Spain in the desert into the world's largest solar power station

News April 30, the world's largest solar power plant in Spain has been recently Andalucian desert operation. The construction of the power plant energy company Abengoa said that the solar tower power plant of 20 megawatts, can protect more than 11,000 family day-to-day use of electricity.

Solar Tower power station to the so-called concentrated solar power (CSP) technology, the use of specular reflection to the sun to the central tower to tower to reach the water temperature above 1000 ℃. Concentrated solar power technology has always been its simple, cheap and efficient and well-known advantages, compared to photovoltaic panels (PV) technology, it can make more effective use of solar energy. However, CSP technology is only applicable to weather, light-rich region.
It was learned that the most important components in power plants is a high close to the solar tower 170 meters. There are more than 1200 special mirror surface (mirror on each side equal to half the size of a volleyball court) will be the sun to the solar reflective tower, the resulting high temperature up to 1000 degrees Celsius, enough to heat the liquid water into steam. Steam-driven, which will placed in the tower of the turbine generator, thereby creating a flow of current.

This is the desert in Andalusia, Spain in the second large-scale construction of solar power station. Previously, Abengoa Energy to build here over a 10-megawatt power station. The company plans in 2013 in the area before the construction of five power plants similar. With the 20-megawatt power plant in operation, Spain's solar power plant installed capacity has now reached about 3,000 megawatts, ranking second in Europe, second only to Germany.

Source: www.windosi.com Apr. 30, 2009

Research group developed a highly efficient solar cells

From Japan, the United States and the Czech Republic and other countries, a research scientists have developed a new group of amorphous silicon solar cell, the photoelectric conversion efficiency of solar cells may be higher than current products. According to media reports, a new type of solar cells using electric field effect of the structure, its specific composition is: electrodes - thin-film amorphous silicon - electrode - transparent insulators - conductive film. Its principle is: through the insulator and amorphous silicon thin film applied voltage to reduce electronic resistance movement in order to improve the efficiency of photoelectric conversion.

At present, the production and use of photovoltaic solar cell conversion efficiency of about 17%. Test showed that the new structure of the photovoltaic solar cell conversion efficiency than the existing products to increase 35% to 50%.

Source: www.windosi.com Apr. 29, 2009

Wal-Mart stores will be in California to 2 times the amount of solar energy

Large U.S. retail chain Wal-Mart 4 to 22 on announced that the company's solar panel installation program will be expanded. BP Solar and the United States through cooperation, to increase in California solar panels installed on the roof of the shops and facilities so that the amount of solar energy to about 2 times the current.

California plans to use the expansion of Wal-Mart discount stores and chain stores - Sam 's Club and other settings of the roof of the solar panels, capable of producing the equivalent of about 2600 families a year of electricity consumption. The use of the facilities of the power of 20 to 30 percent by solar power supply, can reduce the annual 22,500 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

Wal-Mart's goal is to have 100% of the power supply from renewable energy sources. To achieve this goal, the company implemented a variety of programs, and in November 2008 announced that its in the United States, Texas, 350 shops and facilities by about 15% of the electricity provided by wind power.

In addition the company also announced that 2009 will be in Puerto Rico during the five shops to install solar panels, and in the next 5 years to install solar panels to expand to 22 stores. In addition, facilities in Mexico also plans to install the roof more than 1000 solar panels, each year about 140 tonnes of carbon dioxide to reduce emissions.

Source: www.windosi.com Apr. 27, 2009

SunPower the first quarter of 2.5 million U.S. dollars deficit

U.S. solar maker SunPower Corp. (SPWRA-US) the impact of the global financial crisis because of solar panel sales, declining market demand, reported fiscal first quarter of this year showing a loss. Q1 net loss amounted to 2.5 million U.S. dollars, or 6 cents per share, compared with the same period last year net profit performance of 14.7 million U.S. dollars, 15 cents per share.

Revenue from the same period last year 274 million U.S. dollars to 214 million U.S. dollars recession. Lower than the average analyst forecast of 257.7 million U.S. dollars. CEO Tom Werner said: "The first quarter of 2009 since the company listed in 2005 so far, the most challenging quarter."

SunPower said in March, as the world's largest solar market in Germany, the recent snowfall continued, and the other United States financial markets and weak consumer confidence and other factors, first quarter earnings and revenue decline that may arise.

Source: www.windosi.com Apr. 24, 2009