Solar Cells Info

Award of the Industry’s Largest Concentrator Solar Cell Order to Date Affirms EMCORE’s Position as the Technology and Manufacturing Leader and Signals the Maturation of the Concentrator Photovoltaics (CPV) Market
Albuquerque, NM, August 29, 2007
Source: Emcore Corp. press release
http://www.emcore.com/news/release.php?id=163

EMCORE Corporation (NASDAQ: EMKR), a leading provider of compound semiconductor-based components and subsystems for the broadband, fiber optic, satellite, and terrestrial solar power markets, announced today that it has been awarded a follow-on production order from Green and Gold Energy (GGE) for 3 million solar cells for use in GGE’s SunCubeTM terrestrial concentrator system. This 105 MW purchase order represents the largest procurement of concentrator solar cells in the industry to date and is a follow-on order to an initial 5 MW order placed earlier this year. All hardware ordered under this contract is to be shipped by the end of 2008.
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Sun Run Assumes Risk, Sells Energy at Discounted Rates
Press Release from Borrego Solar Systems, Inc. Berkeley, CA, Aug 23, 2007
Source: http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/partner/story?id=49755

Borrego Solar Systems, Inc. is launching a pilot program in conjunction with Sun Run Generation, LLC that will allow Contra Costa County homeowners to take advantage of an innovative new service that will alleviate the risks and significantly lower the costs of solar system installation. “The biggest barrier has always been the initial installation cost for the photovoltaic system; with these new financing options, our residential customers can easily convert to solar energy at a fraction of the traditional cost. – Mike Hall, Chief Marketing Officer, Borrego Solar Systems. (more…)

17,000 panels in a planned solar array should power up to 400 homes.
By Jeff Gelles, Inquirer Staff Writer, Aug 30, 2007
Source: Philly.com
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/business/
20070830_Going_solar_in_a_big_way_in_Bucks.html

Bucks County may not be known as a place to catch some rays. But if all goes as planned, Falls Township will soon be home to one of the nation’s largest solar-energy installations, a 16.5-acre array of 17,000 panels that should produce enough power to meet the annual needs of up to 400 homes.  Plans for the $20 million facility were scheduled to be announced this afternoon at the site, next to the township’s GROWS Landfill, by Gov. Rendell and representatives of three companies behind it: Exelon Corp., Conergy AG and Waste Management Inc.
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Kerry A. Dolan, FORBES, Aug 16, 2007
Source: Forbes.com
http://www.forbes.com/technology/2007/08/16/
financing-solar-energy-tech-07egang-cz_kd_0816solarfinance.html

For lots of good reasons, more corporations are turning to solar power installations: lower electricity bills, generous state rebates, the 30% federal investment tax credit and the overall “green” sheen that comes with putting solar panels on an otherwise unadorned corporate roof.  But one common roadblock to going solar is the sizable upfront installation cost. Depending on the size of the installation, it can run $600,000 or more per commercial rooftop.
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By Paul Davidson, USA TODAY
Source: USA Today /Aug 26, 2007
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/environment/2007-08-26-solar_N.htm

Solar power has long been the Mercedes-Benz of the renewable energy industry: sleek, quiet, low-maintenance.  Yet like a Mercedes, solar energy is universally adored but prohibitively expensive for most people. A 4-kilowatt solar photovoltaic system costs about $34,000 without government rebates or tax breaks.  As a result, solar power accounts for well under 1% of U.S. electricity generation. Other alternative energy sources, such as wind, biomass and geothermal, are far more widely deployed.

The outlook for solar, though, is getting much brighter. A few dozen companies say advances in technology will let them halve the price of solar-panel installations in as little as three years. By 2014, solar-system prices will be competitive with conventional electricity when energy savings are figured in, Deutsche Bank (DB) says. And that’s without government incentives.
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Aug 27, 2007 /Tyler Hamilton, Energy Reporter
Source: The Star.com
http://www.thestar.com/columnists/article/250043

The Cleantech Network released an insightful report last week that paints a rosy picture of the clean-technology sector, highlighting 2006 as a year of significant expansion.  “The year 2006 proved to be even more exciting than 2005,” the report states. “Total venture investment rose; M&A (mergers and acquisitions) and IPO (initial public offerings) remained robust; public policies gained clarity and purpose; and innovators showed they were up to the task of developing and marketing new and better ways to conserve natural resources.”  Among the highlights of the report is that investment in clean-tech companies rose 70 per cent, to $3.9 billion (U.S.) in 2006, with clean-energy-related investments such as solar and biofuels accounting for more than $3 billion of that.

Amid all the hype – and the hype, at this point, may be justified – it’s fair to ask whether all clean-tech investments are created equal.  Some investors have strong views on this, including Vinod Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures and a long-time partner with venture capital titan Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (the firm that made early and successful bets on Google, Amazon.com and AOL). (more…)

Aug 28, 2007
Source: RadioAustralia.net
http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/s2017084.htm

European Union funding will provide solar power to 400 homes on a remote atoll in the Marshall Islands, providing electricity for the first time.  The Marianas Variety news website reports that the Marshall Islands will be the first of five Pacific countries that have been negotiating solar aid packages with the EU to sign a funding contract which will see 440 home solar units delivered to the small island nation. (more…)

HØVIK, Norway, Aug 28, 2007
Source: RECGroup press release
http://www.recgroup.com/default.asp?V_ITEM_ID=448

REC today entered into an agreement to build and own a 2.5 MW solar power plant in South Korea.  Through its REC Solar division and its 60 percent owned subsidiary HanBit Solar Co. Ltd. (HanBit), REC today entered into an agreement with Daegu City in South Korea to build and own a 2.5 MW solar power plant, which will produce some 3 million kWh of clean energy per year. (more…)

28 Aug 2007
Source: PressTV, Iran
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=20956&sectionid=3510212

A solar power plant has started its work in the Parvar Environmental Protection Zone, in the central Iranian province of Semnan.  “The $21-billion plant has the capacity to produce the 5KW of electricity needed by Sidva’s ranger post,” Head of Semnan’s Environment Protection Department, Hossein-Ali Ebrahimi-Karnami said. He said if the plant proves beneficial, solar power plants will also be set up in four other protected zones.

Waterloo, August 13, 2007
Nicole O’Reilley, Record Staff
Source: TheRecord.com
http://news.therecord.com/News/CanadaWorld/article/227560

Nineteen years after a solar-powered car was unveiled for the first time at University of Waterloo, the newest incarnation of the car has taken a practical twist.  “It’s not as fast, or as sleek as in past years, but it’s much more practical,” project manager Cameron Bruce said of Midnight Sun IX.

Bruce, a 2007 graduate in mechanical engineering, was part of the 15-member team that unveiled the solar car yesterday at a UW parking lot.  The team will drive Midnight Sun IX in the World Solar Challenge from Oct. 21 to Oct. 28 in Australia.
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