Reducing Toxins in PV Manufacturing

Written by Anne Fischer | 20 May 2013

Solar power is considered green power, and it is becoming greener as companies to reducing hazards and environmental contaminants in the manufacturing process through proper handling, management and disposal. And through proper recycling methods, many of the materials will be reused, finding new life in new products.

Electric Vehicles: Charged by the sun

Written by Anne Fischer | 06 May 2013

A solar tree structure with a six-car Bosch charging station is installed at General Motors. Photo courtesy of Envision SolarPlug-in electric vehicles (PEV) store all their energy in batteries, rather than running on gasoline. This is great for the environment in terms of less carbon being spewed into the atmosphere from their exhaust pipes, but vehicle operators will still be dependent on fossil fuels to charge the vehicles unless solar (or other renewable source) is attached to the charging device.

Trends in Solar PV Coatings

Written by Andrew Williams | 22 April 2013

One of the key technological challenges for the solar industry is the need to improve solar cell efficiency.  However, any sunlight that is reflected off of a solar module does not reach the solar cells and therefore does not contribute to energy output.  Up to 4% of light is reflected on an untreated glass cover - and the bottom line is that this light is lost and cannot be converted into electrical energy.

Cost Benefits of Quality Waterproofing Solar Rooftops

Written by Jeff Spies | 15 April 2013

As the solar industry continues the push to reduce “cost per watt” it is imperative to remember the more important metric is “lowest cost per kWh” over the life of the system.

For solar rooftop installations, the waterproofing system you choose can have a dramatic impact on the ownership cost of a PV system. Unfortunately, many underestimate the long term impacts of this critical decision. If you do it right, you can have over 30 years of trouble-free service from your array and roof. Do it wrong, and the lifetime cost of the system jumps 25 to 50% or even more.

Materials Matter in Reducing Risk in Solar Installations

Written by Conrad Burke | 08 April 2013

Solar continues to make significant inroads as a key element of the world’s overall energy mix; the expected annual growth rate is 20% over the next several years.

Maintaining this rate of growth depends on solar being an attractive investment for owners and investors.  System reliability and viability can greatly impact investment returns, and therefore become key in reducing risk.

PV Recycling: Update on legal and technology issues

Written by Andreas Breyer | 18 March 2013

Recycling of end-of-life PV modules is not an extremely popular topic in the current economic difficult times for the PV industry. However, legislation in Europe creates a pressure to act.

Old EV Batteries as Solar Storage Solution

Written by Jonathan Gourlay | 11 March 2013

If the world is going to wean itself from its addiction to oil, the electric grid is going to need an update. Most researchers and policy makers agree that success in establishing a sustainable energy future will lean heavily on a multi-pronged approach that takes into account a variety of power generation, storage and distribution practices that continually maintain a focus on efficiency and environmental soundness.

Point-of-Use PV Factory

Written by Peter DiSessa | 24 February 2013

The solar PV utility market is experiencing significant growth that will continue through the foreseeable future. In the US alone, utility companies are expected to add at least 20GW of solar PV to their power generation portfolios by 2020. This rapid growth in market demand is driving development of utility-scale solar PV power systems such as grid-tied solar farms of 20MW to 200MW. These farms will consist primarily of crystalline silicon (c-Si) modules, due to utility demands for reliability, high efficiency, a proven “bankable” track record with a demonstrated 25-year life span, as well as overall module and balance of system (BOS) capital cost considerations. PV power system capital investment remains a major consideration in these growth projections, and further PV power system capital cost reductions will be necessary to drive accelerated growth of utility-scale solar PV over the next decade.