solar

China Sunergy goes public as solar panels get cheaper

In solar, has the race to the bottom begun?

China Sunergy, a solar cell manufacturer out of Nanjing, sold 8.5 million depositary shares (the vehicle foreign companies use to list their stocks in U.S. exchanges) on Nasdaq this week. The stock went out at $11, shot up to about $16, and is now resting between $14 and $15.

The rippling in the stock price could partly be reflecting a trend some are worried about in the solar world. As more manufacturers jump in the market, the prices for conventional solar cells will decline. The question is how much. … Read more

SolBeam plans flat-panel solar concentrator

AUSTIN, Texas--If you can't get the sun to the solar cell, bring the cell to the sun.

That's one of the ideas behind SolBeam, a company that pitched to investors at the Clean Energy Venture Summit here on Tuesday.

The company, which is looking to raise $10 million, is trying to exploit the technique of concentrating sunlight to increase the electricity output of photovoltaic (PV) material. But it wants to break with traditional practices to lower power generation costs, said Daniel Colbert, the CEO of SolBeam who is also a venture capitalist at NGEN Partners.

Many large-scale concentrators … Read more

Golden State green-tech contest warms up

The California Clean Tech Open kicked off its second competition with a sunny outlook at San Francisco's City Hall Tuesday night. In October the contest will award six fledgling green businesses with start-up starter kits worth $100,000 in cash, office space and professional services. Prize sponsors include AMD, Google, Lexus and Pacific Gas & Electric.

Last year 156 seedling companies entered the open, which is backed by nonprofit Acterra; twice as many contenders are anticipated for 2007. A new green building award joins five other categories: energy efficiency; renewables; smart power; transportation; and air, water and waste. Entries … Read more

Start-up Ausra thinks big with solar storage

AUSTIN, Texas--When most people think of solar energy they think of panels on people's homes. But if you follow the money, investors are betting that large-scale solar from companies like Ausra are the most cost-competitive.

Ausra, which presented at the Clean Energy Venture Summit here on Tuesday, is testing a system to generate power at centralized stations. These solar parks use concentrating solar power to create steam that turns a turbine to make electricity.

If constructed on a large enough scale,these solar thermal plants are already cost-effective when compared with fossil-fuel power generation, according to advocates of the … Read more

Clean tech VCs putting money on solar, not IPOs

Clean tech venture capitalists, known as a sunny, optimistic bunch, are finding a lot to like in solar.

A survey done by legal firm Cooley Godward Kronish found that clean tech investors believe that solar has the most long-term profit potential over the next five years, followed by "energy intelligence," or smart grid technologies. After that came biofuels and wind in terms of economic attractiveness.

Initial public offerings--which have been few and far between in IT for several years--do not appear to be the most common route to cash in.

Only 10 percent of the 75 Silicon Valley … Read more

Rule the swamp with a scary, solar-powered alligator

When I was a kid, my family put a life-size plastic owl near our house to keep birds and squirrels away from the porch. (At least, I think that's why they had a life-size plastic owl near our house.) Unfortunately, I don't think it worked all that well, because last I heard, the cat had mauled it and thrown it into the hedge. I suppose it really wasn't that scary.

Consequently, the next time I'm desperate to scare away animals, small children, or the IRS, I'm going to get one of these instead. Because this … Read more

Headphones that worship the sun

The idea of solar-powered headphones is certainly a worthy one, but we're not sure how well products like this will fare in hotter climes. The "Soltronix Headphone Radio" looks a little bulky for summertime wear and, as we've noted many times in this space, we're morally opposed to anything that might draw perspiration.

And as Ubergizmo notes, plastic tends to warp and crack if left in the sun too long. But if they do hold up, this $50 headset can get 19 hours of playback time on a four-hour charge.

Just remember, unless you've … Read more

Promise of more efficient solar panels

There are two major problems with the current silicon panel technology used to generate electricity. For one, silicon is inefficient in converting solar energy. The thinner the silicon panel, the less efficient it becomes. Secondly, silicon panels make up about 45 percent of the total cost of current solar power installations. So thinner panels requiring less silicon would cut down on installation costs.

Now researchers in Australia say they've found a way to make silicon films, 1 to 2 microns thick, into more efficient energy converters. The trick is to impregnate the silicon film surface with small amounts of … Read more

Say what? Americans and their God-given right to air conditioning

John Berger, chairman and CEO of Houston-based Standard Renewable Energy, knows that in selling Americans on energy efficiency and green technology, it doesn't pay to appeal to their guilt.

Instead, you've got to appeal to their pocketbook. They'll buy solar panels and new types of insulation or even biodiesel cars as long as they save money and don't have to curb their lifestyle.

"We believe Americans believe they have a God-given right to have their cake and eat it too," he said.

It will never happen, but that's the kind of quote I'… Read more