Tag Archives: manufacturing
Australian Scientists Printing Solar Cells Down Under
Scientists have produced the largest flexible, plastic solar cells in Australia—10 times the size of what they were previously able to—thanks to a new solar cell printer that has been installed at Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO). The printer is relatively cheap, uses common industrial chemicals and the resulting solar cells have a [...]
SolarCity Raises $500M
SolarCity (Nasdaq: SCTY), a provider of distributed energy, just announced a $500 million lease financing agreement with Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS). That translates to more than 100 megawatts of solar power. The combined lease is the largest of its kind for U.S. residential rooftops. SolarCity allows consumers to get electricity from grid-tied solar rooftops at [...]
The Solar Rooftop Boom in NYC
Things move fast in the city that never sleeps and solar’s been keeping pace. By the end of 2012, the amount of rooftop solar photovoltaic installations in New York City had boomed to 14 megawatts from 5.5 megawatts at the end of 2011—an increase of 8.5 megawatts in a year. That’s according to recent data [...]
Foxconn Goes Solar
Infamous Foxconn, best known for the deplorable working conditions for Chinese workers that make Apple’s iPod and other products, is intent on developing a strong presence in the solar industry. The company first announced this decision in 2011 at the height of overcapacity in the industry. The last thing that was needed was a big new player that would bring [...]
3-D Printing and Energy Efficiency
3-D printing, also known by its technical name of “additive manufacturing,” is a concept that makes tech-heads and entrepreneurs bubble with excitement. President Obama even gave 3-D printing a shout-out in his recent State of the Union address, talking about a government-sponsored lab in Ohio for testing and scaling new technologies: “There’s no reason this [...]
Solar Manufacturing: Not as Toxic as Fossil Fuels
Everybody knows that once solar’s installed, it doesn’t pollute. But some of the materials in some photovoltaics can be hazardous. Even so, the amount of toxic waste is far, far less than is produced during conventional energy production, according to data from the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC). For instance, between the period [...]
The Solar Manufacturing Industry: No Improvements Yet
Recent solar module production capacity has been nearly twice the demand, resulting in significant overcapacity and excessive inventories. Solar manufacturers have reduced prices to record lows, often at or below the module cost of goods sold (COGS). Companies have been hunkering down until overall market conditions improve by laying off workers or actively seek creative [...]
1366 Technologies Kerfless PV Wafer Fab
Against the headwind of a chaotic solar market, 1366 Technologies of Lexington, Mass., a startup with VC funding and a DOE loan guarantee, just opened a $6 million, 25-megawatt wafer fabrication facility that could eventually employ 100 people. The company’s technology falls in the “kerfless wafer” category, a technology of special interest for outgoing DOE [...]
Micro Inverters: What You Need to Know
Are you thinking about installing solar panels on your home or business? You may just want to update your current system and add value to your investment. There are two types of inverters that you can install on your solar panel array. These may be either an array inverter, which will convert the DC current [...]