Thin-film solar cells are rapidly taking market share away from the established crystalline technology, with their portion of Photovoltaic (PV) wattage more than doubling by 2013, according to iSuppli Corp., El Segundo, Calif., a market research firm tracking the electronics industry. iSupply says thin-film will grow to account for 31 percent of the global solar panel market in terms of watts by 2013, up from 14 percent in 2008.
“The market viability of thin-film has been solidly established by First Solar Inc. as it rockets to become the world’s top solar panel maker this year, with more than a gigawatt of production,” said Greg Sheppard, chief research officer for iSuppli. “At the same time, the company has driven its cost of production to less than 90 cents per watt, keeping its costs at approximately half the level of crystalline module producers.”
Most solar panels are made of crystalline wafers with 180 to 230 microns of polysilicon. In contrast, thin-film panels are made by depositing multiple layers of other materials a few micrometers in thickness on a substrate. The main tradeoff between the two technologies is efficiency versus cost per watt of electricity generation. Thin-film panels are less efficient at converting sunlight to electricity, but they also cost significantly less to make. At the same time thin-film is at a disadvantage when installation space is limited, such as on a residential rooftop. A thin-film installation can take 15 percent to 40 percent more space to achieve the same total system wattage output as crystalline. This tends to limit its appeal in certain applications. Details
Archive for November 16th, 2009
Market Share of Thin-film PV Panels Expected to Double by 2013
Lowe’s Profits Get Hammered in 3Q
Lowe’s Companies Inc. Mooresville, N.C., the world’s second largest home improvement retailer, today reported net earnings of $344 million for the quarter ended October 30, 2009, a 29.5 percent decline from the same period a year ago. Sales for the quarter declined 3.0 percent to $11.4 billion, down from $11.7 billion in the third quarter of 2008. For the nine months ended October 30, 2009, sales declined 3.1 percent to $37.1 billion. During the quarter, Lowe’s opened 12 stores and closed one store.
“The broad-based pressures of the macro environment are clearly evident in our sales as consumers continue to delay large purchases until they feel better about the economic outlook,” said Robert A. Niblock, Lowe’s chairman and CEO. “While consumer spending remained weak, we were pleased with our sequential improvement in comparable store sales from the second quarter and continued evidence of solid market share gains. Those gains, combined with sound execution, led to earnings within our guidance for the quarter.
“We are beginning to see signs of improved performance in some of the hardest-hit housing markets including California, Florida and areas of the desert Southwest,” Niblock added. “As the economy and the housing market continue through the bottoming and recovery process, we know there will be ongoing macroeconomic challenges, including declining home values and rising unemployment. However, we are encouraged by the signs of stabilization in our business and remain confident we are well positioned to capture additional market share.”
Suntech Inks Deal to Build PV Panel Factory in Arizona
Chinese PV giant Suntech Power Holdings Co., will build its first U.S. manufacturing plant for in the North American market in the Phoenix, Ariz., area. The plant will have an initial production capacity of 30MW) and is expected to begin production in the third quarter of 2010. According to a company press release, the U.S. market had 356MW of solar PV capacity installed during 2008 and is expected to grow six-fold to more than 2GW by 2012. Details
M&M Mars Candy Plant in N.J. Goes Solar
The Mars candy manufacturing facility in Hackettstown N.J., which produces M&M candies and other chocolate treats recently opened an 18-acre “solar garden” with more than 28,000 ground-mounted solar panels that will produce 2MW of power during peak hours, approximately 20 percent of the plant’s peak energy consumption. The solar garden is the first project completed by PSEG Solar Source, a subsidiary of PSEG.
PSEG Solar Source owns the system, which is located on Mars Chocolate North America’s property, and Mars has contracted for the entire output of the system. juwi solar Inc., a solar energy company located in Boulder, Colorado, performed the engineering, procurement and construction services for the system and will also be providing the initial operation and maintenance services. Thin film panels were provided by First Solar. PSEG Solar Source currently owns two other utility-scale solar projects – one in Florida and another in Ohio. Those projects, done with juwi solar Inc, total 27 MW and are expected to be completed by the end of next year. These assets are the first in a planned portfolio of solar facilities throughout the U.S. to be developed, owned and operated by PSEG Solar Source.
ENCORP Hires Rep Firms to Market Distributed-Power Software & Hardware
Encorp, Fort Collins, Colo. , whose distributed-energy software and hardware products allow companies to simultaneously and in real time monitor, control and manage energy systems, recently hired two rep firms to drive growth in Southern California and Texas. SoCal Power Solutions in Torrance, Calif., and Site Reliability from The Woodlands, Texas, are seasoned energy-industry rep firms with established markets in their regions. SoCal specializes in selling critical power, alternative power, and power distribution products, along with providing site-maintenance services. Site Reliability, established in 2004, works closely with customers in the selection and application of power, control and monitoring systems and ancillary devices for critical site applications. They will sell Encorp hardware and software products that enable data centers, hospitals, manufacturers, office buildings, schools and other sites to reduce energy costs by generating their own electrical power using various fuel sources, including renewables. These Virtual Power Plants™ typically are connected to the utility grid.
