All About Solar | Green Energy News

July 30, 2006 – Vol.11 No.19

ALL ABOUT SOLAR.

This week’s news.

At one time solar cells were called solar batteries, perhaps because like electrochemical batteries, lots of cells were grouped together to supply a significant amount of energy.

Photovoltaic solar cells have another thing in common with electrochemical cells: the greater the reactive surface area of each individual cell without increasing its overall dimensions the more energy each cell will produce.

(A sheet of sandpaper has a greater surface area than a piece of writing paper of the same dimensions because of all the hills and valleys between the grains of grit on the paper.)

Now there’s a third way solar and electrochemical batteries are linked at the hip: nanotechnologies.

The electrochemical battery industry is embracing nanotech as a way to increase the reactive surface area of each cell.

The same is true to some in the solar industry. They’re attempting to create solar cells with more places for sunlight to strike as well as finding ways to direct sunlight to strike at the correct angle - dead on, at right angles to the surface.

NanoHorizons, the developer of a solar cell using nanotechnologies, has signed an exclusive licensing agreement with Solarity, a newcomer in the solar photovoltaic business. The two companies will develop products ready for testing in the next 18-24 months.

Konarka, another developer of solar-nano photovoltaics, has moved a step closer to seeing its sensitized dye solar cell technology move to mass production.

Again, in a licensing agreement Renewable Capital of the UK will uses its resources, capital and equipment in the development Konarka’s solar technology. The company will also enlist the services of Coatema, a world-renowned manufacturer of first-of-kind coating equipment.

Konarka has developed its PowerPlastic (tm) flexible solar product using nano-engineered materials.

Visit NanoHorizons at http://www.nanohorizons.com/ Konarka at http://www.konarka.com/ and Renewable Capital http://www.renewablecapital.co.uk/

China is roaring ahead on almost every imaginable industrial front, including, by all indications, solar energy.

Only a week ago Suntech Power Holdings of China signed a 10-year, $5 - 6 billion solar wafer supply agreement with MEMC. Now with a secure supply chain in place the company can expand its solar production, marketing and distribution, even beyond China’s borders.

The company has announced it has acquired MSK Corporation of Japan in a move to create a presence in the Japanese market. In a two step process Suntech will first purchase a two-thirds stake in the company for $107 million in cash (through a bridge loan) followed by $53 -193 million in Suntech shares.

Aside from a foothold in the important in the Japanese solar market, Suntech will add to its portfolio about 100 megawatts of solar module production capacity. MSK specializes in building-integrated solar products and has twenty years of experience in the solar business. The company has about 260 employees.

Visit Suntech at http://www.suntech-power.com/