Solar Energy News - RenewableEnergyWorld.com

Suntech, DuPont to Collab on Solar Backsheets, Supply Chain

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:36:42 GMT

It's easy to think about modules as singular units of power output, but the reality is that they are a collection of diverse components, each with influence over the end system's total cost and performance. For DuPont, its focus is of course on the materials side, from metallization pastes used to form contacts on the solar cell, to backsheet materials that protect the panels themselves.

DOE's Untold Impact on Solar

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:30:04 GMT

The Obama Administration's $60 billion Loan Guarantee Program (LGP) for renewable energy is considered a failure because of Solyndra, Beacon Power, and potential 2012 bankruptcies. What is not well known is that 75 percent of the program's deployed funds went to relatively low risk power plants that will catapult the U.S. to a leadership role in the utility-scale solar sector. This is hardly the hallmark of a "failed program." The program is akin to Shakespeare's King Henry V, who said as a delinquent Prince: "I'll so offend as to make offense a skill, redeeming time when men think least I will."

NLP Solar Sales Training Live Webinar February 8th & 9th

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:03:00 GMT

Miasolé Claims 17 Percent Efficient CIGS Device, 14 Percent In Production

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:23:10 GMT

Miasolé says it has created a 17.3 percent "champion" thin-film copper-indium-gallium-selenide (CIGS) solar photovoltaic device, results obtained in its own labs and not (yet) independently verified.

Experts Predict End of Month for Ontario FIT Review Update

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:02:34 GMT

By late February the renewable energy industry should have direction from the Ontario government on some of the major changes ahead for the province’s landmark feed-in tariff program. “I am hoping we will have an announcement then with the megawatt (MW) targets and pricing, then new rules and contracts in March, and application processi

If Solar is Contagious, Can Utilities Help Spread the Bug?

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:00:03 GMT

You may have heard it before, but it is worth mentioning again: In residential communities, solar is contagious. But a recent study, "Peer Effects in the Diffusion of Solar Photovoltaic Panels," conducted by Bryan Bollinger of the NYU Stern School of Business and Kenneth Gillingham of the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, published in December sheds some new light on the phenomenon.

Executive Roundtable: The Future of Utility-Scale Renewables

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:37:00 GMT

Renewable energy in the United States is at a crossroads. With several federal tax grants set to expire by the end of 2012, utilities are trying to decide if the falling prices of solar and wind technology makes renewable energy competitive enough to invest in despite vanishing federal aid.

Europe's 2011-2012 PV Installs: Two Tales of Growth

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 20:55:51 GMT

Two reports out in the past week examine Europe's solar PV market in 2011, indicating slowing growth in the flagship countries and promise in some smaller regions for 2012 and beyond. Note that the data that follows is preliminary; final 2011 numbers won't be known until later in the first quarter, including some likely revisions thanks to a stronger-than-expected fourth quarter in several key regions (more on that below).

Solar Trade Dispute: Behind the Jobs Numbers

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:11:07 GMT

A recent report has generated lots of buzz by finding that as many as 50,000 jobs could be lost over the next three years if a 100 percent tariff is placed on Chinese solar panels. Yet from where I'm sitting, I see a far different number from the same report: The industry could add 15,000 jobs by 2014.

Latin America Report: Energy Summit Headed to Rio

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:05:45 GMT

Twenty years ago, international leaders descended on Brazil to lay the groundwork for what would eventually become the Kyoto Protocol. This summer, a 20-member United Nations panel will once again head to Rio de Janeiro with an even more ambitious agenda.

China Set to Vigorously Develop Green Economy

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:51:05 GMT

Due to growing urbanization and resulting environmental threats, China has invested nearly US$50 billion annually into its renewable energy sector since 2009. China's five-year investment in environmental protection is on track to reach 3.1 trillion yuan (US$454 billion). By 2015, its environmental protection industry is expected to top 2 trillion yuan (US$317 billion).

Global Concentrated Photovoltaic Market Growth and Investments

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:00:00 GMT

Concentrated photovoltaics (CPV) is an upcoming renewable market that promises to provide cost-effective power generation at high levels of efficiency. The performance of a CPV system is dependant on the direct normal irradiance (DNI). Because of this major performance parameter, the number of regions ideal for CPV system installations is limited. According to Prof. Humayun Mughal, the potential market destinations based on DNI for the CPV technology are Southwest US, Mexico, Chile, Southern Peru, Southwest Bolivia, Northwest Argentina, and Mediterranean countries, Australia, North Africa, Middle East, Western India and Western China.

Evaluating Institutional On-site Clean Energy

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:07:47 GMT

Earlier this month, I attended EUCI’s Utilizing Clean Power Development Conference in Philadelphia. The conference attracted a variety of large institutions (hospitals, municipalities, universities, etc.), developers, and financers to discuss the opportunity and challenges surrounding deployment of on-site renewable energy. Instit

Hourly Electricity Pricing Boosts Value of Distributed Solar by 33 Percent

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:00:00 GMT

What if electricity cost more when the sun was shining? Many utilities are using new electronic "smart meters" to adjust the price of electricity as often as every hour, to reflect supply and demand. And charging more when electricity is in short supply can be good news, increasing the value of solar by 33 percent or more. Time-

Kyocera to Launch Solar With Li-Ion Battery Storage for Homes in Japan

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:13:29 GMT

A big energy-related disaster doesn't just leave horrible marks on people's lives; it also can propel better and quicker policy and technology adoption. Kyocera on Monday said it plans to start selling a system that pairs solar panels with lithium-ion batteries for the residential market in Japan starting this summer.

Sorting Out Solar PV Downstream M&A

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:30:00 GMT

The volatile swings seen in the upstream part of the solar PV supply chain, from silicon to cell/module pricing, have been well documented. End-market demand and associated policies supporting it is also a roller coaster, with many key regions currently embroiled in what to do for 2012 and beyond.

Asia Report: DOC Extends Solar Trade Case Deadline to March 2

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:43:33 GMT

Solar players on both sides of the Pacific have been warily anticipating the Feb. 13 deadline when the Department of Commerce was set to announce whether it would impose duties on solar cells and modules coming in from China.

Psst! Solar Fred Marketing Tip: Film Your Solar Projects in Time Lapse

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:39:59 GMT

I have no idea why people love time-lapse videos. Our eyes are certainly attracted to things that move quickly, and for some reason it’s fun to see people in hardhats and machines building a solar project from nothing, condensing days or weeks into minutes. Below are two recent time-lapse solar videos that I saw on Twitter. Both are large

Survey Reveals Customers' Wish List for PV Inverter Improvements

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:20:42 GMT

System-level monitoring, continued adoption of string inverters for large PV installs, and improvements by Chinese suppliers are among the trends gleaned from a survey of inverter buyers & sellers.

Think Ink for Increased Efficiency

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:05:00 GMT

One dollar per watt: that's the mark the solar industry is hoping to hit in order to become cost-competitive with conventional energies. In a bid to reach this magic number in the next two years, various Asian manufacturers are striving to reduce costs by increasing volume production. An alternative direction that will benefit the industry in the long term is to target increased efficiencies primarily through new manufacturing processes, new higher-quality materials for metallization and changing the structure of the cell. Nanotechnology companies have developed these new materials and processes that enable manufacturers to both increase quality and lower-cost production, bringing the era of solar grid parity closer than ever before.