Thin film panels roll out from Indai
Moser Baer announced that its photovoltaic subsidiary is ready to start production of thin-film solar photovoltaic (PV) modules at its manufacturing plant in Greater Noida, India. This follows final acceptance test (FAT) certification of Moser Baer Photovoltaic’s SunFab Thin Film Line supplied by Applied Materials Inc. The certification verifies that the SunFab line has met all manufacturing, module efficiency and yield specifications.
This is a milestone for both Moser Baer and Applied Materials representing the start of production of thin film modules by Moser Baer, which was Applied’s first SunFab customer. The 40-megawatt (MW) has the largest thin-film production capacity of any line in India. This single junction SunFab line has demonstrated some of the highest production capacity to date for manufacturing the world’s largest (2.2m x 2.6m) solar modules.
Massachusetts aims for 10 percent wind power
Governer of the north-eastern US state of Massachussets, Deval Patrik last week announced a goal of 10 precent of all the state’s electricity to be provided by wind power. He said that the state had unique wind sources from the North Atalantic and that wind would be a centrepiece of the clean energy economy. He has doubled rooftop installations in two years and mandated that 20 percent of all energy sold must be renewable by 2020
UK report shows domestic turbines to be underpowered
A report released last week by UK consultancy Encraft indicates that many domestic wind-turbines do not generate enough electricity to warrant their purchase and installation cost. The report shows that most suburban areas are not windy enough to generate sufficient power and that many turbines are simply too small to be effective. This is consistent with an analysis published by The Generator in 2006 headed ‘The $8,000 light bulb’. That article pointed out that most people do not want to live in areas that are windy enough to warrant placing a turbine. The Encraft report highlighted the advantages of distributed microgeneration as a means of powering small devices rather than feeding electricity into the grid.
Toyota announces Prius III
Read Toyota has unveiled the third-generation Prius, more than a decade after the original model went on sale.
The successor to the world’s biggest selling hybrid car – more than 1.1 million have been sold – was revealed at the Detroit motor show overnight ahead of its Australian debut in June.
The Japanese maker has completely redesigned the Prius from the ground up. In an attempt to rid hybrid cars of their dowdy image, the new model has more performance, more technology and more styling pizzazz.
Prius Three, as it is known in car-industry shorthand, has more power from both its petrol and electric motors and yet, the car uses less fuel and accelerates more quickly than its predecessor.
Bush claims Arctic as parting gesture
In the last days as president, George W Bush announced the United States government’s plans to extend the nation’s sovereignty over the Arctic seabed and exploit the estimated 90 billion barrels of oil and natural gas that remain untapped under the Arctic ice. Russia claimed 460,000 square miles of the Arctic seafloor in 2001. This claim for an area larger than Australia was rejected by the United Nations but a short time later, Britain made similar claims. Bush’s most recent National Security Directive 66 states acknowledges “a growing awareness that the Arctic region is both fragile and rich in resources.” It urges Senators to vote for a UN resolution to extend maritime boundaries from 200 to 350 nautical miles offshore. The US has opposed this move for 24 years.
Read other Generator stories on this topic Armed conflict for Arctic seabed / Arctic oil reserves relieve economic pressure
iran invests in concentrated solar
A concentrating solar power (CSP) plant in Spain that uses panels to reflect light on to a central tower to produce electricity. A pilot scheme using CSP has been started in Iran. Photograph: AP
According to officials, Iran has started 2009 by inaugurating a pilot solar plant in Shiraz, Fars province. It is a concentrating solar power (CSP) system, using parabolic mirrors to focus sunlight onto a tube of water that is super-heated to make steam that is then used to turn electricity-generating turbines.