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.
terça-feira, 16 de agosto de 2011
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.”
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.”
terça-feira, 2 de agosto de 2011
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.
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.
quarta-feira, 27 de julho de 2011
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.
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.
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.
segunda-feira, 25 de julho de 2011
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.
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.
sexta-feira, 22 de julho de 2011
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.
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.
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