PIVOTRY RADIOMETER:  AUGUST 2010

Pivotry Radiometer is a free monthly newsletter about new developments in the solar renewable energy industry and based upon the "game changers" from the Pivotry Perspectives Workshops conducted by Wayne Chang, Ph.D.  You are welcomed to share this newsletter with others.

 Pivotry Radiometer is in four sections this month:

 1.       New Materials

At the recent Start-Ups Forum, Intersolar North America, San Francisco, California (July 12, 2010), Solexant gave a presentation about a new generation of ultra-thin film PV cells for "roll-to-roll" manufacturing on low cost metal foil substrates (ref-1.1).  A new CdTe nanocrystal ink technology exclusively licensed from UC Berkeley is the key to producing high quality crystals grown from the printed nanocrystals.  This results in a fast and simple deposition process at very low costs.  Comparisons with industry leader First Solar showed lower cost per watt for manufacturing as well as lower balance of system costs of $0.97/W versus $1.21/W.  The Solexant market includes utilities & rooftops because of their cost profile as well as using flexible substrates.

 2.       Hybrid Systems and Integration

At the recent Building Integrated Systems - Integrated Solutions for PV and Solar Thermal Applications in Buildings, Intersolar North America, San Francisco, California (July 14, 2010), the Fraunhofer Institute Solar Energy Systems (Germany) & Sustainable Energy Systems (USA) gave a presentation on current challenges and options for BIPV (ref-2.1).  Clear definitions were contrasted for PV module system add-ons versus true integration into buildings and providing multifunctional building components such as electricity generation, shading, noise protection, sunlight modification and heat insulation.  The success stories from countries such as Germany, Japan and France showed BIPV systems have unlimited potential for both space and demand.

 3.       Photovoltaic Technology Roadmaps and Standards

At the recent IPC PV Module Technical Standards Committee Meeting held on July 16, 2010 in San Francisco, working draft standards were being finalized for poly-silicon assembly of modules.  The sub-committee titles included Visual Acceptance Criteria for Solar Panel - Final Module Assembly, Acceptability Criteria for Tabbing and Stringing, and Acceptability Guidelines for Solar Panel Lamination.  Companies represented at the meeting included Q-Cells, Christopher Associates, Flextronics, Celestica, Burkle North America, Indium Corporation, 2BG PV Module Equipment, and Atlas Material Testing Technology.  This was the fourth meeting held by the Committee which was initiated last year.  Sub-committees have monthly working conference calls.  The IPC encourages and welcomes solar PV industry participants in the value chain to join these sub-committees and contribute to the standards development (ref-3.1).

 4.       CULTURE Perspectives

At the recent Innovation Exchange, Intersolar North America, San Francisco, California (July 15, 2010), the Upper Austria Energy Agency (O.O. Energiesparverband) gave a presentation on how a culture that prioritizes energy efficiency and renewable energy successfully became the world's leading solar thermal market (ref-4.1).  Upper Austria is one of Austria's nine federated states with a population of approximately 1.4 million, and 1 million square metres of solar thermal collectors on rooftops…that's 700 square metres of solar collector area per 1,000 inhabitants!  The Upper Austria Energy Agency also manages a network of 150 companies and institutions which employs over 6,200 people and generates more than $2B (US) in annual revenues.  This remarkable example is described in the report titled: Carrots, Sticks and Tambourines: How Upper Austria became the World's Leading Solar Thermal Market (ref-4.2).

 REFERENCES & LINKS

1.1 http://www.solexant.com/index.php

2.1 http://cse.fraunhofer.org/events---trade-shows/intersolar-2010/

3.1 http://www.ipc.org/CommitteeDetail.aspx?Committee=E-10

4.1 http://www.intersolar.us/index.php?id=41&L=1&tx_exhibitorsv2fe_pi1[tab]=day_3

4.2 http://www.esv.or.at/eu/english/publications/#c3655

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This newsletter is based upon information that we consider reliable, but we do not represent that it is accurate or complete, and it should not be relied upon as such.