Sunpath Lights The Way For US Solar Manufacturing

Posted on August 3, 2011 by quest

For over two years the Sunpath program, a $50 million investment from the US Department of Energy has been at aimed to helping the nation reclaim its competitive edge in solar manufacturing. Sunpath, which stands for Scaling Up Nascent PV At Home, represents the second solar Photovoltaic Manufacturing Initiative (PVMI) supporting the Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative. “This investment provides a necessary boost to domestic solar manufacturing businesses, encouraging them to keep jobs here and establish America’s leadership in the world’s growing clean energy economy,” said Energy Secretary Steven Chu. “In addition to invigorating clean energy manufacturing, this program will help achieve the SunShot goal of making unsubsidized utility-scale solar cost-competitive with other forms of energy by the end of the decade.”As recently as 1995, the United States maintained a dominant global solar market share, manufacturing 43 percent of the world’s PV panels. In steady decline, U.S. market share shrank to 27 percent by 2000 and to 7 percent by 2010. SUNPATH will help return the United States to the forefront, driving innovation and assuring continued leadership in the 21st century clean energy economy.

Sunpath seeks to increase domestic manufacturing through investments that have sustainable, competitive cost and performance advantages. SUNPATH will help companies with pilot-scale commercial production scale up their manufacturing capabilities, enabling them to overcome a funding gap that often curtails domestic business at a critical stage. By bridging this gap, SUNPATH will help ensure that innovative, low-cost solar technologies are manufactured in the United States. The PV Manufacturing Initiative accelerates the cost reduction and commercialization of solar technologies by coordinating solutions across industry. The initiative will help create a robust, domestic PV manufacturing base and develop a workforce with the critical skills required to deliver reliable, affordable, clean energy.

The Department of Energy is seeking applicants with industrial-scale demonstrations of PV modules, cells, or substrates that offer lower-cost solutions in line with the SunShot goal. Applications are due by October 28, 2011. More information and application requirements can be found at the Funding Opportunity Exchange.

The Few The Proud The Brave Go Solar

Chevy Green Zone Charges Volts With Solar Power

Posted on July 30, 2011 by quest

Chevrolet is harnessing the power of the sun to install solar-powered electric charging stations for its Volts at dealerships in North America. The Green Zone initiative will generate electricity equivalent to 12 full vehicle charges per day and excess electricity created will help supplement the dealership’s power needs. “The Chevrolet Green Zone will provide our U.S. dealers with added flexibility when it comes to charging their vehicles, while also reinforcing GM’s commitment to renewable energy projects,” said Chris Perry, vice president, Global Chevrolet Marketing and Strategy.

American Chevrolet in Modesto, Calif., and Al Serra Auto Plaza in Grand Blanc, Mich., are the first U.S. dealerships to complete their solar charging capability by installing Green Zones on their property. “The question isn’t whether to install a solar canopy, it’s where and how many,” said Joe Serra, president of Serra Automotive. “It’s a win for us because the electricity generated will help reduce operating costs, and it’s a win for the environment since solar power helps reduce our carbon footprint.”Each canopy generates enough electricity for up to 4,500 charges per vehicle annually. The proof of concept for the Green Zone project is housed at the Detroit Hamtramck assembly plant, manufacturing home of the Volt.

BLADE RUNNER

“The beauty of this program is that there is no capital cost required from the dealership,” said Dave Halvorson, president of American Chevrolet in Modesto. “Not only do we generate the solar energy to increase our reliance on renewable electricity, but the Green Zone is a billboard of our commitment to the environment.”The Chevy Green Zone Initiative is part of GM Ventures’ recent announcement to invest $7.5 million in Sunlogics, a solar panel manufacturing and development company that will supply the panels and install the dealer charging stations. Both American Chevrolet and Al Serra Chevrolet partnered with Sunlogics for installation of their Green Zones.”Just one of these canopies provides enough renewable energy to power two to three homes per year, or more than 25 percent of a dealership’s energy consumption,” said Perry. “Collectively, that will be a lot of power we are putting back into the grid.”

COAL vs. ENVIRONMENT

Solar Stocks Heating Up

Posted on May 18, 2011 by quest

With booming fuel prices and a consequently growing emphasis on renewable energy, solar power is gaining much more of a focus lately from both homeowners as well as big businesses looking to get in at near the ground floor. Also, quite a few governments are incentivizing the uptake of solar energy. Italy, for instance, which is one of Europe’s biggest solar markets, recently extended its solar incentives until August. The growing focus on Solar could cause widespread changes throughout the sector. One of these potential changes has already begun to take place as European oil giant Total SA agreed to buy up to 60% of SunPower Corporation for $1.38 billion.

The interest of Big Oil in solar companies could just be getting started and it would not be surprising to see much more M&A activities in the future.

The recent Japanese disasters, while tragic on many levels, may also have some upside for the solar sector. Negative sentiment surrounding nuclear energy could result in a greater assumption of renewable energies such as solar panels. Companies like Trina Solar Limited which already has a presence in Asia should be well positioned to take advantage of this shift, should it take place. A Trina Solar Limited report is accessible for free at stock trading firm; Shine’s Room which has a handpicked team of market professionals with over 100 years of combined investing experience. They are providing members comprehensive research on the Semiconductor – Specialized industry and are offering free analytical research on Trina Solar Limited and SunPower Corporation.