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Last year brought record-breaking solar installations in China. But how much is actually connected to the grid?
China May Have Deployed More Solar in 2013 Alone Than America Has Installed Altogether : Greentech Media
SolarCity stock is up 500 percent from its IPO price. There's a solar recovery happening that is not only lifting the industry’s dealers and installers -- the stocks of the leading panel manufacturers such as First Solar, SunPower and Yingli are also up 300 percent on the year. Deutsche Bank reported that by the end of 2013, two-thirds of the world's markets could economically use solar without government subsidies. And this growth will likely continue for decades.
Today’s Solar Manufacturing Paradox: Profitless Prosperity : Greentech Media
It is worth highlighting that there are two key rankings lists to consider in the PV industry in terms of upstream companies. One relates to ‘who made the PV cells’: the other one is ‘who shipped the finished PV modules’. These two lists are very different.
What does NPD Solarbuzz’ solar cell rankings for 2013 reveal? - PV-Tech
A new theoretical model developed by professors at the University of Houston (UH) and Université de Montréal may hold the key to methods for developing better materials for solar cells.
New theory may lead to more efficient solar cells
Solar-powered laptops, edible battery power, spray-on solar panels, mini windmills: This may be a game-changing year for clean technology.
10 ways alternative energy is about to change the way tech gets powered - TechRepublic
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Leading Chinese solar photovoltaic (PV) manufacturers Yingli Green Energy and Trina Solar have emerged as the clear market leaders within the solar PV industry, shipping more than 5.8 gigawatts (GW) of solar PV modules in 2013.
NewEnergyNews: DOMINANT CHINESE SOLAR PV MAKERS EMERGE
India added just over 1 gigawatt of solar energy to its electrical grid last year, a major milestone that nearly doubles the country’s cumulative solar energy capacity to 2.18 gigawatts. After a slow start to the year, solar installation picked up rapidly — a good sign that India will be able to meet its ambitious solar targets going forward. India hopes to install 10 GW of solar by 2017 and 20 GW by 2022
NewEnergyNews: THE SOLAR BOOM IN INDIA
The EU currently has a target of deriving 20% of its total energy from renewable sources by 2020. Because of slow economic growth and high costs, however, the European Union is considering pushing back that deadline to 2030 while setting a slightly higher target of attaining between 25% and 27% of total energy from renewable sources.
Can a Solar Depression Happen Again?
A new study suggests that wind and solar plants are already competing economically with fossil fuel in Europe. Soon, even household rooftop solar PV systems will generate electricity more cheaply than coal.
Rooftop Solar Will Soon Be Cheaper Than Coal in the EU : Greentech Media
The polysilicon market is more dependent on the solar industry than ever—while silicon’s importance to solar dynamics has greatly diminished.
The Shifting Relationship Between Solar and Silicon in Charts : Greentech Media
Energy minister says those approaching retirement should consider putting some of their savings into solar panels because they would deliver a better financial return than a pension... Prices for solar panels have fallen sharply in recent years. According to the Department of Energy and Climate Change, the typical domestic installation costs around £4,500, compared with £13,000 in 2010.
Solar panels better than a pension, says minister - Telegraph
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The Australian solar industry is preparing for what it calls a “David and Goliath” battle against the country’s biggest generators and network operators. The outcome will likely decide the immediate fate of rooftop solar in Australia, and the pace of the so-called “democratisation of energy” — a contest that pitches households and their solar modules against the centralised utilities that have dominated the industry for a century or more in Australia and across the developed world.
Power giants hate solar in Australia | Living Off the Grid: Free Yourself
An often overlooked indicator, solar industry employment shows astonishing growth in the last year. Employment serves as a backbone indicator for much of the economy -- and solar is no different. Human capital is a logistical nightmare and notoriously costly, so if businesses are hiring, it means they expect sustainable sales to keep growth going. The Solar Foundation released its 2013 National Solar Jobs Census this week, showing that employment soared 19.9% to 142,698 in the past year. That's ten times faster than the national average employment rate.
1 Secret Sign Solar is Soaring (DUK, GOOG, SCTY, SPWR)
Led by CEO Tom Werner for more than a decade, SunPower focused on building the industry's most power-efficient solar components and then vertically integrated its business to insulate from supply-demand shocks.
SunPower CEO Sees Solar Prospects Still Hot In 2014 - Investors.com
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[T]he price of solar panels has declined 80% since 2008…
NewEnergyNews: QUICK NEWS, February 17: AS THE SOLAR PRICE DROPS, THE SOLAR ECONOMY GROWS; SOUTH DAKOTA COMMUNITY WIND ADVANCES; DOE FUNDS ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES
SunPower CEO Tom Werner reported "strong" Q4 2013 results for his vertically integrated solar power company. SunPower had Q4 2013 revenue of $638 million and Q4 earnings per share of $0.15 with $22.3 million in income. The company recognized total 2013 production of 1,134 megawatts for a total revenue of $2.507 billion and net income of $95.6 million.
Earnings Season: SunPower Shows Profitable 2013, Strong 2014 Guidance : Greentech Media
China will be the number-one solar market again in 2014 if it meets its recently announced goals.
China Confirms 14 Gigawatts of Solar Incentives for 2014 : Greentech Media
From an energy perspective, Hawaii is unique. Located in the middle of the Pacific, the Aloha State runs on imported oil. But its island environment -- from sunny days to active volcanoes -- also holds the keys to a future powered by renewable energy.
Postcard From the Grid’s Future: Hawaii as a Solar Laboratory : Greentech Media
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In 2013 China installed a record 12GW of solar power capacity, considerably more than Germany ever has in one year. I read stories about it all over the place. It was big news for renewable energy watchers. What I didn’t read in any of those stories was that in the same year China installed about 40 GW of solar water heating capacity. You see solar hot water may be quite boring, but it still owns solar power in terms of installed capacity.
China and Solar Industry Expansion | The Energy Collective
The top news on today's Q4 earnings call was First Solar crushing the previous conversion efficiency mark for cadmium telluride with a world record 20.4 percent, as announced by CEO Jim Hughes. That breaks the previous record of 19.6 percent, also held by First Solar, along with GE's acquired IP. Hughes said that the company would be revising its efficiency roadmaps upward at next month's analyst day.
First Solar Hits Record 20.4% Conversion Efficiency but Guidance Disappoints, Share Price Down : Greentech Media
It is only in the case of polysilicon, where excess supply is just 13 percent, that we appear to be headed for a real supply shortage: this is the driving factor behind GTM’s previously expressed view that polysilicon pricing will climb back to levels of $25 per kilogram by the end of the year.
Are We Headed for a Solar Supply Crunch in 2014? : Greentech Media
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03-13-2014, 04:46 AM
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In this week’s Nature Communications imec presents the development of fullerene-free organic photovoltaic (OPV) multilayer stacks achieving a record conversion efficiency of 8.4 percent. This breakthrough achievement is an important step to bring organic photovoltaic cells to a higher level in the competitive thin-film photovoltaics marketplace.
Imec's Fullerene-Free Organic Photovoltaic Multilayer Stacks Achieve Record Conversion Efficiency
With at least 37 GW of newly-added capacity globally, 2013 was another record-year for photovoltaic (PV) installations. The internationalisation trend of PV markets already observed in 2012 accentuated in 2013, with Asia taking the lead over Europe as the n°1 region for new PV installations.
Record-year for photovoltaic markets in 2013, Asia taking over the leading role - CIOL
Designer Fabienne Felder wants to reupholster jumbo jets with moss. In her vision, passengers will sit on verdant tufts while the bryophytes purify the air and use electrons captured during photosynthesis to power the Direct TV panels on the seat backs. Many would think Felder was crazy, but biochemist Dr. Paolo Bombelli and plant scientist Ross Dennis from the University of Cambridge were impressed with her brio and offered her the opportunity to collaborate with their lab.
These Mad Scientists Want to Replace Solar Panels With Potted Plants | Wired Design | Wired.com
Until recently the size of the PV industry each year was constrained by deployment levels across individual end-markets, with global forecasting performed by adding demand from each country," said Michael Barker, senior analyst at NPD Solarbuzz. "Ultimately 2014 year-end demand will be determined by how much product can be produced and shipped, analogous to a classic supply-driven market environment
Solar PV industry to transition to supply-driven market in 2014 - CIOL
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Project development growth has the potential to increase valuations for China solar companies in our coverage. As investor interest rises in solar project assets in China, companies like Trina Solar (TSL), JinkoSolar (JKS), Canadian Solar (CSIQ), JA Solar (JASO), and Yingli Green Energy (YGE) should be able to finance construction costs and sell projects more readily, and/or eventually transfer projects into growth IPPs.
China Solar: Project Sale In China Could Re-Rate The Sector, Says Credit Suisse - Emerging Markets Daily - Barrons.com
For example, any demand downturn this year in the United States, arising from the current investigation by the US International Trade Commission against China and Taiwan, may prompt the Chinese government to increase domestic demand, in order to absorb excess supply from its local manufacturers and enable them to maintain high factory utilization rates.
Solar PV Industry to Transition to Supply-Driven Market in 2014, According to NPD Solarbuzz | Solarbuzz
Development of the 1.1GW PV plant was announced by Singyes in December last year, as part of a broader deal with the Minqin County government to establish an environmental industry and clean energy development zone, including a solar R&D base. This 300MW first phase of the solar power plant is expected to be completed by the end of 2014, and have an average annual power generating output of 480 million kWh. The overall project has a planned construction period of five years. According to the Wall Street Journal, Goldman Sachs added the stock to its “conviction buy” list last week, describing the solar-power products maker as “well-positioned” to benefit from growing demand for its products in mainland China.
1,100 MW Solar PV Project Now Under Construction In China | CleanTechnica
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03-17-2014, 08:38 AM
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Federico Capasso, the Robert L. Wallace Professor of Applied Physics at Harvard University’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), is likely testing the limits of this privilege with a proposal to power the planet with electricity harvested from infrared light emitted from Earth into outer space
The Extremely Strange Solar Energy Technology You'd Be Stupid To Ignore - Forbes
Narendra Modi hasn’t said much about how he’d govern India if he wins the general election in May. One thing is clear: he’s signaling a clean energy revolution to end blackouts and revive economic growth... For his part, Singh has spurred a 44-fold expansion in solar installations. India has 2,444 megawatts of sun power capacity, up from practically nothing in 2009. It’s forecast to be the sixth-largest market this year, behind China, Japan, the U.S., Germany and Italy, Bloomberg New Energy Finance estimates.
Modi Signals Solar Revolution for Power Market: Corporate India - Bloomberg
Mexico in the first quarter raised its attractiveness profile in the global photovoltaic (PV) market to close in on reigning leaders South Africa and Turkey, while the Philippines is now in the top 10 among the most appealing PV markets for the first time ever, according to new analysis from IHS Technology (NYSE: IHS).
Mexico Boosts Its Global Solar Appeal | AltEnergyMag Press Release
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03-19-2014, 01:18 PM
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The global solar power market has progressed rapidly from an annual market of less than 1 GW in 2003 to a market of over 16 GW in 2010 and 30 GW in 2011. The total solar PV installed capacity in Europe saw steady growth from 2002 to 2011. This impressive performance was driven mainly by two markets, Germany and Italy.
DUBLIN: Research and Markets: Locus of the Solar Photovoltaic Market Shifts From Europe to Asia-Pacific | Business Wire | Rock Hill Herald Online
Goldman Sachs has set an estimated date for when they believe residential solar power becomes competitive with existing electric across the U.S.
Goldman On Solar And Elon Musk - Business Insider
As noted in the most recent U.S. Solar Market Insight report, GTM Research is forecasting nearly 6 gigawatts of photovoltaics to be installed in the United States in 2014, representing 26 percent growth year-over-year. The utility slice will lead the market, accounting for over half of all U.S. PV installations, though down from 60% in 2013. California and North Carolina will lead the segment.
Pi Chart: Utility-Scale PV to Account for 55% of US Installations in 2014 : Greentech Media
Germany is phasing out its nuclear plants in favor of wind and solar energy backed-up by coal power. The government’s transition to these intermittent green energy technologies is causing havoc with its electric grid and that of its neighbors–countries that are now building switches to turn off their connection with Germany at their borders. The intermittent power is causing destabilization of the electric grids causing potential blackouts, weakening voltage and causing damage to industrial equipment.
Institute for Energy Research | Germany’s Green Energy Destabilizing Electric Grids
Germany's energy revolution is the government's only major project -- but the problems keep piling up. The pace of grid expansion is sluggish, and electricity costs for consumers are rising. The environment minister wants to fundamentally alter the way green energy is subsidized, but will it mean putting the brakes on the entire project?
Problems Prompt Germany to Rethink Energy Revolution - SPIEGEL ONLINE
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Back in 2004, car aficionados would have scoffed at the notion of an electric vehicle (EV) as the top-selling luxury car in California. But less than 10 years later, Telsa Motors, a company barely 10 years old, achieved that feat. The variety of electric vehicles (EVs) available to consumers today, from the Chevrolet Volt to the Nissan Leaf, would have been unimaginable in 2004.
The emergence of a viable EV industry over the past decade mirrors the remarkable growth in renewable energy across the globe. The numbers are impressive. Since 2004, the installed capacity of solar photovoltaics worldwide has skyrocketed from about 4 gigawatts to more than 137 GW, while the installed wind capacity has jumped from 48 GW to 318 GW.
We've seen the future and it's sustainable: Stanford University
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