Silicon Valley Betting on Solar Power

I read the full article carefully but no where does it mention the specific technology to be used except to say that "silicon is expensive". If you ask me, Silicon Valley is just trying to play catch-up in entering the solar market. Unless they can really prove they have something good to offer, I am in doubt that stainless steel solar technology would be better than what is already on the market.

Silicon Vally does not necessarily mean solar genius when it comes to power production. The fact that it took them so long to get moving in this direction is only an indication of lack of focus in an area that has been in need of development. One one think that such bright people might have started work here at an earlier time but you know the saying, "better late than never."

Hop aboard, you'r welcome!!!

adrianakau@aol.com

I encourage readers and commentors to Google the companies, in which case you will discover that this is one of the many thin film CIGS Roll to Roll companies. Daystar and Shell have working CIGS but not Roll to Roll, which is rather difficult to commercialize. Nanosolar is another Silicon Valley company. Silicon Valley has many start-up & early stage companies in this field, including Solexant working on true nano-material based solar cells, as well as other CIGS, CdTe, and various flavors of silicon. And Silicon Valley is and will stay and IP, pilot line/commercialization for solar. Sunpower / Powerlight are in Silicon Valley!

There is a sleeper as far as renewable cities in Calif. Fresno, yes, Fresno is frequently the patsy city for all the comedians jokes. This small city is a real leader in civic use of renewable and solar power.

Last year this city installed a large array of solar panels to provide most of the needs of the city's maintenance yard, it funded the developmeent and purchase of the only PHEV garbage truck, and just this week the city council approved a large solar system to provide the majority of the power needed to operate the Fresno International Airport. Yes indeed, that is where all the luggage tagged to FAT goes. Maybe the FAA should redesignate it as FIT.

Currently, the city is seriously studying building a small nuclear power plant that would be located at the city's sewage treatment plant to use the sewage effluent as the primary source of coolant water, thus solving two disposal problems at once.

Do you want to know all about CIGS and the new upcoming companies in Silicon Valley please join the SolarPlaza PV Trade Mission to California.

www.solarplaza.com or contact: Johan Trip, j.trip@solarplaza.com