PV America PV America gets off to a good start in Philadelphia Despite an ailing economy and a lack of funding for PV projects, <strong>the</strong> SEIA put on a brave face in Philadelphia last week at <strong>the</strong> inauguration of PV America. The event was designed to offer a professional conference and trade show for <strong>the</strong> east coast, catering to <strong>the</strong> myriad of small- to medium-sized solar companies in <strong>the</strong> region. The west coast is well served already with <strong>the</strong> growing Intersolar and <strong>Solar</strong> Power events. In this respect, PV America succeeded in hosting a powerful conference that covered everything from silicone and manufacturing challenges through government initiatives and power utilization. On <strong>the</strong> show floor, Heraeus were exhibiting <strong>the</strong>ir SOL953 silver paste, which <strong>the</strong>y claim is gaining wide acceptance among major panel producers. The company opened <strong>the</strong>ir newest factory in China in May to manufacture a back side paste and is confirming its green credentials by installing solar panels in its West Conshohocken factory. 3M are no newcomers to <strong>the</strong> PV industry and are one of <strong>the</strong> few companies to offer real life cycle testing of its products after having installations in <strong>the</strong> field for <strong>the</strong> past 14 years. The company will soon be launching a new polymeric mirror film that offer up to 96% reflectivity. The newly formed Light Management division is a breakout from <strong>the</strong> Optics division and will be working on enhancements to solar cell packaging and increasing output power. JPSA introduced <strong>the</strong> new PV5000 Laser Scriber. The system can ablate patterns from a 1.5 metre panel in less than 30 seconds. The company uses a YAG laser for layers 1 and 3 and a Green Laser for layer 2. The company claims that laser scribing offers considerable benefits over printing, such as speed, accuracy and less shadowing. The system demonstrated a 3-step deposition process, followed by <strong>the</strong> 3-step scribing process. Ferro has around 40% market share of <strong>the</strong> aluminum market for backside pastes. The company also produces silver pastes for front side applications and a range of phosphorous dopants. After getting off to a good start in a challenging market, PV America will be moving to Tampa, Florida in May, 2010. —Trevor Galbraith. Shah demands respect for solar industry at PV America For me, <strong>the</strong> star of <strong>the</strong> show at PV America was, without doubt, Jigar Shah. The founder of Sun Edison and now president of Jigar Shah consultancy presented an animated and moving speech demanding “respect” for solar energy initiatives from utilities and government. Citing some of <strong>the</strong> major strides that solar has made towards grid-parity and its capacity to deal with <strong>the</strong> world’s long-term energy needs, Shah energized <strong>the</strong> audience with tales about excesses and “old thinking” from states such as Michigan, where <strong>the</strong>y are spending over $2.4 billion building a new coal-fired power station <strong>the</strong>y do not need, for power that could be provided through solar installations at a fraction of <strong>the</strong> cost. However, Shah offered a realistic assessment when he stated that panel shipments in 2009 will be less than 2008, largely due to <strong>the</strong> doubling of thin film capacity. On <strong>the</strong> demand side, utilities were demanding less energy due to job losses and industry requiring less power. The future for solar power was clear though. Shah estimated that up to $30 billion, or 18% of <strong>the</strong> United States energy requirements, could be met by “Shah estimated that up to $30 billion or 18% of <strong>the</strong> US’s energy requirements could be met by solar power by 2010.” solar power by 2010, and he quoted Jon Wellinghof, <strong>the</strong> chairman of <strong>the</strong> U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, who said “no nuclear or coal powered power station may ever be needed in <strong>the</strong> United States.” <strong>Solar</strong> is one twenty-fifth <strong>the</strong> cost of nuclear and one twelfth <strong>the</strong> cost of coal powered stations, which at today’s rates offers a potential saving of $580 per kilowatt. In technology terms, solar installations continue to drop in price and have already fallen by 45% since August 2008. Among <strong>the</strong> 35 states that have solar programs, Shah admired <strong>the</strong> public policy initiatives of states such as Maryland and Deleware, as well as Washington D.C. He described <strong>the</strong> Federal Stimulus bill of more than $25 billion as a scene from “Hungry Hungry Hippos” where <strong>the</strong> top ten cities had to submit <strong>the</strong>ir proposals by June 30th in order to get a share of <strong>the</strong> pie. Finishing on a serious note, <strong>the</strong>re is no doubt that carbon emissions are damaging our health. A number of measures, such as uniform metering, are needed to move <strong>the</strong> solar power debate forward. Currently utilities use different metering systems to measure solar energy versus o<strong>the</strong>r sources. Continued R&D is also vital to stay on course and meet <strong>the</strong> projected energy cost reductions. DOE support is necessary to validate <strong>the</strong> studies that have already been made. A target of 20% solar-based energy by 2030 should be set. A Green Bank should be established to cater for <strong>the</strong> large investment needed in infrastructure and solar energy projects. And, finally some “respect”—solar is now ready to accept itss place at <strong>the</strong> top table of energy providers and should be taken seriously by <strong>the</strong> world’s power brokers. —Trevor Galbraith. 22 – <strong>Global</strong> <strong>Solar</strong> <strong>Technology</strong> – July/August 2009 www.globalsolartechnology.com
Title www.globalsolartechnology.com <strong>Global</strong> <strong>Solar</strong> <strong>Technology</strong> – July/August 2009 – 23
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