Solar PV market trends expected to change

This was the outcome of the discussions of a group of top-level international experts on the solar PV industry worldwide, as part of Solar Plaza's Global Demand Conference, held under the umbrella of Valencia's 23rd European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference.

29/9/2008

Most participants agreed that trends are going to change in the industry. The most important finding is the fact that panel shortages seem to belong to the past, which will probably mean that solar panels are going to start a continuous drop leading to grid parity in numerous markets. The experts also pointed out that while European countries compete for the most attractive subsidy scheme, China, India and the US are trying to keep costs as low as possible. 

 

The conclusions regarding each national market are as follow:

 

Italy:

Some administrative barriers are still a barrier to faster growth in the solar PV market. 2008 will probably see 150 MW, with installed capacity roughly doubling for each of the next two years. Most of the solar PV facilities in the country are still smaller than 20 kW.

 

Greece:

The market development will strongly depend on the complexity of the new law, which is currently being discussed. Analysts expect the market to be at least ten times bigger in a couple of years (from a modest 10 MW expected for 2008).

 

France:

The French market is moving from the islands to the mainland. Currently the government and the industry are negotiating an increase in the rooftop tariff. The current goal is 1.1 GW by 2012 and 4.9 GW for 2020, even though the market last year was only 45 MW.

 

Spain:

Although at the time the conference was celebrated it was not known what the outcome of the new legislation was, everybody guessed that the government would introduce some last-minute change. They were right. Last Friday the new law was passed with better-than-expected feed-in-tariff and cap, which means that the country will from now on grow at moderate levels, reaching 10 GW by 2020, according to the government's goals.

 

Germany:

The government has just decided to lower the feed-in tariff. The market size for 2008 is estimated at 1,375 MW, up from 1,100 MW last year. The Germans have been able to keep on growing despite lower subsidies thanks to great drops in the price of systems.

 

United States:

Barak or McCain? The upcoming elections will naturally have a great influence on the market, which reached 305 MW in 2007 and is expected to hit 400 MW this year. Last week new tax breaks were approved, which means that the market will probably grow rapidly next year, once the uncertainty has been eliminated.

 

And outside the SolarPlaza event, it is worth mentioning the following markets:

 

Portugal:

According to the government, the yearly growth will be around 20% after having passed the latest legislation, one of the most favorable of the world. This year, the country will see a huge 42 MW plant being connected, representing most of the solar power connected this year in the country.

 

Austria:
The country launched its solar PV support program just this year. However, only 4 MW have been accepted, and analysts are expecting a new law soon.

 

United Kingdom:

Rumors point out that the British government might launch a feed-in tariff similar to the ones in Germany and Spain. The market is still tiny, with 2.7 MW connected in 2007 and around 10 MW in the current year.

 

Switzlerland:

The new, highly limiting legislation will only allow 4 MW per year, from the 6.5 MW installed last year. It will be applicable from 2010, reason why 2009 might still see a reasonable capacity installed.

Belgium:
Solar PV is popular in the country, with a capacity of 14 MW in 2007, and an estimated 20 - 25 MW expected for 2008. Several different programs are in place supporting solar energy in the country.

 

Canada:

The Canadian market is one of the most promising ones in the world. It only had 13.3 MW in 2007, but it is expected to have 20 MW this year and between 100 - 300 MW by 2010. They definitely have land for those amounts and more!

Australia:

They had 20 MW in 2007, and analysts expect the market to double this year. Together with Canada, it is one of the countries with the largest potential in the mid term.

If Congress Extends ITC, 440,000 Solar Jobs Will Be Created, Study Says

17 September 2008

by Jennifer Runyon, Managing Editor

Washington, DC, United States [RenewableEnergyWorld.com]

Navigant Consulting released the results of its new economic study this week indicating that more than 1.2 million employment opportunities and US $232 billion in investment would be supported by the U.S. solar energy sector alone through 2016 if Congress extends the solar investment tax credit (ITC) for 8 years.

"An 8-year extension of the ITC would allow the market to maintain or possibly exceed its current growth rate."
-- Jay Paidipati, Managing Consultant, Navigant Consulting

For the study, Navigant Consulting estimated the impact that extending the tax credits would have on solar industry domestic employment and domestic investment using data from the three major forms of solar energy technology: Photovoltaic (PV), Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) and Solar Water Heating (SWH).

"By extending the solar investment tax credits, Congress can provide an immediate boost to the floundering U.S. economy by creating hundreds of thousands of jobs and injecting billions of dollars of new investment capital into the economy, while at the same time driving down energy costs for consumers," said Rhone Resch, president of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), based in Washington, D.C.

"The solar energy industry creates jobs that are the foundation of our economy — jobs for manufacturers, construction workers, engineers, roofers, electricians and plumbers. These jobs are needed now and Congress is in a position to extend the ITC and ensure that these jobs are created here in the U.S."

According to the study, by 2016, the solar energy industry would create 440,000 permanent U.S. jobs with much of the direct growth occurring in domestic manufacturing, construction and the trades. This figure reveals the strength of the solar job creation engine when compared to the current 79,000 direct employees of the coal mining industry and the 136,000 direct employees in oil and gas extraction.

"There is the potential to create significant U.S. employment and investment opportunities," said Jay Paidipati, Managing Consultant at Navigant Consulting. "An 8-year extension of the ITC would allow the market to maintain or possibly exceed its current growth rate."

Since many solar energy components are manufactured near the markets the industry serves, extending the ITC would create manufacturing and installation jobs in all 50 states, with California, Florida, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, New Jersey, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon and Washington as the states most likely to see the largest economic boost. In some states, the number of jobs could grow as much as 300% or more.

Similarly, the economies of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio and the rest of the Great Lakes region would grow significantly from solar energy if Congress passes the ITC extension, according to a press release issued by SEIA. With the recent decline in automotive and traditional manufacturing jobs that has hit these areas, an economic boost would be a welcome change.

"We strongly urge Congress to seize this opportunity to extend the solar investment tax credit for 8 years now before leaving for the campaign trail," said Resch.

The Navigant study also pointed out that the solar industry creates high quality domestic jobs. The greatest growth will occur in new manufacturing, construction, and engineering jobs, and in the roofing, electrical, and plumbing trades.

Beside jobs, its is estimated in the report that should Congress pass an 8-year extension of the 30% ITC, solar energy could produce 28 gigawatts (GW) of power by 2016, which is 19 GW more than is expected to be installed should the ITC not pass, according to the study.

Navigant also pointed out that 84,000 U.S. jobs were lost in just in August 2008, with 39,000 of those in the auto-making industry alone. The additional 440,000 jobs that would be created in the solar industry if an 8-year extension of the ITC passes would go a long way toward rebuilding a struggling American economy.

Click here to access the 79-slide presentation of the full Navigant Consulting report, "Economic Impacts of Extending Federal Solar Tax Credits."

Last night, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that includes ITC extensions, however the Senate is not expected to enter into debate on this version of the bill and is instead working on crafting its own bill that may include its own version of ITC extenders.  (See accompanying news story.)

Mitsubishi Corporation Announces Large-scale Photovoltaic (PV) Demonstration Project in Brunei Darussalam

Tokyo, Aug 14, 2008 - (JCN Newswire) - A Memorandum of Understanding
has been signed between the Energy Division, Prime Minister's Office
(EDPMO) and Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) to jointly carry out a
large-scale PV demonstration project in Brunei Darussalam.

In this demonstration project, a PV system with nominal capacity of
1.2 MW, currently the largest in South-East Asia, will be installed at
Seria Power Station in Belait District. With the utilization of this
PV system, EDPMO, the Department of Electrical Services and MC will
jointly carry out verification tests and evaluations over a period of
three (3) years after commissioning. This will be the first
installment of a large-scale PV system in Brunei Darussalam.

Brunei Darussalam is aiming to diversify energy supply sources by
introducing renewable energy, of which PV is regarded as one of the
most promising sources.

This demonstration project is one of MC's CSR activities in Brunei
Darussalam and the company will provide capital, knowledge, and
support for human resources development in the field of PV for the
implementation of the project, with a view to helping the facilitation
of PV in Brunei Darussalam. Data and know-how gained through the
project will contribute to the future diffusion and practical use of
PV in Brunei Darussalam.

Overview of Tenaga Suria Brunei (Brunei Solar Power in English)

PV system specifications:

a) Nominal output capacity: 1.2MW
b) Types of solar modules: several different types of PV modules to be
installed, such as crystalline silicon and thin-films
c) Location: Seria Power Station in Seria, Brunei Darussalam
d) Associated facilities: PR & education facilities regarding PV

Scope of the demonstration project:
a) Design and installment of a large-scale PV system with nominal
output capacity
of 1.2 MW
b) Verification tests and evaluations with the utilization of the PV system
- To evaluate characteristics of several types of PV modules under the
meteorological conditions in Brunei Darussalam
- To demonstrate the grid-connection of a large-scale PV system
c) Technical assistance in the operation and maintenance of the PV system
d) Human resources development in the field of PV
e) Seminar on PV and other renewable energy

Anticipated timeline:
- August 2008 Commencement of detailed design
- From 2010 Operation, verification tests and evaluations of the PV
system (for a period of three years)

Mitsubishi Corporation

Mitsubishi Corporation (TSE: 8058; ADR: MSBHY) is Japan's largest
general trading company (sogo shosha) with over 200 bases of
operations in approximately 80 countries worldwide. Together with its
over 500 group companies, Mitsubishi Corporation employs a
multinational workforce approximately 55,000 people. The Group has
long been engaged in business with customers around the world in
virtually every industry, including energy, metals, machinery,
chemicals, food and general merchandise. Mitsubishi Corporation's
commitment to social responsibility is embodied in its corporate
philosophy and demonstrated through its extensive programme of
cultural, environmental and educational projects worldwide. For more
information, please visit www.mitsubishicorp.com .

Explosive Growth Reshuffles Top 10 Solar Ranking

12 September 2008

by Dr. Paula Doe, Contributing Editor, Solid-State Technology

The explosion of photovoltaics production across the globe completely reshuffled the top companies in Nomura Securities' annual ranking of the leading companies, knocking long established Japanese players out of the top spots and putting four Asian suppliers in the Top 10. Japan's leading solar companies outline their strategies for this changing market in this report from SST partner Nikkei Microdevices.

"With a plentiful supply of silicon available again, and revolutionary new technologies ready for market, 2010-2011 will be a crucial turning point. Companies who miss this window of opportunity will lose out to the competition."

-- says Yuichi Kuroda, Director of Planning, Showa Shell Solar

Fast growing Q-Cells AG became the world's largest solar cell maker in 2007, producing nearly 400 megawatts (MW) worth of product. Longtime solar industry leader Sharp found itself in second place as production slipped to roughly 370 MW, which the company blamed on a constrained supply of silicon. China's Suntech was close behind the leaders with more than 300 MW output, pushing Kyocera and its 200 MW to a distant third.

Four new companies jumped into the top ranks. CdTe-cell maker First Solar debuted at fifth place, the only US-based and only thin-film supplier on the list. Asian players Motech Industries (Taiwan), Yingli Green Energy (China), and JA Solar Holdings (China/Australia) rounded out the rankings, pushing aside some long-established players like Mitsubishi Electric, Schott AG, and BP Solar (see Figure 1, below).

Nomura notes that Japan's overall share of the solar cell market, at 50% a few years ago, is now down to about 20% and could well slip to 15% in the next few years as the rest of the world ramps up solar-cell production.

Figure 1: Big growth in solar market shakes up top 10 ranking. (Source: Nomura Securities, Nikkei Microdevices)

The major Japanese suppliers are aiming for major growth of their own in the next two years, with big expansions in capacity — on the gigawatt scale at Sharp and Showa Shell Solar KK — and on new technologies they say will significantly improve efficiency. "The next two years will determine the winners," AIST Research Center for Photovoltaics director Michio Kondo told Nikkei Microdevices. "Later entrants won't be able to catch up to those who put an all out effort now into technology and scale and speed. A year from now will be too late."

Sharp's comeback strategy is a major ramp of production capacity in both crystalline and thin-film cells, and an expansion across the entire solar value chain, to assure capturing the highest value-added parts of the business and the high value of integrating the whole system, reports Tetsuro Muramatsu, GM of the company's solar systems group. He says Sharp plans 1 gigawatt (GW) of capacity for crystalline cells and another 1 GW of capacity of thin-film cells by 2010, counting on the economies-of-scale from the high-volume production to reduce costs enough to bring solar electricity down to close to the target $0.21/kWh.

Sharp figures the solar cells or modules themselves account for only 25% (for x-Si) to 40% (thin-film) of the added value of the finished total system, with materials as much as 20% (x-Si), and systems and engineering another 35%-40%. Accordingly, the firm has in recent months started its expansion across the value chain by forming a company to develop solar production equipment with Tokyo Electron, by signing on to solar power production deals with utilities in Japan and Italy, and by investing in developing large-capacity, low-cost storage batteries for solar systems through Japanese Li-ion venture ELIIY Power. The company eyes bringing solar systems to regions of the world with no electrical grid with government supported lease financing.

Crystalline silicon has led the way for solar PV, but future solar growth will mostly come from thin-film. (Source: Mizuho Securities, Nikkei Microdevices)

Also planning to ramp to 1 GW capacity by 2011 is Showa Shell Solar, which currently makes only 20 MW a year of its CIS thin-film cells. A second planned plant will bring total capacity to 60 MW by next year, and another much bigger plant will reach 1 GW by 2011, targeting as well a jump to 10%-12% CIS efficiency. The economies-of-scale of high-volume production will mean lower materials and facilities costs, argues director of planning Yuichi Kuroda. "Overseas rivals are moving towards gigawatt scale plants," he notes. "If we don't outpace them, we'll lose out." Showa Shell has so far relied on equipment it designed in-house, but to speed up development of better deposition technology for higher-efficiency film it is developing a next-generation high-volume tool set jointly with Ulvac.

Contributing to the rapid industry ramp-up of capacity are new players buying turnkey thin-film deposition lines from Applied Materials, Oerlikon Balzers, or Ulvac. Applied says it had contracted for sales totaling 1.7 GW of capacity across 10 customers as of June. Ulvac's Yoshio Sunaga, senior managing director and chief director of the FPD business, says it has orders for 217.5 MW worth, from NexPower Technology, Sunner Solar, China Solar Power, and another Chinese and another Korean customer, who altogether plan future expansions of 650 MW more. Ulvac is just starting to expand its marketing to Europe, India, and the Middle East. Sunaga reports Ulvac has installed capacity to produce 600 MW/year worth of tools at its Tohoku facility.

The initial turnkey lines have gotten up and running in a quick 16-19 months. Taiwan's NexPower ordered 37.5 MW capacity from Ulvac in March 2007 and started shipping 6.5% efficient cells in June 2008. Moser Baer Photovoltaic ordered 40 MW capacity from Applied in March 2007, started initial production in July 2008, and plans to start shipping product in September.

Big Japanese solar suppliers add thin film, high-efficiency x-Si capacity. (Source: Nikkei Microdevices)

Some question, however, how a company can distinguish itself in the long term if it makes the same product with the same turnkey production line as its competitors. NexPower president Semi Wang told Nikkei Microdevices his company planned to find its own ways to improve its future production lines itself to reduce costs, with its own developments and with equipment from other companies. Kaneka's Mikio Hatta, managing executive officer of the solar energy division, questions how producers making 6%-7% efficient cells on turnkey lines can compete with the 10%-11% efficient cells his company makes with equipment it developed itself.

Other major players Sanyo Electric, Kyocera, Mitsubishi Electric, Kaneka, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries plan more modest capacity expansions over the next few years, concentrating instead primarily on developing their proprietary new technologies to make higher-efficiency cells at lower cost, often relying initially on specialty equipment developed in-house.

Kyocera and Mitsubishi Electric each plan to expand to 500 MW annual capacity for crystalline solar cells by 2010-2012, noting their growth plans are limited primarily by the amount of silicon they expect to be able to obtain. Both companies say they have no plans to start thin-film production in the foreseeable future, though both are continuing research efforts. Instead, they count on significantly improved efficiencies from new x-Si technologies. Kyocera solar energy marketing manager Ichiro Ikeda says his company plans to start production in April 2009 of its back-contact cells, which are now getting 18.5% efficiency in the lab. Solar systems manager Satoshi Ikeda reports Mitsubishi Electric plans volume production in 2010 of its honeycomb cells, currently with R&D efficiency of 18.6%.

"With a plentiful supply of silicon available again, and revolutionary new technologies ready for market, 2010-2011 will be a crucial turning point," says Showa Shell Solar's Kuroda. "Companies who miss this window of opportunity will lose out to the competition."

Dr. Paula Doe is a contributing editor for Solid-State Technology.

Nanowire battery can hold 10 times the charge of existing lithium-ion battery

Stanford Report, December 18, 2007

BY DAN STOBER

Courtesy Nature Nanotechnology

Photos taken by a scanning electron microscope of silicon nanowires before (left) and after (right) absorbing lithium. Both photos were taken at the same magnification. The work is described in "High-performance lithium battery anodes using silicon nanowires," published online Dec. 16 in Nature Nanotechnology.

Stanford researchers have found a way to use silicon nanowires to reinvent the rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that power laptops, iPods, video cameras, cell phones, and countless other devices.

The new technology, developed through research led by Yi Cui, assistant professor of materials science and engineering, produces 10 times the amount of electricity of existing lithium-ion, known as Li-ion, batteries. A laptop that now runs on battery for two hours could operate for 20 hours, a boon to ocean-hopping business travelers.

"It's not a small improvement," Cui said. "It's a revolutionary development."

The breakthrough is described in a paper, "High-performance lithium battery anodes using silicon nanowires," published online Dec. 16 in Nature Nanotechnology, written by Cui, his graduate chemistry student Candace Chan and five others.

The greatly expanded storage capacity could make Li-ion batteries attractive to electric car manufacturers. Cui suggested that they could also be used in homes or offices to store electricity generated by rooftop solar panels.

"Given the mature infrastructure behind silicon, this new technology can be pushed to real life quickly," Cui said.

The electrical storage capacity of a Li-ion battery is limited by how much lithium can be held in the battery's anode, which is typically made of carbon. Silicon has a much higher capacity than carbon, but also has a drawback.

Silicon placed in a battery swells as it absorbs positively charged lithium atoms during charging, then shrinks during use (i.e., when playing your iPod) as the lithium is drawn out of the silicon. This expand/shrink cycle typically causes the silicon (often in the form of particles or a thin film) to pulverize, degrading the performance of the battery.

Cui's battery gets around this problem with nanotechnology. The lithium is stored in a forest of tiny silicon nanowires, each with a diameter one-thousandth the thickness of a sheet of paper. The nanowires inflate four times their normal size as they soak up lithium. But, unlike other silicon shapes, they do not fracture.

Research on silicon in batteries began three decades ago. Chan explained: "The people kind of gave up on it because the capacity wasn't high enough and the cycle life wasn't good enough. And it was just because of the shape they were using. It was just too big, and they couldn't undergo the volume changes."

Then, along came silicon nanowires. "We just kind of put them together," Chan said.

For their experiments, Chan grew the nanowires on a stainless steel substrate, providing an excellent electrical connection. "It was a fantastic moment when Candace told me it was working," Cui said.

Cui said that a patent application has been filed. He is considering formation of a company or an agreement with a battery manufacturer. Manufacturing the nanowire batteries would require "one or two different steps, but the process can certainly be scaled up," he added. "It's a well understood process."

Also contributing to the paper in Nature Nanotechnology were Halin Peng and Robert A. Huggins of Materials Science and Engineering at Stanford, Gao Liu of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and Kevin McIlwrath and Xiao Feng Zhang of the electron microscope division of Hitachi High Technologies in Pleasanton, Calif.

SunPower to build 1GW scale fab in Malaysia

19 May 2008

SunPower plans to be the first silicon wafer-based photovoltaic producer to built and ramp a single 1GW facility with the announcement that it will start construction of Fab 3 in Malaysia later in 2008. The two-phase capacity expansion will see the first phase come on-stream in 2010 with 14 solar cell production lines with a nameplate capacity of 40 megawatts each. Phase two will see Fab 3 top 1GW in annual capacity, according to SunPower.

"The scale and breadth of our Fab 3 campus in Malaysia will be a core element of our technology and manufacturing roadmap that drives us to our 50 percent cost reduction plan by 2012," said Tom Werner, CEO of SunPower Corp. "Malaysia offers us highly educated workers, a receptive business investment climate and the opportunity to significantly expand our production as the demand for our solar systems continues to escalate worldwide."

"We view SunPower as a technology leader in the dynamic and rapidly growing solar industry," said Datuk R. Karunakaran, Director General for the Malaysian Industrial Development Authority. "We are excited with SunPower's decision to invest in our country to manufacture its high-efficiency solar cells and panels, and we look forward to supporting its growth."

Initial production at Fab 3, phase one will utilize SunPower's Gen 2 solar cell technology, with Gen 3 following when ready, the company said.

Silicon vs. CIGS: With solar energy, the issue is material

Silicon or CIGS. In the solar world, them's fightin' words.

The booming solar industry is in the midst of an argument over which material will become dominant in the future for harvesting sunlight and turning it into electricity. Solar panels made from crystalline silicon currently account for more than 90 percent of the solar infrastructure today.

Unfortunately, silicon panels remain relatively expensive to make. Without subsidies, it's still cheaper to get electricity from the grid. A two-year shortage of polysilicon, which may not ease until 2008, has severely limited growth and sales.

Panels that harvest energy with CIGS (copper indium gallium selenide) cost far less to make and install, say backers. The material can be sprayed onto foil, plastic or glass or incorporated into cement and other building materials. Conceivably, the entire exterior of a house or building could become a solar generator.

CIGS also doesn't degrade in sunlight like other thin-film technologies.

"The smartest investors are going short on silicon and long on thin film, especially CIGS," said Martin Roscheisen, CEO of Nanosolar, a start-up that has received $100 million in venture funds to build a plant capable of producing 430 megawatts-worth of CIGS panels.

"The semiconductor is 100 times thinner. We combine low-cost materials with low-cost processes. The expenses on silicon are extremely high."

A huge vote of confidence in CIGS came earlier this year when Shell, one of the largest solar companies in the world, sold its silicon solar business to focus on developing CIGS.

So if CIGS is so good, why isn't there more of it out there? Mind share.

Silicon has become one of the most studied materials ever discovered, and advances in reducing processing time and manufacturing that were discovered in the semiconductor world rebound directly to silicon solar-cell manufacturers. Other alternatives--solar thermal energy, photovoltaic dyes--have failed to undercut it in functionality and cost.

"Silicon has a reliability record which is unmatched by any other material," said T.J. Rodgers, CEO of Cypress Semiconductor, which is the primary stockholder in the fast-growing silicon panel maker SunPower.

"They could rename the company NanoDollar, because that's all they are going to be left with after we get done kicking their butt," Rodgers said referring to Nanosolar.

"The smartest investors are going short on silicon and long on thin film, especially CIGS."

--Martin Roscheisen, CEO of Nanosolar

He's got a point. Back in the early 1990s, CIGS was emerging as an alternative to silicon, but the declining price of silicon snuffed out the movement.

"The three most studied materials in history are steel, cement and silicon, so they have a leg up on us there," acknowledged B.J. Stanberry, CEO of CIGS developer HelioVolt. "I'd say you're a fool if you predicted the imminent death of silicon. But their inability to deliver is creating an opportunity for thin film, and CIGS will have a significant portion of the market within 10 years."

With demand cranking up to an all-time high for solar technology, the two types of panels will likely co-exist for years--especially considering the miniscule role solar plays now in generating electricity, according to various estimates, and that demand is expected to double by 2025. Solar accounts for less than 0.10 percent of the current total.

Nonetheless, growing momentum for one technology among researchers, equipment makers and, ultimately, customers could pave the way for one to become dominant over the other.

Similar debates weighing promise against pragmatism have occurred in chipmaking. Gallium, indium and germanium have also been used to produce superfast semiconductors, but the higher costs associated with these materials have kept them toward the margins in the market.

Silicon hits and misses

Silicon, even its adherents admit, is not ideal. Theoretically, silicon is capable of converting 29 percent of the sunlight that strikes it into electricity, according to Dick Swanson, a former Stanford professor who founded SunPower.

"That imagines a cell that is perfect in every possible way. That would be without any energy losses or leaks other than those demanded by the physics of silicon," Swanson said. "The practical limit, most say it is around 25 percent to 26 percent."

SunPower already sells panels that convert an average of 20 percent of the sunlight into electricity and will come out later this year with panels that will convert 22 percent. The high efficiency is due to the design of the company's panels. SunPower puts the electrical contacts at the back (or bottom) of the panel to increase surface area. The silicon also sits atop a reflective layer: Photos that would otherwise pass through the panel entirely are bounced back into it and effectively recycled.

Solar Energy can bring clean energy to over 4 billion people by 2030

Solar electricity can contribute largely to the energy needs of two-thirds of the world's population - including those in remote areas - by 2030. This is the main conclusion of the Solar Generation report, published by Greenpeace and the European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA) today. (1/9/2008)

"Solar photovoltaic electricity has the potential to supply energy to over 4 billion people by 2030 if adequate policy measures are put in place today," said Ernesto Macias, EPIA President, as the report was presented at a major conference on photovoltaic (PV) energy in Spain.  

Now in its fifth edition, Solar Generation confirms the impressive growth of the solar energy sector and demonstrates its potential of becoming a global energy contributor. By 2030, it estimates that over 1800 GW of photovoltaic systems will have been installed worldwide. This represents over 2600 TWh of electricity produced per year, or 14% of global electricity demand. This is enough power to supply over 1.3 billion people in developed areas and over 3 billion people in remote rural areas who currently have no access to mains electricity.   

"Solar electricity could help cut up to 1.6 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions by 2030, equivalent to the emissions of 450 coal-fired power plants," said Sven Teske, energy expert from Greenpeace International and co-author of the study. "Tackling climate change requires a revolution in the way we produce and use energy – solar is a major part of this solution." 

The Solar Generation scenario also shows how solar electricity will contribute towards creating green-collar jobs. Currently, almost 120,000 people are employed in this sector; most of the jobs - involving the installation, maintenance and sale of PV systems - are created locally and boost local economies. In 2020, over 2 million people are expected to be working in the sector. By 2030, employment in the sector could account for almost 10 million people worldwide.  

Today, the majority of installed PV systems benefit from well-designed grant support, in particular the feed-in tariff mechanism. This provides fair remuneration to the investor, and rewards the effort made in investing in a clean energy source. Solar energy is becoming more economically viable and should become cost-competitive with conventional energy by 2015 in southern European countries and by 2020 across most of Europe.  

The future renewable energy sources Directive at EU level is expected to reinforce the current legal framework and could facilitate the implementation of the feed-in tariff scheme throughout Europe. "The ball is now in the hands of European decision-makers who can take the opportunity this new Directive presents to show Europe's leadership in the development of renewable energy sources," Macias concluded.

Solar PV industry substantially revises its target to supply 12% of European electricity demand by 2020

Competitiveness with retail electricity prices will be achieved earlier than expected in major energy markets. Industry is committed to increasing investment to accelerate cost reductions provided that appropriate political support is ensured in the individual member states, in harmony with the European framework, until competitiveness is reached.

6/9/2008

Over 4000 scientists and 750 companies gathered this week in Valencia to present significant innovations in the field of solar photovoltaic energy.

EPIA, The European Photovoltaic Industry Association gathered together, on the 2nd of September the 50 top CEOs of the industry in an exclusive meeting to redefine industry objectives in the light of recent technology progress and the context of rising energy prices. The industry unanimously agreed that photovoltaic energy could provide 12% of European electricity demand by 2020. The evolution of solar photovoltaic technology will be quicker than previously announced.

Grid parity (competitiveness with retail electricity prices) will be reached progressively from 2010 onwards in several European markets. Countries with the highest solar irradiation and higher electricity prices, such as Italy and Spain have the potential to reach grid parity starting in 2010 and 2012, respectively. Grid parity will be reached in Germany in 2015 and cover progressively most other EU countries up until 2020.

Grid parity means that, for consumers, photovoltaic electricity will be cheaper than the expected retail electricity price. Photovoltaic electricity will become the most economic choice in grid parity markets.

The industry is committed to increasing investment levels to accelerate cost reductions, provided that the appropriate political framework is in place:

-       Appropriate Feed-in Tariffs bridging the crucial period until grid parity is reached,

-       Simplified administrative environment,

-       Priority access to the grid,

-       Implementation of the ambitious Strategic Energy Technology plan (SET Plan) at European level to boost Research, Development and Deployment efforts.

EPIA will initiate consultation with other renewable technologies in order to coordinate efforts within a global renewable scenario. The target of 20% renewables in the European end energy mix by 2020 may be exceeded under such a cooperation scenario.

More clean and distributed solar electricity means more local jobs across European regions. Additionally, new export opportunities will be created due to competitiveness being reached even quicker in emerging and developing countries, given higher solar irradiation.

Mr Ernesto Macías, EPIA President and Communication General Manager at Isofoton, is calling for "common efforts of the photovoltaic sector to make this technology a real solution to global energy challenge. I urge the Spanish Government to remain supportive to the photovoltaic sector in a sustainable way".

For additional information:

www.epia.org