of purchase. This cutting-edge purchasing method delivers solar powered applications to customers directly, without having to customize the system.
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Bern, Switzerland, August 16, 2007
Source. Kyocera Solar /press release
http://www.kyocerasolar.com/news/news_detail.cfm?key=408

The world’s largest stadium-integrated photovoltaic system went into operation this week on the STADE DE SUISSE Wankdorf Bern. After the additional installation of 2,808 solar modules, the stadium now has 7,930 modules from the Japanese technology company Kyocera, providing an overall output of 1,346.774 kWp. The expanded system will produce 1,134,045 kWh per year and save on the emission of 630 tons of CO2 annually. (more…)

Yountville, CA – June 7, 2007
Source: Premier Power press release
http://www.premierpower.com/solar_energy_company/pr_story.php?mid=9

MTM Management, LLC, one of the leading developers of premier destination resorts in North America, announced that they have chosen Premier Power to install a 250 kW building integrated, polycrystalline solar electric membrane power system.  Open Energy’s SolarSave commercial product will be integrated with Duro-Last single-ply roofing membranes for this project. SolarSave membranes encapsulate high-efficiency polycrystalline cells in advanced composite materials laminated under heat and pressure to create lightweight, aesthetically appealing solar roofing systems.
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El Dorado Hills, Calif. – August 27, 2007
Source. Premier Power Corp. press release
http://www.premierpower.com/solar_energy_company/pr_story.php?mid=12

Premier Power has partnered with Sun Run Generation, LLC to launch a program that will allow Yolo, Placer and El Dorado County homeowners to take advantage of an innovative new service to alleviate the risks and significantly lower the costs of solar system installation.  Sun Run is offering homeowners options that will allow them to power their electricity using a solar energy system at a much lower cost, without the responsibility of monitoring and maintaining the system. Once the system is installed, homeowners pay for only the energy used, the same way they are currently billed by a utility company.
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Iraqi crews install solar-panel lights on thoroughfares.
By Norris Jones, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region Central District
Fallujah, Iraq, Sept. 10, 2007
Source: Defend America
http://www.defendamerica.mil/articles/sep2007/a091007sj1.html

With a marked decline in insurgent activity in recent months, Fallujah is on the road to a much brighter future. And the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is overseeing a project helping shine light in that direction.  That work involves the installation of 740 new state-of-the-art solar street lights that are illuminating Fallujah’s main roadways. Currently, the city’s main east-west thoroughfare has the new lights up and functioning. Work in other parts of the city is continuing.  “Residents tell us how much that project means to their community,” said U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project engineer Troy Swofford. “City leaders and the police are thrilled. It’s getting a lot of positive attention.”
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San Luis Obispo, California and Kona, Hawaii ( September 7, 2007
Source: RenewableEnergyAccess.com
http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=49871

Costco Wholesale Corp. and REC Solar, a provider of residential and commercial solar electric systems, have entered into an agreement to install a total of 2.5 megawatts of photovoltaics (PV) on four of Costco’s warehouse locations in California and Hawaii. The solar electric system on the Costco warehouse in Kona will be comprised of 3,888 Mitsubishi 175UD4 panels, 2 Xantrex 225S-480-P inverters and 1 Xantrex 100S-480-P inverter.
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