Applied Launches Solar Tools To Meet Greater Demand for Efficient Cells
Efficiency?the rate that solar cells or modules convert sunlight into electricity?has always been an important metric for manufacturers. But improving it has become a greater emphasis these days, and factory equipment manufacturers have responded with R&D efforts to deliver better tools. Applied Materials on Wednesday unveiled a new set of equipment under its Baccini brand that it said will enable customers to lower production costs and use advanced technologies to boost cell efficiencies.INFOSYS TECHNOLOGIES INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES INVENTEC KDDI KLATENCOR KONINKLIJKE KPN
Balancing power supply and demand is always a complex process. When large volumes of renewables such as solar PV, wind and tidal energy, which can change abruptly with weather conditions, are integrated into the grid, this balancing process becomes even more difficult.
In Australia, former Queensland premier Peter Beattie issued a stark challenge to Australia on biofuels at the opening of the Australian Alternative Fuels Summit in Brisbane.
Merger and acquistion (M&A) activity within the renewable energy sector surged to an increase of over 70 percent throughout 2010 on the 260 deals completed in 2009. According to KPMG's annual review of M&A deals in the sector, this trend has continued in 2011, with a record 141 renewable deals totaling $11.2 billion in value announced in the first quarter of 2011. Iberdrola's pending 20 percent stake bid for Iberdrola Renovables SA is the biggest deal of the year at ?2.6 billion ($3.74 billion), followed by Electricité de France SA's ?1.5 billion ($2.16 billion) bid for EDF Energies Nouvelles SA (50 percent stake).
New EU targets for carbon reduction mean that many countries are launching ambitious plans to increase energy production from biomass. Jørgen Hinge et al. scanned the European market for unexploited and 'alternative' biomass resources.
As U.S. electric utilities continue to wrestle with how to cost effectively cut CO2 emissions and meet their renewable electricity goals, biomass could be starting to gain popularity as a clean energy technology that can help power suppliers do just that.
It seems as though solar enthusiasm is more abundant than ever before. But with close to 30 GW of solar in the pipeline, and three times more tax equity demand than available, competition is fierce. Many are left wondering what will happen to projects struggling to receive financing. With an uncertain incentive climate what can we expect in the near future? How many of these projects can realistically be financed? What makes one project more attractive than the rest?