China mines 97% of the specialist metals crucial to green technology.

US inquiry into China rare earth shipments

US trade officials say they are looking into a New York Times report that China is blocking shipments of rare earths to the US and Europe.

China mines 97% of the specialist metals crucial to green technology.

The report, citing anonymous industry sources, said Chinese customs officials had broadened export restrictions.

Meanwhile China's commerce ministry has denied a report by the official China Daily that it will cut quotas by 30% next year to stop overmining.

"The report is completely false," the ministry said in a statement.

"China will continue to supply rare earths to the world, and at the same time, to protect usable resources and sustainable development, China will also continue to impose restrictive measures on exploration, production and import and export of rare earths."

Threat to economy

The US Geological Survey recognises 17 different rare earths.

They are used in everything from catalytic converters in cars to computer monitors, TVs and in pharmaceuticals.

Analysts say without these elements, much of the modern economy would shut down.

China accounts for about 97% of global rare-earth production. The BBC's Paul Mason says the rare earth story goes to the heart of China's relationship with the West.

The US, which is also a major buyer of rare earths, mined no rare earth elements last year.

US trade officials say they are now checking the New York Times report that China is blocking shipments to the US and Europe, following reports of a similar move against Japan.

The newspaper cited unnamed Chinese rare earths officials as saying that "the embargo is expanding".

Nefeterius McPherson of the US Trade Representative's office said: "We're seeking more information in keeping with our recent announcement of an investigation into whether China's actions and policies are consistent with WTO rules."

Washington is investigating whether China is violating international trade rules by subsidising its clean energy industries.

EU trade spokesman John Clancy told the BBC that he was unable to confirm claims made by European industry officials in media reports of China blocking shipments to the EU.

"Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao stressed at the recent EU-China Business Summit that China did not intend to take such action or close its market," Mr Clancy said in a statement.

He said rare earths were a key element of European industrial policy, and that the situation was being monitored closely.

Japan accused China of halting rare earth shipments last month amid a diplomatic row over Japan's detention of a Chinese fishing boat captain whose trawler collided with two Japanese patrol boats.

First Solar to Acquire 5N Plus to Access Tellurium?

[adapted from] Greentech Media
First Solar, the globe's leading producer of thin-film photovoltaic panels, will look to buy 5N Plusto secure its supply of the element tellurium. (...) Although First Solar is the largest cadmium telluride user, there are a few startups looking to replicate its success. The leading aspirants in the CdTe materials system for photovoltaics are Abound Solar [who has a supply agreement with 5N Plus],  PrimeStar Solar, Calyxo/Q-Cells and Solexant.
Tellurium is a byproduct of copper mining and there is an ongoing debate over whether the global tellurium supply can support the growing needs of the solar industry. Prices for tellurium surged from under $100 per kilogram in 2007 to over $200 per kilogram in 2008. It is estimated that 30% of the global tellurium supply goes to First Solar -- and that proportion is increasing [Tellurium is also used to improve the machinability of steel and copper, as well as in CD-RW disks and other semiconductor applications.]. Rising tellurium prices might spur companies to explore a more active exploration and mining operation, rather than depending on tellurium as byproduct. First Solar has been looking for suppliers who would focus on mining tellurium. Capital Mining in Australia announced in May 2008 that First Solar was sending a geologist to check out a newly discovered tellurium deposit.

Estimates vary, but annual global tellurium production is about 160 tons to 260 tons, with demand potentially reaching 800 tons by 2013. At 8 grams of tellurium per 2 foot by 4 foot panel, that's roughly 100 metric tons of tellurium for each gigawatt of PV production. (...) In any case, silicon remains a much more earth-abundant element than tellurium, although tellurium is in strong supply extraterrestrially and in undersea mountain ridges.

Are Solar Thermal Power Plants Doomed?

Greentech Media

Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) [including all concentrating solar thermal (CST) technologies, such as trough, tower, and dish-engine - as well as concentrating PV (CPV) technologies including companies such as Amonix, SolFocus, and Concentrix] is one of our favorite renewable energy technologies, but it might be in serious trouble. (...) The relentless price declines of PV panels allows developers to build PV plants at a lower cost than their CST cousins. The better comparison is levelized cost of energy (LCOE). PV is cheaper today, and expected to widen its edge over the next decade. By 2020, the CSP technologies are expected to be in the $0.10-$0.12/kWh range, whereas PV is forecast between $0.07-$0.08/kWh.

Lumeta and Its Giant Stick-On Solar Module

Greentech Media

[Lumetta], a subsidiary of a large roofing contractor called DRI Companies, has devised a 400-watt solar module that essentially sticks onto the roof of a building. You just peel off the paper on the bottom of the module, line it up on the roof in relation to the other modules, and stick it on.

"We prefer to call it adhesive," joked general manager Jonathan Pickering, the former Applied Materials exec. (...) The idea is to curb the costs and difficulties associated with installing solar on commercial rooftops. (...)
"They were concerned about how to maintain the integrity of a roof after thousands of little holes" had been drilled into it to accommodate solar racks. Sticking the module to the roof eliminates the need to drill. It also generates other advantages. First, it cuts weight, an important consideration on older buildings. (...) The number of components and labor involved in an install are also greatly reduced. Davey estimates that Lumeta can curb labor by 60 percent. (...) And, because they have virtually no wind profile, the panels won't fly off in a storm. The "plumber's crack" dilemma in solar -- the fact that labor grows as a proportion of solar installations as the cost of solar panels declines -- has become the focus of a few startups such as Armageddon Energy (modular residential panels) and Zep Solar (minimalist racking). Over the past year, however, large solar module makers have begun to tackle the problem, as well. Suntech Power Holdings, for instance, makes utility-scale solar panels that fit into each other tongue-and-groove style. Solon and SunPower, meanwhile, unfurled megawatt-size solar power plant modules. Canadian Solar has adopted Zep's racks.

Parque fotovoltaico na Madeira

Jornal da Madeira via Portal das Energias Renováveis
Já está concluída a primeira fase do novo parque fotovoltaico da Nutroton Energias que está a ser instalado na Zona Franca Industrial (ZFI), no Caniçal [na ilha da Madeira].
Ontem, o director executivo da Nutroton Energias, o ex-presidente do PSD, Marques Mendes, visitou o parque fotovoltaico, o primeiro a ser construído na ilha da Madeira, uma vez que a empresa já tem a funcionar desde Maio deste ano um parque fotovoltaico na ilha do Porto Santo.Na oportunidade, disse ao JM que o parque fotovoltaico já está a produzir energia desde a semana passada, embora em fase experimental. Marques Mendes realçou que a “potência total do parque será de 6 megawatts, sendo que metade do parque (3 megawatts) já está pronto e está a produzir energia”. Quanto às obras da segunda fase do parque fotovoltaico, que já arrancaram, o director executivo da Nutroton Energias referiu que “ficam concluídas até ao fim de Novembro”. No total, disse, o parque “terá 28.800 painéis fotovoltaicos, passando a ser um dos maiores a nível nacional”, destacando ainda que “abrange uma área de 100 mil m2” e custará 20 milhões de euros.

Microinverter With 25-Year Warranty From SolarBridge

Greentech Media
SolarBridge Technologies, a developer of power conversion solutions for the solar industry, announced the launch of the SolarBridge AC Module System, a microinverter that enables the industry’s first integrated AC modules with a full 25-year warranty. The company is partnering with photovoltaic (PV) module manufacturers to bring AC modules to market. Kyocera Solar and SunPower are two of these partners. If you're going to build a microinverter integrated with a solar module, it makes sense that the microinverter should rival the lifetime of the panel itself.
As with all microinverters, the SolarBridge product improves energy harvest with the potential for improved reliability and reduced installation costs. The SolarBridge microinverter replaces today’s junction box and is integrated directly onto the back of a solar module during module manufacturing. The SolarBridge microinverter requires a fraction of the bulk capacitance of traditional inverter architectures, enabling the use of long-life film capacitors. This is a component design decision different than that of the leading solar microinverter firm.

Centrais fotovoltaicas já produziram mais que em todo o ano passado

Jornal de Negócios Online
A produção de electricidade a partir do Sol, em Portugal, está em alta, mas o ganho ambiental vem acompanhado de um sobrecusto de dezenas de milhões de euros.
A produção de energia solar fotovoltaica em Portugal está em alta e já ultrapassou, na primeira semana deste mês, o volume produzido em todo o ano passado, de acordo com dados da REN - Redes Energéticas Nacionais. No feriado de 5 de Outubro, a produção fotovoltaica acumulada desde o início do ano atingiu 139,3 gigawatt-hora (GWh), superando os 139 GWh que a REN registava no final de Dezembro de 2009.
Em comparação com o mesmo período do ano passado, as centrais fotovoltaicas portuguesas levam um crescimento de 23%. O que é justificado pelo aumento da potência instalada, de 64 megawatts (MW) em Setembro de 2009 para 81 MW agora. Mas a energia fotovoltaica tem ainda um peso residual no sistema eléctrico nacional: este ano responde por 0,35% do consumo nacional. Em 2009, a energia fotovoltaica abasteceu 0,28% do consumo eléctrico em Portugal.