• Mitsubishi Chemical already produces materials for the solar industry but sees opportunity to produce the cells themselves
• Sanyo is an established producer of crystalline solar cells, but has opened an Advanced PV Development Center in Gifu, Japan to concentrate on developing thin film technology.

This is good news for solar energy advocates, as these companies have the capital and the knowledge base to ramp up production more rapidly than startups, while increasing efficiency and cost savings. According to Sanyo’s Makoto Tanaka:

“‘Our target date for volume production was 2012, but in order to move that up, we’ve decided to invest an additional US $14 million,’ said Tanaka, bringing total investment … to some US $70M through 2010. He noted that the production ramp should be eased because part of the new process is very similar to that already used in Sanyo’s mainstay heterojunction with intrinsic thin-layer (HIT) cells, which sandwich a single-crystal silicon substrate between layers of amorphous silicon thin films.”

Sadly, the United States is not one of the countries competing on this scale with Sanyo and Mitsubishi, who see their main competition coming from China and India. Though the U.S. company Nanosolar has been a leading innovator in thin film, and Open Energy is making big inroads in the production of Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) modules using thin film tech, they are still comparatively small players in the space, along with FirstSolar. Let’s hope that the U.S. steps up to provide the kind of legislative support that U.S. companies need to move forward at a faster pace in developing new solar technologies.

Image Credit: Ovonic.com

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However a new discovery by MIT researchers has been made, that will essentially make this problem nonexistent.

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This is good news for the solar industry, where cost has been a barrier to wider acceptance. Thus far, technology improvements have lowered solar PV costs only marginally, with each improvement coming at a large research cost. Fierce competition on the part of the largest tech companies could change that. According to Paul Davidson in USA TODAY:

“Since May, computer powerhouses Intel (INTC), IBM (IBM) and National Semiconductor (NSM) have barreled into solar energy, joining hundreds of fellow technology mainstays. Virtually every chipmaker is weighing a solar play, says Rhone Resch, head of the Solar Energy Industries Association. ‘We have a classic Silicon Valley land rush,’ says T.J. Rodgers, CEO of Cypress Semiconductor (CY), which owns 56% of SunPower. Drawing the stalwarts is solar’s 40% annual growth, says Gartner analyst Jim Hines.”

The savings will come largely in the area of automating manufacturing. How then, will the solar industry deal with the shortage of silicon? Semiconductor International rather mysteriously predicts that supplies of silicon will increase next year. Along with the shift to solar thin film technology, which uses little or no silicon, this may mean that mass-market adaptation is within reach.

Image Credit: Trend Labs Malware Blog

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2008/07/30/mass-market-solar-panels-could-result-from-chipmakers-competition/feed/ http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/07/17/grace-cathedral-gaining-power-from-above/ http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/07/17/grace-cathedral-gaining-power-from-above/#comments Thu, 17 Jul 2008 18:58:31 +0000 Joshua S Hill http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/07/17/grace-cathedral-gaining-power-from-above/ A church more often than not needs to draw its inspiration from the heavens, but San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral has taken that stereotype to the next level, as they announced Thursday that they would be partnering with Pacific Gas and Electric to install a new photovoltaic power system.

The project will see PG&E commit $65,000 for the installation, and designed and implemented by SolarCity of Foster City; it is expected to be completed later this year. And it is all thanks to the hard work of Reverend Canon Sally Bingham, the president of California Interfaith Power and Light, an organization founded upon the idea that the religious aspects of the community must respond to global warming as a moral issue.

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As vocal advocate for nuclear fission power I recognize that it has many associated questions, but I after 30 years of study, I have determined to my own satisfaction that most of the important questions have reasonably good answers. In contrast, I have not yet found reasonable answers for many of my questions related to other renewable energy sources. (Yes, I - perhaps controversially - classify fission as renewable, but that is a discussion for a different post.)

Solar photovoltaic (PV) cells are a popular and often discussed (see, for example Atlantic City Convention Center Plans Largest Solar Roof in U.S., 10% of U.S. Electricity From Solar by 2025, SF Passes Largest City Solar Program in U.S. (Finally), all of which were published within the past week) form of “renewable” or “green” energy, but a casual scratching of the surface knowledge that many people have about the technology reveals some troubling details.

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I’m eagerly awaiting the 4-door, family-sized EV sedan rumored to be in the pipeline from the Canadian-based ZENN Motor Company (they already make a great 2-door model that’s even affordable to us non-celebrity types, picture above). I’d like to avoid going to the gas station at all when going to an Energy Fair or Green Festival. While our VW Jetta TDI gets more than 40 mpg, these days the cost for diesel (and biodiesel when I can get it) is quite a bit more than gasoline, and rising faster than gas.

For now, we’re moving around locally in a funky-looking, all-electric CitiCar, made in 1974. Our CitiCar is restored to roughly original condition (except for the wear and tear on the body itself) with the expert help of our neighbor who found two more after we found ours. It’s hard to go anywhere without people cutting me off — not out of rage — but curiosity or with a smile on their face. Sometimes getting a “head turner” doesn’t need to come at a huge price.

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Europe is pushing to help solar power spread and Italy is reacting by going forward quickly. The country’s demand is rising even if a large part of Italians are quite doubtful about the advantages of installing solar panels on their homes. The lack of a national strategy, together with an insufficient information, is impeding the use of alternative energy and producing confusion about prices, productivity and maintenance costs.

Despite that, is very surprising what can be done locally. I recently learned about an ecological cemetery in a small town near Milan, in the north of Italy.

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From time to time the National Renewal Energy Lab (NREL) reminds us that the US used to be a leader in innovation. This time it’s in the area of solar thin film technology. The goal with solar thin film technology is to surpass the efficiency level of silicon solar cells. Efficiency refers to the rate at which sunlight falling on a solar cell is converted to electricity. Silicon has been the most efficient material, but it is is expensive and limited, so the world is seeking alternatives. (Picture above from the Dept. of Energy shows thin film manufactured by Iowa Thin Film Technologies.)

NREL has set a new world record using CIGS (copper indium gallium diselenide) thin film, which in tests has reached 19.9 percent efficiency, coming very close to the 20.3 percent level of multicrystalline solar cells.

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Bikini season is almost here. How about a photovoltaic bathing suit to charge your iPod?

For a more practical look at green bikini options, please visit Green Option’s newest blog Feel Good Style.

Source: Gizmodo

A new life-cycle assessment study from the Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York examined the four most common types of photovoltaic (PV) solar power cells — multicrystalline silicon, monocrystalline silicon, ribbon silicon and thin-film, if you were wondering — to find out how much energy and waste was involved in their creation.

“Emissions from Photovoltaic Life Cycles” found that even when accounting for the metals required to build PV cells, the efficiency of the cells, and the waste produced, PV cells still emit less global warming pollution throughout their life cycle than the fossil fuels needed to produce the same amount of power. Actually, most of the pollution from the solar power comes from the indirect emissions of the fossil fuels used to generate the electricity of the PV manufacturing facilities.

The most energy-intensive type of PV cell to make — the monocrystalline silicate cells — only emits 1.8 ounces of global warming pollution per kilowatt hour, compared to 2.2 pounds by a coal-fired power plant. All told, the construction and use of PV power would cut air pollution about 90 percent if it replaced fossil fuels.

The best-case scenario, of course, would be for solar manufacturing facilities to be powered by solar. Researchers concluded that 30 percent of the energy used to make PV cells could come from solar power installed on the roofs and parking lot of facilities.

While some people point out that the study only partly takes into consideration the transportation of PV components (most of which are made in China), the researchers want to broaden their work further to include end-of-life and recycling data of the PV cells. They believe this expansion could further improve overall emissions calculations.

Nanowerk
Scientific American
Treehugger

Thin film has been the holy grail of solar technology: everyone is seeking it, but so far its market penetration is well under 5%, and its use in large-area applications, such as for solar photovoltaic (PV) modules large enough to power buildings, has barely developed. (Thin film light absorbers are about 1 micron thick and are less costly to produce, as compared to the silicon found in traditional solar PV modules, which at around 200 microns thick is still thinner than a human hair.)

So I was very interested to hear that Dr. W. S. Sampath, professor of mechanical engineering at Colorado State University (CSU), has developed a new, more streamlined production process that promises to reduce the cost of thin film even more. The company bringing his product to market is AVA Solar, who received a $3 million solar incubator grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar America Initiative. I spoke to Dr. Sampath by telephone on Friday, and asked him how his technology is different from that of First Solar, currently the market leader.

“The difference is in the manufacturing process. It is much more streamlined and integrated, with fewer production steps, which brings down the manufacturing cost.” Dr. Sampath was careful to note that AVA Solar worked in collaboration with First Solar in developing the production process. “There is a huge demand, so it makes sense to work together.” In other words, when the world is beating a path to your door for a better solar mousetrap, it pays to be open and collaborate to achieve faster, better and cheaper solutions, so as to grow the market much faster.

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The Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB) in Washington, DC received a $1 million donation of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels from BP America. The solar system is expected to save the food bank about $71,000 a year on energy costs, or 2o percent of its annual electric bill. CAFB distributes 20 million pounds of food to 700 member agencies annually. They told Renewable Energy Access that the amount of money they’ll save with the solar power is enough to serve an extra 200,000 meals next year.

Over on the West Coast, the San Francisco Food Bank received $215,000 in solar PV panels from PG&E and system installation from the San Francisco Environment Department. The solar power should generate about 115,000 kWh of energy and save the food bank $15,000 in electricity costs each year. That’s more than 70,000 extra meals.

More Nevada neighborhoods may see solar power systems, courtesy of Black Rock Solar, a nonprofit organization started by the Burning Man community (an art and music experience held each year in the Black Rock Desert). Their mission is to give away low cost or no cost solar power. Or, as executive director Tom Price explained, “We see ourselves as a Habitat for Humanity of renewable energy.” MMA Renewables Ventures and Sierra Pacific Power are partnering with Black Rock to install the systems. Their projects so far include a 30-kW array for a hospital in Lovelock and a school in Gerlach got a 90-kW system that could provide up to $20,000 annually in clean, free energy.

CNETNews.com
San Francisco Sentinel
Renewable Energy Access

The article skips many of the basic things that many people considering solar are already well aware of, such as that a solar PV system needs to be installed on a south or southwest facing (for installations in the northern hemisphere); those are covered in his preceeding article. Both articles provide good information, and are highly recommended reading, especially if you are seriously considering buying a solar PV system.

However, the most intriguing item to me in the article was the line "You can buy a solar system for no money down." For many homeowners with concerns about the costs and cash flow, PV panels are seen as a pricey addition that they just can’t afford to pay for right now. But that’s not necessarily the case. As Karney explains,

"You can buy a solar system with no money down. If your credit is sound, you can take out a home improvement loan for the entire cost of the system. If your monthly electricity bill is more than $150, the amount you spend paying back the loan plus your small residual electric bill will be less than you’re paying now for electricity. In other words, your PV system will put money in your pocket every month from the first day you install it. Once the loan is paid off in 15 years or so, the amount of positive cash flow will jump dramatically."

One very important caveat to this, however, is that this is from an article written for San Francisco Bay area residents, where a competitive market for solar power systems and high electricity costs combine to make this scenario more likely. It may not necessarily apply to everyone’s situation, but it useful to consider nonetheless. My own electric bill is not nearly this high, so this doesn’t apply to my situation. But there are many people who live in higher rate regions and who use more electricity for whom this approach makes good sense.

Additionally, he offers the reminder to add your PV system to your homeowner’s insurance after it is installed. And, the question of solar PV systems taking more energy to manufacture than they can produce during their lifetime is also addressed:

Some solar system critics have said that the energy produced by solar panels is less than the energy it takes to make them, and this is simply false. The energy required to manufacture your solar panels and inverter and transport them to your home is equal to about 1 to 3 years worth of the energy produced by the PV system.

The article also offers some of the same advice that we have recommended many times before, but it still bears repeating: "Before you buy a solar PV system, do what you can to reduce your consumption of electricity. Conservation is cheap compared to solar panels. Search the web for "conserving electricity", read the suggestions, and implement as many as you can." Reducing the amount of electricity that you regularly use is both the most cost effective form of conservation as well as the greenest step you can take. Keeping the coal unburned is the best way to help green the planet.

Along with Karney’s two articles, I also recommend the recent article Shane Jordan had here on Green Options about "How to Get Your Home Ready for Renewable Energy" that has a number of good suggestions about getting your home ready to install solar power.

Article: "10 MORE Things to Know Before Buying a Solar Electric System"

Oregon’s legislative session went out with a bang. Building on the renewagble energy standard passed earlier this summer that requires 25 percent of energy to come from renewables by 2025, this week Governor Ted Kulongoski signed key solar power policies that will continue to encourage solar manufacturing and solar energy systems in the state.

For starters, the tax credit for solar power projects jumped from 35 percent of project costs to 50 percent. A tax exemption passed for solar net metered systems, and a provision requiring public buildings to set aside 1.5 percent of their construction budget to fund onsite solar power technologies also made it through.

Jon Miller, executive director of the Oregon Solar Energy Industries Association, explained why solar power is good for Oregon:

It's another example of how we're growing manufacturing in the northwest. We're now a powerhouse in the United States in solar manufacturing. Oregon's established and educated semiconductor workforce makes it a natural fit for the solar PV industry.

Solar business is booming in Oregon. Indeed, two manufacturers (Germany-based SolarWorld AG and California-based Solaicx) have already committed to the state, and overall the solar industry is growing more than 30 percent annually. Oregon ranks 5th in the U.S. for solar hot water systems and in the top 10 for photovoltaic (PV) systems. By 2009, Oregon is expected to be the largest producer of PV cells in the U.S.

Renewable Energy Access

Why such a glowing assessment? Texas has the sunlight, the land, and the backing of the people to make such alternative energy goals a reality. In a recent survey, 84 percent of Texas power consumers responded favorably to the question “Do you think the Texas Legislature should encourage investment in solar power in Texas?" Combined with rapidly decreasing costs of production and installation of solar cells worldwide, the timing appears right for the Lonestar State to capitalize on its energy potential. Already, plans are coming together to build the largest wind farm in the world in Texas.

With renewable power receiving an intense amount of investment and publicity, I have a feeling that the next decade will usher in a boom for skilled workers looking to capitalize on the next energy revolution. One hopes that more schools and programs will be created to satisfy the massive demand that is coming. The United States cannot afford to ignore these trends — especially in education — while the rest of the world graduates tomorrow's skilled labor force. Pony up, Texas. Lead the way.

Click here to download the Institute's report.

With that in mind, let's take a look at some of the solar news that shined brightest this week. First up is General Electric, who is finally taking their "Ecoimagination" campaign and applying it to the home front with a massive corporate solar installation. Almost 840 panels pushing 168 KW of energy will be installed at their HQ in Connecticut. To give you an example of how hungry GE's complex is, this array will only supply 5-8% of their energy needs. Um, someone needs to invest in some additional efficiency upgrades….

Helping GE (and the industry as a whole) boost the power that can be created from each solar cell is a company called Spectrolab. This subsidiary of Boeing has announced a breakthrough that will allow a cell to reach about 45% efficiency — within the next five to six years. This is encouraging, but it's worth noting that there are already alternatives that exist (At least in the lab) at 40%. To achieve these high numbers (nearly twice that of present-day panels) the cells can capture three layers of the solar spectrum versus the single layer used today. Break out the sunglasses. The future's looking bright.

Finally, in Australia, road crews have started building noise-dampening walls along higways made of solar panels. The project is part of Australia's vision to incorporate more green aspects into road construction. The 210 panels will provide about 10% of the energy needed to illuminate street lights along the highway. Roads Minister, Tim Pallas commented on the design saying, "While this type of application is a first, it points to future projects having environmentally friendly elements in their original design, and as technology allows, will provide future transport infrastructure in an increasingly environmentally responsible manner."

Now if we can just get our cars to be as green as these roads, it will be a match made in heaven. Hit the jump for more.

Sure, this probably isn't very new. With the right materials to capture heat, almost anyone can create their own hot water. This is the first time, however, that I've seen a beer bottle solar collector used so effectively. If necessity in the mother of invention, then Ma Yanjun from China's Shaanxi province is proof that a little motherly love can push you in the right direction. Yanjun came up with the idea of stringing together a collection of green beer bottles to heat water after his Mother became less than comfortable with their previous setup. From the article,

Ma's invention features 66 beer bottles attached to a board. The bottles are connected to each other so that water flows through them. Sunlight heats the water as is passes slowly through the bottles before flowing into the bathroom as hot water, reports China Economy Network. Ma says it provides enough hot water for all three members of his family to have a shower every day.

Amusingly, more than 10 other families have become inspired by Ma's invention and built their own hot water solar collectors from bottles. Not only is the end result a beautiful case study in sustainability, but simply getting those bottles empty in the first place is reason to try this for yourself. Cheers!

Editor's note: Thanks to reader Bobby B. for the "heads up" on this story… 

Helping my optimism along is a recent article of a firm in California attempting to take single-purpose parking garages and turn them into functional structures that harness the power of the sun. Already having raised $600,000, Envision Solar plans to take advantage of wasted space above these structures and line them with solar panels. That energy could then be used to either power a nearby building, fed into the grid, or leveraged to charge electric cars. Tesla Motors, makers of the upcoming Tesla Roadster all-electric super car, are also petitioning for a similar setup. Go figure.

Achieving this in the U.S., however, is still a feat, especially with the prices of panels still high and education on the technology still relatively lacking. As the article points out, finding financing in a country like Spain or Germany wouldn't take much convincing. Renewable energy there is like jazz in the 1920s: hot, innovative, and the groove of the moment. The U.S. is stuck still listening to classical music.

If you made it through my analogy, you understand what I'm getting at: We're almost ready to pay attention and take advantage of this big ball above our heads. Almost. The first step is leveraging those structures that can easily push us in the right direction without much hassle for any party. The parking garage is that perfect foot in the door to get us there. The electric car will be the catalyst. The rest is up to us.

Hit the article for more information!

Take for instance the example of Rizhao, a coastal city of nearly three million on the Shandong Peninsula in northern China. Almost every single building or flat surface is covered with solar panels! Most all are solar water heaters. In total, the city has over a half-million square meters of solar water heating panels, the equivalent of about 0.5 megawatts of electric water heaters!

This incredible achievement is made even more amazing when one considers the per capita income of Rizhao is lower than most other cities in the region. According to the article, the city was able to take advantage of renewable energy through strong political backing, investment in R&D, and the birth of local suppliers. Subsidies were provided by the government that side stepped end-users and instead went directly into research and development for solar hot water. All of these factors combined brought the cost of solar hot water down to the same level as an electric one; about $190.00.

Here's a great excerpt from the article that pretty much says it all,

"In Rizhao City, which means City of Sunshine in Chinese, 99 percent of households in the central districts use solar water heaters, and most traffic signals, street and park lights are powered by photovoltaic (PV) solar cells. In the suburbs and villages, more than 30 percent of households use solar water heaters, and over 6,000 households have solar cooking facilities. More than 60,000 greenhouses are heated by solar panels, reducing overhead costs for farmers in nearby areas."

Rizhao's commitment to renewable energy sources has also earned it accolades. It's consistently in the top ten cities for air quality and was recently designated as an Environmental Protection Model City by the State Environmental Protection Agency.

If a city in China can embrace renewable energy with great success, how about programs for geographically-similar cities in the U.S.? I would love to see Phoenix, San Diego, or Los Angeles pursue efforts like this. Rizhao isn't the only city with beautiful sunshine, but it sure seems like they're the only ones taking advantage of it.

Hit the jump for more!

The beauty of this product is that it's waterproof, light, and rugged enough to take with you anywhere. It has assisted climbers on summit expeditions, kayakers on remote islands, and people (like me) who have a flat tire, no spare, and a dead cell phone. You can even use their $500 model to charge your car battery. That my friends is a benefit that in the worst of times is priceless. This large roll will also power you laptop or satellite phone in the Outback.

Solar Rolls come in two other sizes for smaller appliances, The Solar Roll 9 (12" x 40", 9 watts output, $349) for smaller items, such as digital and video cameras, and the Solar Roll 4.5 (12" x 22", 4.5 watts output, $199) for charging the smallest electronic devices, cell phones. All Solar Rolls have built-in reverse current protection.

So, the application possibilities are pretty endless. I'm a big fan of the thin-film revolution, simply because light-weight accessories for camping or circling the world are in hot demand, and I appreciate backup solutions that do not slow me down. I also like that you can lay this product out and attach it to most anything. As investment and research drives the efficiency of these panels up, we can expect even smaller backup energy sources to accompany us on nature's largest challenges.

Hit Brunton's site for more information.
via Keetsa!