NREL shows that Corning’s Willow glass can be used to make flexible solar cells that could be installed in place of roofing shingles.
Researchers at the U.S. government’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory have built flexible solar cells using a thin and pliable kind of glass from Corning, the company that makes the glass that covers iPhone screens. The new solar cells could make rooftop solar power far cheaper.
For solar industry watchers, this week brings another remind of how me-too technology will eventually wither away.
Thin-film solar manufacturer Global Solar has shut down, according to a report at Inside Tuscon Business. Ampluse, a startup first funded in 2009, is also preparing to close down, according to Greentech Media.
The global solar panel industry is struggling—major manufacturers have posted continued losses this quarter, mainly due to a saturated market that’s left them unable to charge enough for their panels. But one startup, Fremont, California-based Silevo, is bucking the trend of plant closures and bankruptcies by planning to build a new factory next year.
Silevo says the 200-megawatt factory will let it make solar panels at costs similar to those made by solar-panel manufacturers in China, even though those manufacturers have far larger, 1,000-megawatt factories and the economies of scale that go with that.
The rise of solar PV and other renewables presents a whole new world for electricity grid operators; a new report shows how PV is already providing solutions, and how it will be key to meeting Europe’s ambitious energy and environmental goals. &n
The rise of solar PV and other renewables presents a whole new world for electricity grid operators; a new report shows how PV is already providing solutions, and how it will be key to meeting Europe’s ambitious energy and environmental goals. &n
Solar power installations in the United States more than doubled in the second quarter this year, driven by a combination of plunging panel prices, policies to create demand for renewable energy, and business model innovations.
The Solar Energy Industry Association yesterday reported that 742 megawatts of solar power were installed last quarter and that 3,200 megawatts of solar are expected to be installed this year. Second quarter installations were 45 percent more in megawatts compared to the first quarter this year and 116 percent compared to the same period last year.
Has the solar-power industry lapsed into a classic cycle of boom and bust after a decade of unprecedented growth? It might appear so. As years of government subsidies boosted the global installed capacity of solar-photovoltaic (PV) modules and dramatically cut prices, new producers, including China, rushed into the market, prompting oversupply and pressure on margins that threaten many pioneering players. Demand today isn’t keeping up with supply, and governments continue to scale back support as they cope with the aftermath of the economic crisis.
Has the solar-power industry lapsed into a classic cycle of boom and bust after a decade of unprecedented growth? It might appear so. As years of government subsidies boosted the global installed capacity of solar-photovoltaic (PV) modules and dramatically cut prices, new producers, including China, rushed into the market, prompting oversupply and pressure on margins that threaten many pioneering players. Demand today isn’t keeping up with supply, and governments continue to scale back support as they cope with the aftermath of the economic crisis.
