Campus solar ligado à rede

Os sistemas fotovoltaicos do Campus Solar já estão ligados à rede eléctrica e a fornecer electricidade solar para as iluminações de natal.

Paint-on solar cells developed

Science daily
A team of researchers at the University of Notre Dame has made a major advance toward this vision by creating an inexpensive "solar paint" that uses semiconducting nanoparticles to produce energy.(...) [D]escribed in the journal ACS Nano, centered on nano-sized particles of titanium dioxide, which were coated with either cadmium sulfide or cadmium selenide. The particles were then suspended in a water-alcohol mixture to create a paste. When the paste was brushed onto a transparent conducting material and exposed to light, it created electricity. "The best light-to-energy conversion efficiency we've reached so far is 1 percent, which is well behind the usual 10 to 15 percent efficiency of commercial silicon solar cells,".

Full paper here.

Projecto português fomenta electricidade a custos reduzidos

Ciência Hoje
Um projecto inovador de produção de energia eléctrica através de células fotovoltaicas sensibilizadas com corante, liderado por Adélio Mendes, professor associado da Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto (FEUP), acaba de ser distinguido com o Prémio Solvay atribuído na área da engenharia química e ambiente pelo grupo Solvay Portugal e a Hovione. (...) Adélio Mendes adianta que estão já a ser fechadas algumas parcerias para financiar o fabrico deste produto, estando já a ser feito um protótipo industrial. O investigador aponta 2014 como o ano do lançamento do produto no mercado.

NREL achieves 114% external quantum efficiency with quantum dots

KW51
NREL states that it has reached an external quantum efficiency of 114% with sub-microscopic semiconductor crystals, also called quantum dots, photo-excited with photons from high-energy light. The results of the organization's research have been originally published in the December 16th, 2011 issue of Science Magazine [co-authored by Octavi E. Semonin, Joseph M. Luther, Sukgeun Choi, Hsiang-Yu Chen, Jianbo Gao, Arthur J. Nozik and Matthew C. Beard.](...) Researchers constructed the 114% external quantum efficiency cell from a layered PV cell consisting of anti-reflection coated glass, a thin layer of transparent conductor, a nano-structured zinc oxide layer, a quantum dot layer of lead selenide treated with ethanedithol and hydraizine, and a thin gold top electrode layer.
NREL states that the mechanism for producing a quantum efficiency greater than 100% is based on a process called Multiple Exciton Generation (MEG). In this process, a single high energy absorbed photon can produce more than one electron-hole pair per absorbed photon.
Here is the full article (for those with a Science subscription).

Solon insolvent

pv-magazine: Berlin-based Solon SE is the latest 2011 solar market victim, having announced yesterday evening that it has filed an application for the opening of insolvency proceedings. The company says that despite its efforts over the past few months to financially restructure its operations, which included holding discussions with investors, financial institutions and guarantors, "negotiations on an amicable solution failed".

Reuters: Solon's insolvency filing is likely to be followed by other high-profile German solar company failures, analysts said, as the blood-letting in the global industry intensifies. (...) Solar companies in Europe and the United States have been hit hard by a toxic mix of oversupply, falling prices, low-cost Asian competition and lower government subsidies on which the industry still depends. (...) Swiss bank Sarasin said in a recent study, published before Solon's filing, that Conergy and Q-Cells were among the German solar companies most exposed to the sector's crisis.

Solar Grid Parity Is Here Today

Greentech Media
The price of solar energy-generated electricity, calculated by a legitimate levelized cost of energy (LCOE) method, is now competitive in many regions with the price of electricity generated by conventional sources.

Paper: K. Branker, M.J.M. Pathak, J.M. Pearce, A review of solar photovoltaic levelized cost of electricity, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Volume 15, Issue 9, December 2011, Pages 4470-4482

Microinverter Wars: Enecsys and Enphase go Transatlantic

Greentech Media
The battle of the solar microinverters is heating up, and here’s one potential Trans-Atlantic match-up. On one side you’ve got U.S.-based Enphase, which has shipped 1 million microinverters at home and is planning an IPO. On Monday the Petaluma, Calif.-based startup announced that it’s invading Europe via France, Belgium and the Netherlands, where its devices have passed Continental standards and are ready to be installed. On the other side you’ve got Enecsys, a British startup with only tens of thousands of European solar rooftops carrying its microinverters, though it claims a big potential advantage in Germany. On Tuesday the startup announced a partnership that allows it to sell in Canada’s Ontario province’s lucrative solar market, its first big landing on North American shores.

Solar trade war - update

Businessweek - The U.S. International Trade Commission voted unanimously in Washington today in a preliminary ruling on the petition by Bonn-based SolarWorld calling for antidumping and countervailing duties. The commission will now proceed with a full investigation.

Reuters - China said it was "deeply concerned" about a preliminary ruling by a U.S. trade body that trade practices by Chinese solar makers are hurting U.S. producers and said the decision underscored a U.S. "inclination to trade protectionism."

Winners of the IDTechEx Energy Harvesting and WSN Awards

Energy Harvesting Journal
Nothing to do with PV but a home celebration anyway: David Pera and Pedro Gomes have been awarded the best academic poster award at the IDTechEx in Boston this November.
"Of the academic posters on show at the event, the winning poster was awarded to David Pera and Pedro Gomes of the University of Lisboa, for E-Turbine - Eolic Concentrator for Energy Harvesting in Highways and Urban Environments. One judge commented, Very new and innovative. Lots of applications.

For more information about the next IDTechEx awards on this topic, see www.IDTechEx.com/Boston

Silver-free heterojunction silicon solar cells

Imec news
At the 21st International Photovoltaic Science and Engineering Conference in Fukuoka, Japan, Kaneka and imec present silver-free heterojunction silicon solar cells. The results were obtained by applying copper electroplating technology, which was developed by Kaneka based on imec’s existing copper electroplating technology, A conversion efficiency of more than 21% was achieved in 6-inch silicon substrates with an electroplated copper contact grid on top of the transparent conductive oxide layer.

SCHOTT announces improved efficiencies with Quasimono wafers, PV cells using low-cost metal contacts

SolarServer
SCHOTT Solar AG (Mainz, Germany) has reached 19.9% efficiency with wafers made using its Quasimono wafers.
"With Quasimono, SCHOTT Solar has now developed a new technique for manufacturing full-square high-performance wafers that contain a high monocrystalline share that is significantly more cost-effective than the standard processes used in the past," declared SCHOTT in a press statement. (...) SCHOTT notes that the efficiencies that it has reached with PV cells made from Quasimono wafers come close to the record efficiencies that it achieved with monocrystalline PV cells. SCHOTT's development team is currently further refining the process, which is supported by the German government as part of the Quasimono research project.

Las VeGaS project to replace silver contacts with nickel-copper plating
The 18% efficiency that SCHOTT has reached using multicrystalline PV cells with copper contacts is part of its Las VeGaS project, which seeks to largely replace the silver contacts in PV cells with less expensive nickel-copper plating. If successful, this would reduce the manufacturing costs of metallization by more than half.

Latest developments on the solar trade war

According to the NYTimes.com, chinese solar panel makers plan to shift some of their production to South Korea, Taiwan and the United States in hopes of defusing a trade case pending against them in Washington, according to industry executives.

While Greentech Media claims that domestic Chinese manufacturers have asked their Ministry of Commerce to launch a dumping and subsidy investigation into sales of U.S. solar cells in China, according to China Daily. The China Photovoltaic Industry Alliance (CPIA) is finalizing a complaint alleging that U.S. manufacturers are selling their products at prices below cost in China, according to the same article. The Chinese alliance is also preparing another petition regarding an investigation into subsidies allegedly received by U.S. manufacturers. Recall that the SolarWorld claim identifies a number of subsidies that China's government provides to their solar industry, including below-market costs on raw materials and discounts on energy and land. CASE, a U.S. organization comprised of MEMC and a number of downstream players disagrees with the trade action as a strategy.

China's Solar Loans Still Mostly Untapped

Greentech Media
Five key Chinese solar and wind companies -- Suntech, Yingli Green Energy, Trina Solar, JA Solar and Xinjiang Goldwind Science & Technology -- have only tapped $866 million of the nearly $30 billion available to them in Chinese government credit lines. In other words, China’s biggest (and lowest-priced) solar companies have only tapped about three percent of the credit made available to them from the China Development Bank through 2010, according to a Wednesday report from Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

Chinese government respond to developments in solar trade investigation

SolarServer
In a statement on its website, the [Chinese] Ministry of Commerce alleges that the U.S. government is blaming its loss of competitiveness and the stagnant development of its industry on the relative competitiveness of Chinese PV projects. The Ministry further notes that the rapid development of a "green economy" is bringing hope to an estimated three billion persons living in energy poverty, and states that the efforts of China's PV industry to lower costs promotes the widespread use of renewable energy while bringing tangible benefits to consumers. The Ministry concludes by warning the United States that it is not only damaging the cooperative environment between the two nations in the clean energy sector, as well as its own interests, but that China reserves the right to adopt corresponding measures through the World Trade organization.
[In the meantime]CASE also cites a survey by PV magazine which indicates that 76.4% of solar industry respondents opposed the trade petition by SolarWorld Industries Americas Inc. (Hillsboro, Oregon, U.S.) and six un-named PV companies. While the United States is a net importer of PV modules, in the overall PV value chain the nation remains a net exporter, including to China, with a large export volume in polysilicon and manufacturing equipment. Also, due to the significance of other parts of the industry, including development and installation, U.S. PV module manufacturing represents a small portion of current U.S. PV industry jobs.

New JRC report highlights risk of rare earth metal shortages

JRC - European Commission
A shortage of five rare metals could slow down the development of the renewable energy market and of photovoltaics, according to a report published by the EU research institute Joint Research Centre (JRC). The Critical Metals in Strategic Energy Technologies report found that large-scale deployment of solar power technologies alone would require 50 percent of the current world supply of tellurium and 25 percent of the world supply of indium. Tellurium is used in cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin-film solar cells, while indium and gallium are used in the manufacture of copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) thin-film solar cells. Aside from the inherent scarcity of these metals, the risk of a shortage in these elements in Europe is primarily due to the continent’s dependency on imports, the increasing global demand, the fact that most of the supply comes from only a few geographical areas and geopolitical issues.

US-China solar trade war ! new developments

Solar server: The Coalition for American Solar Manufacturing (CASM) announced that more than 75 U.S. employers have registered their support for anti-dumping and countervailing duty cases filed against the nation of China, by joining the coalition as associate members. The U.S. steelworkers union has also registered its support for the cases.

Solar industry: The Coalition for Affordable Solar Energy (CASE), which the group says initially represents 25 organizations and more than 9,200 jobs in the U.S. solar sector, has formally launched. CASE was formed in response to the October anti-dumping complaint and countervailing-duty petition filed by SolarWorld and its partners in the Coalition for Solar Manufacturing (CASM). According to CASE, this trade case poses a threat to the entire U.S. solar market.

Greentech media: Jigar Shah, CEO of Carbon War Room and founder of SunEdison, said in a CASE press release that "Despite the remarkable progress, the U.S. still represents only 5 percent to 10 percent of the global solar marketplace. Placing protectionist barriers against more efficient and affordable solar cells -- whatever their origin -- discourages innovation and investment. Now is the time to move forward, not backward, on our clean energy goals. We must not walk away from one of the greatest opportunities of the 21st century. [Furthermore,] more than half the solar employment picture [in the US] is in the installation and downstream portion of the value chain -- not in cell or module manufacturing."
[The other side claims] Gordon Brinser, the President of SolarWorld Industries America (headquartered in Hillsboro, Oregon): "China is cheating on global trade rules." Brinser also said that "China’s state-sponsored solar industry is receiving massive illegal subsidies and is illegally dumping crystalline silicon solar products into the U.S. market." Brinser continues, "China’s illegal actions are undercutting fair market value and threatening to eliminate America’s solar manufacturing. [...] As long as China is allowed to continue cheating, there is no way America can expect to compete in the solar energy race."

China Times: Cao Huabin of CECEP Solar Energy Technology [a unit of the state-run giant China Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection Group] said that his company has put a planned US$500 million US project on hold amid uncertainty over US anti-dumping policy. "If the solar panel prices increase by, say 30%, in the United States, following the move, then we would certainly drop the plan because there's no profit to be made," Cao said.

India plans 'safer' nuclear plant powered by thorium

Use of relatively low-carbon, low-radioactivity thorium instead of uranium may be breakthrough in energy generation.

India has announced plans for a prototype nuclear power plant that uses an innovative "safer" fuel.

Officials are currently selecting a site for the reactor, which would be the first of its kind, using thorium for the bulk of its fuel instead of uranium – the fuel for conventional reactors. They plan to have the plant up and running by the end of the decade.

The development of workable and large-scale thorium reactors has for decades been a dream for nuclear engineers, while for environmentalists it has become a major hope as an alternative to fossil fuels. Proponents say the fuel has considerable advantages over uranium. Thorium is more abundant and exploiting it does not involve release of large quantities of carbon dioxide, making it less dangerous for the climate than fossil fuels like coal and oil.

To continue reading click here.

DESERTEC - Morocco to host first solar farm in €400bn renewables network

The vast solar and windfarm project across North Africa and the Middle East may provide 15% of Europe's electricity by 2050.

Morocco has been chosen as the first location for a German-led, €400bn project to build a vast network of solar and windfarms across North Africa and the Middle East to provide 15% of Europe's electricity supply by 2050.

For the full story click here.

KL

Solar trade war: US vs China

SolarWorld is announcing a trade action against foreign solar manufacturers, alleging that “illegal activities” have caused “job cuts, losses in shipments and harm in operating margins.” (...) The two prominent American solar companies, First Solar and SunPower have not joined the coalition.
Some explanations from SolarWorld and some comments here, here and here. And the official responses of Suntech, Trina, Yingli, and Jinko Solar—and some not-so-official counterpoints.

PS1: The Italian PV Association is considering trade action too.

PS2: The president of SolarWorld Americas, Kevin Kilkelly, (...) will resign from his seat on the board of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), effective immediately. Kilkelly claims that the SEIA has been infiltrated by Chinese and other foreign companies, making it impossible for the SEIA to be an unbiased arbiter.

Governo reduz tarifa de electricidade paga a microprodutores

Dinheiro Digital
A tarifa paga aos produtores domésticos de electricidade com base em energia solar fotovoltaica vai baixar quatro cêntimos em 2012, segundo uma portaria publicada hoje em Diário da República. A legislação aplicável ao regime de microgeração previa uma diminuição anual desta tarifa em 2 cêntimos, mas o Governo foi mais longe, para reduzir o impacto nas contas públicas.
A portaria que fixa o regime remuneratório a aplicar aos microprodutores (instalações com potência máxima de ligação de 3,68 kW) invoca o memorando de entendimento com a troika e "a evolução, entretanto, verificada nos mercados" para justificar a redução das tarifas de referência. O memorando previa que a promoção de energias renováveis se mantivesse, mas limitando "os sobrecustos associados à produção de electricidade nos regimes ordinário e especial [em que se inserem os micro e miniprodutores]".
Assim, a tarifa a pagar aos microprodutores em 2012, que devia ser fixada em 0,36 euros por kilowatt/hora, é reduzida para 0,326 euros nos primeiros oito anos de produção e para 0,185 euros nos setes anos seguintes. A quota anual de potência instalada que pode beneficiar desta tarifa passa de 25 para 10 megawatts.
No caso dos miniprodutores, ou seja, unidades que produzem entre 5,75 e 250 quilowatts/hora (como fábricas e edifícios de escritórios), outra portaria estipula que a tarifa de referência, que era de 0,25 euros, passa para 0,215 euros, prevendo-se uma redução anual de 14% no preço a pagar a estes produtores, o dobro do que estava previsto.

Glintt aposta em Évora para parque fotovoltaico

Dinheiro Digital
Um parque fotovoltaico com cerca de 2 900 painéis solares, que vão ser produzidos em Évora, vai «nascer» na periferia desta cidade alentejana, num investimento de quatro milhões de euros da Glintt -- Global Intelligent Technologies.
«É um projeto com duas iniciativas em paralelo. Por um lado, vamos buscar tecnologia estrangeira para adaptá-la e produzir painéis solares em Évora. Por outro, vamos produzir energia solar», disse hoje à agência Lusa Manuel Mira Godinho, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) da Glintt. O projeto, num investimento de quatro milhões de euros, ainda está «em fase de preparação», mas deverá estar concluído «dentro de aproximadamente 12 meses», explicou o presidente-executivo da empresa.

Martifer Solar Heralds UK Debut with New PV Parking Solution

Electrical News
Martifer Solar is making its UK debut with SMARTPARK (...) an opportunity to turn an empty space into a major revenue earner. Developed by the Martifer Solar R&D+i Division, the SMARTPARK® concept is based around a solar photovoltaic enabled carport that features robust technology and a simple ‘plug and play’ mounting system. Electric-car charging points can be included, which will be of particular interest to local authorities who are now required to provide e-car charging points as part of the government’s drive to encourage non-polluting vehicles.

World Bank approves USD 172 million for installing 630,000 solar PV home systems in Bangladesh

SolarServer
The World Bank on October 4th, 2011 approved USD 172 million to support the installation of an additional 630,000 solar home systems (off-grid photovoltaic systems) and other renewable energy mini-grid schemes in rural Bangladesh. The credit from the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank’s concessionary arm, has 40 years to maturity with a 10-year grace period; it carries a service charge of 0.75 percent.
The credit is an additional financing to the ongoing "Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Development Project" (RERED), following the project’s success in installing solar home systems (SHS) in rural areas where grid electricity is not economically feasible or hard to reach.

Merkel suggests cutting solar subsidies further

Reuters
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday solar energy subsidies should be reduced, and it could make more sense in the future to draw solar energy from places like Greece, where the sun shined longer. Merkel said that while wind energy seemed on track to becoming commercially viable in Germany, this did not seem the case for solar energy.(...) [C]ash-strapped euro zone governments, grappling with debt crises and fragile economic growth, are reducing their support in order to bring down production costs and make the industry more competitive. Merkel said it was not rational for so many subsidies to go toward a sector which ultimately produced little energy.

Martifer vende centrais fotovoltaicas a fundo do BNP Paribas

Económico
A Martifer Solar alienou ao fundo do BNP Paribas, Clean Energy Partners, 22 dos 33 megawatts (MW) ganhos, através da Sol Cativante, no concurso para centrais fotovoltaicas lançado pelo Governo de José Sócrates, no final de 2010.
Sem revelar os montantes envolvidos, o presidente da Martifer Solar, Henrique Rodrigues, realça que, apesar da titularidade e futura gestão e exploração destes activos ter passado de mão, o grupo de Oliveira de Frades manterá a ligação ao projecto, através do fornecimento dos painéis fotovoltaicos e da construção das centrais.
Detida por um conjunto de quadros da Martifer, incluindo Henrique Rodrigues, com o objectivo de participar na corrida à atribuição de licenças para centrais fotovoltaicas - onde assegurou um terço das licenças então atribuídas pelo anterior Executivo por cerca de 36 milhões de euros -, a Sol Cativante seria, ao longo do último ano, integrada na esfera do grupo Martifer.

Suntech, First Solar Stocks at Historic Lows

Greentech Media

• Why has First Solar's market cap dropped to $5 billion from more than $10 billion just months ago? First Solar's stock, trading at $57.90 and down 8.4 percent, has not seen its stock price that low since April 2007.
• Suntech is the world's largest producer of solar panels. As of last quarter's earnings report, the China-based firm was on track to meet its full year guidance of 2.2 gigawatts. Total net revenues were $830.7 million in the second quarter of 2011. Revenue guidance for full year 2011 was dialed down $100 million to a range of $3.2 billion to $3.4 billion. Gross margins were a slim 4.1 percent in the second quarter of 2011. The firm's ASP declined 7 percent quarter-to-quarter and Suntech expects mid- to high-teen price declines in Q3.
• All solar stocks were in the red yesterday, with Hanwha Solar's stock down 22.41 percent. Yingli, Trina, and First Solar had losses in the 7 percent to 8 percent range, the least scathed in the downward trend. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was only down 2.3 percent.

Is there an upside to this bloody market? Absolutely.
Solar panel vendors will learn to live with lower margins or, alternatively, perish. ASPs will continue to fall. And the solar market will once again exhibit its historic price elasticity and as panel prices drop, the market will continue to grow, and the price of power generated by photovoltaics will fall.

Estudo diz que apoio às renováveis representa só 1,9 euros na factura mensal de electricidade

PUBLICO.PT
Os custos da produção eléctrica com base em energias renováveis, financiada em regime especial, são afinal muito menores do que apontam as contas oficiais do sector, indica um estudo da consultora Rolland Berger para a Associação Portuguesa de Energias Renováveis (Apren), que será hoje apresentado em Lisboa. (...) As novas contas concluem que cada consumidor pagou, na factura eléctrica, uma média de 1,9 euros mensais para apoiar as energias renováveis em regime especial (regime que deixa de fora as grandes hídricas, ou barragens), entre 2005 e 2010 - um valor considerado aceitável pelos consumidores inquiridos pela Rolland Berger, abaixo dos 5,5 euros que são normalmente avançados. (...) Contas feitas, o estudo conclui ainda que a produção de origem renovável em regime especial teve um peso de 4% no custo total de geração de electricidade, entre 2005 e 2010, e não de 11% como tem sido avançado. E lembra as poupanças associadas à menor importação de combustíveis fósseis e de licenças de CO2, de 407 milhões de euros por ano.

JinkoSolar offers explanation, remediation for alleged toxic release at Haining PV cell factory

SolarServer
On September 15th - 17th, 2011 residents of Hongxiao, an adjacent village [to the Jinkosolar PV cell factory at Haining], gathered to protest the death of fish in a local waterway, with some protesters breaking into offices and destroying company property. On September 17th, 2011, JinkoSolar voluntarily closed the Haining plant.
Silicon wafer texturing and etching generate a fluoride solution as a by-product, which results in fluoride wastes. JinkoSolar (...) explained that a change in waste management contractors caused a delay in solid fluoride waste pickup, resulting in outdoor storage of waste. [D]ue to heavy rains in late August, fluoride waste "may" have leaked into a water channel near the factory.
JinkoSolar estimates that on September 5th, 2011, it became aware of the incident and commenced actions to clean up the affected area. The company isolated the water channel section and treated the affected water and soil, as well as constructing retaining walls, and building a water collection systems to prevent leakage. JinkoSolar has agreed to pay compensation for crop damage, as well as the death of any livestock or wildlife that may have been affected by the incident. It also notes that local environmental authorities are continually conducting water quality testing.

China eyes 3 GW rooftop solar capacity by 2015

Reuters
China is targeting 3 gigawatts (GW) of roof-mounted solar power generating capacity by 2015 and 25 GW by 2020, the China Securities Journal reported on Monday, citing a government renewable energy development plan that is likely to be unveiled soon. If the goals are confirmed, they suggest a third of China's solar power capacity would be roof-mounted by 2015 and a half by 2020, making rooftop solar panel installations a key direction in solar power expansion.

Solar Trust Switches 500MW Power Plant to PV

Greentech Media
Solar Trust said today that it will convert a 500 megawatt solar thermal power plant it had been planning in Blythe, California into a 500 megawatt plant made from photovoltaic panels.
The shift comes because of "improved market conditions" for building power plants with PV modules. Solar modules from some vendors now cost as little as $1.30 a watt, according to GTM Research. The switch will mean the company has to walk away from a $2.1 billion federal loan guarantee.
Switching to PV will also let Solar Trust build the plant in 250 megawatt increments, making financing and planning easier.

Moçambique aposta em energias renováveis

Deutsche Welle
Até 2014, Moçambique vai electrificar os seus distritos - também com energias renováveis. Neste momento, mais de dois milhões de moçambicanos beneficiam de energia eléctrica gerada a partir de fontes novas e renováveis.
Trata-se das energias solar, eólica, hídrica de pequena e média dimensões e biomassa, através do bagaço da cana-de-açúcar e da jatropha - todas energias produzidas no país à luz da estratégia nacional de energias renováveis aprovada recentemente pelo governo.
De todas as formas de energias renováveis que o país possui, a solar é a mais usada, principalmente para responder às necessidades das populações rurais, com painéis solares.
Moçambique tem ainda centrais mini-hídricas, com capacidade de gerar energia até 15 megawatts e que podem contribuir para iluminar pequenas comunidades. Possui ainda barragens de média dimensão, como a de Massingir, na provincia sulista de Gaza.

China to double solar capacity by year end: report

Reuters
China will double its solar capacity to around 2GW by the end of the year as the world's largest solar-panel maker ramps up domestic installation, a local paper said on Saturday citing a government-linked think tank.
To encourage the construction of more solar power plants, the [National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC)] has set unified benchmark grid feed-in power tariffs for solar projects for the first time ever earlier this month.
The rates, set at 1 yuan for each kWh, were higher than many of those that were proposed and accepted by state-owned solar-power developers in China's previous official tenders, which ranged from 0.73 to 0.99 yuan for each kWh last year.
The solar feed-in tariff (...) could drop below 0.80 yuan (12.5 cents) for each kilowatt-hour (kWh) by 2015, which would be on par with conventional coal-fired power tariffs by that time, according to s report by the Energy Research Institute.
The report also said China was expected to produce 90,000 tonnes of polysilicon this year, representing 80 percent of its domestic demand.

Europe Lodges WTO Complaint Against Canada Over Renewable Energy

Bloomberg
The European Union lodged a complaint at the World Trade Organization against Canada over subsidies the province of Ontario gives to renewable-energy producers that use domestic technology.
Under Ontario’s feed-in tariff program, created by the province’s Green Energy Act, above-market rates are paid to producers of renewable energy provided it is generated with a certain percentage of Canadian-made equipment. The act aims to help Ontario meet its goal of shutting all its coal-power generators by 2014.
A provision of the program that began in October 2009 requires projects to use goods and labor from Ontario for as much as 60 percent of supply costs, depending on the type of renewable-energy source.
“This is in clear breach of the WTO rules that prohibit linking subsidies to the use of domestic products,” the European Commission said today in an e-mailed statement from Brussels. The Ontario Power Authority “has set conditions that favor domestic products and services.”

NASA's Juno Spaceship to Jupiter Will Make the Most Distant Use of Solar Power Ever

Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World
NASA is prepared to launch a mission to Jupiter this week that will probe deep into the planet’s clouds to reveal what it is made of. The Juno spacecraft will also make history by being the most distant space probe to use solar panels as its primary source of electricity. The decision charts a new course for deep space missions that traditionally used a radioactive battery, and it stands to prove the viability of solar technology even when the sun is 5 times further away than it is from our home planet.(...)[June has] high-tech gallium arsinide solar cells rather than a traditional radioisotope thermoelectric generator that uses decaying Plutonium 238 to create electricity. Three wings of solar panels sprout from the craft, covering 60 square meters. They will produce 15 kW of power at 1 AU (Astronomic Unit) – the measurement of the distance from the Earth to the Sun. The probe will take 5 years to get to the gas giant, which is 5 AUs from the Sun. At this distance, the solar cells will leave the spacecraft with 420 watts of electricity to run on.

First Solar Sets Efficiency Record: 17.3 Percent

Greentech Media
First Solar today announced that it has produced a cadmium telluride solar cell with a 17.3% efficiency, shattering a ten year old record set by NREL [16.7%]. (...) The solar cell won't go into production soon, but might help ease some concerns that cadmium telluride is approaching an efficiency ceiling. (...)
The average efficiency, however, is comparatively on the low side. First Solar boosted its average efficiency to 11.7%: that's up from the 11.1% efficiency for the same period the year before but below the efficiencies (14 to 20%) seen in crystalline silicon solar panels and 12% plus efficiencies seen in copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) solar modules. Module efficiency is typically a few points lower than cell efficiency.

Italy Passes 7,000 MW of Total Installed Solar PV

Renewable Energy News
The interactive web page Atlasole created by Italy's Gestore dei Servizi Energetici (GSE) indicates that the country surpassed 7,000 MW of total installed solar photovoltaics (...) In 2009, Italy became the world's second largest market for annual installations of solar PV capacity, a position it held in 2010 and will likely hold again in 2011. Italy has quickly overtaken total installed capacity leaders Spain and Japan. (...) In 2010, solar PV generated 1.9 TWh of electricity. Solar PV currently installed may generate as much as 10 TWh in 2011 or three percent of Italy's 320 TWh annual consumption.

Photovoltaics cause prices to drop on the European Electricity Exchange

www.photon-international.com/newsletter/document/50268.pdf
Saturday, July 16, 2011, is a date that will be remembered in the history of
the German electricity sector. On that Saturday afternoon, electricity prices on the spot market of the European Electricity Exchange collapsed to the low level of electricity rates that are available at night. Buyers paid only 2.5 euro cents per kilowatt-hour for electricity delivered between 2 and 3 pm. Electricity rates are usually twice as high as the (low) night rate at this time of day on weekends in Germany.

European PV markets to decline in 2011 despite PV price decreases

Solarbuzz
Solarbuzz announced a new report which (...) predicts that the aggregate European PV market will contract 14% in 2011 from 2010 levels, and that Italy will replace Germany as the continent's largest market by 2015.(...) The report estimates that crystalline silicon (c-Si) module prices from manufacturers reached record low prices of 0.75 €/Wp in the first half of 2011, as a result of excess inventories spreading upstream.
(...) Solarbuzz notes that the 169% growth of European PV markets in 2010 was driven by Germany, Italy and the Czech Republic, which represented 89% of the continent's demand [and due to] Italy's generous tariff rates, its market share will rise to 39% by 2015.
The report also predicts that over the next five years, the residential segment of European PV markets will double its share, while investor's groups fall, and commerical and agricultural customers remain the largest market segment.

Solar-Powered Computer from Samsung Coming This Year

CleanTechnica: Cleantech innovation news and views
Samsung has developed a new computer that is solar-powered! It is the Samsung NC215S netbook and it will be the first computer of its kind. The power will come from a solar panel embedded in the lid.
The computer needs 2 hours of sunlight exposure to get 1 hour of working battery life and the battery fully charged will reportedly last about 14 or so hours. The 10.1-inch 1024 x 600 pixel display is appropriately designed for use in direct sunlight (of course, an important feature for a computer that lives on sunlight).

Concurso para as fotovoltaicas fecha este mês

Económico
O concurso para centrais fotovoltaicas, lançado no final do ano passado pelo Governo de José Sócrates, só deverá ficar concluído este mês. A Direcção Geral de Geologia e Energia (DGGE), liderada por José Perdigoto, prepara-se para colocar no mercado, no próximo dia 29, os últimos 16 lotes de dois megawatts (MW) cada, naquela que é já a terceira tentativa para encerrar este processo.
Caso seja bem sucedida, a DGGE prevê um encaixe adicional de 16 milhões de euros com a operação, a somar aos 94 milhões de euros já arrecadados pelo Estado. O grosso deste montante (86,5 milhões de euros) transitou de 2010, sendo os remanescentes 7,5 milhões de euros fruto da segunda fase de contratualização, em Março deste ano, durante a qual foram entregues apenas sete lotes, de dois MW cada. O anterior Executivo tinha estimado para a totalidade dos 75 lotes (de dois MW cada) uma receita entre 80 e 100 milhões de euros

e2p - base de dados de energias endógenas de Portugal

APREN
A APREN acabou de lançar um portal para acesso à Base de dados de fontes renováveis de energia em Portugal.

Rali Solar 2011

Por ocasião da celebração do centenário da Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa (FCUL), a Sociedade Portuguesa de Energia Solar organizou no passado dia 4 de Junho de 2011 o Grande Prémio Rali Solar na FCUL (Campo Grande, Lisboa), que incluiu competições de carrinhos e barcos solares.

Veja aqui aGaleria de imagens

Mais detalhes na página do rali.

>20% efficiency modules

SunPower press release
Sunpower launched the SunPower™ E20 series of solar panels, the industry's first commercially-available solar panels to achieve total area efficiencies of 20 percent or more. The new 96-cell E20 solar panels are available in 333-watt and 327-watt models for rooftop installations and featureSunPower's 22.4 percent efficient patented Maxeon™ cell technology. The all-back contact Maxeon solar cell captures significantly more sunlight and conducts more electrical current than conventional solar cells, and holds the world record for efficiency among commercially available, mass-produced solar cells.

Germany Scraps Solar Energy Subsidy Cut as Merkel Exits Nuclear

Bloomberg
Germany scrapped a planned cut in subsidies paid to solar panel owners as Europe’s biggest electricity market seeks to exit nuclear power, according to a draft law published on the Environment Ministry’s website.
“There are no significant changes for electricity from photovoltaic facilities from those made in 2010,” reads the document, which details scheduled cuts in above-market rates paid to solar panel owners. Environment Minister Norbert Roettgen has said he considered an additional reduction in March next year. (...) The minister told reporters on May 30 that he considered a 6 percent aid cut in March 2012 that would come on top of reductions of as much as 24 percent between July and next January to adapt the subsidy to falling panel prices. (...) Germany, which uses nuclear for 23 percent of its power, plans to switch to renewable energy output after Japan’s reactor disaster stoked safety concerns. The government is balancing aid for energy from solar panels and wind turbines with the associated cost for citizens and industrial users, who finance the technology’s roll-out through their power bills.

Martifer estreia-se na Índia

Económico
A Martifer anunciou hoje, em comunicado, que a sua subsidiária Martifer Solar vai entrar no mercado indiano, tendo conquistado o primeiro projecto de construção naquele País.
A empresa liderada por Jorge Martins revelou que a Martifer Solar "assinou um acordo co a Louroux Bio Energies Lta., para a construção de um projecto de energia solar fotovoltaica de 25 MW em Gujarat", na Índia.

Solar's Outlook Dazzles

RenewableEnergyWorld.com
At the end of last year, the global photovoltaic market hit a cumulative installed capacity of 40 GW, of which 16.6 GW was added during 2010. A year of unprecedented growth saw new capacity more than double from 7.2 GW in 2009. Worldwide, solar PV already produces some 50 TWh each year. By 2015, though, capacity could climb to range from 131 GW to 196 GW. (...) Germany continued to lead the PV market worldwide, with 7.4 GW installed over the year, while Italy added a substantial 2.3 GW. Other countries with significant growth included the Czech Republic, which saw a 1.5 GW expansion in 2010, a rise unlikely to be sustained in 2011. Japan gained 990 MW, the United States 900 MW, and France 700 MW. Spain regained some ground by installing 370 MW after two years of strongly adverse conditions. Belgium connected more than 420 MW of PV.

Record Efficiency of 18.7% for Flexible CIGS Solar Cells

Renewable Energy News
Scientists at Empa, the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, have further boosted the energy conversion efficiency of flexible solar cells made of copper indium gallium (di)selenide (also known as CIGS) to a new world record of 18.7% – a significant improvement over the previous record of 17.6% achieved by the same team in June 2010.

China doubles solar power target by 2020

AFP report
China has more than doubled its target for solar power capacity to 50 gigawatts by 2020, state media said, as the world's largest polluter steps up efforts to boost clean energy sources. The increased target follows a massive earthquake and tsunami in Japan that triggered a nuclear crisis in the country's northeast and fuelled worldwide debate about the safety of atomic power. China hopes its installed solar power capacity will reach 10 gigawatts by 2015 and 50 gigawatts by the end of the decade, the Shanghai Securities News said, citing Li Junfeng, deputy director of the energy research arm of the National Development and Reform Commission. The country's current installed capacity is less than one gigawatt, the official China Daily said last month. Li said China will soon publish a five-year blueprint and other supportive policies for the solar power industry. (...) It currently relies on carbon-belching coal for 70 percent of its energy needs.

Residential Solar Systems Increase Sale Prices, Study Finds

NYTimes.com
All those homeowners who have been installing residential solar panels over the last decade may find it was a more practical decision than they thought. The electricity generated may have cost more than that coming from the local power company (half of which, nationwide, comes from burning coal), but if they choose to sell their homes, the price premium they will get for the solar system should let them recoup much of their original capital investment. (...) Homeowners who install solar on existing houses get nearly three times the premium of homeowners whose house came with solar panels. The study speculates about the reasons, suggesting that “new home builders may also gain value from PV as a market differentiator, and have therefore often tended to sell PV as a standard (as opposed to an optional) product on their homes and perhaps been willing to accept a lower premium in return for faster sales velocity.”

More details at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab site:
Hoen, B., R. Wiser, P. Cappers and M. Thayer. LBNL-4476E. April 2011
An Analysis of the Effects of Residential Photovoltaic Energy Systems on Home Sales Prices in California

Rali Solar 2011

Por ocasião da celebração do centenário da Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, a Sociedade Portuguesa de Energia Solar organiza no próximo dia 4 de Junho de 2011 o Grande Prémio Rali Solar na FCUL (Campo Grande, Lisboa), que inclui competições de carrinhos e barcos solares.
O concurso Rali Solar 2011 visa a promoção da energia solar nos ensinos básico, secundário e profissional. Surge no seguimento de concursos como o Padre Himalaya e o Rali Solar.
Para mais informações ver ralisolar2011.fc.ul.pt

New Study Finds Solar Panels Are "Contagious"

StumbleUpon
Are you more likely to install solar panels if your neighbor has them? A new study (PDF) out of Stanford says that you are. More specifically, it finds that for every 1 percent increase in the number of installations in a particular zip code, the time until the next adoption of solar decreases by 1 percent. Or, as Vote Solar's Adam Browning put it: Solar is contagious!

Associação Portuguesa da Indústria Solar diz que BPI fez estudo repleto de erros

Jornal de negócios online

A Apisolar – Associação Portuguesa da Indústria Solar contesta o estudo que o BPI apresentou no final de Março, considerando que o relatório produzido pelo banco está "repleto de erros e omissões" e é "pouco rigoroso". 

No seu estudo o banco presidido por Fernando Ulrich veio sugerir a não realização de novos projectos eólicos e fotovoltaicos em Portugal conforme previsto no Plano Nacional de Acção para as energias renováveis, até 2020. Uma opção que segundo o BPI se traduziria numa poupança de 10,9 mil milhões de euros [ver aqui].
A Apisolar não concorda. “Os custos de investimento da tecnologia [fotovoltaica] são hoje 25% inferiores aos mencionados, as tarifas consideradas estão inflacionadas no seu valor e no seu período de aplicação, a estimativa de evolução das tarifas está errada”, aponta a associação da indústria solar.
“Portugal está a desenvolver uma fileira industrial no solar fotovoltaico, com empresas de engenharia, fabrico e instalação de sistemas fotovoltaicos, com pretensão e capacidade para se afirmar também em mercados externos. Como se alavanca esta actividade sem um mercado interno?”, questiona a mesma entidade.
“Como é possível sugerir que se desinvista numa área tecnológica de elevado potencial futuro, sabendo-se que o preço da energia para a indústria não incorpora o chamado “sobrecusto das renováveis”, que aproveita os nossos recursos naturais e que é hoje criadora de empregos e geradora de fortes receitas em sede de IVA e IRC para o Estado?”, interroga ainda a Apisolar.
Críticas semelhantes, apontando vários erros ao estudo, já haviam sido feitas pelo presidente da Apren – Associação Portuguesa das Energias Renováveis, no início deste mês, em declarações de António Sá da Costa ao Negócios.

FCUL e WS Energia participam na CPV-7

info-Ciências digital

Eliseu Furtado

"Temos, cada vez mais, que formar alunos pensando nas necessidades e nas exigências do espaço europeu", diz Jorge Maia Alves, professor do DEGGE-FCUL

A “7.th International Conference on Concentrating Photovoltaic Systems - CPV-7”decorre até 6 de Abril, em Las Vegas, na maior cidade do estado americano do Nevada. Considerada uma das mais importantes conferências científicas relacionadas com a tecnologia de concentração fotovoltaica, o acontecimento iniciado esta segunda-feira, dia 4 de Abril, conta com a participação de investigadores e estudantes da FCUL e de profissionais da WS Energia, uma empresa criada em 2006 e que tem como ambição ser líder na criação de tecnologia de ponta e "know-how" no sector da energia solar.

 Logo no primeiro dia foram apresentados os três posters lusitanos: o primeiro “Thermal Modeling of a PV Receiver for CPV Application” realizado por F. Reis, M. C. Brito, S. Coelho, J. Mendes-Lopes, L. Pina, G. Sorasio, J. Wemans; o segundo “DoubleSun Performance across Mainland Portugal” da autoria de F. Reis, D. Botelho, M. C. Brito; R. Leandro, J. Silva, G. Sorasio, J. Wemans; o terceiro “Exploring Single Axis Tracking Configurations for CPV Application” desenvolvido por G. Gaspar, M. C. Brito; L. Pina, F. Reis, G. Sorasio e J. Wemans. Um dia antes do término da conferência J. Mendes-Lopes, J. Wemans, S. Coelho, L. Pina, F. Reis, G. Sorasio apresentam a comunicação “On-field demonstration results of medium concentration system HSUN®”.

Estudantes de Engenharia da Energia e do Ambiente co-autores de duas comunicações

A CPV-7 é dedicada à discussão técnica sobre ciência, engenharia, desempenho e economia de sistemas CPV. Trata-se de uma óptima oportunidade para a partilha e aquisição de novos conhecimentos, especialmente para os estudantes que participam na conferência como é o caso dos quatro alunos do mestrado integrado em Engenharia da Energia e do Ambiente. Guilherme Gaspar, Ricardo Leandro, Joana Silva e Diogo Botelho são co-autores de duas comunicações, que neste evento são apresentados no formato de poster. As comunicações que ajudaram a redigir serão publicadas nas actas da conferência pelo American Institute of Physics e resultam do trabalho realizado no âmbito da disciplina de projecto de licenciatura, desenvolvido no 3.º ano daquele mestrado integrado no âmbito de uma colaboração entre o Departamento de Engenharia Geográfica, Geofísica e Energia (DEGGE-FCUL) e a empresa WS Energia.

Para Jorge Maia Alves, coordenador do mestrado integrado em Engenharia da Energia e do Ambiente “temos, cada vez mais, que formar alunos pensando nas necessidades e nas exigências do espaço europeu. Só assim estaremos verdadeiramente a contribuir para uma formação de sucesso para os nossos alunos e, simultaneamente, para o desenvolvimento nacional”. O professor do DEGGE-FCUL acrescenta ainda que “o sucesso que os nossos alunos estão a ter na realização de estágios e de dissertações de mestrado em universidades e empresas em diversos países europeus mostra que estamos no caminho certo. O mesmo acontece quando se verifica que os alunos estão envolvidos, ainda durante a sua licenciatura, em trabalhos de projecto com um nível reconhecido em conferências internacionais de referência, como se verifica neste caso”

Artificial Leaf Turns Sunlight Into a Cheap Energy Source

Science magazine

[MIT team led by chemist Daniel Nocera made a presentation a new device] last weekend at the biannual meeting of the American Chemical Society. (...) The new device is a silicon wafer about the shape and size of a playing card. Different catalysts coat each side of the wafer. The silicon absorbs sunlight and passes that energy to the catalysts to split water into molecules of hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2). Hydrogen is a fuel that can be either burned or used in a fuel cell to create electricity, reforming water in either case. This means that, in theory, anyone with access to water can use it to create a cheap, clean, and available source of fuel. (...) The silicon absorbs sunlight and passes energetic, negatively charged electrons and positively charged electron vacancies to the catalysts on opposite sides that use them to make H2 and O2. When the device is placed in a clear jar and exposed to sunlight, the setup converts 5.5% of the energy in sunlight into hydrogen fuel. “You literally walk outside, hold it up, and it works,” Nocera says.(...) Nocera didn't reveal the makeup of the new catalyst, as the work is not yet published, and he is in the process of patenting it.

Investimentos em centrais a gás e energia solar devem ser suspensos?

jornal i

[De acordo com um estudo do BPI] perante a situação de endividamento do país e dos mercados financeiros (...)  deveriam ser suspensa toda a nova nova capacidade de energia fotovoltaica (a partir do sol) e ainda duas das três das centrais térmicas já licenciadas, mas que não estão em construção (uma a gás e outra a carvão). (...) O estudo do BPI defende ainda o adiamento ou suspensão de capacidade eólica adicional que está prevista no plano do governo até 2020. O documento propõe por isso uma redução de 10,9 mil milhões de euros nos valores estimados, o que representa 65% do plano global. (...) Esta suspensão não compromete, diz o estudo, a capacidade de responder à procura nacional em hora de ponta (pico do consumo) até 2020 e permite reduzir o impacto dos novos investimentos nas tarifas eléctricas.

Quando for grande quero vir para esta escola!

info-Ciências digital
Pela Comissão de Alunos de Engenharia da Energia e do Ambiente
No dia 3 de Março, uma turma do 4.º ano da Escola Básica nº35, de S. Sebastião da Pedreira, visitou o DEGGE-FCUL para aprender questões relacionadas com as energias renováveis, em particular sobre energia solar fotovoltaica.
A visita, organizada pela Comissão de Alunos de Engenharia da Energia e do Ambiente e pelo doutorando Ivo Costa, começou no Campus Solar onde as crianças puderam ver os painéis fotovoltaicos, descobrir como são feitos, perceber como funcionam e quais as diferenças entre cada tecnologia. Discutiram as diferentes formas de energias renováveis que conheciam e ficaram surpreendidas pelo facto de muitas delas serem, na verdade, aproveitamentos indirectos da energia solar. O espanto foi igualmente enorme quando perceberam que aqueles painéis de aspecto tão complexo eram feitos a partir de “areia da praia”!

Seguiu-se uma corrida de carrinhos solares no C6 e as crianças puderam compreender melhor como funcionam na prática os sistemas eléctricos e quais são as vantagens e problemas da tecnologia fotovoltaica. Num instante todos aprenderam a trocar ligações para pôr o carro “em marcha atrás”, inclinar as células em direcção ao sol para receberem mais energia… e em fazer sombra para os carros dos adversários. “Afinal isto não é tão complicado!”
 E como ficaram todos cheios de vontade de ser “cientistas” quando fossem grandes, a visita não podia deixar de passar pelo Laboratório de Aplicações Fotovoltaicas, onde os alunos puderam aprender como se fazem células fotovoltaicas a partir de cristais de quartzo, fazer todas as perguntas sobre as experiências que estão em curso e perceber para que serve aquela confusão de fios, máquinas, instrumentos.
 No final, os alunos voltaram para a escola com os caderninhos cheios de apontamentos, com a curiosidade mais afiada e com gosto pela ciência. Como disse um deles: “Vou dizer ao meu pai que quero andar nesta escola”. Esperemos que sim!

Regras para ser mini-produtor de electricidade mudam em Abril

Jornal de negócios online

As regras para ser mini-produtor de eletricidade vão mudar em Abril, segundo o decreto-lei 34/2011 hoje publicado em Diário da República, que obriga a consumir pelo menos metade do produzido (...) [N]o regime bonificado, o preço depende das fontes de energia usadas pela miniprodução (por exemplo, se usar energia solar recebe mais do que se usar energias não renováveis) e da potência produzida (as unidades de menor potência recebem uma tarifa pré-definida, as de maior potência recebem um valor mais baixo, negociado com o fornecedor de electricidade).

Mais detalhes aqui.

Upheavals in the Chinese Polysilicon Market May Lead to Further Solar PV Cost Reductions

Renewable Energy News Article

The standard states that any new solar polysilicon manufacturing facility must adhere to the following:

• Facilities need to have an annual production capacity of at least 3,000 tons; 
• Facilities may not be situated within 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) of any nature reserve, headwater areas or major residential areas; 
• The electricity consumption of the solar-grade polysilicon reduction must be less than 80kWh/kg and further reduced to lower than 60kwh/kg by the end of 2011 
• The recycle rate of silicon tetrachloride, hydrogen chloride, and hydrogen in the reduction tail gas shall be not less than 98.5 percent, 99 percent and 99 percent, respectively. 

Finally, solar polysilicon production lines whose integrated electricity consumption is higher than 200kWh/kg must be eliminated by the end of 2011.

Finding PV's Next Big Cost Reductions

Comment on Renewable Energy News Article

Cost is one of the biggest barriers to bringing solar to scale. Tremendous strides have been made to date -- module prices have come down 50-70% in the past two years alone. Where are the next cost reductions going to come from?
(...) even without a radical breakthrough, there are plenty of cost reduction opportunities in today's technology. Both balance of systems (BOS) and silicon raw material supply offer promising paths to lower costs.(...) [N]ear-term reductions of more than 50% by simply scaling and implementing current best-practices. That alone would reduce total BOS costs to around $0.60 to $0.90/W for large rooftop or ground-mounted installations.

Governo encaixa mais 20 milhões com concurso das fotovoltaicas

Económico
O concurso fotovoltaico, lançado pelo Governo em Outubro, só ficará concluído na próxima segunda-feira, dois meses depois do prazo imposto pelo Ministério das Finanças, que pretendia contabilizar o encaixe financeiro da operação ainda nas contas públicas de 2010. O Governo prevê encaixar agora mais 20 milhões de euros de receita.
Em jogo esteve a atribuição de 150 megawatts (MW) de potência eléctrica, distribuídos por 75 lotes de 2 MW cada. Mas as dificuldades com que se debateram alguns concorrentes levaram à contratualização de apenas 52 lotes, que renderam aos cofres do Estado 86,5 milhões de euros.
Na próxima segunda-feira, serão fechados os restantes 23 lotes, estimando-se uma receita adicional na ordem dos 20 milhões de euros, "pois os lotes com ofertas mais altas já foram contratualizados", refere em entrevista ao Diário Económico, o director-geral de Geologia e Energia, José Perdigoto.Tudo somado, o Estado deverá arrecadar perto de 106 milhões de euros com este negócio.

Projecto EDP em Kakuma

The Great Solar Trade Wall

a review on Greentech and some examples

• India Solar Rules Burn U.S. - U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said he conveyed a "message of great concern" to Indian officials Monday about the country's restrictions on imports of solar-power technology, rules that are making it difficult for U.S. firms to enter one of the world's fastest-growing solar-energy markets.
• New Law Forces Pentagon to Buy American Solar Panels - A new military authorization bill signed by President Obama forces the Pentagon to buy only American solar panels. The defense authorization act, officially H.R. 6523, or the Ike Skelton National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011, became law on Jan. 7 and specifically forbids the Department of Defense from procuring foreign solar panels, or specifically, “photovoltaic devices.”
• Union Accuses China of Illegal Clean Energy Subsidies - A broad trade case filed on Thursday by an American labor union, accusing China of unfairly subsidizing its clean energy industry, pressed a hot-button jobs issue in the United States during a Congressional election season.
• French government suspended imports of components for PV electricity price subsidies - Recently, the French Secretary of State for Environmental Affairs, Natalie. Section Revised Skoda. Morrissey (Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet) announced that it will cease to 3KW solar photovoltaic equipment issued more than three months of electricity price subsidies, a move reportedly the main is due to components used in equipment, mostly from China. Bloomberg report quoted Division Revised 斯柯莫里塞 radio news in France (France Info radio) of a program, then, "We want to create green jobs for the French, and not to subsidize the development of Chinese economy ." 
• Ontario's Green Energy Push Draws Fire From Japan, U.S. and E.U. - On Sept. 16, Japan filed a formal complaint with the WTO against Canada over Ontario’s green energy policies. They “discriminate against equipment for renewable energy generation facilities produced outside Ontario, and also constitute a prohibited subsidy,” according to the official complaint.

Ministra portuguesa do Ambiente inaugura sistema de energia solar na Guiné Bissau

Angola Press
A ministra do Ambiente de Portugal, Dulce Pássaro, terminou hoje (sexta-feira) a sua visita à Guiné-Bissau com a inauguração do sistema de painéis solares para fornecimento de energia eléctrica à Faculdade de Direito de Bissau. (...) O sistema de painéis solares instalado na Faculdade de Direito de Bissau foi financiado pelo Ministério do Ambiente português. Para o secretário de Estado do Ensino da Guiné-Bissau, Besna na Fonte, o fornecimento de energia eléctrica naquele estabelecimento de ensino é "mais um passo no cumprimento" dos objectivos do governo para a educação. Um desses objectivos é "fazer chegar a todos os nossos alunos condições para que possam aprender. Isto vai permitir prolongar sessões e trabalhar à vontade", afirmou.

Eletricidade portuguesa mais barata do que na média da UE

Expresso.pt
O regulador português dos serviços energéticos diz que no primeiro semestre de 2010 os preços da eletricidade efectivamente pagos pelos consumidores domésticos portugueses (com impostos) ficaram 2,6% abaixo da média da União Europeia (UE-27), de acordo com dados do Eurostat.
Relativamente ao preços praticados em Espanha, a eletricidade vendida em Portugal registou preços 8,7% inferiores, segundo a mesma fonte.
Os consumidores domésticos portugueses pagaram no primeiro semestre de 2010 um preço médio global de €0,1694 por kWh, enquanto os espanhois paragam €0,1855 por kWh, refere o regulador português.

Universidade de Évora vai criar Instituto Português de Energia

Expresso.pt
O reitor da Universidade de Évora (UÉvora), Carlos Braumann, adiantou hoje à agência Lusa que a criação do Instituto Português de Energia Solar se insere na aposta nas energias renováveis por parte da academia alentejana. A iniciativa [anunciada num colóquio realizado no âmbito da Cátedra BES Energias Renováveis da UÉvora] explicou o reitor, "vai servir para fazer o ponto da situação dos últimos desenvolvimentos tecnológicos" relacionados com energia solar e, ao mesmo tempo, "para lançar a pedra de criação do instituto". Dentro de "uns meses", a academia pretende ter já "um projeto mais detalhado" do Instituto Português de Energia Solar, para ser submetido à "avaliação das entidades governamentais".
(...) O secretário de Estado Carlos Zorrinho lembrou à Lusa que o Alentejo "tem condições muito favoráveis" para a instalação de tecnologia solar e que, dos 18 projetos nacionais de teste lançados recentemente pela Direcção-Geral de Energia e Geologia, "parte muito significativa" escolheu localizar-se no concelho de Évora.

China já é o maior produtor mundial de energia eólica

Ecosfera - PUBLICO.PT
A China já é o país que mais aproveita a energia do vento. O gigante asiático ultrapassou os Estados Unidos e ocupa, agora, a primeira posição em capacidade instalada de energia eólica. No total, os parques eólicos chineses somam já 41.800 megawatts (MW) de potência. (...) Em 2010, o consumo de energia eléctrica no país subiu 14,6 por cento, segundo dados divulgados hoje pelo Conselho de Electricidade da China, citados pela agência Xinhua. Cerca de um quarto da electricidade (26,5 por cento) é gerada por fontes não-fósseis – hidroeléctricas (22,2 por cento), eólicas (3,2 por cento) e nuclear (1,1 por cento).
A China já domina a maior parte do mercado mundial de painéis solares. Na energia eólica, parte dos aerogeradores instalados na China são produzidos no próprio país, mas ainda são os europeus que lideram o mercado. “É uma questão de tempo”, avalia Carlos Pimenta. “Com o actual ritmo de crescimento, a minha previsão é que aconteça no eólico o mesmo que aconteceu no solar”, completa.

Universidade austríaca oferece carregamento gratuito a bicicletas eléctricas

Green Savers
A Energie Graz, na Áustria, ofereceu um posto de carregamento gratuito à Universidade de Graz, para os estudantes ou funcionários académicos que usam bicicletas eléctricas. O local está equipado com cacifos, para que cada utilizador possa ir para as aulas ou para o trabalho sem ter que preocupar-se com a segurança da sua bateria. Dos 27 mil estudantes no campus austríaco, 85% vão para as aulas num transporte alternativo, que não o automóvel, sendo que as bicicletas eléctricas são uma das escolhas mais populares. Na próxima década, crê-se que o número de “e-bicicletas” aumente exponencialmente, de 2.750 para 400 mil unidades. Por esse motivo, este tipo de meio de transporte tem sido reconhecido e premiado de diversas formas, assim como os carros eléctricos e os veículos híbridos. A Energie Graz está a planear, inclusivamente, levar a iniciativa até aos hotéis, centros comerciais e parques de estacionamento da localidade, inclusivamente os parques empresariais, adianta o Spring Wise.