Solar Cells Info

By Elaine Rundle, Jan 7, 2009,
source: Govtech.com
http://www.govtech.com/gt/articles/579331

Cities wanting to remove the guesswork from solar power installations are turning to friendlier technology for citizens. Since typing a street address into a Web site is all it takes to determine how much solar power can be obtained from a rooftop installation, who wouldn’t take a look?  An exemplar is the San Francisco Solar Map that lets residents view buildings that are equipped with solar power. Users also can type their address into the Solar Map site to get an analysis of how much solar power their roof could harness.  (SF Solar map site URL:  http://sf.solarmap.org/) (more…)

Toledo is fighting to become a leader in solar power.
Toledo, OH, December 15, 2008
Source: Vindy.com
http://www.vindy.com/news/2008/dec/15/toledo-turns-to-solar-panels-to-revive-city/

The smell of fresh paint drifts through an almost-empty warehouse. Near the back, researchers inspect a solar panel that’s lighter and more flexible than traditional models.  Within the last year, the number of employees at Xunlight Corp. has grown from 16 to 64. And there’s plenty of room for more. It’s among nine companies — from one of the world’s biggest solar panel makers to a handful of startups — that are turning this Rust Belt city battered by job losses into a research hub for converting sunlight into energy. “This is our chance,” said Xunming Deng, a physics professor who founded Xunlight. (more…)

Santa Fe, NM, Dec 16, 2008
Source: Signet Solar press release
http://www.signetsolar.com/pdf/Signet_Solar_Dec_16_2008_eng.pdf

Governor Bill Richardson today announced Signet Solar will build the company’s first North American solar panel production facility in Belen. The first phase of the plant will bring 200 high-wage jobs to the state and is scheduled to begin operations in 2010. Signet’s long-term plans call for expansion and the creation of a total of 600 jobs.  “As Governor, I’ve been dedicated to making New Mexico a national leader of renewable energy and the creation of green jobs,” Governor Bill Richardson said. “At a time of economic uncertainty, this project will create hundreds of jobs and reaffirm New Mexico as a clean energy state and major player in our nation’s effort build a new clean energy economy.” (more…)

Three recent projects complete BP Solar’s portion of pilot project portfolio
Frederick, MD, 18 December 2008
Source: BP Solar USA press release
http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=9019567&contentId=7049862

BP Solar today announced the completion of its solar power construction program for Wal-Mart. The company recently completed construction of three sites in California, including the 493.7 kilowatt (kW) solar power system at the Sam’s Club in La Habra, California, as well as systems at Wal-Mart Super Centers in Palm Springs (605.9 kW) and Beaumont (675.2 kW). The three systems totalling over 1.7 MW mark the final installations of BP Solar’s 4.1 MW commitment to Wal-Mart as part of the retailer’s solar pilot project. (more…)

Washington Gas Energy Services, Standard Solar and John E. Kelly & Sons Partner to
Construct System To Power Kelly & Sons Headquarters
Washington, DC, December 3, 2008
Source: Standard Solar /press release
http://www.standardsolar.com/News-and-Events/Press-Releases.aspx

Three Washington, D.C. area companies announced plans today to construct one of Maryland’s largest solar power systems at the headquarters of John E. Kelly & Sons Electrical Construction in Prince George’s County. Nearly 9,000 square feet of solar panels will cover the building’s roof, generating enough electricity to meet more than half the needs of the 20,000 square foot office/warehouse facility. The 150-kilowatt system is being constructed at no up-front cost to Kelly, and will be owned by Washington Gas Energy Services. Kelly will purchase electricity produced by the system at guaranteed prices for 20 years under a Power Purchase Agreement (“PPA”). Standard Solar is developing the project, and will design, construct, operate and maintain the system. (more…)

Installers of solar energy systems are trying to unload megawatts worth of panels cheaply after buying too many at high prices earlier this year.
by: Ucilia Wang, December 3, 2008
Source: GreenTechMedia.com
http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/solar-a-bust-in-spain–5297.html

Call it irrational exuberance or greed. Companies that couldn’t get enough solar panels to build power plants in Spain earlier this year are now trying to sell megawatts worth of panels at a deep discount.  Installers of solar energy systems that have purchased an estimated 1.7 gigawatts worth of panels this year were able to use only 800 megawatts of the goods before the Spanish government shrank a lucrative solar incentives program in September, said Paula Mints, principal solar analyst at Navigant Consulting at the Thin Film Solar Summit in San Francisco Tuesday.  As a result, some of these installers – Mints wouldn’t offer any names – are selling the crystalline silicon panels at around $3 per watt. When the same buyers gobbled up panels earlier this year, they also drove up the prices to as high as $4.50 per watt in Spain. In 2007, the average panel price was $3.50 per watt, Mints said. (more…)

Fontana, CA, Dec 2, 2008
Source: BusinessWeek.com
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D94QLF0O1.htm

Utility officials said the largest solar panel installation in the state has been completed — the first of some 150 solar projects planned for warehouse and factory roofs in Southern California. The 600,000 square feet of solar panels on the roof of a distribution center in Fontana, about 50 miles east of Los Angeles, will produce enough electricity to power as many as 1,300 homes, said Ted Craver, chairman and chief executive of energy company Edison International on Monday. (more…)

by Donald Melanson, Oct 17, 2008
Source: Engadget.com
http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/17/
chinese-made-solar-powered-car-gets-150-kilometers-on-a-30-hour/

It may not attract the same sort of glances as a Tesla, or a Volt, for that matter, but this solar-powered car built by China’s Zhejiang 001 Group is pretty impressive in its own right, both for its price (just $5,560), and it’s efficiency. That latter bit is a result of some rather un-integrated solar panels, which absorb 95% of the solar energy they take in and convert it to electricity at between 14 and 17% efficiency, which is actually pretty impressive as far as solar panels go. According to the company, that should let you travel about 150 kilometers on a 30-hour charge, though you’ll only be able to go five kilometers on a one-hour charge. No word on a release outside of China, as you might have guessed, but the company has apparently already produced ten of ’em for sale inside the country, with more presumably on the way. (more…)

A new solar mobile charger is ready to add hours and hours for more people especially travelers to charge their mobile when they need it most.
Source: PRLog (Press Release), Oct 21, 2008
http://www.prlog.org/10131154-solar-mobile-charger-available-to-end-users-in-malaysia.html

Malaysia Keep in Touch (M) Sdn Bhd (http://www.keepeshop.com) has made it even easier and convenient for end users to purchase their products via their easy-to-use website by adding e-commerce functionality, which will be launched next month, the company has announced.  The technical innovation provides the ultimate in ease for those seeking for solar mobile phone charger, digital camera, camera accessories, memory card & readers at a wide range in Malaysia, saving users’ valuable time, says Managing Director Ben Cheong.
(more…)

Lakewood, Colo., Oct. 22, 2008
Source: PRNewswire

Continuum Lakewood Development Company, in association with MMA Renewable Ventures, a subsidiary of Municipal Mortgage & Equity, LLC (Pink Sheets: MMAB), Oak Leaf Energy Partners and SunPower Corporation , is dedicating today a 1.75-megawatt solar power system that has been constructed on three parking garages at the Belmar mixed-use development in Lakewood, Colo. It is one of the largest solar parking structures in the Western U.S. (more…)