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Directory:Solar PhotoVoltaics
From PESWiki
Directory of solar photovoltaic (PV) technologies and resources.
Contents |
Do It Yourself
- Featured: DIY / Solar > PV >
Review of GreenDIYenergy.com -- The Secrets of Building Your Own Solar Energy - Two New Energy Congress solar energy experts say that it is indeed possible to build your own solar panels, but that it is not likely to save you money, and that the panels are not likely to last long (e.g. 5 years versus 25 year guarantees from PV suppliers), and installing them could invalidate your homeowner's insurance. (PESWiki; Sept. 24, 2009)
Residential
See Directory:Home Generation:Solar PV
Commercial
- Solar > Concentrated / Thermal >
Entech Solar energy hybrid has hopes for bright future - Entech Solar's next-generation concentrating solar prototype, ThermaVolt II, combines concentrating photovoltaic and thermal (CPVT) technology. The company says its product delivers four to five times the amount of energy compared to traditional photovoltaic systems and costs less to produce. (GizMag; August 14, 2009)
- First Solar - First Solar, Inc. (Nasdaq: FSLR) announced it reduced its manufacturing cost for solar modules in the fourth quarter to 98 cents per watt, breaking the $1 per watt price barrier.
- Shine Solar - Shine Solar manufactures photovoltaic (PV) cells, solar modules, solar panels, polycrystalline solar modules, monocrystalline solar modules and solar power systems. As one of the leading Solar Panel manufacturers in China they distribute too many areas around the world and offer you high end solar panel technology and supplies at an affordable low price.
- Efficient, Cheap Solar Cells - Suniva, a startup based in Atlanta, has made solar cells that convert about 20 percent of the energy in the sunlight that falls on them into electricity. That's up from 17 percent for its previous solar cells and close to the efficiency of the best solar cells on the market. (MIT Technology Review; Sept, 23, 2008)
- Solar Power Tiles for your Rooftop - Solé tiles enable your neighborhood mason to fit your roof tiles and these same tiles can produce dependable solar energy for your house or office. You no longer need to hire scientists and alternative energy nerds for a simple roof job, and the cost is no longer a bottleneck. (Alternative Energy News; July 6, 2009)
- Top 100 / Featured: Solar > PV > Plastic Solar Cells >
Konarka's PowerPlastic Photovoltaic Solar - Konarka is an advanced R&D company, dedicated to the commercialization of power solutions based on a proprietary, solid-state, flexible, low-cost photovoltaics platform that can convert sunlight and even indoor light into electricity. (PESWiki; Sept. 8, 2008)
- Phoenix Energy Products - PEP Solar is a total solutions provider for solar PV, solar hot water heaters, and energy products. The story of PEP Solar began back in 1978, and in 1982 PEP became the largest residential installer in the United States for photovoltaic partnering with BP Solar (formally Shell), Motorola, and Solavolt.
- Pall Corporation Announces New Technologies for Solar Energy, Semiconductor Industries - the global leader in filtration, separation and purification, today announced the introduction of eight new technologies that will advance the state of the art in the solar energy and semiconductor industries. The new Pall technologies, which are designed to improve process efficiencies as well as the environmental footprint of customer systems, will be showcased at SEMICON West in San Francisco from July 15-17. (MarketWatch; July 15, 2008)]
- http://www.dako.co.za - Quality solar power products - "Our main focus is the wholesale supply of quality solar power products in the most cost effective way. Dako power has a vested interest in the factory we produce our solar power products, hereby providing quality solar power products. We are also able to provide solar product volumes that will meet market needs."
- OxBlue Introduces Solar-Ready Construction Webcams - The OxBlue Solar Ready Cameras use a standard 12 volt DC connection and require 80% less power. The power stations are comprised of battery banks managed by an automated charge controller system. (Renewable Energy World; June 26, 2008)
- NANO VENT-SKIN: CO2 Filtering Solar Micro-turbines! - Nano VentSkin sheath for existing structures is a zero-emission material that soaks up sunlight via a photovoltaic layer; and its tiny turbines employ “polarized organisms" to create chemical reactions, generating power each time the turbine makes contact with the structure; and the organisms present in the inner skin of each turbine soak up C02. (Inhabitat; June 4, 2008)
- Lumeta Makes Peel-and-Stick Solar Panel Installations a Breeze - DRI Solar rooftop installations just got a lot easier: Lumeta, a subsidiary of construction heavyweight DRI, has developed a solar panel sticker -- the Power-Ply 380. The company says its convenient peel-and-stick solar technology allows it to be installed almost twice as fast as regular rack-mounted pane. (YouTube) (Treehugger; May 11, 2008)
- Sun Phocus Technologies - HoloSun™ is a thin holographic coating that can be applied on glass surfaces to concentrate sunlight onto solar cells, increasing their performance by 25-40%, for semi-transparent building integrated photovoltaic skylights, curtain walls and awnings.
- Nanotechnology and Photovoltaics - Nanosys Inc. combines their nanocomposite photovoltaic technology with precisely engineered inorganic semiconductor nanocrystals, yielding light-weight, flexible host-matrix. (FreeEnergyNews.com)
- Gamma Solar - Gamma Solar will produce Photovoltaic Bifacial Solar Cells and Modules for BIPV (building integrated photovoltaic) systems that can generate energy on both the front and back side. They will generate up to 180% more energy than a standard Monofacial cell resulting in higher output per mass of crystalline silicon.
- Wakonda Technologies - Developing solar electric technology that is more efficient than crystalline silicon and lower in cost than thin film alternatives by combining the most efficient photovoltaic materials with a flexible substrate that enables high volume manufacturing. The projected result: costs competitive with conventional electricity and elimination of rare and toxic raw materials.
- Solar to Electricity in Glass Windows - Octillion Corp. is developing nanosilicon photovoltaic (PV) solar cell technology that could adapt glass windows to generate electricity from sunlight, without losing significant transparency. The cells provide high quantum down conversion efficiency of short wavelengths (50% to 60%). (Renewable Energy Access; Feb. 9, 2007)
- NanoHorizons patents breakthrough for solar cells and organic LEDs - Innovative nanoscale photovoltaic cell design enables dramatic improvements in solar cell efficiency and breakthrough reductions in fabrication costs. Technology licensing program announced. (PESN; June 10)
- Envision Solar - The Solar Grove is a photovoltaic-integrated carport system originally designed for Kyocera Solar. Eight translucent solar modules allow dappled sunlight to pass through to the ground, and reduce heat by shading the asphalt. Each solar tree provides shade for eight to 10 vehicles and the “tree-like‿ design means no columns for cars to scrape as they move in and out of the spaces.
- Ultraefficient Photovoltaics - A solar cell more than twice as efficient as typical rooftop solar panels has been developed by Spectrolab. It makes use of a highly customizable and virtually unexplored class of materials that could lead to further jumps in efficiency over the next decade, making solar power less expensive than grid electricity in much of the country. (MIT Technology Review; June 15, 2007)
- Shell Solar Announces Efficiency Record for Thin Film Modules - Shell Solar, which recently achieved 13.5 percent light to electricity conversion efficiency for its thin film CIS (Copper-Indium-Diselenide) photovoltaic technology. (Renewable Energy Access; Nov. 2005)
- Increasing Solar Efficiency - British researchers receive $8 million grant to develop new manufacturing technique for photovoltaics that will cut cost by as much as half. Changes include thinner silicon coating and reducing number of semiconductors. (PhysOrg; Nov. 22, 2004)
Infrastructure
- Energy Innovations' Raytracker GC Single-Axis Solar Tracker - RayTracker supports a wide range of available PV panel types. PV panels mounted on a RayTracker system can yield an up to 38% increase in annual energy production compared to stationary PV panels, according to the company. (Renewable Energy Worldwide; May 23, 2008)
Research and Development
- Nanotechnology >
3-D photovoltaic systems go where the sun don’t shine - Researchers at Georgia Tech have developed a new type of three-dimensional PV system using optical fiber that promises solar generators that are foldable, concealed and mobile, meaning they could be hidden from view and leave rooftops panel-free. Sunlight entering the optical fiber passes into the nanowires, where it interacts with the dye molecules to produce electrical current. (GizMag; Nov. 2, 2009)
- Featured: Solar > PV / Developing World > Nepalese Hair >
Is there something in the hair? The tale of a solar cell made with human hair - Despite the heavy skepticism, after hearing of a group of teenage students from Nepal who claim to have replaced expensive doped silicon with human hair to produce a solar cell capable of generating 18W of electricity, curiosity got the better of Gizmag's Paul Ridden, who contacted the inventor to find out more. (PESWiki; Oct. 16, 2009)
- Color matters: GreenSun Energy colored solar technology - Researchers in Israel have come up with a cell that uses only 20% of the silicon in a standard cell yet yields similar amounts of electricity to a regular silicon cell, by diffusing any light that falls on its surface and sending it off to photovoltaic collector strips on each of its sides. And it doesn't even need bright sunlight to operate. (GizMag; Sept. 24, 2009)
- More Efficient, and Cheaper, Solar Cells - Three improvements by 1366 Technologies of Massachusetts could bring the cost of solar down to about 15-16 cents/kw-h, by cost-effectively improving light trapping and collection. Videos explain how this is done, including how incoming light reflects off grooves in a silver band and is redirected along a glass cover. (MIT Technology Review; September 14, 2009)
- Diatoms To Make Solar Cells - Engineers in Canada have discovered that instead of using silicon to make solar cells, they can get better results - three times as much electricity - by using diatoms, a type of algae in the oceans. Their hard shells are an ideal substrate, making a better, cheaper way to make energy. (EE Times; April 9, 2009)
- Nanotech >
Nanopillar Solar May Cost 10x Less Than Silicon - A team of researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, have developed a new kind of flexible solar cell that consist of an array of 500-nanometer-high cadmium sulfide pillars printed on top of an aluminum foil... If this could be done on a roll-to-roll process, the cost could be 10x less than crystalline silicon panels. (MIT Technology Review; July 06, 2009)
- Transparent Electronics: A Solar Energy Breakthrough - The Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials in Germany is developing transparent solar cells that would make it possible to be able to look out a window that is simultaneously producing energy. Not only windows but the facade of the house, too, might be harnessing solar power. (Alternative Energy News; June 19, 2009)
- Plugging In Molecular Wires To Capture Light Energy - Japanese researchers have developed a new process to capture light energy theoretically at 100% efficiency. As they report in the journal Angewandte Chemie, they “plug” a molecular “wire” directly into a biological photosynthetic system to efficiently conduct the free electrons to a gold electrode. (Science Daily; Feb. 17, 2009)
- New Solar Energy Material Captures Every Color of the Rainbow - Researchers at Ohio State University have combined electrically conductive plastic with metals, including molybdenum and titanium, to create the hybrid material that absorbs all the energy contained in sunlight, and generates electrons in a way that makes them easier to capture. (NewsWise; Oct. 16, 2008)
- More-Efficient Solar Cells - Day4 Energy has developed a new electrode that, together with a redesigned solar-cell structure, allows solar panels to absorb more light and operate at a higher voltage, increasing the efficiency of multicrystalline silicon solar panels from about 14% to nearly 17%. (MIT Technology Review; August 14, 2008)
Resources
- Sphere Business Solutions - Specializes in custom designed grid connected solar photovoltaic systems. Taking advantage of Net Metering process. Sanyo’s modules use a blend of amorphous and crystalline silicon to deliver a high cell conversion efficiency.
- Northwest Power CO -- Solar and Wind - photovoltaic and wind generation products and services.
- Quality Solar Concepts - Distributor of Alternative Energy Products including solar street lights, solar panels, solar heat and hot water, wind turbines and more
- TechLine Power - U.S. company focuses on the design, development, and management of small and large-scale wind and photovoltaic renewable energy systems. Able to monitor systems remotely. Train operational staff. Founded 1975.
Optimizers
- SolarMagic Power Optimizer - The power of the solar array is only as strong as the weakest-performing panel, such as from shade from sources like trees, chimneys, power lines or bird droppings. SolarMagic power optimizers by National Semiconductor maximize the energy potential of each individual panel so as much as 50% of the lost energy can be reclaimed. (Engineering TV; September 8, 2009)
Stores
- DMSolar - USA-based company with headquarter in Florida, is a global leader in solar energy products. dmsolar delivers high-efficiency photovoltaic (PV) cells, solar panels and integrated grid-tie systems.
Entertainment
- Shimmering Solar Collector Sculpture - Gorbet Design’s Solar Collectors' interactive installation in Cambridge, Canada serves as a conduit for both solar energy and creative input, soaking up sunlight and simple web-based controls throughout the day. Upon nightfall the installation synthesizes its stored reserves into a glimmering light show. (Inhabitat; June 26, 2008)
- GREENPIX Zero Energy Media Wall Lights up Beijing - Skyscraper wall has the world’s largest color LED display, and has a self sustaining energy life-cycle. Harvesting sunlight collected during the day via photovoltaic solar cells, the wall uses stored solar energy to light up the LED’s for a spectacular nighttime show. (Inhabitat; May 19, 2008)
In the News
- Top 100: Solar > PV > Plastic Cells > Konarka >
Konarka and Arch Aluminum & Glass Announce Unique Solar Curtain Wall Pilot Project - This will be the first curtain wall pilot project to integrate Konarka Power Plastic into a wall structure. The wall solar panels will generating 1.5 kilowatts of power to the facility, and are expected to be fully operational by year’s end (Business Wire; Nov. 10, 2009)
- Featured: Solar > Photovoltaics >
Nepalese teen claims cheap solar panel using human hair - Milan Karki, 18, of rural Nepal, believes he has found the solution to the developing world's energy needs, saying hair (due to Melanin) is easy to use as a conductor, in place of expensive silicon. The £23 solar panel produces 18 Watts. Electrical engineers call it a hoax. (PESWiki; Sept. 10, 2009) (Comment)
- Wakonda Raises $9.5 Million for New Solar Cell Technology, Relocates to Medford - Lists the latest thin-film PV companies and their technologies in the New England states. (XConomy; July 16, 2008)
See also
SOLAR GENERAL:
- Directory:Solar - index of resources
- PowerPedia:Solar Energy - Encyclopedic review of history and future
- News:Solar
- Directory:Solar Energy Research and Development
- Videos:Solar
SOLAR MODALITIES:
- Directory:Concentrated Solar Power
- Directory:Solar PhotoVoltaics | Directory:Home Generation:Solar PV
- Directory:Solar Thermal
- Directory:Home Generation:Solar Heating
- Directory:Thin Film Solar
- Directory:Solar:Photosynthesis Imitation
- Directory:Solar Tower
- Directory:Floating Solar Chimney
- Directory:Space Based Solar Power
- Directory:Solar Sails
SOLAR INFRASTRUCTURE
- Directory:Plastic Solar Cells
- Directory:Silicon - more efficient uses, alternatives, methods
- Directory:Black Silicon
- Directory:Synchronous Solar Heliostat
- Directory:Solar:Installation and Consultation
- Directory:Solar:Largest
SOLAR APPLICATIONS:
- Directory:Solar Applications
- Directory:Solar:Chargers
- Directory:Solar:Vehicles
- Directory:Solar Hydrogen
- Directory:Walipini Underground Greenhouses
- OS:Solar Ethanol - distiller design
- Directory:Solar Pavement - black-body absorption of the asphalt



































