INTRODUCTORY SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY ... - PHOTON Info

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Solyndra, Inc. (2) 46 Business Serious money for oddly shaped modules In 2008 Fremont-based Solyndra launched production of cylindrical shaped thin-film modules. Now the Department of Energy (DOE) finalized a $535 million loan guarantee – the agency’s first since the 1980s – to finance Solyndra’s new production facility, which will have a capacity of 500 MW. By focusing on flat roofs, the company is concentrating its effort on a niche with great potential – and has been rewarded with orders worth $2 billion. Thin-film production Solyndra breaks ground on a 500 MW thin-film module production facility in Fremont, California The ready-to-install system looks like solar thermal evacuated-tube collectors. It’s a bright, sunny September day at a construction site outside Fremont, California. Something important seems to be happening here. A stage with a podium has been erected, and a distinguished cast of sharply dressed characters is present. The group includes California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, US Department of Energy Secretary Dr. Steven Chu, and Fremont Mayor Bob Wasserman. There are more than a hundred people sitting in the audience. Behind the stage, amidst mounds of dirt, stand giant bulldozers draped with American flags. The first order of business is a live feed of Vice President Joe Biden on a giant television screen. Biden emphasizes how critical solar is to »a much brighter tomorrow.« When the Vice President fin- » ishes, Governor Schwarzenegger steps up to the podium to rave about Califor- nia’s booming solar industry, and clean energy-friendly policies. »A wave of in- novation has washed over California,« he proclaims. In classic Governator form, he further hypothesized that it’s the solar panels on top of the Staples Center in Los Angeles that explain why the LA Lakers »have extra energy.« This high-profile event is the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of Fremont-based company Solyndra, Inc.’s solar module manufacturing plant. But what is so special about this Califor- nian company that it has attracted such esteemed dignitaries? Solyndra has made history as the first recipient of a loan guarantee from the DOE since the 1980s. November 2009
Prominent shovel workers: California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, US Secretary of Energy Dr. Steven Chu (left of Schwarzenegger), and Solyndra CEO Chris Gronet (right of Schwarzenegger) break ground on September 4 th at what will be a 500 MW module factory in Fremont, California. What’s more, the loan is for a whopping $535 million – hence it’s no surprise the bigwigs have gathered to celebrate. On March 20, just 56 days after President Obama took office, the DOE condition- ally issued Solyndra the loan guarantee. During the six months between then and the groundbreaking in September, Solyndra and the DOE negotiated the final terms and conditions of the loan. Now the loan has been finalized, and construction has begun on what will be Solyndra’s second production facility. Unique technology Solyndra’s solar modules apparently impressed the DOE enough to catapult the company to the front of a com- petitive pack of solar firms looking for federal assistance. Founded in 2005, the company manufactures copper-in- dium-gallium-diselenide (CIGS) thin- film modules. But that alone doesn’t make Solyndra unusual. What’s unique about Solyndra’s modules is that they are cylindrical and the CIGS photoac- tive material is deposited inside the tubes. The cylindrical shape allows the modules to collect direct, diffuse, and reflected sunlight across a 360° surface, which gives them an advantage over flat modules when it comes to captur- ing sunlight. On the other hand, the modules’ conversion efficiency is just 7.6 to 10 percent which is significantly lower than that of crystalline silicon flat modules. Crystalline modules can have conversion efficiencies as high as 20 percent. According to Truman Kelly, Vice President of Marketing, Sales, and Business Development, the company initially considered several shapes, but ultimately chose the cylinder for its good optics, as well as for ease of manufacturing. Apparently, it’s easier for Solyndra to achieve a uniform CIGS coating with the cylindrical form, says Kelly. Solyndra’s modules also differ radi- cally from flat modules in terms of how they are installed. Traditional flat solar modules are typically attached to rooftops using additional mounting systems. Solyndra’s cylindrical modules are not attached directly to the rooftop, but instead mounted on low, flat racks. The weight of the racks alone keeps them anchored to rooftops – much like a table November 2009 47
Page 1: A LONG, STRANGE TRIP SOUTHERN EXPOS
Page 4 and 5: 4 Under the Sun National Renewable
Page 6 and 7: 6 Photo of the month The garden of
Page 8 and 9: May we introduce ourselves? The PHO
Page 10 and 11: 10 Readers‘ letters PHOTON, welco
Page 12 and 13: 12 Readers‘ letters So why are so
Page 14 and 15: 14 Under the Sun History A long, No
Page 16 and 17: 16 Under the Sun The headquarters o
Page 18 and 19: Under the Sun selling book, »A Gui
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Page 26 and 27: Under the Sun heaters and books to
Page 28 and 29: 28 The 13 Solar Colonies PHOTON inv
Page 30 and 31: Politics to federal income tax. Als
Page 32 and 33: State 32 Politics invest. If histor
Page 34 and 35: 34 Politics San Francisco From mega
Page 36 and 37: 36 Politics (see table below). Acco
Page 38 and 39: Politics cent of permits are over-t
Page 40 and 41: 40 Politics Stimulus package Feel t
Page 42 and 43: 42 Politics guide companies interes
Page 44 and 45: Politics »There was a lot of hoopl
Page 48 and 49: 48 Business DOE in the spotlight So
Page 50 and 51: 50 Business US Boom, bust, or neith
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Page 60 and 61: 60 Science & Technology AlsoEnergy
Page 62 and 63: System Photonics S.p.A. 62 Science
Page 64 and 65: Science & Technology In October, Ya
Page 66 and 67: Science & Technology Japan’s Shar
Page 68 and 69: Little product, big comeback An old
Page 70 and 71: Science & Technology Microinverters
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Page 74 and 75: Anne Kreutzmann / photon-pictures.c
Page 76 and 77: 76 Science & Technology Exeltech’
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Page 80 and 81: 80 Architecture November 2009
Page 82 and 83: 82 Architecture November 2009
Page 84 and 85: 84 In Practice Proposals The perfec
Page 86 and 87: 86 In Practice Is your proposal com
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Page 90 and 91: 90 In Practice System: accomplished
Page 92 and 93: In Practice bluntly: »We have this
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Test Laboratory A couple of years a
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Events From system inspection to in
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November 19-20, 2009 Alternative En
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Who should exhibit? • Manufacture
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Education & Training Producer-indep
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Internships New internships in the
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