International Solar News
Tuesday, November 13th, 2007 at
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Solar EnerTech Corp. Achieves ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 Certification
November 12, 2007: 08:30 AM EST
Solar EnerTech Corp. (OTCBB: SOEN), a leading photovoltaic solar energy cell manufacturer in China, today announced that the International System Certification Services, Bureau Veritas Certification, has awarded ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 14001:2004 certifications to the Shanghai-based solar cell manufacturing facility of Solar EnerTech Corp. These certifications prescribe systematic control of activities to ensure that the needs and expectations of customers are met and ensure that the Company’s management, production and quality control procedures as well as its environmental management systems match the highest international standard of manufacturing.
With 80,000 clients in more than 100 countries, Bureau Veritas Certification (formerly BVQI) is the world’s leading certification body, and is recognized by more than 35 national and international accreditation bodies. PV products with ISO certification is a must requirement for many advanced nations installing solar systems.
ISO 9001:2000 recognizes companies with a quality management system that consistently provide services that meet customer and regulatory requirements. This certification is awarded to companies that enhance customer satisfaction through quality programs; whereas ISO 14001 is an internationally accepted standard that addresses a company’s ability to implement an effective Environmental Management System (EMS). This standard is designed to address the delicate balance between maintaining profitability and reducing environmental impact.
Leo Young, Chief Executive Officer of Solar EnerTech, commented, “We are very pleased to be awarded these certifications. Achieving ISO 9001 and 14001 certification marks the Company’s commitment to customer satisfaction and continual quality control as well as highlights our efforts to reduce environmental impact. Our customers demand the best, and our goal is to meet and exceed their expectations. The ISO 9001 and 14001 achievement will improve the Company’s competitive position and significantly improve service and quality across our product line.”
Now why can’t more American cities have these kind of goals in mind.
Australian town to run on solar power in 2 years
Sun Nov 4, 2007 3:39am EST
http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSSYD226477
SYDNEY, Nov 4 (Reuters) – A sun-drenched town in Australia’s north hopes to use only solar power in two years after being chosen as the site for a solar thermal power station.
Remote Cloncurry, which boasts recording Australia’s hottest day, would be able to generate electricity on rare cloudy days and at night from the station, which runs off heat stored in graphite blocks.
The Queensland state government said on Sunday it would build the A$7 million ($6.5 million), 10-megawatt power station as part of a push to make Cloncurry one of the first towns to rely on solar power alone.
“The town of Cloncurry has long claimed the title of having recorded Australia’s hottest day — 53 degrees (Celsius) in the shade in 1889, so I reckon we’re on a winner,” Queensland Premier Anna Bligh was quoted as saying by Australian Associated Press.
Solar thermal power differs from photovoltaic panels that make power directly.
Instead, 8,000 mirrors will reflect sunlight onto graphite blocks. Water will be pumped through the blocks to generate steam which generates electricity via turbines.
Heat stored in the graphite produces steam well after the sun goes down, allowing electricity generators to keep running at night.
The Queensland government said the station would deliver about 30 million kilowatt hours of electricity a year, enough to power the entire town. It is expected to be running by early 2010.
Australia and the United States have refused to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, which sets binding targets for carbon pollution by developed countries.
Australian Prime Minister John Howard says any global agreement must include big developing nations such as China and India, whose burgeoning economies have led to rapid growth in carbon dioxide emissions, which are blamed for global warming.
Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions are among the world’s highest per-capita and the government prefers to focus on energy efficiency and technology to limit carbon emissions.
Citizenre is the only company that is attempting to use the “rent solar” business model for residential. I do see stories from time to time in the commercial or industrail sector with the “rent solar” business model. Here is one out of Canada from Thestar.com.
ENERGY
TheStar.com | Business | Municipal buildings to draw on solar power
Municipal buildings to draw on solar power
Nov 16, 2007 04:30 AM
Tyler Hamilton
Energy Reporter
City council is expected to approve an ambitious plan next week that will see up to 20 government buildings around Toronto get their heat from a new kind of energy provider: the solar utility.
Rather than pay the high upfront costs for its own solar energy systems, the city plans to select a company that will install, own and operate the solar thermal equipment on city buildings. In return, the city will sign a long-term contract – lasting 10 years or longer – agreeing to pay a fixed price for the renewable heat the systems produce at a rate that’s equal to or less than the existing rate for natural gas.
But unlike natural gas, solar heat produces no emissions and isn’t subject to price volatility.
“There’s no downside to it,” said Bruce Bowes, the city’s chief operating officer and a forceful backer of the proposal. “It gives us more stable pricing … reduces CO2 emissions, and it helps the city appear as one of the better renewable energy capitals in the country.”
The model is no different than a gas utility that agrees to pay the capital cost of running a pipe into your home in exchange for your purchase of natural gas and its delivery. Over the length of a contract, the upfront cost to the utility is more than offset by the customer’s long-term energy purchases.
Solar panels, depending on the type, can either generate electricity or produce heat. Solar photovoltaic systems are designed to produce power, while solar thermal systems – the kind recommended in the city plan – describe technologies that use the sun’s energy to heat buildings and water.
The proposal goes before council on Monday, coincidentally on the opening day of the Canadian Solar Industries Association’s annual trade conference in Toronto.
Once approved, a request for proposals will be issued, inviting companies in the area to bid for the business.
“It should be rubber-stamped,” said Keith Stewart, a climate-change analyst with environmental group WWF Canada.
The buildings that do initially get equipped won’t be completely free of using natural gas (or electricity) for heating, as the sun doesn’t shine on cloudy days and at night. But the solar energy produced over a year typically reduces the need for fossil fuels by more than a third.
Toronto already has some experience with solar thermal heating. The city has installed systems to heat pool water at three recreation centres – Scarborough Centennial, Agincourt and Jimmie Simpson. Two fire stations in the city also get their hot water from solar panels. But unlike the solar utility approach, the city owns those systems.
Louis Fournier, vice-president of sales for Toronto-based Mondial Energy Inc., one of the companies likely to bid for the city’s business, said municipalities don’t store and deliver their own natural gas or generate their own electricity, so it makes sense that they don’t build and own their own solar energy systems.
“This fits with their long-term plan of using more renewable energy without putting a burden on taxpayers,” said Fournier.
Mondial began promoting itself as a solar utility about three years ago. Since then, it has signed long-term contracts to supply a 170-unit community housing site on Queen St. E., a 205-resident seniors building near Danforth and Coxwell Avenues, and a 64-suite residence at Main St. and Kingston Rd.
All systems can be monitored in real-time over the Internet, making it easy for any resident or building operator to verify performance, energy savings and the amount of greenhouse gases being displaced.
Bowes said 20 buildings are likely just the start for the city. “If this is quite successful, there’s no reason to not continue,” he said. “There’s no reason to limit it to 20 buildings.”
A mandate for solar? If every country did what Spain has done – Imagine….
This story is from the Taipei Times.
Lots of sun and roofs: Why can’t we go solar?
By Yang Chuen Jen
Saturday, Nov 17, 2007, Page 8
In response to growing international calls for renewable energy, Council for Economic Planning and Development Minister Ho Mei-yueh has proposed that farmers install solar panels in their fields.
Perhaps a more viable strategy is to replace sheet metal roofs with solar panels.
In 1999, Barcelona passed a regulation decreeing that all new buildings and modifications on existing buildings supply 60 percent of their hot water through solar energy.
After Barcelona implemented this scheme the following August, Catalonia and other regions followed suit.
By 2005, it had become the only piece of legislation that applied to the entire country.
This evolution from local regulation to national legislation increased Spain’s total solar panel installations 2,000 percent between 2000 and 2005. Annually, the scheme saves 150 million watts of energy and reduces carbon dioxide emissions by an estimated 3,000 tonnes.
With legislation and additional incentives or subsidies, the conversion of metal roofs so characteristic to Taiwan into solar panels ought to be a viable policy.
The scheme would satisfy the impulse of individual home owners to renovate, and reduce the backlog of illegal construction cases by increasing scrutiny of building proposals.
Using green energy would also bring prosperity to the renewable solar power industry, as well as help in the fight against global warming.
Most people are not as conscious of the global climate crisis as the immediate problems associated with air pollution, and concrete change toward preventing climate change is hampered as a result.
If air quality is poor, people tend to complain.
Climate change, though caused by the same pollutants, does not generate the same negative public response.
Basking in the heat of a winter sun after successive days of rain, people are unlikely to digest bad news relating to global warming when the most dramatic evidence of it occurs in remote regions.
This gap in consciousness in turn affects the implementation and effectiveness of environmental legislation.
This, together with the self-interest of governments and different degrees of progress between countries, means that global warming remains largely unimpeded despite ratification of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol.
Yet as a member of the global village, and despite differences in implementation and political problems — including Taiwan’s exclusion from most international organizations and the UN’s protocols — we should nevertheless endeavor to reduce the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Not only should we push for this kind of legislation, policymakers should also utilize recent fluctuations in oil prices to kick-start a new age of solar energy.
Even Germany, which is located at an extra-tropical latitude and lacks many months of brilliant sunshine, can turn solar energy into a national movement through the combined efforts of government, industry and the general public.
Even the previously industrial Aachen has become a benchmark city for solar energy, with red-tiled roofs now housing solar panels.
Located in the subtropics and the tropics, Taiwan has no cause for concern, because the potentially excellent benefits of converting metal roofs to solar panels can be observed everywhere.
The Citizenre “rent solar” business model is already used in Brazil. Check out this heart warming story on how one man was able to bring electricity to those who have none by renting to them a complete solar system for about the same price that they are currently paying for kerosene, candles, batteries and liquid petroleum gas. Note that when he first starts talking with people that only 10% initially take him up on the offer. Can you imagine. Here is the link. The story is too long to post.
http://www.ideaas.org.br/artigos/artigo_luzagora_bornstein_eng.htm
Even Africa is going solar. Check out this story from allafrica.com.
Zimbabwe: Electrification Agency Considers Solar System
3 December 2007
THE Rural Electrification Agency is considering introducing solar mini-grid systems to reduce demand on hydro-electricity in light of the power deficit threatening countries in the Sadc region, an official said yesterday.
REA project manager Mr Emmanuel Midzi said the agency had started installing the solar mini-grid systems in rural clinics and in secondary schools that received computers from President Mugabe.
“We have so far installed 13 countrywide in schools and clinics,” he said.
The solar mini-grid system uses inverters that convert direct current generated from solar into alternating current to produce 220 volts.
Conventional solar systems use solar panels connected to a battery and generate 12 volts.
Mr Midzi said advantages of the mini-grid system were that the consumable spare parts such as globes were readily available in the country and it used energy efficiently that the battery would last up to four days without sunshine.
He said the other advantage was that the system used the same wiring infrastructure with the electricity grid so that it did not have to be dismantled when connecting to the national grid. The system could power small fridges and computers and did not require surge protectors in case of power cuts and surges.
“It is an opportunity to introduce renewable energy to those that want it,” said Mr Midzi.
As a result of interest the public was showing in the mini-grid system, REA was exploring supply markets for the cost-effective equipment.
Mr Midzi said the mini-grid systems were readily available in most industrialised countries including China and India.
He said REA expected the local industry to participate in the programme by manufacturing the components that they could.
Countries in the Sadc region are facing a power deficit due to increasing demand, with the situation expected to worsen by 2015.
Zimbabwe embarked on electrification of rural areas to improve living standards of communities and curb rural-to-urban migration
I am adding this article because it has a link to the information on 30 different maufactures of solar. I had no idea that there were over 400 manufactures in China, impressive!
December 5, 2007
Navigating China’s Solar Industry
In recent years China has become a major force in the manufacturing of solar industry products. Currently there are more than 400 photovoltaic (PV) solar companies operating in China. This includes eight companies being publicly traded in the United States that are engaged in the polycrystalline silicon segment of the PV industry.
______________
“With China’s increasing dominance of the solar industry’s manufacturing capabilities, China soon will be known as the sun around which the earth’s solar industry orbits.”
–Louis Schwartz, President, China Strategies
_______________
In order to navigate this growing sector, China Strategies, LLC has created the China Solar Company Map, which provides an interactive site to identify, locate and contact China’s major solar PV equipment manufacturers, solar hot water heater manufacturers and solar energy producers. For those companies that are publicly traded, a link to recent financial performance also is provided.
“Traditionally China has been referred to as the ‘Middle Kingdom’, reflecting its view that it stood at the center of the world,” said Louis Schwartz President of China Strategies. “With China’s increasing dominance of the solar industry’s manufacturing capabilities, China soon will be known as the sun around which the earth’s solar industry orbits.”
To view the map, click here
Or here
http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=34.198173%7E104.150391&style=r&lvl=4&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&cid=FF8B5E06C6DA7052%21172&encType=1.
Looks as if solar will be the next big, big industry around the world. Every time I check my sources, I am seeing more and more countries adding solar. The most impressive was the stroy on Africa. But now here is a story from Taiwan from Cens.com on 12-7-2007.
Solar Energy Poised for Taiwan Take-off.
Skyrocketing crude oil prices have aroused a strong interest in renewable energy and made solar energy one of the world`s hottest technologies. The Taiwan government plans to boost development of this kind of energy and a large number of companies have emerged to stake their claim in the budding solar-energy sector, leading to expectations that solar energy may well become the island`s next “star industry.”
Silicon is the main raw material for making conventional solar cells. Only a few Taiwanese suppliers, such as the Lee Chang Yung Chemical Industry Corp., Formosa Plastic Group, and China Petroleum & Chemical Corp., are considering venturing into the production of poly-silicon, which is currently in short supply. The manufacture of silicon wafers and solar cells, by contrast, is booming on the island.
Sino-American Silicon Production Inc. is among the Taiwanese pioneers in the development of crystal-growing technology for the production of silicon wafers. The Wafer Works Corp. and Green Energy Technology Inc. are both engaged in the manufacture of silicon wafers.
Sino-American is doing so well that its net profit for the first three quarters soared to NT$1.273 billion, or NT$6.46 per share, and to a quarterly record of NT$619 million in the third quarter.
The firm is now running at full capacity, and needs more. Therefore, it plans to expand production at its Chunan No. 1 plant to 150 megawatts in the first quarter of next year and 200 megawatt in the second quarter. The company has succeeded in cutting the thickness of its silicon wafers from 200 micrometers to 180 micrometers, thereby enhancing its production efficiency.
Other Taiwan-based makers have been booming in the solar cell industry, including Motech Industries Inc., E-ton Solar Tech Co., Gintech Energy Corp., and Neo Solar Power Corp. (a subsidy of the Powerchip Semiconductor Corp.).
Despite slipping gross profit rates, E-ton and Motech remained profitable in the first three quarters of the year, with the former earning an amount equal to its capital and the latter raking in net profits of NT$9.59 per share.
E-ton is one of few Taiwanese suppliers focusing on downstream production of solar cells. Its subsidiary, Gloria Solar Ltd., has joined forces with Spire, the world`s largest supplier of manufacturing equipment for solar cell modules, to set up Gloria Spire Solar for the manufacture of terminal solar energy systems.
As a newcomer to the industry, Gintech is surprisingly ambitious. It plans to boost its annual capacity to 210 megawatts by the end of this year, from the original 60 megawatts, and further to 560 megawatts in 2008 and 1,500 megawatts in 2011. The company hopes that this capacity expansion will make it the third-largest supplier of solar cells in the world, after only Sharp and Q-Cells.
Neo Solar Power is a highly competitive manufacturer in this sector, starting production only two months after its inception and turning profitable almost immediately. Furthermore, to fill an influx of orders the company ran at 120% capacity in September. It posted net profits of NT$3.5 per share for the first three quarter of this year, and is likely to challenge NT$5 per share for all of 2007.
A shortage of silicon has driven a number of suppliers to rush into the production of next-generation thin-film solar cells, allowing them to save on production costs by cutting the number of production processes from five for conventional silicon cells to just three.
A number of Taiwanese suppliers are already working on thin-film solar cells, including Green Energy, Nexpower Technology Corp., and Sunwell Technology Corp. The three are subsidiaries of the Tatung Group, United Microelectronics Corp., and CMC Magnetics Corp., respectively.
Nexpower and Sunwell are scheduled to start production of these new products next March and April. Green Energy has spent NT$2 billion on manufacturing equipment from Applied Material Inc. of the U.S. that will give it the capability of making 8.5-generation thin-film solar cells. Mass production of these new solar cells is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of next year.
I can’t believe that I have not yet included any entries from the worlds leading producers and users of solar energy – GERMANY.
Editorial New Scientist Print Edition, December 8, 2007: A place in the Sun.
“GUESS the country. It has over half the world’s installed capacity of photovoltaic cells and is home to some of the largest solar cell manufacturers. In short, it is the solar-power capital of the world. Yet it is not in the sun-drenched tropics nor even bordering the Mediterranean. The country is Germany.”
How did this happen? Granted, Germany is a technological powerhouse and has contributed substantially to improving the efficiency of solar cells, but that’s only part of the story. The real secret is political intervention. In 2004, borrowing a Japanese idea, the German government introduced the first large-scale “feed-in” tariff system. This assures all producers of solar-generated electricity, whether giant solar farm or home-owner, that they can sell excess power back to the grid at a premium which is guaranteed until 2024.
This single incentive did more than anything else to kick-start Germany’s solar industry and propel the country to its world-leading position. Suddenly, solar electricity made economic sense to consumers. As demand grew, so did manufacturing output. In just two years, Germany’s installed capacity nearly doubled and about 300,000 small businesses and individuals set up photovoltaic systems on their roofs. Germany now has 3 gigawatts of solar capacity, equivalent to the output of at least three large fossil-fuelled power stations.
Following in Germany’s footsteps, some 20 countries – and California – have implemented feed-in tariffs. Those countries lagging behind, which include the UK and Australia, are missing not only an opportunity to improve the environment but also a commercial opening. If proof were needed that green technology can be a money-spinner, Germany provides it.