No one loves the sun as much as the president of the United States and his energy secretary. Dr Steven Chu took up President Barack Obama's appointment as US Secretary of Energy in 2009 and has since either re-stated existing federal commitments to solar or made fresh commitments to the technology.
Manz showcased its new equipment for wet-chemical processing of crystalline silicon solar cells at SNEC 2012 in Shanghai this May. The IPSG CEI 4800 is designed for chemical edge isolation (CEI) and phosphor silicate glass (PSG) post process removal. The tool is capable of handing 4800 wafers per hour and sold as a bundle with the Manz SpeedPicker for loading and unloading.
This article provides an analysis of global installations/demand and global production/supply according to regions and technologies. The evaluated timeframe includes years 2010 and 2011. An outlook for 2012 is also provided on a best-estimate basis. Specifically, the implications of module shipments in 2011 and 2012(e) are presented. This is in line with an analysis of production capacities, their utilization rates and the corresponding impact on global profit margins.
As with previous eras of California gold-fever, solar developers might already have exhausted the mines packed with lucrative nuggets of large-scale utility projects. The numbers speak for themselves in the state's Renewable Portfolio Standard, which last year disappointed 94% of proposals from developers.
The US military is not where you'd expect to find America's greatest climate warriors wanting to save the planet. But it's where you will find the country's staunchest allies when it comes to support for renewable energy - because it saves lives. US Department of Defense is the highest consumer of energy in the world with a thirst for 300,000 barrels of oil a day. But reducing the DoD's carbon boot print from the barracks to the battlefield has become mission critical.
Konica Minolta Sensing Americas has introduced the AK-300 PV Reference Cell, which is claimed to be the world's first for dye-sensitized solar cells. The AK-300 was developed in conjunction with the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) and utilized Konica Minolta Sensing’s advanced optical filter technology. The reference cell has been designed using an optical filter mounted on a stable crystalline silicon solar cell rather than using traditional dye materials.
Teamtechnik is to debut its new stringer system at SNEC PV 2012. The ‘STRINGER TT1200 HS’ is claimed to solder crystalline solar cell strings in a 2.5 second cycle on just one track. Compared to its previous model throughput, it has been boosted by 200 cycles and is claimed to currently be the fastest single-track stringer system on the market.
Eyelit has made available its ‘Intelligence Mobile Web Portal,’ which provides operational information in real-time through tablet devices and smart phones using iPhone, Android, or BlackBerry technologies, enabling ‘anywhere access’ to key manufacturing and quality data from the manufacturing floor.
AlsoEnergy has developed several new reporting and collaboration enhancements to its cloud-based ‘PowerTrack’ Energy Management Services software. The newest features allow developers and investors in solar energy systems to create performance models and compare operation between sites and models to quickly detect underperforming components and generate better system returns.
DuPont Microcircuit Materials (MCM) has introduced ‘DuPont Solamet PV416’ photovoltaic metallization paste used to raise the efficiency of thin film photovoltaic cells. The front-side silver paste material has the capability to be processed at temperatures below 140°C, and is designed to provide improved contact resistance, conductivity, adhesion and fine line resolution when printed on Transparent Conductive Oxides (TCOs). The new paste has been claimed to have boosted CIGS thin-film manufacturer, Midsummer AB’s cell efficiencies by as much as 0.5%.
