New Stable Silicon for Solar

CORNING, N.Y., Sep 07, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Corning Incorporated and Oerlikon Solar (SIX: OERL) announced today that they have achieved a record-breaking 11.9 percent stabilized conversion efficiency in a silicon-tandem, research-size photovoltaic cell. Results were confirmed by the United States National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

Based on the unique combination of Oerlikon Solar's world leading Micromorph(R) technology and Corning's thin specialty glass, the resulting solar cell's energy conversion efficiency exceeds the current 11.7 percent industry record, set in 2004, and was achieved without the use of antireflective coating.

Increasing conversion efficiency, or the rate at which sunlight energy is converted into electric current, is a key industry challenge. This milestone for Micromorph(R) tandem technology is particularly significant in the advancement of thin-film photovoltaics, a rapidly progressing segment of the fast-growing solar energy industry.

The newly developed photovoltaics research cell combines the advanced light-trapping capabilities of Corning's specialty glass and Oerlikon Solar's proprietary Micromorph(R) technology, utilizing a zinc oxide low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) front contact.

"The 11.9 percent efficiency achievement is an important step forward in thin-film innovation for our customers," said Dr. Jurg Henz, chief executive officer, Oerlikon Solar. "We look forward to continued work with Corning on a roadmap to advance this technology to cell efficiencies of 12 percent and beyond."

"We are thrilled with the milestone reached through this very strong collaboration between Oerlikon Solar and Corning," noted Dr. Gary Calabrese, vice-president, Science and Technology and director, Corning Photovoltaic Glass Technologies. "More importantly, we are strongly encouraged by the great opportunities that these advancements make possible for the photovoltaics industry as the combined efforts of these two companies move forward to achieve even higher efficiencies with silicon tandem."

More information and research details will be presented by Dr. Julien Bailat of Oerlikon Solar at the 25th Annual European Photovoltaics Solar Energy Conference (PVSEC) and the 5th World Conference on Photovoltaic Energy Conversion (WPEC-5) in Valencia Spain on Sept. 7. A presentation on the topic of photovoltaics glass reliability will also be presented by Dr. James Webb of Corning Incorporated at the same conference on Sept. 8.

Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" (within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995), which are based on current expectations and assumptions about Corning's financial results and business operations, that involve substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. These risks and uncertainties include: the effect of global political, economic and business conditions; conditions in the financial and credit markets; currency fluctuations; tax rates; product demand and industry capacity; competition; reliance on a concentrated customer base; manufacturing efficiencies; cost reductions; availability of critical components and materials; new product commercialization; pricing fluctuations and changes in the mix of sales between premium and non-premium products; new plant start-up or restructuring costs; possible disruption in commercial activities due to terrorist activity, armed conflict, political or financial instability, natural disasters, adverse weather conditions, or major health concerns; adequacy of insurance; equity company activities; acquisition and divestiture activities; the level of excess or obsolete inventory; the rate of technology change; the ability to enforce patents; product and components performance issues; retention of key personnel; stock price fluctuations; and adverse litigation or regulatory developments. These and other risk factors are detailed in Corning's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the day that they are made, and Corning undertakes no obligation to update them in light of new information or future events.

About Oerlikon Solar

Oerlikon Solar (http://www.oerlikon.com/solar/) designs and manufactures field-proven equipment and end-to-end manufacturing lines for the mass production of environmentally sustainable thin film silicon solar modules. With its amorphous and high-efficiency Micromorph(R) tandem technology, Oerlikon Solar has dramatically increased the efficiency of thin film silicon and created innovative end-to-end manufacturing solutions for thin film PV, enabling new entrants in the fast-growing, global PV manufacturing business. Oerlikon Solar leads the thin film solar equipment sector with 12 factories in production in seven countries, more than 2.5 million modules produced and 450 MW of capacity produced worldwide.

About Corning Incorporated

Corning Incorporated (www.corning.com) is the world leader in specialty glass and ceramics. Drawing on more than 150 years of materials science and process engineering knowledge, Corning creates and makes keystone components that enable high-technology systems for consumer electronics, mobile emissions control, telecommunications and life sciences. Our products include glass substrates for LCD televisions, computer monitors and laptops; ceramic substrates and filters for mobile emission control systems; optical fiber, cable, hardware & equipment for telecommunications networks; optical biosensors for drug discovery; and other advanced optics and specialty glass solutions for a number of industries including semiconductor, aerospace, defense, astronomy and metrology.

Sunpower Corporation's Power Plant Available for Europse

VALENCIA, Spain, Sept. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- At the European Photovolatic Solar Energy Conference, SunPower Corporation (Nasdaq: SPWRA, SPWRB), today announced that its SunPower Oasis™ Power Plant (SunPower Oasis) product, a fully integrated, modular solar power block, is now available in Europe. SunPower Oasis scales from 1-megawatt ac (MW) distributed installations to large central station power plants and provides a cost-effective way to rapidly deploy utility-scale solar projects, streamlining the development and construction process.
SunPower Oasis is engineered from the ground up to optimize use of available land. Each power block integrates the SunPower® T0 Tracker with SunPower's high-efficiency, 425-watt utility solar panel, pre-manufactured system cabling, the Oasis smart inverter, and the Oasis operating system. SunPower Oasis also features the SunPower advanced Tracker Monitoring and Control System (TMAC™) for wireless control of the power plant. The power block kits are shipped pre-assembled to the job site for rapid field installation, and offer the highest capacity factor and the most reliable long-term performance.
"SunPower Oasis is a ground-breaking, utility-scale solar solution that optimizes energy production, installation speed, material cost, and long-term reliability," said Gian Maria Ferraro, vice president and general manager, SunPower Europe. "With this revolutionary new product, we have the ability to design and scale to any size power plant, supporting the shape complexities of the European sites."
The SunPower Oasis operating system is designed to support future grid interconnection requirements for large-scale solar power plants, such as voltage ride through and power factor control. It also features utility-standard SCADA operation and analytical tools, which include intelligent sensor and control networks for optimized power plant operation.
"SunPower Oasis meets the needs of utilities, investors, developers, and the local community," said Howard Wenger, president, SunPower Utility and Power Plants. "SunPower's proven technology and experience is reflected in this new product which will substantially lower the cost of power plant ownership by significantly reducing balance of systems, development and operational costs."
SunPower has installed more than 120 ground-mounted power plants globally, representing more than 300 MW of operating power generation. The SunPower Oasis power plant, first announced in the U.S. earlier this year, is now available in the EU for design and development, with construction expected to start in the third quarter of 2011. Additional information about the product can be found at www.sunpoweroasis.com.
About SunPower
Founded in 1985, SunPower Corp. (Nasdaq: SPWRA, SPWRB) designs, manufactures and delivers the planet's most powerful solar technology broadly available today. Residential, business, government and utility customers rely on the company's experience and proven results to maximize return on investment. With headquarters in San Jose, Calif., SunPower has offices in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia. For more information, visit www.sunpowercorp.com.
Forward-Looking Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are statements that do not represent historical facts and may be based on underlying assumptions. The company uses words and phrases such as "will" "future," and "expected" to identify forward-looking statements in this press release, including expectations regarding (a) SunPower Oasis's ability to optimize energy production, installation speed, material costs, and long-term reliability, and streamline the development and construction process, (b) SunPower Oasis's ability to support future grid interconnection requirements for large-scale solar power plants, such as voltage ride through and power factor control, (c) SunPower Oasis's ability to substantially lower costs by reducing balance of system, development and operational costs, and (d) SunPower Oasis's expected construction start date in Europe in the third quarter of 2011. Such forward-looking statements are based on information available to the company as of the date of this release and involve a number of risks and uncertainties, some beyond the company's control, that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by these forward-looking statements, including risks and uncertainties such as: (i) the price the company pays for its supply of raw materials, components, and solar panels, (ii) construction difficulties or potential delays, including permitting and transmission access and upgrades, and the company's ability to successfully begin construction of SunPower Oasis in the EU in the third quarter of 2011; (iii) evolving regional permitting, financing, grid interconnection, technical, and other customer or regulatory requirements, and SunPower Oasis's ability to satisfy such requirements; and (iv) other risks described in SunPower's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended January 3, 2010 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended July 4, 2010, and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the company's views as of any subsequent date, and the company is under no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any responsibility to, update or alter its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
SunPower and Oasis are trademarks or registered trademarks of SunPower Corp. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Princeton New Jersey Gets Solar Panels

PRINCETON — Starting next week, PSE&G will begin installing about 60 solar panels on utility poles throughout the township.

When done, the 2½-foot by 5-foot panels will be part of a project that includes 200,000 pole-mounted solar units generating 40 megawatts of solar energy.

The energy generated by the 200-watt structures flows into the power grid, which services all customers. Energy costs for the average residential consumer will increase by about $1.20 in the first year.

Part of PSE&G’s Solar 4 All program, the solar panels will be placed on poles that are open to the sun, are in good condition and don’t have excessive amounts of wire on them, said Township Engineer Bob Kiser.

The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities approved the program in July 2009, citing the benefits of increasing renewable energy sources in the state. PSE&G expects to invest $515 million in the project before its completion in 2013.
That figure also includes the cost of constructing several large solar farms and rooftops in Trenton, Linden and other cities. The larger projects are expected to generate another 40 megawatts of new solar power.

PSE&G expects the assembly and installation of the panels and solar farms also will benefit consumers by creating jobs. NJBPU Director of the Office of Clean Energy Mike Winka estimated that 200 contractors had presided over thousands of installations.

The Princeton project is expected to take approximately two weeks.

New Jersey Solar Power in Homes

PulteGroup, a company based in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., is not the only builder offering solar-equipped homes in New Jersey. But it is among the first to start offering solar units as a standard feature in every house in a development, and to tot up the ways that buyers can earn as much as $30,000 over 15 years.

Those earnings will come in four ways, according to Paul Schneier, the president of the company’s metropolitan New York and New Jersey division: savings of more than half on electricity bills, a onetime federal tax rebate of at least $6,000, an annual break on property taxes, and income from the sale of the credits back to utility companies.

Like 26 other states, New Jersey is requiring its utility companies to generate an increasing percentage of electric power through the use of renewable sources of energy like sun and wind. It has established a credit-purchase program so companies can meet the requirements while they build up enough solar-generating power of their own. (New Jersey officials estimate that will take at least 10 years.)

According to Mr. Schneier, the state is a leader in the developing market for investors and utilities wanting to buy these credits, called Solar Renewable Energy Credits. Each credit certifies that 1,000 megawatts of power have been produced by solar energy.

The credits are bought and sold in an online marketplace. New Jersey’s credits have emerged as a particularly hot property, because electric rates are comparatively high here, making each megawatt of power worth more.

“The system is complicated,” said Douglas Fenichel, a spokesman for K. Hovnanian Homes. When Hovnanian put solar technology on its list of options at its Jockey Club age-restricted development in Oceanport, he said, “We found people didn’t really understand it.”

Buyers were generally interested in sustainable construction, Mr. Fenichel said. But it was hard to explain the savings and how they would be reaped by buyers. In the end, the developers decided to make solar standard instead of optional in all 44 Jockey Club units. The development sold out six months ago.

“It was not until the first resident stood there watching his meter going backward, generating electricity that would go back to the power company, that I think it really sunk in,” Mr. Fenichel said.

Mr. Schneier of the PulteGroup noted that buyers on a fixed income — or thinking about retiring — may be attracted to the idea of owning a solar system. “Of course, now, though, everyone is starting to think about cutting costs any way they can,” he added.

Several builders, as well as individual homeowners around the state, are moving to install solar panels on the roofs of their buildings, along with support technology to meter productivity.

In New Brunswick, for instance, Ironstate Development is retrofitting Riverwalk Commons, an apartment building, with rooftop technology that will power lighting in common areas and the garage.

The cost of the units has been the prevailing issue holding back more widespread use, said Michael Winka, the director of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities Office of Clean Energy. At River Pointe, the cost to the developers of installing the standard 2.25 kilowatt unit, which at current rates would earn about $1,330 in credits per year, is about $20,000. An optional upgrade to a 3.1 kilowatt system, which would earn about $2,000 per year, would cost the buyer $10,000. Mr. Schneier said that solar equipment adds to resale value.

On the other hand, Mr. Winka said that most solar power systems start to wear out after about 10 years. In addition, both he and Mr. Schneier said that the market for energy credits could not be expected to remain strong indefinitely, as utility companies are pushing ahead with developing their own solar plants.

The reimbursement at River Pointe on a house bought right now would shape up like this, according to the PulteGroup’s calculations:

¶$6,000 to $10,000 in federal tax credits, depending on the size of the solar unit.

¶Roughly $450 in reduced energy costs the first year, depending on use and house size (floor plans range from 1,600 to 2,700 square feet). Savings would rise in proportion to rising energy costs.

¶Solar technology is exempted from property tax, saving $341 or $451 a year, depending on the size of the unit.

¶Proceeds from the sale of energy credits, $1,333 or $2,000 a year.

There are already 150 residents at River Pointe, a community of single-family houses with yards that are maintained by the homeowners’ association, a community clubhouse and other amenities. A total of 550 units are planned.

A model unit with the solar panels and technology installed is newly completed and open to house hunters.

Canadian's Bright on Solar

Nine in ten Canadian homeowners are aware that using green energy reduces a household’s environmental impact, yet only five per cent are generating electricity by installing rooftop solar panels, according to a new survey from TD Canada Trust.

The survey reveals one in three homeowners (33%) have considered installing solar panels, however three-quarters (76%) of them say expense is the number one deterrent.
“The gap between awareness and action is mainly due to concerns about cost,” says Karen Clarke-Whistler, chief environment officer, TD. “But Canadians have shown that those concerns can be overcome. A decade ago, hybrid vehicles were a novelty, but today there are a growing number on our roads. We believe the future for rooftop solar panels is just as bright.”
According to the report, only 47% of Canadian homeowners surveyed are aware that solar power reduces home energy costs and less than 5% know that in some provinces, solar panels can provide a new revenue stream.
Installing solar panels means reducing the amount of energy required from the electrical grid, which means buying less. In some provinces solar-produced power can be sold to local utility providers, earning money for the energy produced.
To help Canadians understand renewable energy, TD is offering Going Green: A homeowner’s guide to solar energy. For more information or to obtain a copy, visit www.td.com.

Czech Solar Subsidies High

Following recent reports that electricity prices in the country could go up significantly to pay for government solar subsidies, a number of government measures are in the works that would reign in the solar industry while meeting goals to produce 13 percent of energy from renewable resources by 2020.

The National Action Plan (NAP), passed in draft form last Wednesday by the Cabinet, would set output limits for renewable energy sources. Once the caps are exceeded, further renewable energy plants would be ineligible for subsidies.

In addition to the NAP, the Environment Ministry recently proposed to raise the fee misusing potentially arable land sixfold. Although the Environment Ministry told The Prague Post in an e-mail the change was to protect agricultural land from overdevelopment in general, not just from the use for solar companies, the measure would de facto discourage solar companies from buying large tracts of land to install solar panels.The two measures come on the heels of forecasts that electricity bills next year are expected to grow around 10 percent to 20 percent for households, and 30 percent for businesses, the result of the government's growing bill for paying out subsidies to renewable energy plants.

Eva Nováková, a spokeswoman for ČEZ, said the NAP would allow the renewable energy market to stabilize. Currently, she said, the solar boom has forced ČEZ to pay an additional 2 billion Kč for electricity from solar plants, as mandated by the government.

"The main benefit of [the NAP] should be the stabilization of the business environment in the area of renewable energy sources, an increase of the attractiveness of these sources for investors and creating conditions to balance the development of renewable energy sources in the Czech Republic," Nováková said.

According to Pavel Vlček, a spokesman for the Industry and Trade Ministry, the government spent a total of 3.08 billion Kč on renewable energy subsidies in 2009, is expected to pay 7.76 million this year, and will pay even more next year, because of the solar boom. These increases, Vlček said, will raise electricity bills for families who use electricity for lighting only by 2,800 Kč per year, and for those who use it for additional utilities, bills will go up another 6,300 Kč.

Jarmila Lehnerová, a spokeswoman for the Energy Regulation Authority (ERÚ), the body that sets the fees on electricity bills that support subsidies, said in an e-mail that the fee consumers will see on their bills in 2011 has yet to be calculated. The ERÚ expects to receive a higher number of applications for licenses to produce solar energy this fall, which will contribute to a significant increase in solar capacity by the end of the year, she added. Production from solar plants this June, she said, was 8.8 times greater than the same time last year.

The Czech Republic experienced a boom in solar plants, becoming the third-largest producer of solar energy in Europe because of feed-in tariffs created for the promotion of renewable energy. However, the tariffs had a built-in price decrease of 5 percent per year for solar plants, based on the anticipated decrease in solar technology prices. Those prices, however, dropped much faster than anticipated, about 30 percent to 40 percent since the tariff was introduced, said Jan Tomaník, an analyst at Prague-based brokerage Wood & Company. That made investment into the solar industry extremely lucrative and attracted multitudes of foreign investors and a flood of investment.

"The lawmakers made a mistake by setting a maximum year-on-year decline for feed-in tariffs and now the money, for the next 20 years, is coming out of the consumers' pockets and going into the pockets of people who secured the land, construction permits and funding to build up these solar power plants," he said.

The government is currently weighing a draft amendment to the renewable policy that would further limit the solar industry. The ERÚ has said it would cut feed in tariffs for solar power to 6 Kč/kWh from the current 12 Kč/kWh. By the end of the year, Tomaník said he expects 1,200 megawatts will be added to the solar capacity in the rush to take advantage of the current situation. Those plants that are established before the end of the year will have the original feed-in tariff conditions for the next 20 years.

As of Aug. 1, there were 9,600 solar plants in operation in the country, Vlček said, with a total capacity of 620 megawatts. He said it was expected that the number of solar plants in 20 years is expected to reach 21,000, with a total capacity of 1,650 megawatts.

Money for Wind Projects Guaranteed

The Department of Energy finalized a $117 million loan guarantee for Kahuku Wind Power LLC, the owner and operator of the Kahuku Wind Power project in Kahuku, Hawaii. The project includes the development of a 30 megawatt (MW) wind power plant that will supply electricity to approximately 7,700 households per year, and is expected to be the first to meet the local electric utility’s solar and wind energy reliability requirements. Kahuku Wind Power LLC estimates that the project will create more than 200 jobs on the island of Oahu. More information about DOE’s loan guarantee program is available at www.lgprogram.energy.gov.

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Wind power installations in the second quarter of 2010 dropped by 71 percent from 2009 levels, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) announced. Manufacturing investment also continues to lag below 2008 and 2009 levels. AWEA and a coalition of renewable energy, labor, utility and environmental organizations are urging Congress to establish a national renewable electricity standard (RES) to spur demand for renewable energy and attract manufacturing investment. The association notes that wind power’s boom and bust cycles cause layoffs and discourage investment in new manufacturing facilities. View AWEA’s full second quarter report at www.awea.org.