Industry headlines

Japanese electronics maker Sanyo Electric Co Ltd said on Tuesday it aimed to boost its solar cell output capacity more than 10-fold to 4 gigawatts a year by 2020, or about 10 percent of the global market. Sanyo had a 4.4 percent share in 2007. Click here for full story

Up to now solar power has been a "Cinderella" energy source because storing the sun's energy is so expensive and inefficient. Now scientists believe they have overcome the problem using technology inspired by photosynthesis in plants. The system allows small amounts of electricity from solar panels to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. A similar water-splitting reaction occurs during photosynthesis. Later, the gases can be recombined in a fuel cell to produce carbon-free electricity. Click here for full story

Trina Solar will provide cells for the first airplane to fly around the world using only renewable energy. Trina Solar announced a cooperation agreement with Lisa Airplanes for the building of the Hy-Bird, a solar and hydrogen powered airplane that is set to be the first to fly around the world using only renewable energies. Under this accord, the solar company will supply the airline with almost 300 photovoltaic cells for the assembly of this hybrid airplane. Click here for full story

Semiconductor companies are rushing into the solar power business faster than a Pentium-driven computer, promising to turn a niche form of renewable energy into a mass-market product. Since May, computer powerhouses Intel, IBM and National Semiconductor have barreled into solar energy, joining hundreds of fellow technology mainstays. Virtually every chipmaker is weighing a solar play, says Rhone Resch, head of the Solar Energy Industries Association. Click here for full story

Solar panels being installed in a secondary school in East Sussex will generate enough power for 33,000 hours of classroom computer use. This is the hundredth school in a public and private sector partnership to introduce solar energy into schools. Click here for full story

Hot weather, rising domestic energy bills and concerns over climate change have conspired to make life easy for companies selling solar energy systems to householders. However, according to Cambridge UK based analysts, CarbonFree, some parts of the domestic renewable energy market are, themselves, starting to overheat with the benefits systems being oversold to householders. Already a few renewable energy technology installers have made front page news in local newspapers for all the wrong reasons as customers discover that either promised benefits do not materialise or in some cases the systems do not work.  Click here for full story

Vast farms of solar panels in the Sahara desert could provide clean electricity for the whole of Europe, according to EU scientists working on a plan to pool the region's renewable energy. Harnessing the power of the desert sun is at the centre of ambitious scheme to build a Ä45bn (£35.7bn) European supergrid that would allow countries across the continent to share electricity from abundant green sources such as wind energy in the UK and Denmark and geothermal energy from Iceland and Italy. The idea is gaining growing political support in Europe with both Gordon Brown and Nicholas Sarkozy recently giving backing to the north African solar plan. Click here for full story

Cardiff-based roll-to-roll solar cell maker G24 Innovations has raised a further $30m. "This is G24i's second major funding announcement in the last two months, following a $20m investment by Morgan Stanley Principal Investments in June," said the firm.  Click here for full story

General Motors is adding the world's largest rooftop solar photovoltaic power installation to its car assembly plant located in Figueruelas, Zaragoza, Spain. When the project is completed in the fall of 2008, the Zaragoza solar installation will cover about 2,000,000 sq. ft. of roof at the plant and comprises about 85,000 solar panels. Click here for full story

Toyota Motor Corp plans to install solar panels on some Prius hybrids in its next remodeling, responding to growing demand for "green" cars amid record-high oil prices, a source briefed on the matter said. The panels, supplied by Kyocera Corp would be able to power part of the air-conditioning on high-end versions of the gasoline-electric Prius, the source said. Click here for full story

Royal Dutch Shell subsidiary Showa Shell Sekiyu, Japan's fifth-largest oil refiner, plans to invest 100 billion yen, or about $938 million, in a solar-panel megaplant, according to AFP. The planned factory will produce panels with the cumulative annual capacity to produce 1 gigawatt of power, equivalent to that of a small nuclear-power reactor. The news breaks a month after Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda called for a tenfold increase in the country's use of solar power by 2020. The government is considering subsidies to boost the industry. Click here for full story

Solarcentury has provided its unique integrated solar photovoltaic C21e tiles for W Copeland and Son's new environmentally friendly development of apartments and townhouses in Northern IrelandÖ.. The development, which will comprise 36 townhouses, semi detached homes and apartments, is the first of its kind in Northern Ireland, using renewable technology in every property. Click here for full story

Cardiff-based G24 Innovations (G24i), which is pioneering solar powered technology solutions, has received a $20m investment boost. Morgan Stanley Principal Investments (MSPI) has backed the commercial potential of the company which has its headquarters at Wentloog. MSPI’s investment comes in the form of newly-issued ordinary shares, giving it a minority stake and the right to appoint a director to the board. Click here for full story

As the solar photovoltaic field grows around the world, more companies are becoming involved and investing in renewable energy. Evidence of the movement away from more traditional investments is technology giant IBM’s joining of forces with semiconductor process company Tokyo Ohka Kogyo (TOK), to find ways of making solar power technology more efficient and more affordable. The partnership will concentrate on production of high-power thin-film solar cells. IBM will lend its manufacturing expertise to the process while TOK uses its LCD panel coating experience from the semiconductor industry. Click here for full story

zouk announces the launch of zouk Solar Opportunities Limited, a closed-ended investment company. zSOL will be managed by zouk and will develop and own a portfolio of solar power projects in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. zSOL will provide investment equity in a diversified portfolio of solar projects in areas where optimal conditions, regulatory support and tariff structures create a suitable investment profile. zSOL will target projects in their development phase that utilize proven solar technologies with an initial focus on solar photovoltaic plants. zSOL has already identified a pipeline of suitable projects and is looking to build approximately 40MW within the next 12 months.  Click here for full story

Trina Solar, one of the world's top manufacturers of solar PV modules, and Espanyol from Barcelona, a top Spanish football club, have sealed a deal for the next three seasons. By means of this agreement, Trina Solar will supply Espanyol with 500 KW of photovoltaic modules for the construction of a roof-top PV installation in the club’s new Stadium. Click here for full story

How much do you know about solar power? Test your green-energy IQ and learn some surprising truths about the state of sunshine-based electricity in America. Click here for full story

Scotland’s biggest solar panel system has been completed, promising to slash hundreds of thousand of pounds from the cost of running Europe's busiest court. The roof of Glasgow Sheriff Court has been transformed by the installation of hundreds of 3ft by 2ft solar panels, which will provide up to a fifth of the massive building's energy demands.  Click here for full story

Street lights powered by solar energy are to be fitted with alarms connected to a police station after around £10,000 worth of equipment was stolen. The direct link to Musselburgh Police station will be introduced after seven solar panels were removed from the East Lothian lampposts. Around 30 batteries were also taken from distinctive lights off the A1 which surround the Queen Margaret University campus. Click here for full story

Forty boats sped off silently Monday in what is billed as the world's largest race for solar powered watercraft. High winds capsized several boats during a time trial qualifying round Sunday, and technical problems with the launching crane pushed back Monday's start. But all 40 qualifiers finally departed under fair skies, spokeswoman Christel Pieper of the Frisian Solar Challenge said. The six-day race covers a 135 mile course in the north of the Netherlands. Speed limits on narrow waterways have been temporarily waived for the boats, the fastest of which can go nearly 19 mph.  Click here for full story

Recent reports on the solar energy industry found that solar energy accounts for only 1% of the world's energy resources, today, while the rise of energy prices to record highs, coupled with the lack of signs of stability, seems certain to increase investment in this sector by approximately 50% within two years. Click here for full story

As many as a quarter of British homes could be fitted with solar heating panels under new government plans for a "green revolution". Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the new proposals are "the most ambitious" such strategy that Britain has seen. The goal is to meet the EU target of 15% of energy from renewables by 2020. Click here for full story

The costs of making electricity with solar power within a decade will reach parity with power made with fossil fuels like natural gas and coal, a study announced on Tuesday by supporters of renewable and solar energy says.  Click here for full story

French clean energy firm EDF Energies Nouvelles will construct a new solar plant. The renewable energy arm of major utility Electricite de France announced the construction of a 7 megawatt solar farm on land belonging to the Narbonne municipal authorities. This is reportedly one of the largest solar farms under construction in mainland France and is scheduled to enter service by the end of the year.  Click here for full story

Soaring oil prices have led to such a boom for solar power that the industry could operate without subsidies in just a few years, according to industry leaders. At the solar industry trade fair in Munich over the weekend, there was growing confidence that the holy grail known as "grid parity" - whereby electricity from the sun can be produced as cheaply as it can be bought from the grid - is now just a few years away.  Click here for full story

Festival-goers are used to braving rain and mud, but this year's Glastonbury crowds may be grateful for breezy conditions to power a giant mobile phone charger. Orange announced today that it plans to install the seven-metre high renewable energy recharge "pod" at the Somerset music event. Featuring a wind generator and solar panels to harness the weather, the unit will enable people at Glastonbury to keep their phones working during the three-day event. Click here for full story

Canadian Solar says it has completed the delivery of 66 KW of BIPV modules for the lamp posts along the Olympic Boulevard from the "Bird's Nest", the main stadium for the 2008 Olympic Games, to the Olympic Square. This BIPV project sits right on the axis of Beijing, symbolizing the nation's increasing commitment to sustainable development. Click here for full story

General Electric, through its Energy division, has increased its equity stake to a majority holding in cadmium-telluride (CdTe) thin-film start-up PrimeStar Solar, and in so doing, has raised the stakes in the photovoltaic solar contest. The move by GE puts First Solar, the market leader in TFPV, squarely in the competitive crosshairs of one of the largest industrial conglomerates and R&D powerhouses.  Click here for full story

Scientists at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo., are testing a modified 2006 Toyota Prius that can get 100 miles per gallon. Laboratory engineer Tony Markel said the car has a solar panel attached to the roof and a bigger battery in the trunk that can power the car up to 35 mph before the gasoline-powered engine kicks in, the Rocky Mountain News reported. Click here for full story

Concentrated solar power (CSP) has better prospects than wind when it comes to renewable energy investment, according to a leading investor in the sector. CSP involves using mirrors to focus the heat from the sun onto water-filled tubes, turning the water into steam that drives turbines. The technology is easily combined with a gas or biomass-fired plant to provide electricity day and night. So far, CSP is only responsible for around 400MW of electricity generating capacity worldwide, but this is rising fast. ìThere is still a lot of capacity to be installed,î said Sebastian Waldburg, managing partner at SI Capital, a Barcelona-based private equity investment company specialising in renewable energy. Click here for full story

The world's largest solar photovoltaic farm, generating electricity straight from sunlight, is taking shape near Moura [in Portugal], a small town in a thinly populated and impoverished region which boasts the most sunshine per square metre a year in Europe. When fully commissioned later this year, the £250m farm set on abandoned state-owned land will be twice the size of any other similar project in the world, covering an area nearly twice the size of London's Hyde park. It is expected to supply 45MW of electricity each year, enough to power 30,000 homes. Click here for full story

A senior Qatari official yesterday urged concerted efforts to advance research on solar power in the region. ìWe have such a lot of solar energy in the region and we are so behind the world in studying itî, Abdel Rahman M al-Mahmoud, director of financial and administration department at the Supreme Council for Environment and Natural Reserves (SCENR), told Gulf Times. Click here for full story

The solar power business is bracing itself for a collapse in prices that could lead to a shake-out in one of the most promising areas of the renewable energy sector. However, a price slump could hasten the take-up of the technology which would help boost the overall volume of future activity, even as margins fall, industry analysts and officials add. Expectations of falling prices have been partly sparked by a surge in the level of manufacturing capacity for solar panels. This is likely to lead to demand outstripping supply for the first time in years. Another factor driving prices is uncertainty over the degree of government subsidies in some key markets for the technology. Click here for full story

Germany is slashing the subsidies that built its solar industry up to $8.8 billion in sales and made the country the world's biggest market for panels that capture the sun's energy. Homes and businesses earn a government-guaranteed price of as much as 47 euro cents ($0.74) for each kilowatt-hour of solar power they generate, enough to run a vacuum cleaner for 60 minutes and double the market rate.  Click here for full story

Abu Dhabi unveiled plans yesterday to invest $2 billion (£1.02 billion) in a project designed to make it a world leader in solar power. Despite the deserts of Arabia being rich in oil, the Gulf state is betting that this alternative source of energy could help to secure the region's long-term economic future. The investment by Masdar, a state-sponsored renewable energy fund, represents one of the largest stakes in the solar industry. Click here for full story

IBM announced a research breakthrough in photovoltaics (PV) technology that could significantly reduce the cost of harnessing the sun's power for electricity. In the same way that children in science class use a magnifying glass to burn a leaf, IBM scientists are using a large lens to concentrate the sun's power, capturing a record 230 watts onto a centimeter square solar cell, in a technology known as concentrator photovoltaics, or CPV.  Click here for full story

With an eye to becoming a global leader in thin-film PV, Abu Dhabi-based Masdar announced it's entering the business of making and selling thin-film photovoltaic solar products.A new $2 billion committment from Masdaróone of the largest single investments made in solar to date, and the second multi-billion committment made to thin film solar in two daysóis expected to fund a three-phased manufacturing and expansion strategy to produce the latest generation of thin-film modules. Click here for full story

Along a dusty two-lane highway in California's Mojave Desert, 550,000 mirrors point skyward to make steam for electricity. Google Inc., Chevron Corp. and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. are betting this energy will become cheaper than coal. The 1,000-acre plant uses concentrated sunlight to generate power for as many as 112,500 homes in Southern California. Rising natural gas prices and emissions limits may make solar thermal the fastest-growing energy source in the next decade, say backers including Vinod Khosla, the founder of computer maker Sun Microsystems Inc. Click here for full story

Japanese electronics conglomerate Sony Corp said it has developed dye-sensitized solar cells with an energy conversion efficiency of 10 percent, a level seen necessary for commercial use. Dye-sensitized solar cells, which use photosensitive dye and do not require costly and large-scale production equipment, are seen as a promising next-generation solar cell variety and potential threat to silicon-based solar cells.  Click here for full story

Thanks to its aggressive push into renewable energies, cloud-wreathed Germany has become an unlikely leader in the race to harness the sun's energy. It has by far the largest market for photovoltaic systems, which convert sunlight into electricity, with roughly half of the world's total installations. And it is the third-largest producer of solar cells and modules after China and Japan. Click here for full story