Solar industry shakeout leads to more large projects | Green Tech - CNET News

Solar industry shakeout leads to more large projects

By: Martin LaMonica September 12, 2011 9:04 AM PDT

• Print
• E-mail

Share

14 comments

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.

Related stories
• Econ 101: Solar panels increase home values
• Falling solar costs: Good for buyers, bad for makers
• Why solar start-ups need Uncle Sam

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.

Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-20104852-54/solar-industry-shakeout-leads-to-more-large-projects/#ixzz1XngzA39f

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

Chris Meehan

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