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Solar Is Serious Energy

By Pete Singer, Chief Editor, Photovoltaics World
December 1, 2011 | 5 Comments

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Putting together a special issue like the Photovoltaics World Champions Issue is always a fun undertaking, for we get to sit back a little and ponder who is most deserving of some recognition in the exciting and evolving field of photovoltaics. It can be difficult as well, since there are so many people, companies and organizations that deserve recognition.

As Champion Advocate Gabby Giffords notes, solar is serious energy!

Personally, I get a small thrill when I do something as simple pay for parking using a PV-powered station, or see the PV installations on the top of the Logan airport. Those that opt to use PV over more conventional sources of energy are all champions.

Having enjoyed travel to Germany with an increasing frequency over the last five years, to attend Intersolar, EUPVSEC and visit companies, has given me a special insight into how much that country has done to advance solar power. It is truly a beacon of hope for the industry and the world.

The industry has certainly changed in the last 11 years.The world had around 100MW of manufacturing capacity in 2000. Today, it is better than 70,000 GW. The price has come down dramatically, and efficiencies have made steadied improvements. I have, however, lost track of many companies are claimed world records, one on top of the other! The good news is that there appears to be plenty of room for continued improvements, in both cost reduction and technology advancement. Analysts say PV in some parts of the world has already reached grid parity (where electricity costs are high and the sun is strong) and it will soon be below the $1/Watt cost target for most of the world, sometime next year.

We began the journey of selecting the 2011 Champions of Photovoltaics back in May when we issued an invitation to submit nominations in our various categories to our readers. It’s especially encouraging to see the amount and diversity of PV installations going in around the world.

Congratulations to all of this year’s winners. As Champion Advocate Gabby Giffords notes, solar is serious energy!

Pete Singer
Editor-in-Chief
psinger@pennwell.com

Photovoltaics World, the newest member of PennWell’s Electronics Group, covers photovoltaics manufacturing and solar power generation.

Additional Information

Solar Energy, Solar Tech

5 Reader Comments

Comment
1 of 5

tim-gard-25916

December 2, 2011

I was just at the University of Buffalo in Western NY and noticed they are in process of installing a very large field of solar panels. I plan to research this further just for my own curiosity, after all I helped pay for it. Why have I not heard of this within this forum? Is this a commonplace occurrence across the US so it is not news, even in a renewable news rag?

Comment
2 of 5

JB3729

December 2, 2011

"The industry has certainly changed in the last 11 years.The world had around 100MW of manufacturing capacity in 2000. Today, it is better than 70,000 GW." Really? 70,000 GW?

Figures from the European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA):

"Over the last 10 years, progress has been impressive. The total installed PV capacity
in the world has multiplied by a factor of 27, from 1.5 GW in 2000 to 39.5 GW in
2010 - a yearly growth rate of 40%. That growth has proved to be sustainable, allowing
the industry to develop at a stable rate."

"With between 131 and 196 GW
of PV systems likely to be installed in 2015, the forecasts are promising. But the
financial crisis and competition with other energy sources have put pressure on policy
makers to streamline the incentives for PV. PV is now a mature technology that is rapidly
approaching grid parity."

Comment
3 of 5

tim-gard-25916

December 2, 2011

OK, here is the scoop on UB ...

http://www.buffalo.edu/ubreporter/2009_05_13/solar_array

This started back about three years ago, and I do not read everything from RE, so I apologize for being obtuse if RE did report on this... knee jerk reaction, emphasizing on 'jerk' ... if there is no one reporting on such large installs shame on RE.

Comment
4 of 5

cnwindenergy0431

December 4, 2011

what's your comments to the wind turbine?

www.carbonfreeenergy.cn
admin@carbonfreeenergy.cn
Milly

Comment
5 of 5

GeraldR

January 3, 2012

Our newest Walmart was built with solar arrays on trackers all over the roof. No one covered this. Perhaps Walmart put this on the down-low after a bunch of technophobes freaked out over small wind turbines on another store nearby. Possibly Walmart is being given the shoulder in response to its retail hegemony. Hopefully, solar is simply becoming commonplace.

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