Green Tech

The Panasonic TC-P50V10 plasma flat-panel HDTV.

(Credit: Panasonic)

Panasonic plans to invest $1 billion by 2012 to develop green technologies for the home that would include energy-monitoring systems, marking a major shift in the company's focus.

Panasonic President Fumio Ohtsubo said in an interview with the Bloomberg news service this week that growing consumer interest in more efficient products has led Panasonic to decide to develop new core businesses.

"Our growth is not enough . So we want to change our fighting ring from our current categories to a different field," Ohtsubo told Bloomberg.

The company plans to offer home energy management systems, as well as develop existing interests in lithium ion batteries for electric cars, solar panels, and smart appliances.

Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean that the world's leading plasma-TV manufacturer is getting rid of its star product.

As one of its green product ideas, Ohtsubo told Bloomberg about a system in development that would allow people to monitor the electricity generation of their solar panels and the electricity use of their home appliances through their television sets.

One can't help but wonder if Panasonic's interest in a new core business was in any way influenced by the U.S. Department of Energy's decision to curb Energy Star seals for supersized televisions. Very large televisions could fall out of favor if an increasingly energy-conscious public relies on the Energy Star seal when deciding which products to purchase for their home.

It also remains to be seen if this means Panasonic is going to abandon its plasma TVs in favor of the increasingly popular LCD and LED-based LCD televisions. Panasonic already does make LCD televisions, in addition to plasmas.

Sanyo's Eneloop Portable Solar panel can charge mobile devices on the go.

(Credit: Sanyo)

If you plan on walking through the desert with a cell phone anytime soon, you might want to check in with Sanyo before you leave.

Its new Eneloop Portable Solar panels can charge portable devices through a USB connection. They're also relatively compact and a cinch to tote.

Sanyo's stylish Eneloop line of energy products includes a popular brand of rechargeable batteries and a lamp that doubles as a flashlight. Last time we posted about Sanyo's solar panels, they were chic but clunky. The new book-size, business-slick Portable Solar comes in sets of one or two panels (weighing about 8 or 15 ounces), with a handy hook to hang in a window.

(Credit: Sanyo)

Sounds great, especially if you're keen on saving energy and the environment.

But you'll also have to carry the Eneloop Mobile Booster (2.5 ounces) because it contains the lithium ion battery that stores the solar energy. You then connect your cell phone, gaming device, or whatever to the Booster.

You might also have to lug your laptop to charge the Booster if the weather doesn't cooperate. Though it takes 1.5 days to 3 days to fully charge the Booster, an hour's worth of sunshine is enough to power 20 or 40 minutes of talk time on a cell phone, which is fine for an emergency according to Sanyo. It depends on the number of panels you have and, of course, sunshine.

The included mesh bag at the back of the panel can hold the Booster, as well as a cell phone or other device.

The Portable Solar panels go on sale August 10 in Japan with no specified price from Sanyo, though Crunchgear says it will cost $90 for the single-panel unit and $150 for the double-panel one.

New Jersey to approve deal to install 200,000 solar panels around the state on its utility poles.

(Credit: Petra Solar)

It looks like those unsightly utility poles throughout New Jersey will be getting yet another accessory.

The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities is set to approve on Thursday a $200 million contract between Public Service Electric and Gas (PSE&G) and Petra Solar to install over 200,000 photovoltaic panels to tie in to the state's electrical grid.

Petra's SunWave solar panels, which have smart grid communication tools built-in, will be attached to utility and light poles that are owned and operated by PSE&G throughout the state.

The project to develop, install, and maintain the grid-connected solar system will create about 100 green jobs, according to both Petra and PSE&G.

"We are tripling in size and will start hiring immediately," Petra CEO Shihab Kuran said in a statement.

The installation is part of an initiative that PSE&G announced in February 2009 to bring solar panels to every town in its New Jersey coverage area.

The Petra Solar installation will be the "largest pole-attached solar installation in the world," according to PSE&G. But it's only part of the $515 million in 80 megawatts worth of solar energy projects that the New Jersey utility is expected to get approval for on Thursday.

PSE&G plans to implement solar installations on the rooftops of its offices and facilities throughout the state, as well as "solar gardens" on some of its properties. It was also approved to develop an additional 5 megawatts worth of solar power in New Jersey urban enterprise zones within its service area, and 10 megawatts in conjunction with third-parties wishing to participate in an installation on their properties.

"Our program will effectively double the size of New Jersey's installed solar capacity. That is more solar capacity than currently exists in any state other than California," Ralph LaRossa, PSE&G's president and COO, said in a statement.

LaRossa is referring to California's giant solar installation approved in February 2009, for the utility Pacific Gas & Electric to produce 500 megawatts worth of solar energy from distributed solar panels throughout the state.

Correction at 7:20 a.m. PDT June 23: The energy production of the tiles has been fixed. The tiles can generate 860 kilowatt hours per square (or per 100 square feet) annually in an area with "5.8 peak sun hours" per day.

Solé Power Tile system developed for US Tile by SRS Energy integrates seamlessly with its terra-cotta counterparts.

(Credit: SRS Energy)

Will a better aesthetic tempt more people into going solar? SRS Energy is betting on it.

The company has partnered with US Tile, a leading manufacturer of Spanish, slate, and shake roof tiles, to design solar panels with the exact same shapes as their clay counterparts.

The result is solar tiles that can be seamlessly integrated with the terra-cotta tiles on your roof. Instead of the solar panels being on your roof, your solar panels are the roof. Instead of consumers going solar as aftermarket adaptation, the Philadelphia-based company hopes that solar will become part of the architecture and building of residences and commercial properties.

BIPV (building-integrated photovoltaics) have been around for a while, but many of them fail to visually blend in with the existing architecture. SRS Energy is trying to improve that by partnering with roofing companies to replicate existing roof tile designs into thin-film solar panel counterparts.

The Solé Power Tile system was unveiled at American Institute of Architects 2009 National Convention and Design Exposition this past May at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. On June 15, SRS Energy unveiled one of the first commercial buildings to implement the Solé Power Tile system. The Swiss chalet-like building is Zwahlen's Ice Cream & Chocolate Company, a family-run ice cream parlor in Audubon, Penn., owned by SRS Energy's CEO Marty Low.

US Tile's Solé Power Tile system will begin to be installed in homes this November 2009 by contractors that have taken the company's Solé certification class, the first of which will be held this July, according to Abby Nessa Feinstein, director of marketing for SRS Energy.

The company plans to move into other U.S. and European markets in 2010.

The look of the tiles aside, what about solar efficiency? That's where consumers will have to think about what's most important to them. The Solé Power Tile system, which is warranted for 20 years to generate electricity at a rate of 80 percent of capacity, incorporates triple-junction amorphous solar cells produced by Uni-Solar.

Cell efficiency for the tiles is between 8 percent and 10 percent, according to Feinstein.

That puts it slightly below what others in thin-film photovoltaics have been getting. Global Solar, for example, has said its existing flexible CIGS cells convert about 10 percent of sunlight into electricity, and has plans to get to 13 percent to 14 percent soon. It's also obviously far behind the 20 percent efficiency achieved by efficient traditional silicon solar panels.

Feinstein says the SRS Energy system's overall efficiency makes up for the difference in sunlight to electricity conversion figures.

"If a homeowner bought 4kW of crystalline silicon panels and then 4KW of the Solé US Tiles, they will get 10 to 15 percent more output in terms of a KWh (kilowatt hour) on their electricity," said Feinstein.

"You have three layers of semiconductor material and so it is essentially less picky about the light it converts into electricity so whereas crystalline starts and stops converting between 10 (a.m.) and 4 p.m., our tech will wake up earlier and work later. It converts a larger spectrum of light into electricity. It has less sensitivity to heat, most start to degrade in performance as they get hotter. Our tiles get less hot because the modular is curved and with any curved tile you have air beneath keeping them cooler," she said.

SRS Energy's statistics say the average homeowner with Solé Power Tiles can get 860 kilowatt hours per square (or per 100 square feet) annually in an area with "5.8 peak sun hours" per day.

Zwahlen's Ice Cream & Chocolate Company sporting Solé Power Tiles.

(Credit: SRS Energy)

GroSolar announced plans Thursday to acquire Borrego Solar Systems' residential solar installation business, in a move to expand its footprint nationwide.

The acquisition will enlarge GroSolar's presence in California, bolstering its efforts to be a national player in residential solar installations. Currently, the industry is largely made up of local installation companies.

GroSolar, which operates in 12 states and Canada, will add Silicon Valley, Berkeley, Sonoma, Orange County, San Diego, and Massachusetts with the Borrego Solar acquisition.

The company's acquisition comes at a time when the industry is poised to reap the benefits of solar tax credits receiving an eight-year extension as part of the federal stimulus bill.

"Dealers in GroSolar's existing distribution network will see immediate benefit, as we roll out additional best practices to serve our local installers, launch new programs to give homeowners easy access to solar power, and expand the largest distribution warehouse network in the industry and in California," Jeff Wolfe, GroSolar CEO, said in a statement.

Borrego Solar Systems plans to focus on its commercial and government business, following the acquisition. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Correction, 12:55 p.m. PDT March 19: Global Solar is not technically a subsidiary of Solon as was suggested by the analyst. According to Global Solar, Solon acquired a 19 percent stake in 2006. The remaining 81 percent is owned by a European venture capital investor.

One year ago, silicon, the most common material used in making solar panels, could not be supplied fast enough. It gave an opening to many new solar tech start-ups looking to pick up venture capitalist interest and cash.

While some technologies may not have been as efficient as traditional silicon solar panels, they had other qualities. Thin-film photovoltaic systems were very popular.

But now with a silicon supply glut that's going to get worse before it gets better, the game has changed. Solar venture capitalists will lean away from innovative technologies toward sure bets closer to commercialization, according to a report released Wednesday by Lux Research.

The report deciphers in company-by-company detail where the solar market stood before the 2008 fourth-quarter crash, and how it's affecting the development of new solar technologies. It predicts where the bottom of the solar market is, who will climb out of it, and when that will start to happen.

Overall, the solar market will go from $36 billion over 5.5 GW (gigawatts) worth of solar panels sold in 2008 to $29 billion over 5.3 GW in 2009, an illustration of the average decrease in price per watt. The silver lining, solar to grid parity and growth to $70 billion across 18.5 GW, will not be seen until 2013.

Investors may still bet on technologies like CIGS (copper indium gallium selenide), but only those under the auspices of a larger established parent company, according to Ted Sullivan, a senior analyst at Lux Research who oversaw the report.

"Nobody really comes out of this unscathed, but those who will be least harmed by this will be companies like First Solar. Even with crystalline silicon prices dropping as far as they are, First Solar is still cost competitive. They may have to reduce (their prices) a little but they still are the formidable," said Sullivan in a phone interview with CNET.

Minor players will collapse, leaving market share for others to pick up and grow.

"Players might get hurt on pricing, but emerge almost stronger from this because a lot of the second- and third-tier competitions will play out," said Sullivan.

Because of the interest from developers and solar installers, CIGS is still a viable solar technology to watch.

CIGS technology will grow from $321 million in revenue this year to $950 million in 2013 despite the fact that many of today's CIGS companies won't be there to see the turn around, according to the report.

Sullivan points to Q-Cells' subsidiary Solibro and Global Solar, which Solon has a stake in, as two CIGS companies that will likely survive because they are warrantable in the sense that they have the backing of strong companies.

Although six months ago suppliers could not keep up with the demand for silicon, makers of both traditional crystalline silicon and thin-film silicon solar panels have huge surpluses of inventory, according to the Lux Research report.

As in many industries, the economic crash of fourth quarter 2008 has left the solar industry with fewer consumers and inventory build-up resulting in a forced drop in prices.

Prices for commercial utilities purchasing solar panel systems, for example, have fallen from roughly $3.80 per watt to as low as $2.50 to $3.10 per watt, according to Lux Research report figures.

"Today, crystalline silicon producers like Suntech Power, Gintech Energy, Motech Industrial, and others are reportedly holding roughly up to 100 MW each in excess inventory, while thin-film silicon producers such as EPV Solar are reportedly stacking modules to the ceiling as storage space runs short," says the report.

Lux Research says that there is light at the end of the tunnel and that it can determine where the bottom is, based on its review and interviews of over 200 solar companies, as well as producers, installers, and project developers.

In crystalline silicon, Lux Research sees Sharp Electronics, Suntech, and Q-Cells in stronger financial positions and, therefore, able to instill faith in its warranties, making them more attractive to buyers. But companies like Yingli and ET Solar will be forced to discount to distract buyers from the perceived risk of an unproven company.

"Most surprising thing for me, within the crystalline, I tried to find the cut-off for those easily viable. People named companies like Yingli....Yingli? The bar was surprisingly high. They named only the best of the best not-bankable companies, which surprised me," said Sullivan.

A 97.2 kilowatt solar photovoltaic system Borrego Solar installed for a mixed live/work property in Richmond, Calif.

(Credit: Borrego Solar)

Borrego Solar Systems, a manufacturer of a solar power systems that can connect to electrical grids, received $14 million in venture funding on Wednesday.

The money will go toward the company's expansion already under way to bring more solar installations to the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S., according to the company. Borrego Solar recently opened offices in Boston.

The deal itself could be a sign that green capitalists are taking a more conservative approach to investment, not only in terms of business management but also in terms of the type of technology they're willing to take a risk on.

For one, Borrego Solar brought in $60 million in revenue in 2008 and scored over $90 million in contracts, according to company statistics. And in addition to last August's distribution deal for its residential solar panels with Wal-Mart's Sam's Club stores, the San Diego-based company has also scored some high-profile clients in California.

But perhaps of more interest to those watching the industry is the fact that Borrego Solar's solar panels are made of silicon semiconductors and not thin-film solar cells from CIGS, a combination of copper, indium, gallium, and selenide.

Silicon is a tried-and-true material in the solar industry. CIGS is a newer and, therefore, less proven solar technology material, even though many big names, such as IBM, are trying their hand at CIGS solar panels.

SolFocus, a maker of concentrator photovoltaic systems, has signed a $103 million (80 euro) deal with Empe Solar, a Spanish group that promotes solar energy use.

SolFocus panels, made of mostly aluminum and glass, are 95 percent recyclable.

(Credit: SolFocus)

Concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) systems typically use lenses and mirrors to concentrate light on solar cells to maximize the amount of electricity they can generate.

SolFocus plans to install over 10 megawatts of CPV systems across southern Spain for Empe Solar between now and 2010 as part of the deal.

SolFocus has already completed three utility-scale projects in Spain.

The 10-megawatt installation would collectively generate enough energy to supply a town of 40,000 residents, and eliminate 27,000 tons of CO2 emissions per year if used to replace traditional fossil fuel energy generators.

It's the largest deployment of concentrator photovoltaic solar energy systems in Europe so far, according to a joint statement from SolFocus and Empe Solar.

Sunny Spain is to be the recipient of $103 million worth of CPV systems between now and 2010.

(Credit: SolFocus)

"Empe Solar seeks only the most innovative solutions to reduce electricity production costs for our customers. SolFocus has proven its technology's value in our region, and we are confident it will enable us to quickly achieve our cost targets for carbon-free energy," Empe Solar partners Eduardo Goicoechea and Sebastian Sagues said in a joint statement.

The other claim to fame SolFocus makes is that its CPV systems themselves, which primarily consist of aluminum and glass components, are kind to the environment since they are 95 percent recyclable.

But SolFocus is not the only company touting good news Monday for solar technology. Cool Earth Solar announced earlier it's rolling out its solar balloon prototypes over the next two weeks.

Solyndra, a start-up making thin-film photovoltaic systems, has secured $600 million in funding.

It's additionally secured $1.2 billion in contracts from clients in the U.S. and Europe, the Fremont, Calif.-based company revealed Tuesday.

What start-up gets that kind of funding and client promise? Basically, one that's invented thin-film solar panels shaped like old-school fluorescent lightbulbs.

Solyndra's series of tubes offer a unique angle on solar power.

(Credit: Solyndra)

Since 2005, Solyndra has quietly been developing a proprietary CIGS-based thin film photovoltaic (PV) system and a staff of more than 500 employees.

CIGS is a material that includes a combination of copper, indium, gallium, and selenide. It's now being used by quite a number of companies to make thin-film solar cells among other things.

Solyndra's cylindrical PV panels don't have to be spaced to leave room for rotation toward the sun as with flat solar panels. The panels are actually rows of cylindrical tubes which are installed horizontally and close to one another.

The tubes can "capture sunlight across a 360-degree photovoltaic surface capable of converting direct, diffuse, and reflected sunlight into electricity," according to Solyndra.

Solyndra panels consist of tubes that can absorb sunlight from all angles.

(Credit: Solyndar)

The company also says that because of this unique shape and mounting system, more productive solar surface area can be packed onto one roof than with conventionally shaped panels. Subsequently, its system is able to generate "significantly more solar electricity on an annual basis" compared with flat panels, according to the company.

Because Solyndra's tube panels are lighter and allow wind to pass through them easily, there is less construction needed in terms of rooftop anchoring or shoring up a roof for significant weight-bearing. Because of this, according to Solyndra, its system is significantly cheaper to install than flat-panel systems

While solar power may not be considered the complete solution to U.S. energy woes, many commercial, industrial, and public facilities are looking at using solar photovoltaic systems as a supplement to their facilities' energy diets. In April, for example, the landmark Staples Center in Los Angeles announced it will be covering its 24,196-foot roof with photovoltaic modules.

Thin-film solar cells, particularly CIGS panels, have been attracting a lot of attention and funding. SoloPower, NanoSolar, and Ava Solar are thin-film solar companies that have announced funding in the hundreds of millions over the last few months. Even IBM is getting into CIGS solar cells through a partnership with a Japanese semiconductor equipment manufacturer.

Solyndra's funding comes from a mix of venture capital and private equity investments totaling $600 million to date. Solyndra investors include Virgin Green Fund, the Abu Dhabi-based Masdar, Rockport Capital Partners, and Argonaut Capital, according to a company spokeswoman.

The company has already been expanding its current plant, Venture Beat reported early Tuesday morning.

Solyndra counts Solar Power, the company contracted to do the Staples Center, and Phoenix Solar, a large solar power integration company in Europe, among its satisfied customers.

"By eliminating the need for roof-penetrating mounts and wind ballasts, PV arrays with Solyndra panels can be installed with one-third the labor, in one-third of the time, at one-half the cost. For commercial rooftops, PV module installation time can now be measured in days, not weeks. For flat commercial rooftops this is game-changing technology," Manfred Bachler, chief technical officer at Phoenix Solar, said in a statement.