Solar Energy Technology & Other Alternative Energy Technologies

Sharp experts have managed to increase the efficiency of energy conversion in a photovoltaic device up to 35.8%.
The Japanese company reported that this index is the record-breaking one among other cells not using solar radiation concentrators.
The new photocell is consisting of three photo-absorption layers. The lower layer is almost always made of Germanium, this way simplifying the manufacturing. At the same time Germanium prevents from high efficiency, that’s why the Japanese engineers used InGaAs (indium gallium arsenide).
Having formed a high InGaAs crystallinity layer the developers placed GaAs and InGaP layers on top of it. As a result the energy conversion efficiency, making up to 31.5% in previous Sharp’s cell models, has been increased to 35.8%.

German solar cell companies are threatened with bankruptcy. Their revenues are close to zero, because as a result of crisis the demand for solar cells dropped drastically. Although households consider solar cells worth investing in, investment organizations are not interested in this field.
Today solar energy, generated in Germany, constitutes 1 per cent of the total country’s energy mix, although this branch is being sponsored by the government. The situation is worsened by the fact that new center-right coalition government is more interested in preserving nuclear reactors rather than in development of solar energy. The German producers’ business is undermined by Chinese competitors, who keep conquering new markets.
Still, Germany and Spain remain world leaders in using solar energy – they receive 4,000 and 600 MW of solar energy correspondingly. However, the Germans consider wind power to be the most prospective type of energy. In the nearest decades the country plans to build about thirty offshore windmills in Baltic and North seas. They are expected to generate about 11,000 MW of electricity per year.

According to the new national Japanese solar power program, companies in this country will pay 9 billion yen more for electricity in order to stimulate the development of renewable energy technologies.
Japanese Trade Ministry report admits that the government will oblige all Japanese companies to purchase excessive amount of energy and pay the double price to help installing solar panels. This program will be implemented in November; however the customers of country’s major electricity generators will start paying twice as much as they used to in April.
Such decision of the Japanese government was hinted by similar programs in Spain and Germany, which are designed to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gas and minimize the negative effect on the environment. This plant will reduce the expenses on solar panel installation and allow Japanese energy companies to increase their output of solar energy 40-fold by the year 2030.
In accordance with the plan of the Japanese trade ministry, country’s households (having less that 10 kW capacity) are going to pay approximately 30 yen / month more and this quantity will soon rise to about 90 yen. As for the business units, the increase for them makes up to 24 yen per kilowatts-hour.

Meridian Energy Ltd., New Zealand’s national energy company, covering about 30% of nation’s total energy requirements, reported about the purchase of a solar power plant in the US, and will be using it to develop New Zealand’s potential, as well as to influence and be aware of the changes in the renewable energy market in the States. According to the company’s officials, the plant cost Meridian Energy Ltd. about $5.4 and it includes a 5 MW capacity plant in California, that’s going to be commissioned into new ownership by the end of this year.
Meridian Energy Ltd. has made a deal with San Francisco- based company Pacific Gas & Electricity Co., and, according to the contract, all the energy generated by this Californian plant will be purchased by Meridian’s new partner.
Currently Meridian Energy Ltd. is starting to explore the possibilities of opening solar power utilities on some of the Pacific Islands, where diesel power plants are still prevailing.
Company’s officials say this purchase will help them gain useful experience necessary for the expansion on Pacific islands and Australia, as well as on the territory of the New Zealand. Another important benefit the company received from buying American solar power plant is a grip in the US market, allowing it to explore new investment opportunities there.
Being a national electricity company Meridian owns also wind and hydro power facilities, capable to provide electricity to approximately 200 thousand customers all over New Zealand.

International Airport in Denver plans to invest about $7 million in construction of a solar power plant, able to cover the energy needs of airport’s systems of fuel storage and distribution. This system will be an addition to the airport’s 2MW photovoltaic system, situated close to the terminal.
The managers of the airport are planning to make a deal with two companies, which are going to construct a 1.6 MW plant and all they need is the permission from the City Council. They are willing to allocate 9 acres of airport’s land for the project.
The amount of electricity bought from these companies will almost fully cover the energy need of the fuel farm, situated in the airport. This energy will be bought with a 10% discount from the commercial price.
If the airport gets the Council approval, the project will be finished by the end of the year.

EPV Solar, Inc company is one of the leaders in production of solar panels and even won the award of Clean Energy Manufacturer of the Year in New Jersey, where it’s based.
EPV Solar, Inc is using Kramer Industries blasting medium in its production, blasting away a clean edge on the modules’ surfaces with the help of Kramer Industries’ aluminum oxide granulates, that are perfect for the EPV. Such edge isolation involves filling glass panels with silicone and blasting a 10 mm edge clean before the panels are encapsulated.
Kramer Industries officials claim they are happy their company is making such a contribution in the development of a company doing business in renewable energy technologies, which has a significant potential and is able to inspire other businesses in this field.
Being one of the most considerable producers of blasting and tumbling media, Kramer Industries Company often consults its buyers on how to make the most of their products in the process of manufacturing. As for the blasting media the company produces, it is a compilation of great variety of dry abrasive materials, like crushed glass and glass beads, silicon carbide, pumice, corn cob grit, plastic, steel and walnut shell grit, and, of course aluminum oxide, which possesses the ideal abrasiveness to cut the surfaces.
Thin-film amorphous solar modules, produced by EPV Solar, Inc., are being marketed by the company throughout the world. There is a constant demand for this product in different countries and the company is expecting a stable growth in the future.
As for Kramer Industries, it offers a great variety of blasting media for various stages of production. It has a full range of equipment, starting from barrel tumblers to blasting systems and is supplying its equipment to cleaning companies and workers all over the world.

California Edison Company made an agreement with First Solar Company that is planning to build solar power plants in Arizona. Southern California Edison has agreed to buy electricity to cover the needs of about 170 thousand households.
The projects to be built will have the capacity of 550 MW of photovoltaic electricity comparing to natural gas plants with the capacity of approximately 1,000 MW. The construction of the first of two plants with the capacity of 250 MW will start in 2012 in Arizona Riverside County, and the construction of second plant will start in 2013 in San Bernardino County on the northern east of Arizona. Due to the construction of the two plants, which is planned to finish by the end of 2015, the state will receive hundreds of workplaces for builders.

As for the financial conditions of the deal, Southern California Edison didn’t disclose any numbers, however it is reported that by the time the construction ends First Solar will have sold the two plants to investors.

Edison agreed to participate in this deal to approach the 2010 state standards or generating 20 percent of energy from renewable sources. By 2030 this amount will rise up to 33 percent. Last year the company generated 16 percent of renewable energy, and about 65 percent of total amount of country’s solar energy.

As for meeting the 20% standard, Edison officials say they will easily derive this amount of energy from renewables; however they are not sure whether they can deliver it to customers, because of transmission problems, so it’s possible, the company won’t be able to meet the standards by 2010.

Meanwhile, Edison’s partner, First Solar is one of the leaders of photovoltaic energy production leaving all its competitors behind due to lower cost of production. The yield First Solar is going to get from the deal with Edison is estimated in $1.3 billion. The yearly revenues of First Solar are increasing significantly during the last couple of years, which makes this company very attractive to the investors.