Solar Cells Info

Univ. Toronto, ARISE Technologies and Portlands Energy Centre partner to
make Toronto a leader in solar power research
Toronto, ON, January11, 2007
source: AriseTech MEDIA RELEASE /Jan 11, 2007
http://www.arisetech.com/images/stories/documents/press/solarpr-final2.pdf

The University of Toronto (U of T), ARISE Technologies and The Portlands Energy Centre (PEC) have joined forces to create Canada’s largest solar research facility, which will be located on the PEC site on Toronto’s waterfront. “This project will establish Toronto and Ontario as a world leader in solar energy research and development and education,” said Energy Minister Dwight Duncan. “Solar and other forms of renewable energy are an important part of Ontario’s energy future. When completed, the facility will harvest enough solar energy to power up to 1,000 homes. The community will be able to participate through a community based share offering.
Under the agreement announced today, PEC will provide land worth about $2.4 million. ARISE will design and install a photo power system utilizing high efficiency photovoltaic (PV) cell technology developed by ARISE and U of T. The solar park will create between 500 kilowatts and 1 megawatt, representing an investment between $5 to $8 million.

U of T students and staff at ARISE will use the facility to conduct research on renewable energy systems and technologies. This will help develop the utilization of PV systems for commercial and utility scale systems. The PEC site is an ideal location for this project as it’s an urban setting close to the university, has access to transmission lines and offers a large tract of land with an unobstructed southern exposure.
Later this year, ARISE will issue a community based share offering that will allow residents to participate in the project. Standard Offer Contract details with the Ontario Power Authority and government officials regarding permits have not been finalized. Details on the community share offering and exact size of the facility will be announced at a later date. The project is expected to be installed in late 2008 or early 2009.
“We’re thrilled to be part of this project and help create the path to a more sustainable future. We’re looking forward to working with ARISE and the students,” said Jim Burpee, PEC Chairman. “This is an excellent opportunity for our students to get first hand exposure to commercial scale solar electric systems,” said Nazir Kherani, a Photovoltaics Professor at U of T. “In addition, the facility will provide a research venue for large scale, grid connected photovoltaic systems,” said Reza Iravani, an Energy Systems Professor at the University.

“We are very pleased to be involved with this and will use this project as a large scale deployment of our high efficiency PV cells. We expect that the cells used in modules for this project will be produced by one of our partner companies. This project will provide an opportunity for our systems group to study and optimize implementation of large scale systems for deployment in Ontario,” commented Ian MacLellan, President and CEO of ARISE.
About PEC
The Portlands Energy Centre is a high-efficiency, combined cycle, natural gas generation plant designed to meet downtown Toronto’s urgent need for electricity. The facility is expected be operational in simple cycle mode and delivering electricity to the city in the summer of 2008. When completed in 2009, the plant will provide up to 550 megawatts of power under the ACES
contract – which is about 25 per cent of central Toronto’s needs. PEC is a limited partnership of Ontario Power Generation Inc. and TransCanada Energy Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of TransCanada Corporation.

About ARISE
ARISE Technologies is dedicated to accelerating the use of solar energy in mainstream North American markets. The Company’s shares are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol APV and on the Frankfurt Open Market Exchange under the symbol A3T. Additional information is available at www.arisetech.com and www.sedar.com.

Lennar’s 650 New Homes Expected to Save 40 to 60 Percent on Electric Bills

SAN JOSE, Calif., Jan 15, 2007
Source: SunPower Corp, Press release
http://investors.sunpowercorp.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=225664

SunPower Corporation (Nasdaq: SPWR), a Silicon Valley-based manufacturer of the world’s highest efficiency, commercially available solar cells and solar panels, and its subsidiary PowerLight Corporation, today announced the opening of the nation’s largest solar-powered neighborhood.

Built by Lennar Corp. (NYSE: LEN) in Roseville, Calif., the planned 650 homes will use SunPower’s roof-integrated SunTile(R) solar electric system, featuring the world’s most efficient solar cell. Lennar estimates that homeowners are expected to save an average of 40 to 60 percent on their monthly electric bills.
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The Solar 4R Schools (S4RS) program has a new online home:
http://www.solar4rschools.org/

The S4RS program, developed and managed by the Bonneville Environmental Foundation, educates students and teachers on the functions and benefits of solar electric power, an increasingly popular renewable resource. In addition to producing clean, renewable energy, each school’s solar power system includes a curriculum package that uses the web-based, real-time data generated by each installation to provide students with a comprehensive, interactive learning experience.

To complement the existing curriculum and teacher-training program, Solar4RSchols.org now provides participating schools with online access to lesson plans, presentations, and other useful classroom materials. The site consists of a series of interactive Web pages dedicated to each individual S4RS project.

Source:  Cornell University, Ithaca, New York  /December 6, 2006
http://www.irecusa.org/articles/static/1/1168971545_987099548.html

When you look at the lighted face of the McGraw Tower clock at night, think of the sun, because the sun now supplies the university with enough energy to light the tower. In late December workers completed the installation on the roof of Day Hall of solar panels that will generate slightly more electricity than is used by the clock tower lights, so the tower has been chosen to symbolize the new energy source.

The system was turned on and began feeding power into the university power grid Dec. 20. With 54 26-square-foot solar panels generating a peak 15 kilowatts (kw), it is the third largest solar array in Tompkins County after the Tompkins County Library, whose system is rated at 145 kw, and a recent apartment building installation rated at 16.7 kw. Eight similar panels, rated at 2.2 kw, will be installed over the loading dock of the Cornell Store. Total annual output of the Day Hall solar system is expected to be 20,000 to 25,000 kilowatt hours, with a value of up to $2,500. The Cornell Store system is expected to produce 1,500 to 1,800 kilowatt hours, worth about $150 to $180.
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Source: Connecticut Clean Energy Fund  /Press Release
January 16, 2007
http://www.irecusa.org/articles/static/1/1168970284_1018302029.html

Rocky Hill, CT, January 16, 2007— The Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF), Staples and SunEdison dedicated the largest solar power installation in New England at Staples’ 300,000-square-foot retail distribution center in Killingly, Conn. The solar power installation, built at no capital cost to Staples, was made possible through the collaborative effort of CCEF, which provided a $1.7 million grant for the project, and SunEdison, which financed the remaining costs of the project and designed and installed the system. Connecticut State Senate President Pro Tempore Donald E. Williams, Jr. (D-Brooklyn) spoke at the event, as well as representatives from CCEF, Staples and SunEdison.
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Source: azobuild.com  /5th January 2007
http://www.azobuild.com/news.asp?newsID=2940
http://www.placesforpeople.co.uk/resources/pressoffice/news.aspx?id=1238&r=0&t=0

Going green and installing energy efficient renewable technologies – like solar panels – should no longer be the preserve of the middle class, or for politicians to point score, the UK’s largest housing and regeneration group said today. “Places for People”, which is responsible for around 60,000 properties across the UK, warned the government that the looming threat posed by climate change could only be tackled if greater financial incentives were made available to housing groups and people on low incomes.

The call comes as the company announces a unique tie-in with leading solar panel manufacturer Viridian Solar, placing an order for up to 250 low-cost solar panels to be installed in affordable homes across the UK next year. It is thought to be the single biggest commitment to installing solar panels by a UK housing group. The installation of the first 50 solar panels will take place in Summer 2007 at McCutcheon Court – a flagship regeneration scheme in Walker Riverside, Newcastle.
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Paul Kilduff, Special to The San Francisco Chronicle  /January 6, 2007
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/01/06/HOGVMNCB361.DTL&hw=solarcity&sn=001&sc=1000

If one of your New Year’s resolutions was to leave less of a carbon footprint on this overheated old orb of ours, no doubt you’ve considered going solar. That is, until you took a gander at the considerable costs of putting a rack of electricity-generating photovoltaic cells on your roof. After rebates for an average 3,000- to 4,000-square-foot home, it’ll cost you about $15,000. It’s enough to make you consider trading in your SUV for a used Prius instead.

But harnessing the sun’s power for your own electrical needs doesn’t have to be a solo project. As a group of homeowners in Portola Valley working with a new solar power company has demonstrated, economies of scale (i.e., getting a discount by buying in bulk) can apply to solar power installation as well. Working with SolarCity, 68 homeowners in Portola Valley signed up last month to convert their houses to solar power at a 25 to 30 percent discount over the cost of going it alone.
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Foster City, CA – January 8, 2007
Source: SolarCity Announcement
http://www.solarcity.com/spacex.aspx

SolarCity, a provider of comprehensive solar solutions, has completed phase one of a commercial solar power system for Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX). The move marks the company’s entry into the Southern California commercial solar market.  SolarCity installed an initial 29 kW roof-mounted solar array at SpaceX’s El Segundo facility in only four-and-a-half days, and expects it will quadruple the system’s size in subsequent stages. The SpaceX solar system uses unique patented hardware, which mounts quickly and requires no roof penetration.
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January 17, 2007
Source; Feature article/ Sydney Morning Herald
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/on-the-horizon-solarpowered-tankers-to-slake-sydneys-thirst/2007/01/16/1168709754693.html

Richard Macey reports on a plan to build ships using wind and solar energy to transport water from Tasmanian dams to parched mainland cities. THE dream of a transcontinental pipeline carrying water from Australia’s wet north to the drought-stricken southern cities appears all but dead.

Rising from its ashes is a proposal to ship water from Tasmania to Sydney.
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(written in German by Rosmarie Kayser, published at Bethlehem Mission Immensee, Switzerland
/translated by Wolfy Becker  / 15 January, 2007
Source: Livinginperu.com
http://www.livinginperu.com/blogs/features/246

At the beginning of January, Swiss solar energy engineer is flying to Peru and stay there for the next three years. On behalf of the Bethlehem Mission Immensee (http://www.bethlehem-mission.ch/) he will participate in a project that will introduce simple solar energy techniques to the population high up in the Andes.

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