Five Rare Earth Elements in ‘Critical’ Supply: U.S. Energy
Five rare earth elements fundamental to creating new technologies such as wind turbines, electric cars and efficient lighting are facing critical supply levels over the next few years, the U.S. Department of Energy warns.
The DOE, in its "2011 Critical Materials Strategy" report, said provision of rare earth elements dysprosium, terbium, europium, neodymium and yttrium are already reaching "critical" levels of short-term supply, meaning supply issues could occur from now through 2015.
Even worse, according to the report, all five elements have few material substitutes and come from a narrow range of producers.
"This means that an unexpected supply glitch or trade dispute could have quick, deep ripple-effects through the green-tech sector," the report said.
Yttrium, used to make compact fluorescent lamps, is 100 per cent imported from China since there are no other producers mining or refining it. Dysprosium, essential for magnets that can operate at high temperatures such as vehicle drives, also mostly come from China.
Terbium, the only viable substitute for dysprosium, is even rarer and more expensive.
Earlier this month, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC), in a survey of senior executives from 69 manufacturers, said at least seven manufacturing industries, including automotive, chemicals, aviation and renewable energy, will face a shortage of raw materials and a slump in industrial activities, as 14 rare earth elements may turn even more insufficient in the next five years.
PwC had urged business leaders of the manufacturing industries to start establishing fallback plans and fast track implementing them if only to sustain their immediate business plans.
Rare earth elements are not really rare. However, there are only a handful of producers who can successfully mine and refine the said elements. China is the world's stronghold of rare earth elements, feeding 95 per cent of the world's demand.
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Saturday, December 24, 2011
Monday, October 17, 2011
For Alternative Energy, Storage Makes All the Difference: View - Bloomberg
For Alternative Energy, Storage Makes All the Difference: View
Public discussion often makes it seem as if the only obstacles are efficiency and cost. Photovoltaic solar cells and offshore wind farms can provide power at about $160 a megawatt hour. That’s far costlier than coal-fired plants, which deliver power at about $70 a megawatt hour. That price gap keeps narrowing; it may close completely in a decade or two.
Recent events in Germany, though, highlight a less discussed, but equally crucial, challenge. As Bloomberg News reported recently, German energy prices have begun careening in the strangest ways. Sunny, gusty days generate so much alternative energy that utilities pay industrial customers to take it away. Cloudy, calm weather creates shortages that can send wholesale prices as high as $220 a megawatt hour.
It’s a problem inherent to solar and wind energy. Modern factories and homes want reliable power round the clock; the sun and wind don’t oblige. Without good ways of storing peak output for later release, alternative-energy plants become the most erratic parts of the power grid.
Zigzagging energy prices aren’t just a short-term annoyance. They distort budgets and spending priorities, forcing utilities to spend billions on conventional fossil-fuel plants that are used only part time to ensure steady power when wind and solar are in short supply.
An Elegant Solution
The most elegant solution would be to improve grid-level storage of solar and wind power, so yesterday’s sunshine can continue to yield power during today’s storms. Better storage could provide the steadier energy prices and more efficient power-plant networks that everyone craves.Achieving next-generation storage will take years. False starts will abound. Partial breakthroughs will need to be freely shared. Such long-horizon projects are anathema to the private sector, but well-suited to government support, with the U.S., Germany, China and Japan leading the way.
Governments worldwide are still trying to figure out the best ways of encouraging alternative energy, and some check- writing to date has been more hasty than prudent. U.S. support for the failed Solyndra LLC solar-cell factory is one prominent example; China’s all-out push to subsidize cheaper production of silicon wafers may be another.
Taking fewer risks on the factory floor, and more in the research lab, would be the wisest use of government money. The U.S. Department of Energy took a step in the right direction last month when it issued a slew of $3 million or smaller grants to labs exploring projects as varied as molten batteries, nanomaterials, high-temperature salts and compressed vapor.
Judicious government backing for such ideas should persist, and even accelerate, worldwide. Alternative energy’s full potential goes well beyond the approaches that are being commercialized today. The sooner that major advances in areas such as storage can be found, the easier it will be to save billions by shrinking the need for backup plants.
For Alternative Energy, Storage Makes All the Difference: View - Bloomberg
Friday, October 7, 2011
SolarBridge Technologies receives US$1.75 million grant from ARPA-E | PV-Tech
SolarBridge Technologies receives US$1.75 million grant from ARPA-E
- SolarBridge Technologies receives US$1.75 million grant from ARPA-E.
Following its US$2.3 million grant from the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) SunShot Initiative in September, SolarBridge advised that it had recently received a US$1.75 million grant from the DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). The grant is part of ARPA-E’s 60 cutting-edge research projects that it announced last week, which hold a combined worth of US$156 million and look to improve the way the US produces and uses energy.
SolarBridge will use the grant to perform further research and development for a new electronic technique that is said to improve the output of solar panels. The company claims that the technique is specifically designed for large solar power plants where many solar panels are connected to each other. SolarBridge’s Differential Power Processing (DPP) technology entails correcting the power differences that happen when two solar modules that receive different amounts of sun are connected together.
The company stated that the DPP technology will be smaller and less expensive than current electronic solutions. SolarBridge is collaborating on the project with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
“We are pleased to participate in groundbreaking research that is part of a national clean energy initiative,” said Ron Van Dell, president and CEO of SolarBridge. “From the beginning, SolarBridge’s goal has been to accelerate the adoption of solar energy. The ARPA-E grant will help us make our goal a reality.”
SolarBridge Technologies receives US$1.75 million grant from ARPA-E | PV-Tech
Monday, September 12, 2011
Solar industry shakeout leads to more large projects | Green Tech - CNET News
Solar industry shakeout leads to more large projects
Falling solar PV panel prices have helped boost the pipeline of non-residential solar projects in the U.S. this year.
(Credit: Martin LaMonica/CNET)The laws of supply and demand are actively at work in the solar industry with two direct effects: the death of some solar panel providers and a boost in the number of solar panels installed in the U.S.
Research company Solarbuzz today reported that rapidly falling solar panel prices this year contributed to a sharp increase in planned non-residential solar projects. Two months ago, the pipeline of projects was 17 gigawatts' worth of solar capacity; it now stands at 24 gigawatts.
Commercial-scale solar projects can be solar arrays at businesses or other organizations, such as utilities. Much of the demand for utility-scale solar is in California which requires utilities to get 33 percent of their power from renewable sources.
"Utility expectations for improved installed pricing measured either in per watt peak or kilowatt hour have vastly increased over the past quarter," Solarbuzz President Craig Stevens said in a statement today. "The result is more RFPs (requests for proposals) and an acceleration of PV (photovoltaic) orders."
Analysts estimate that the price of solar panels, called "modules" in the industry, have fallen about 25 percent since the beginning of the year, with more price drops expected this year.
The rapid price contraction this year and last year has put the squeeze on solar panel producers who can't keep pace. Three U.S.-based solar companies--Evergreen Solar, SpectraWatt, and Solyndra--have declared bankruptcy in the past two months, blaming global market conditions.
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The falling price of solar hardware has made buying more attractive, though, for consumers, businesses, and utilities. Solarbuzz said the three top panel suppliers for the existing pipeline of non-residential projects are SunPower, Suntech Power, and First Solar with Yingli, Sharp, and SolarWorld increasing their presence in the non-residential area.
Solar photovoltaic panel prices have affected utility project developers' choice of solar technology as well. Solar Millennium decided to scrap plans for a concentrating solar thermal system, which uses heat to generate electricity with a steam turbine, in favor of PV panels for the Blythe Solar Power Project in California.
Another factor pushing project developers to act is an expected change in the federal subsidy for renewable energy. Unless the program is extended, project developers next year will need to raise tax equity financing to take advantage of a tax credit for solar projects instead of the cash grant received now.
Solar industry shakeout leads to more large projects | Green Tech - CNET News
SunShot Initiative adds $145 million in funding advanced solar technologies : Clean Energy Authority
SunShot Initiative adds $145 million in funding advanced solar technologies
Sep 12, 2011
Last week, the Department of Energy (DOE) said it would support a number of promising solar technologies aimed at bringing the cost of solar power down with more than $145 million in awards through the SunShot Initiative. The funding will support a total of 69 projects across 24 states ranging from photovoltaics to reducing soft costs.
The SunShot Initiative, launched early in 2011, aims to reduce the cost of installed solar to $1 per watt over the next decade.
“The SunShot Initiative will aggressively drive innovation and make large-scale solar energy systems cost-competitive with other forms of energy,” said DOE spokesperson William Gibbons. “To accomplish this, the U.S. Department of Energy is supporting efforts by private companies, academia, and national laboratories to drive down the cost of solar electricity to about $0.06 per kilowatt-hour.”
This round of funding will support six areas of projects, according to DOE.
Balance of systems cost reduction projects received the most, with nine projects receiving a total of $42 million. Such costs, under the category of “Extreme Balance of System Hardware Cost Reductions,” will include research and development of lower cost hardware like inverters and racking.
“BOS accounts for more than 40 percent of the total installed cost of solar energy systems and represents a major opportunity to achieve significant cost reductions,” DOE said in a release.
The other category taking home a lion’s share of funding is the Foundational Program to Advance Cell Efficiency.
A total of 18 projects will receive $35.8 million under this program, which combines the technical and funding resources of U.S. Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation. The projects will attempt to reduce or eliminate the gap in efficiencies of prototype cells achieved in laboratory settings and those produced on manufacturing lines, according to DOE.
The round of financing also includes $25.9 million to support Solar Energy Grid Integration Systems projects; $22.2 million to support Transformational PV Science and Technology: Next Generation Photovoltaics II; $13.6 million to support Reducing Market Barriers and Non-Hardware Balance of System Costs; and $5.8 million to SunShot Incubator projects.
The incubator funding will support development of new technologies and shorten the amount of lag time between developing new technologies and bringing them to market. The incubator is an expansion of DOE's PV Technology Incubator Program. Since launching in 2007, it has funded $60 million in projects that have since leveraged $1.3 billion in private investments, the DOE said.
“Since February 2011, the Department of Energy's SunShot Initiative has announced $425 million in new awards. Most awards are three years in length, with the possibility of future funding,” Gibbons said.
The initiative is pretty new and doesn’t have any reported results yet, according to Gibbons.
“Most of the SunShot projects have just been announced in the past few months and work is just beginning,” he said. “Initial results from SunShot projects are expected in the coming fiscal year.”
Image courtesy of DOE.SunShot Initiative adds $145 million in funding advanced solar technologies : Clean Energy Authority
Solar3D Successfully Completes Design of Breakthrough 3-Dimensional Solar Cell - MarketWatch
press release
Sept. 12, 2011, 4:05 p.m. EDT
Solar3D Successfully Completes Design of Breakthrough 3-Dimensional Solar Cell
Fabrication of Super-Efficient Solar Cell Prototype Begins
SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Sep 12, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Solar3D, Inc. SLTD -7.74% , the developer of a breakthrough 3-dimensional solar cell technology to maximize the conversion of sunlight into electricity, announced today that it has successfully completed the design of the prototype for its new, super-efficient solar cell.
On track to complete a working prototype near the end of 2011, Solar3D set a number of milestones announced in May, including the completion of each design element--including the optical element and the 3-dimensional photovoltaic structure--and adjustment of the design for mass manufacturing. Each milestone has been consistently met in a timely way.
"The completion of our prototype design is a key milestone toward bringing our next generation solar cell to market. It is taken our team a year of intensive research, development, and simulation. When complete, the production of this solar cell will transform the industry and the way consumers think about solar power and its applications," said Jim Nelson, CEO of Solar3D.
Inspired by light management techniques used in fiber optic devices, the company's innovative solar cell technology utilizes a 3-dimensional design to trap sunlight inside micro-photovoltaic structures where photons bounce around until they are converted into electrons. Solar3D's management believes that this breakthrough solar cell design will dramatically change the economics of solar energy, since the efficiency of the new solar cell will be substantially higher than the currently available solar technology
"Our objective is to make solar power affordable and available to the world. The development our new solar cell technology will allow the solar industry to generate power on an economically competitive basis in addition to its other advantages over traditionally-sourced power," continued Nelson. "Our manufacturing-oriented engineers are creating a product that is not only much more efficient but relatively inexpensive to produce in mass quantities."
"By substantially increasing efficiency and retaining a low production cost, we will be able to contribute significantly to the industry's pursuit of the SunShot initiative laid out by Energy Secretary, Stephen Chu, to bring the cost of solar electricity to grid parity."
About Solar3D, Inc.
Solar3D, Inc. is developing a breakthrough 3-dimensional solar cell technology to maximize the conversion of sunlight into electricity. Up to 30% of incident sunlight is currently reflected off the surface of conventional solar cells, and more is lost inside the solar cell materials. Inspired by light management techniques used in fiber optic devices, our innovative solar cell technology utilizes a 3-dimensional design to trap sunlight inside micro-photovoltaic structures where photons bounce around until they are converted into electrons. This next generation solar cell will be dramatically more efficient, resulting in a lower cost per watt that will make solar power affordable for the world. To learn more about Solar3D, please visit our website at http://www.Solar3D.com .
Safe Harbor Statement
Matters discussed in this press release contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this press release, the words "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "may," "intend," "expect" and similar expressions identify such forward-looking statements. Actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those contemplated, expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements contained herein. These forward-looking statements are based largely on the expectations of the Company and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. These include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties associated with: the impact of economic, competitive and other factors affecting the Company and its operations, markets, product, and distributor performance, the impact on the national and local economies resulting from terrorist actions, and U.S. actions subsequently; and other factors detailed in reports filed by the Company.
SOURCE: Solar3D, Inc.
Solar3D Successfully Completes Design of Breakthrough 3-Dimensional Solar Cell - MarketWatch
$90m loan guarantee for Colorado solar power plant | BrighterEnergy.org
$90m loan guarantee for Colorado solar power plant
14 hours ago
The Department of Energy has finalized a $90.6 million loan guarantee for Cogentrix of Alamosa, LLC (Cogentrix), which is developing a concentrated solar power facility in Colorado.
The Alamosa Solar Generating Project will take the form of a 30 megawatt (MW) High Concentration Photovoltaic (HCPV) power generation facility that will generate clean, emissions-free power in south-central Colorado, near the city of Alamosa.
The facility will represent one of the first utility-scale, high concentration photovoltaic energy generation facilities in the nation and, when completed, the largest of its kind in the world.
North Carolina-based Cogentrix estimates the project will support up to 100 construction jobs.
“On Thursday, President Obama spoke about the need to continue creating the jobs of the future,” said US Energy Secretary Steven Chu. “And that’s exactly what today’s investment does – putting Americans to work right away and helping position us to win the global race for the clean energy industries of tomorrow.”
HCPV
The proposed facility will use innovative HCPV systems consisting of concentrating optics and multi-junction solar cell panels that are controlled by a dual-axis tracking system.
The tracking system rotates and tilts the cells throughout the day so the surface of the solar panel maintains an optimal angle with respect to the sun.
Cogentrix estimates the multi-junction solar cells are nearly 40 percent efficient, which is about double that of more traditional PV panels, making concentrated photovoltaic technology advantageous in areas with high amounts of direct sunlight, such as Alamosa County.
The facility is expected to produce enough clean renewable energy per year to power more than 6,500 homes and will avoid the emissions of over 43,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year.
The Alamosa Solar Generating Project is supported by a power purchase agreement (PPA), which is a long-term agreement to sell the power it will generate.
Under the project’s PPA, the Public Service Company of Colorado will buy the power generated by the solar facility for the next 20 years. The project is also expected to source more than 80 percent of its components from the United States.
$90m loan guarantee for Colorado solar power plant | BrighterEnergy.org
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
'Hybrid' solar system proves cheaper than photovoltaics | News | The Engineer
'Hybrid' solar system proves cheaper than photovoltaics
Share A ‘hybrid’ rooftop solar system that produces hydrogen can create more useful energy at a lower overall cost than photovoltaics, according to researchers at Duke University.
They recently conducted a trial of their system, which uses glass tubes filled with water, methanol and catalyst, based on its exegetic performance — a measure of how much of a given quantity of energy can theoretically be converted to useful work.
‘The hybrid system achieved exegetic efficiencies of 28.5 per cent in the summer and 18.5 per cent in the winter, compared with five to 15 per cent for the conventional systems in the summer and 2.5 to five per cent in the winter,’ said Nico Hotz, assistant professor of mechanical engineering and materials science at Duke.
The team’s hybrid device looks similar to a traditional solar collector but actually contains a series of copper tubes coated with a thin layer of aluminium and aluminium oxide, and partly filled with catalytic nanoparticles. A combination of water and methanol flows through the tubes, which are sealed in a vacuum.
This setup allows up to 95 per cent of the sunlight to be absorbed with very little being lost as heat to the surroundings, facilitating temperatures of higher than 200ºC within the tubes, according to the team.
Once the evaporated liquid achieves these higher temperatures, tiny amounts of a catalyst are added, which produces hydrogen that can be directed to a fuel cell to provide electricity to a building during the day, or compressed and stored in a tank.
Three systems were examined in the recent trial: a standard photovoltaic cell that converts sunlight directly into electricity to then split water electrolytically into hydrogen and oxygen; a prototype version of Hotz’s system; and a system in which photovoltaic cells turn sunlight into electricity that is then stored in different types of batteries (with lithium ion being the most efficient).
‘We performed a cost analysis and found that the hybrid solar methanol is the least expensive solution, considering the total installation costs of $7,900 [£4,900] if designed to fulfil the requirements in summer — although this is still much more expensive than a conventional fossil-fuel-fed generator,’ Hotz said.
'Hybrid' solar system proves cheaper than photovoltaics | News | The EngineerFriday, July 29, 2011
2011/07/30 01:10 - Tesla CEO Picks Fukushima For Solar Power Advocacy
Tesla CEO Picks Fukushima For Solar Power Advocacy
SOMA, Fukushima Pref. (Nikkei)--The city of Soma has received a 250,000 dollar donation for a solar power project from Tesla Motors Inc. Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk, a solar energy advocate who sees the need for subsidies on a par with those for nuclear power.
- Elon Musk
Commercial solar power generation would not make economic sense in Japan unless the government slashes red tape and offers more generous subsidies, Musk told The Nikkei in an interview after his announcement here Friday. In addition to suffering from the massive earthquake and tsunami in March, Soma is facing radioactive fallout from the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant 43km to the south.
"Regulation-clearing work usually amounts to 10-30% of total solar power system installation cost in Japan," Musk said, noting that "paperwork does not generate power."
Musk also pointed to hidden but sizable government subsidies for nuclear power, in such forms as research and development outlays, multiple regulatory and administrative organizations, and subsidies to local communities.
"At least an equal level of tax money should be allocated to solar energy, because it is far safer and cleaner than nuclear power," he said.
The donation was made through his Musk Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports research in renewable energy and space exploration. Musk is also CEO of Space Exploration Technologies Corp. and nonexecutive chairman of California solar power system installer SolarCity.
Prime Minister Naoto Kan abruptly announced earlier this month his policy to reduce the nation's reliance on nuclear energy, but did not present any practical means of doing so. In the meantime, interest in solar power is growing among business leaders and local government officials. Japan faces potential power shortages and higher electric bills as many nuclear power plants are forced to halt operations in light of safety concerns.
--Based on an interview conducted by senior Nikkei staff writer Takehiko Koyanagi
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Projects - Ghana : Ghana Skills and Technology Development Project
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Projects - Ghana : Ghana Skills and Technology Development Project
Projects - Ghana : Solar PV Systems to Increase Access to Electricity Services in Ghana
The objective of the Solar PV System to Increase Access to Electricity Services Project is to increase electricity access via solar photovoltaic systems to poor rural households in remote regions of Ghana where solar photovoltaic (PV) systems are the least cost technology option and grid service will not arrive for ten years or more. There are three components to the project. The first component of the project is subsidies for solar PV systems. The project will fund output-based subsidies to private dealers for the sale, installation, and after-sale service for solar home systems of different sizes for rural households. The second component of the project is the transaction support. It is worth noting that the provision of technical assistance is consistent with emerging practices for off-grid electrification, which indicate that successful off-grid electrification projects require substantial accompanying technical assistance resources, both for the transaction and supervision, given that: (i) these are nascent markets, and (ii) governments typically lack experience and capacity to oversee these new transactions. The third component of the project is the project supervision by the Bank. Project supervision covers the work of the task team leader, the technical specialists, and the fiduciary and safeguards staff for the supervision of the Global Partnership Output-Based Aid (GPOBA) subsidies.
Projects - Ghana : Solar PV Systems to Increase Access to Electricity Services in Ghana
Projects - Ghana : Solar PV Systems to Increase Access to Electricity Services in Ghana
China dives deeper in resource race - Asia-Pacific - Al Jazeera English
| Asia-Pacific |
| China dives deeper in resource race |
Submersible conducts country's deepest manned dive that points to its fast-growing technical capabilities. Last Modified: 26 Jul 2011 18:37 |
| A Chinese submersible has conducted the country's deepest manned dive in the latest technological milestone for China, which theoretically puts most of the ocean floor's vast resources within its reach. The Jiaolong undersea craft - named after a mythical sea dragon - reached 5,057 metres below sea level in a test dive on Tuesday in the northeastern Pacific, China's oceanic administration said. Though less than half as deep as a record dive by the US Navy in 1960, the achievement highlights China's push to catch up with advanced nations in space, sea, and polar exploration, and points to its fast-growing technical capabilities. Chinese scientists aim to complete the world's deepest dive in a manned submersible in 2012 by going to 7,000 metres, state news agency Xinhua reported on Tuesday. "Such a depth means the Jiaolong is capable of reaching over 70 per cent of the seabeds in the world," Xinhua quoted head of the diving operation Wang Fei as saying. Undersea resource race The current depth record holder is Japan's Shinkai 6500, which dived to 6,527 meters in August 1989. "At a depth of 5,000 meters, the Jiaolong withstood great pressure amounting to 5,000 tonnes per square meter," Wang said. China has pushed hard in recent years to obtain oil, minerals and other resources needed to fuel its growth, and has said its submersible programme is aimed at scientific research and the peaceful exploration and use of natural resources. Scientists say the oceans' floors contain rich deposits of potentially valuable minerals, but the extreme depths pose technical difficulties in harvesting them on a wide scale. But it may not take China long to begin reaching these riches, Jian Zhimin, director of the marine geology laboratory at Shanghai's Tongji university, told the AFP news agency. "I don't think it will be a very long time before China can perform deep-sea ocean-floor mining," he said, noting that many of the most valuable oceanic mineral resources are located around the Jiaolong's maximum designed depth of 7,000 metres. Regional rivalries During a Jiaolong dive to the bottom of the disputed South China Sea last year, it planted a Chinese flag in the seabed in what some saw as a provocative act. The South China Sea, believed to be rich in oil and gas, is claimed in whole or in part by China and several other nations. Some concerns also have been raised that deep-sea vessels could have military applications such as tapping into or severing communications cables. China's successful dive comes after Japanese media earlier this year said Japan planned to step up its search for undersea mineral reserves, setting up a potential race for seabed resources. Japanese researchers earlier this month said they had detected vast reserves of rare earths - substances used in many high-tech electronics - on the Pacific seabed. Chinese state news agency Xinhua quoted the submersible's chief designer, Xu Qinan, as touting its "state-of-the-art" systems but noting that some components had been imported from abroad, such as the high-definition video and transmission equipment. |
Source: Al Jazeera and agencies |
Friday, July 22, 2011
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