Sunny Record: Breakthrough for Hybrid Solar Cells

ScienceDaily (Feb. 7, 2010) — Scientists at the Department of Microsystems Engineering (IMTEK) and the Freiburg Materials Research Center (FMF) have succeeded in developing a method for treating the surface of nanoparticles which greatly improves the efficiency of organic solar cells. The researchers were able to attain an efficiency of 2 percent by using so-called quantum dots composed of cadmium selenide.

These measurements, well above the previous efficiency ratings of 1 to 1.8 percent, were confirmed by the “Dye and Organic Solar Cells” research group of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems at the FMF. The photoactive layer of hybrid solar cells consists of a mixture of inorganic nanoparticles and an organic polymer. As it is theoretically possible to apply the method developed by the researchers to many nanoparticles, this breakthrough opens up new potential for increasing the efficiency of this type of solar cell even further.

The procedure has been patented and the results were published in a recent issue of the journal Applied Physics Letters.

Organic solar cells belong to the so-called third generation of solar cells and are still in the developmental stage. The world record for purely organic solar cells, a type in which both components of the photoactive layer consist of organic materials, is currently at 7 percent for layers created through wet chemical methods. Organic solar cells have many advantages over the conventional silicon cells typically used for large-scale energy production: Not only are they are considerably thinner and more flexible, they are also less expensive and quicker to produce. They are thus better suited for powering everyday devices and systems which are not in constant use, such as sensors or electrical appliances. In the long run, organic solar cells could drastically reduce our dependence on batteries and cables.

The research group which developed the groundbreaking new solar cells is a close-knit team of chemists, physicists, and engineers from IMTEK and FMF.

“The interdisciplinary orientation of the group is a clear advantage and has led to rapid progress on the project. We were able to carry out all of the steps on our own: from the synthesis of the nanoparticles to the modification of their surface and integration into composite materials,” says group head Dr. Michael Krüger. His “Nanosciences” research group is part of the Chair for Sensors at IMTEK held by Prof. Dr. Gerald Urban. The group is now applying the methods described in the publication to other promising materials systems — also as part of a joint research project sponsored by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research — in order to refine them further and shape them into a market-ready technology. The necessary preconditions for marketability are marked improvements in efficiency, a further increase in the durability of the materials, and a reduction in production costs.

The project “Quantum Dot Polymer Hybrids as Photoactive Material in Solar Cells” receives funding from the German Research Foundation through the IMTEK research training group “Micro Energy Harvesting.”

COLORADO, Lakewood
Red Rocks Community College
13300 W. 6th Ave,
Lakewood Colorado 80228
Contact: Larry Snyder, Coordinator, Renewable Energy Technology; Construction Technology.
e-mail: Larry.Snyder@rrcc.edu
Tele. (303) 914-6306
www.rrcc.edu

The sun had just crested the distant ridge of the Rocky Mountains, but already it was producing enough power for the electric meter on the side of the Smiley Building to spin backward.

For the Shaw brothers, who converted the downtown arts building and community center into a miniature solar power plant two years ago, each reverse rotation subtracts from their monthly electric bill. It also means the building at that moment is producing more electricity from the sun than it needs.

“Backward is good,” said John Shaw, who now runs Shaw Solar and Energy Conservation, a local solar installation company.

Good for whom?

As La Plata County in southwestern Colorado looks to shift to cleaner sources of energy, solar is becoming the power source of choice even though it still produces only a small fraction of the region’s electricity. It’s being nudged along by tax credits and rebates, a growing concern about the gases heating up the planet, and the region’s plentiful sunshine.

The natural gas industry, which produces more gas here than nearly every other county in Colorado, has been relegated to the shadows.

Tougher state environmental regulations and lower natural gas prices have slowed many new drilling permits. As a result, production _ and the jobs that come with it _ have leveled off.

With the county and city drawing up plans to reduce the emissions blamed for global warming and Congress weighing the first mandatory limits, the industry once again finds itself on the losing side of the debate.

A recent greenhouse-gas inventory of La Plata County found that the thousands of natural gas pumps and processing plants dotting the landscape are the single largest source of heat-trapping pollution locally.

That has the industry bracing for a hit on two fronts if federal legislation passes.

First, it will have to reduce emissions from its production equipment to meet pollution limits, which will drive up costs. Second, as the county’s largest consumer of electricity, gas companies probably will see energy bills rise as the local power cooperative is forced to cut gases released from its coal-fired power plants or purchase credits from other companies that reduce emissions.

“Being able to put solar systems on homes is great, you take something off the grid, it is as good as conserving,” said Christi Zeller, the executive director of the La Plata Energy Council, a trade group representing about two dozen companies that produce the methane gas trapped within coal buried underground.

“But the reality is we still need natural gas, so embrace our industry like you are embracing wind, solar and the renewables,” she said.

It’s a refrain echoed on the national level, where the industry, displeased with the climate bill passed by the House this summer, is trying to raise its profile as the Senate works on its version of the legislation.

In March, about two dozen of the largest independent gas producers started America’s Natural Gas Alliance. In ads in major publications in 32 states, the group has pressed the case that natural gas is a cleaner-burning alternative to coal and can help bridge the transition from fossil fuels to pollution-free sources such as wind and solar.

“Every industry thinks every other industry is getting all the breaks. All of us are concerned that we are not getting any consideration at all from people claiming they are trying to reduce the carbon footprint,” said Bob Zahradnik, the operating director for the Southern Ute tribe’s business arm, which includes the tribes’ gas and oil production companies. None is in the alliance.

Politicians from energy-diverse states such as Colorado are trying to avoid getting caught in the middle. They’re working to make sure that the final bill doesn’t favor some types of energy produced back home over others.

At a town hall meeting in Durango in late August, Sen. Mark Udal, who described himself as one of the biggest proponents of renewable energy, assured the crowd that natural gas wouldn’t be forgotten.

“Renewables are our future … but we also need to continue to invest in natural gas,” said Udall, D-Colo.

Much more than energy is at stake. Local and state governments across the country also depend on taxes paid by natural gas companies to fund schools, repair roads and pay other bills.

In La Plata County alone, the industry is responsible for hundreds of jobs and pays for more than half of the property taxes. In addition, about 6,000 residents who own the mineral rights beneath their property get a monthly royalty check from the companies harvesting oil and gas.

“Solar cannot do that. Wind cannot do that,” said Zeller, whose mother is one of the royalty recipients. In July, she received a check for $458.92, far less than the $1,787.30 she was paid the same month last year, when natural gas prices were much higher.

Solar, by contrast, costs money.

Earlier this year, the city of Durango scaled back the amount of green power it was purchasing from the local electric cooperative because of the price. The additional $65,000 it was paying for power helped the cooperative, which is largely reliant on coal, to invest in solar power and other renewables.

“It is a premium. It is an additional cost,” said Greg Caton, the assistant city manager.

Instead, the city decided to use the money to develop its own solar projects at its water treatment plant and public swimming pool. The effort will reduce the amount of power it gets from sources that contribute to global warming and make the city eligible for a $3,000 rebate from the La Plata Electric Association.

Yes, the power company will pay the city to use less of its power. That’s because the solar will count toward a state mandate to boost renewable energy production.

“In the typical business model, it doesn’t work,” said Greg Munro, the cooperative’s executive director. “Why would I give rebates to somebody buying someone else’s shoes?”

The same upfront costs have prevented homeowners from jumping on the solar bandwagon despite the tax credits, rebates and lower electricity bills.

Most of Shaw’s customers can’t afford to install enough solar to cover 100 percent of their homes’ electricity needs, which is one reason why solar supplies just a fraction of the power the county needs.

The higher fossil-fuel prices that could come with climate legislation would make it more competitive.

“You can’t drive an industry on people doing the right thing. The best thing for this country is if gas were $10 a gallon,” said Shaw, as he watched two of his three full-time workers install the last solar panels on a barn outside town.

The private residence, nestled in a remote canyon, probably will produce more power from the sun than it will use, causing its meter to spin in reverse like the Smiley Building’s. The cost, however, is steep: more than $500,000.

___

The Highlands Ranch Community Association (HRCA), a 22,000-acre, master-planned community of 93,477 located 12 miles south of Denver is in Douglas County, just got a little greener.

Solar arrays at two of its recreation centers, the Westridge Recreation Center and the Eastridge Recreation Center, got rooftop solar arrays; 15 kilowatts at Westridge and 10 kilowatts at Eastridge, according to HCRA Facilities Manager Ken Joseph.

Pointing out the HCRA’s goal, of being environmental stewards, Joseph also noted that the output from the systems will be available via LCD display in the lobby of each recreation center, providing real-time energy output data and an incentive to the 4,000 daily visitors to consider solar energy.

Between them, the solar arrays are expected to produce about 32,000 kilowatt-hours per year, which will save the association about 2 percent on its energy bill. Actual system costs, $138,000, were reduced to $51,609 thanks to rebates provided through regional utility Xcel Energy. That’s a 63-percent savings.

The systems, comprised of Suntech 175-watt panels, were installed by Houston, Texas-based Standard Renewable Energy (SRE), using special racking systems of conduit piping attached to rubber feet and weighted rails, which is designed to protect an existing roof warranty HCRA has with the roofing contractor. SRE also has nine locations nationwide, including one in Boulder.

The panels will reportedly offset about 2 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, the greenhouse gas most closely associated with climate change, and will also prevent 1.8 million gallons of water from being poisoned with mercury, as happens when coal-fired plants produce electricity.

From recycling to solar panels to generate clean, renewable energy, HRCA is beginning to look increasingly green. In fact, the size of the solar systems was a limitation applied by Xcel Energy’s rebate structure, and might otherwise have been bigger. As it stands, the panels are more for educating residents about the benefits of solar energy than for generating said energy, since the two percent is a drop in the bucket in energy costs.

What’s most remarkable about the systems is the fact that a homeowner’s association installed them with, presumably, the intent of encouraging HCRA homeowners to follow suit. This is a radical departure from most homeowner’s associations across the nation, which have had to be reigned in by law to prevent them opposing renewable energy and energy efficiency measures, which many deem a blight on the appearance of association-managed planned communities (the most recent revolt involving clotheslines).

If nothing else, HCRA’s solar panel arrays prove that solar energy has entered the mainstream as an esthetically acceptable, non-polluting and relatively efficient way to create electricity.

October 29, 2009

San Francisco, CA, USA: BP Solar and Petra Solar Co-operate on Solar AC Systems for Utilities

BP Solar and Petra Solar, Inc. today announced plans to cooperate in the development of Alternating Current (AC) solar module products, initially targeting distributed utility-scale projects.

The companies will integrate Petra Solar microinverter and smart grid capabilities with specially designed BP Solar photovoltaic solar module expertise.

“The utility grade solar PV market is expanding rapidly, particularly here in the US. Petra Solar is developing products that enable distributed solar generation and smart grid technology and we are working to combine this technology with proven and reliable BP Solar PV modules,” said BP Solar CEO Reyad Fezzani.

“BP Solar is expanding its activities in the utility grade solar PV market and is excited to include Petra Solar in this collaboration,” Fezzani said. “We plan to expand our collaboration into other intelligent solar generation applications tailored to provide solutions to our customers.” “BP Solar is a leader in the PV industry and has been producing products of high quality and proven reliability that have been tested in the field for over 20 years. BP Solar also has a track record of developing large scale solar PV farms in collaboration with the world’s leading utilities,” said Dr. Shihab Kuran, founder, president and CEO of Petra Solar.

“In addition to global reach, BP Solar also brings research and development along with manufacturing expertise, combined with a commitment to developing the US market. It is truly a unique partner for Petra Solar,” said Dr. Kuran.

Colorado wind farm to supply Tri-State power customers

Denver Business Journal

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JACKSONVILLE, FL — Solar Energy Initiatives, Inc. announced a partnership with three Jacksonville job training and placement agencies to train displaced workers as solar energy installation and maintenance technicians.

This new partnership is a first step in Solar Energy’s Renew the Nation campaign intended to promote job growth and economic development nationwide by providing a trained workforce to enter the fast growing renewable energy industry. The program, pending final approval by the Jacksonville City Council, is being funded in part by $396,000 in federal stimulus dollars provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Joining Solar Energy in this job training collaborative is Community Rehabilitation Center (CRC), Northeast Community Action Agency (NFCAA) and WorkSource. Solar Energy is providing the training curriculum and materials, while CRC will manage the program and NFCAA and WorkSource will supply the trainees.

The training facility, to be called CRC Institute, will be located at Pearl Plaza at the corner of North Pearl and 44th streets. The first class is anticipated to begin in late October.

“CRC is proud to join forces with Solar Energy, WorkSource and NFCAA,” said Reginald Gaffney, CRC’s Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer. “This collaborative program will help train people who have lost their jobs due to the downturn in economy and prepare them for the new green economy.”

Added Solar Energy’s Chief Executive Officer, David Fann, “The rapidly growing solar market requires a knowledgeable workforce with expertise in both construction and installation practices. Through this partnership, we will be preparing trained and valued workers for the solar industry.”

Solar Energy’s business model focuses on three fronts:

•Solar Parks. Development of large utility-scale photovoltaic (PV) installations bringing together landowners, utilities and corporate resources to build and operate.

•Solar Power Purchase Agreements (SPPA). Placing solar systems on or adjacent to commercial or municipal buildings and selling the energy output to the owner(s).

•Solar Dealers. One of the fastest growing independent dealer networks that sells and installs solar systems to homeowners and commercial customers.

FREMONT — Giving a timely boost of stimulus to this city in the wake of the news that the giant NUMMI plant will close, and helping to cement the Bay Area as a center of the clean-tech industry, solar-panel maker Solyndra said Friday it would use a $535 million loan guarantee from the federal government to build a factory here that will ultimately employ 2,000 people.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu came to Solyndra’s headquarters just off Interstate 880, joined by Vice President Joe Biden via satellite, for the announcement that the company will construct a $733 million solar-panel manufacturing plant that would add thousands of blue-collar jobs to the Bay Area’s workforce.

“In these tough times, what we need more than anything is jobs, jobs, jobs,” Schwarzenegger said.

Solyndra’s announcement, aside from burnishing the Bay Area’s reputation as a center for innovation in the clean-technology industry, also indicates that companies can not only design and market their products here, but also build them, creating so-called “green-collar” jobs that will help replace the thousands of blue-collar jobs lost in this region over the decades.

These newly created positions should help ease the blow of the loss of 4,700 jobs at the nearby New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. plant, which announced last month that it would shut next year.

The first part of the new solar-panel plant, being powered by the $535

million loan guarantee from the Department of Energy, will employ 1,000 people. A second phase would employ 1,000 more, said Ben Bierman, Solyndra’s vice president of operations. Solyndra now employs 600.The Solyndra factory’s initial phase will create 3,000 construction jobs. The plant will also spin off hundreds of jobs installing solar panels.

“These jobs are going to be permanent jobs,” Biden said. “These are the jobs of the future. These are the green jobs. These are jobs that won’t be exported. These are the jobs that are going to define the 21st century.”

Solyndra’s deal is the first loan from a federal program that will ultimately offer $30 billion in guarantees to clean-tech companies, Biden said.

The plant would be Solyndra’s second factory and will rise near the company’s headquarters, and first plant, along Interstate 880. It should open by late 2010 and begin shipments in 2011.

“It is a much-needed boost for our local economy,” Fremont City Councilwoman Suzanne Lee Chan said. “To have this kind of good news a week (after the NUMMI announcement) is fantastic.”

Federal officials say the solar panels produced at the new factory will provide enough energy for 24,000 homes a year, as well as reduce carbon emissions.

“We will not only be able to contribute to the new innovation economy, but also help to ignite a new era of green industrialization,” said Chris Gronet, Solyndra’s chief executive officer and founder.

Yet Solyndra’s growth plans extend well beyond the plant launched Friday.

This new factory will be about 1 million square feet. Solyndra wants to build a third factory of 2 million square feet, and Bierman noted the NUMMI site may be a good fit.

“We would have to look at it carefully,” Bierman said, “but we wouldn’t know until we got in there.”

Schwarzenegger used the event to call on the state Legislature to approve Assembly Bill 1111. The proposal could make it easier for clean-tech firms to operate in California by exempting from sales taxes new manufacturing equipment for clean-tech companies.

“The key thing is not to lose those jobs,” the governor said in an interview with this paper Friday. “If workers are used to building cars, they can be retrained. If they are handy, if they have the knowledge, they can be retrained to build solar or some other green technologies.”

Solyndra comes to market with an innovative design, making cylindrical solar cells that resemble fluorescent bulbs. It uses a combination of elements — and not silicon — to create the semiconductor material used in its photovoltaic solar cells. And it targets a specific market — the flat roofs atop thousands of commercial buildings around the world.

“If you build a better solar panel, the world will beat a path to your door,” U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said. “Building a better solar panel is what Solyndra has done.”

Solyndra has raised about $820 million in venture capital, and has a backlog of $2 billion in contracted orders. The company came out of stealth mode in late 2008.

Mercury News staff writer Matt Nauman contributed to this story.

Green Jobs Training: Emerging Opportunities To Leverage Stimulus Dollars

A centerpiece of the stimulus package is an effort to put 3 and 4 million people back to work over the next two years.

The site Recovery.gov includes a map of the U.S. with the estimated jobs expected under the Recovery Act superimposed over each state. California leads with 396,000 anticipated jobs, while North Dakota and Vermont expect the least job growth with 8,000 each.

I’v been curious to better understand who is leading the charge on training the workforce for the wave of new green jobs we are expecting.  Are companies taking the lead?  Federal agencies or state governments?  It seems to be a bit of a chicken and egg scenario.  If you deploy training programs without partnering with business, you will have a trained workforce, but no jobs.  And if you create the jobs, but neglect workforce development, critical shortage of specialists in growing professions could occur.

According to the National Renewable Energy Lab, the major barriers to a more rapid adoption of renewable energy and energy efficiency in America are insufficient skills and training.

Sources of funding for green jobs training

According to Green for All one of the leading non profits working to promote green jobs and build the green economy, the Recovery Act invests nearly $4 billion in training and employment services and a good portion of that — $500 million — will go specifically to “research, labor exchange and job training projects to prepare workers for careers in energy efficiency and
renewable energy industries.”

Green for All reports that, “The challenge of finding qualified workers is particularly pronounced in the energy-efficiency and renewable-energy industries, as they are new fields requiring new skills. That is why the Recovery Act specifically targets these industries with the $500 million Energy Efficiency and Renewable Worker Training (EERWT) Program. The available funds can be used for research, labor exchange, and job training projects that get workers ready for entering “green collar” industries.”

Chapter 7 of the Green Guide to the 2009 Stimulus Package highlights a few of the green jobs training programs funded by the stimulus package:

• AmeriCorps State and National Recovery Act Assistance–$201 million:  Current AmeriCorps grantees are eligible for the additional funding. Among the jobs that AmeriCorps personnel may do are job training and counseling activities and constructing and rehabilitation of housing and other buildings.
• Department of Labor Employment and Family Services Job Corps Centers–$250 million: Up to 15% of these funds can be allocated to training programs for careers in renewable energy, energy efficiency and environmental protection.
• Housing and Urban Development Tribal Governments–$40 million: This money is set aside to train tribal members in skills associated with the building trades such as pipefitting and plumbing, as well as training in environmental protection and renewable energy.
• Workforce Investment Act (WIA)–$3.95 billion: Of the $3.95 billion, $2.95 billion is provided for formula grants to the States for training and employment services with no specific “green” requirements. Of the remaining $1 billion, $750 million has been set aside for a program of competitive grants for worker training and placement in high growth and emerging industry sectors such as green jobs and health care.

California and Massachusetts take the lead

Massachusetts just awarded $1 million new green job training grants to develop vocational programs in the cleantech sector through the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center. The grant winners will work with at least two clean energy companies each in developing curriculum and instruction materials. While specific to each institution, programs will train high school, college, low-income individuals, workers in the trade industries and clean energy employers to perform tasks in energy efficiency retrofitting, solar photovoltaic and heating system installation, wind energy, green building and clean energy policy fields.

California’s Green Corps is investing at least $10 million in federal economic stimulus funding from the U.S. Department of Labor and an additional $10 million from public-private partnerships to develop a 20-month pilot program reaching at least 1,000 of California’s at-risk young adults. All programs will be public-private partnerships that include green job training, a stipend, an educational requirement and community service.

Green for All’s New Capital Access Program

Green For All’s new Capital Access Program (CAP) focuses on creating, sustaining and scaling green jobs in the U.S, with an emphasis on building the capacity of green businesses and non-profits. Their new report, A Business Guide to the Recovery, is a resource to help businesses identify opportunities to leverage Recovery Act investments to bring the green economy to scale.

They will be hosting a webinar on September 9, 2009 at 4pm EDT to highlight emerging opportunities to leverage stimulus dollars and to offer examples of best practices from across the country.

According to the new report, “ARRA doesn’t direct any funds specifically to federal apprenticeship programs. Still, states are trying to find ways to create economic incentives for employers to provide more on-the-job training.”

I agree with the take home message from the new Green for All report–business must take a leadership role and partner with non profits to pursue innovative strategies to lift America out of this recession.

Perhaps clean tech investors should encourage start-ups to integrate workforce development partnerships into their business plans, so when businesses are ready to rapidly scale up, skilled workers are ready to go.

***

Deborah Fleischer, founder and president of Green Impact, a strategic environmental consulting practice that helps companies identify key environmental issues, strengthen their relationships with stakeholders, develop profitable green initiatives and communicate their successes and challenges.

Since majoring in environmental studies in 1983, Deborah’s career has focused on environmental issues in both the public and private sectors. She is an expert in sustainability strategy, stakeholder engagement, program development and written communications.

DENVER–(BUSINESS WIRE)–U.S. Bank is testing a new home equity loan and line of credit program in Colorado that offers customers a three-eighths percent rate reduction for qualified “green” home improvement projects.

Energy efficient or “green” improvements include: insulation, windows, doors, roofing, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, water heaters, biomass stove, ground source heat pumps, solar energy systems, small wind energy systems and fuel cells. In addition to qualifying for a reduced rate loan or line, many of these home improvement projects may qualify for tax credits.

“U.S. Bank is firmly committed to creating environmentally friendly products and services that help our customers do what so many of them want to do instinctively – protect the environment,” said Lisa O’Brien, director of environmental affairs at U.S. Bank. “We launched a green auto loan in April and have had an outstanding response. We expect our green home equity loans and lines will be equally popular, and most importantly, will result in making a positive impact on the environment.”

“U.S. Bank collaborated with State Representative Joe Miklosi, State Senator Gail Schwartz and the Colorado Governor’s Energy Office (GEO) for this program,” said Hassan Salem, president of U.S. Bank in Denver. “U.S. Bank chose to pilot the program in Colorado based on the state’s commitment to promoting energy efficient home building and because Coloradoans are known for their love of the outdoors and green living. There has also been increased consumer interest in tax incentives and rebates.”

“We know that how we build and improve our homes today directly influences how we consume energy tomorrow,” said Tom Plant, GEO director. “U.S. Bank’s launch of this pilot project is a further endorsement of Governor Bill Ritter’s vision to increase affordability and accessibility of the New Energy Economy to citizens throughout the State.”

U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB), with $266 billion in assets, is the parent company of U.S. Bank, the 6th largest commercial bank in the United States. The company operates 2,850 banking offices and 5,173 ATMs in 24 states, and provides a comprehensive line of banking, brokerage, insurance, investment, mortgage, trust and payment services products to consumers, businesses and institutions.