Category Archives: solar power

The Alliance to Save Energy – some of the good guys.

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This another cool site. Unfortunately this series has not been as constant as I would like because real world news keeps getting in the road, but I am putting them up as quick as I can.

 

http://www.ase.org/

 

The Alliance to Save Energy promotes energy efficiency worldwide to achieve a healthier economy, a cleaner environment, and greater energy security.

Energy efficiency is the quickest, cheapest, cleanest way to extend our world’s energy supplies.

 

Submit Your Nomination for the 2008 Star of Energy Efficiency Awards Today!

The Alliance to Save Energy invites companies, organization, and individuals to enter the 2008 Star of Energy Efficiency Awards competition. These prestigious awards honor those entities who have demonstrated a significant and tangible commitment to the cause of energy efficiency, and will be presented September 25, 2008 in Washington, DC at the Alliance to Save Energy’s 16th Annual Evening with the Stars of Energy Efficiency Dinner

 

 

30% in 2009

Join the Alliance and its many colleagues in supporting a 30% improvement in energy efficiency for the next update of the International Energy Conservation Code (2009 IECC). Read more about the Energy Efficiency Code Coalition and the code proposals that will take us to “30.”

As Winter Heating Costs Spike, Alliance to Save Energy Advises Using Energy Efficiency to Cut Home Energy Bills, Pollution

With average heating costs across the nation spiking about 11 percent over last winter’s, the Alliance to Save Energy recommends energy-efficiency measures to help consumers cut home energy bills, increase indoor comfort, and reduce power plant emissions that contribute to climate change.

President Signs Energy Bill into Law

The President signed into law the most sweeping energy efficiency legislation ever enacted on December 19, 2007. H.R. 6, The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, is projected to save American consumers and businesses more than $400 billion through 2030, and will reduce energy consumption by 7% and greenhouse gas emissions by 9% from the forecast for 2030, according to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy.

EE Global a Success!

With attendees representing 32 countries; and exhibitor organizations based in 26 states, the District of Columbia, and six foreign countries, the Alliance to Save Energy considers the first-ever EE Global Forum and Exposition a success! Attendance also included 45 media representatives from outlets including CNN, Fox Business Network and National Geographic. Over 500 people from the D.C. area turned out for public day; and we gathered over 800 people for the forum and exhibition. 

Stay tuned for pictures and follow-up information. In the meantime, you can read the show’s daily newspaper through the Event Updates section of the EE Global web site.

Cities Bribe Residents To Adopt Good Environmental Practices

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If every town and city in the country did this we could dig our way out of a deep environmental hole.

http://nctimes.com/articles/2007/12/28/news/nation/15_58_2112_27_07.txt

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1227green-rebates1227-ON.html

This is an associated press article that was carried in at least the above newspapers.

U.S. cities encourage residents to go green with perks, cash


By BRIAN SKOLOFF________

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

PARKLAND, Fla. – Free hy­brid-car parking. Cash rebates for installing solar panels.

Low-inter­est loans for  energy-saving home renovations. Money to tear up

desert lawns and replace them with drought-resistant landscap­ing.

Frustrated by what they see as insufficient action by state and federal

government, municipali­ties

 around the country are offer­ing financial incentives to get peo­ple

to go green.

“A lot of localities recognize they’re going to get a lot more done

using carrots and incentives

rather than regulatory means,” said Jason Hartke,

director of ad­vocacy for the U.S. Green Building Council.

In Parkland, where the motto is “Environmentally Proud,

” the city plans next year to begin

dispens­ing cash rebates to its 25,000 resi­dents for being more

environmen­tally friendly.

‘We will literally issue them a check,” said Vice Mayor Jared Moskowitz.

‘We’re sick of waiting

 for the federal government to do something, so we’ve got

to do what we can.”

Residents who install low-flow

toilets or shower heads will get $150. Replacing an old air condi­tioner

with a more energy-efficient one

 brings $100. Buying a hybrid car? An additional $200 cash back.

And the list goes on.

Based on an estimate of 1,000 residents participating in the re­bate

 program during the

first year, the city predicts it will cost up to $100,000.

“Could this bankrupt the city if the program grows by leaps and bounds?

” Moskowitz asked. “I can only wish

that so many residents want to go green that

that be­comes an issue.”

Many states already offer simi­lar rebates and incentives through

tax breaks, loans and perks such as

allowing hybrid-car drivers to use car pool lanes.

Utilities have long provided in­centives to buy energy-efficient a

ppliances, solar panels and toilets that use

 less water. The federal government, too,

offers tax incen­tives for purchases of many hybrid vehicles and e

nergy-saving prod­ucts.

Still, for many cities, it’s just not enough.

“In terms of waiting for the fed­eral government, we’ve waited

a long time, and frankly, we haven’t

gotten very much,” said Jared Blu-menfeld, director of

San Francis-

co’s Department of Environment. “And how do you change

some­one’s behavior? The simple an­swer is cash.”

Starting next year, San Francis­co will offer homeowners

 rebates of up to $5,000 for installing solar panels

if they use a local contrac­tor. Coupled

with state and feder­al incentives, that could cut in half the

$21,000 cost for an average household,

Blumenfeld said.

The city also will cover up to 90 percent of the costs of making

apartment buildings more energy-efficient,

 and will pay residents $150 to replace old

appliances.

The neighboring city of Berke­ley is financing the cost of

solar panels for homeowners who agree to 

 pay the money back through a 20-year property

tax assessment.

Nearby Marin County offers a $500 rebate to homeowners

who install solar systems.

Baltimore offers at least $2,000 toward closing costs for

people who buy new homes

close to where they work. It is called the “Live Near Your Work”

program.

“Just living near your job and taking transit or

walking to meet your daily needs

provides basical­ly the same environmental benefit as

buying a hybrid car,” said Amanda Eaken of the

 Natural Re­sources Defense Council.

So If Photvoltaics Are Good Enough For The Military Why Not Us?

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This is pretty impressive stuff:

http://www.skybuilt.com/

SkyBuilt Power® is the leading renewable energy systems integration company.

Use renewable energy, such as solar, wind, fuel cells, and micro-hydro power, with or without fuel-based systems, on or off the grid. Our power, engineering, business, and other experts help you to cut costs, increase reliability, lower maintenance and logistical tails; and gain environmental benefits.

Military and Intelligence Uses:
Lower cost, more reliable power
No logistical tail, no heat signature

Mobile Power Stations:
Containerized, rapidly deployed power, expandable from 0.5 kW to
150 kW or more; use the inside of the container for any purpose in the field
Power without fuel and virtually no maintenance

Commercial Applications:
Cell tower conversions to renewables
Geo Exchange systems to reduce HVAC costs

Homeland Security:
Disaster relief power, baseload or backup
Emergency Ops centers for first responders
Power for CBW and other sensors
Border control power

International:
Water pumping, desalinization and irrigation for Sustainable
Economic Development
Mobile clinics and health facilities
Self-contained, self-powered classrooms, offices

Contact us today.

4449 N. 38th Street, Arlington, VA 22207
Phone: 703.536.7866 | Toll-Free: 866.786.2845 | Fax: 703.536.7836

 

The Christian Science Monitor had this to say:

http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1018/p02s01-sten.html

 

from the October 18, 2005 edition

The latest investor

in green energy – the CIA

Within hours, solar and wind energy units can be up and running in war or disaster zones.

By John Dillin | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor

ARLINGTON, VA. – What if you had a power unit that generated substantial electrical energy with no fuel? What if it were so rugged that you could parachute it out of an airplane? What if it were so easy to set up that two people could have it running in just a few hours?

Now there is such a device – built by a small Virginia start-up – and the federal government has taken notice.

SkyBuilt Power Inc. has begun building electricity-generating units fueled mostly by solar and wind energy. The units, which use a battery backup system when the sun is down and the wind is calm, are designed to run for years with little maintenance.

Depending upon its configuration, SkyBuilt’s Mobile Power Station (MPS) can generate up to 150 kilowatts of electricity, says David Muchow, the firm’s president and CEO. That’s enough to power an emergency operations center, an Army field kitchen, or a small medical facility.

Privately owned SkyBuilt now has a new investor – In-Q-Tel, a venture capital firm set up by the US Central Intelligence Agency. Skybuilt and In-Q-Tel will announce Tuesday that they have signed a strategic development agreement, including an investment in SkyBuilt.

In-Q-Tel’s support is a breakthrough for the small firm. (The “Q” in In-Q-Tel is a whimsical play on the movie character “Q” who supplies James Bond with nifty gadgets.) SkyBuilt provides innovative energy solutions with the potential to help meet a wide variety of critical government and commercial power needs, says Gilman Louie, In-Q-Tel president and CEO.

The power stations could have important uses for disaster relief, homeland security, military operations, intelligence work, and a variety of commercial applications. The units are not yet designed for use by homeowners.

Though it is not mentioned, SkyBuilt units would have obvious applications in places like Afghanistan and Iraq, where soldiers risk their lives over long supply lines to truck in fuel for generators.

After hurricane Katrina, SkyBuilt units could have been rushed to the scene and set up in hours, restoring power to hospitals, evacuee centers, police and fire departments, and cellphone towers.

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Chris Robertson – Peak Sun Silicon

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Another old friend has gotten into industrial applications for the production of Silicon:

http://peaksunsilicon.com/index.htm 

 Highest Conversion Efficiencies
If you want to offer your customers next-gen solar cell performance, Peak Sun Silicon delivers. Our electronic-grade polysilicon helps you achieve the highest conversion efficiencies in silicon solar cells.Improved Net-Energy Payback Time
If you want to improve the net-energy payback time of the solar cells you manufacture, Peak Sun Silicon delivers. Our proprietary, fluidized-bed polysilicon manufacturing process uses about 80 percent less energy than conventional silicon processes. Because we use much less energy to make our silicon, you can more quickly pay back the manufacturing energy cost of your solar cells and modules.Dependable and Experienced
If you want a dependable supply of polysilicon, Peak Sun Silicon delivers. Our management team has a proven track record in the semiconductor and solar energy fields. We’re committed to doing what it takes to deliver material to you on time and at a reasonable price to keep your factory running.The Result
More-productive solar-energy systems that meet the growing global energy demands of your customers — whether consumers or electric utilities — better and more cost effectively

ABOUT THE COMPANY

You’re in business to serve your customers by giving them the best solar cells you can make. To achieve your objectives, you need a reliable granular form of silicon; high-speed, high-volume factory production; less material waste; and lower-cost source materials.

Peak Sun Silicon is a new entry in the polysilicon market, where global demand continues to rise steadily. Peak Sun Silicon offers the competitive advantages that you’re looking for, such as steady supply, high conversion efficiency, and availability in a form that simplifies the manufacture of solar-electricity generating equipment.

The founder of Peak Sun Silicon offers nearly 30 years of experience in the semiconductor equipment and materials industry. And other leaders in the company are prominent in the solar-cell manufacturing and sustainable-development communities.

Ray Merry is Working On the Great Expo

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 2 of CES’ old friend got ahold of me recently and are working on very exciting projects, a global renewable conference/exhibit and a cheap silicon process for solar generation. For Google purposes I am going to list them seperately, first up:

 http://www.greatexpo.org/

GREAT Expo 2009 is going to be an awe-inspiring, grandiose, never before experienced single point of contact for the world-class industrial-giants, and the emerging and underdeveloped countries as well as businesses and individuals interested in moving forward the renewable energies industry. GREAT EXPO 2009 is splendid, grand and majestic in nature, creating a one of a kind point of gathering that can only be invoked by the idea of an Energy-Park in which all the latest technologies, heavy equipment and machinery of all nine sectors of renewable energy and Energy Efficiency will be showcased, including:

Agro Energy, Bio Energy, Hydro Energy, Hydrogen Fuels, Ocean Power, Geothermal Energy, Solar Energy, Wind Power, and Energy Conservation and Efficiency.

We expect equipment such as wind turbines and towers, dry/wet mill processing equipment, hydrogen and ethanol powered vehicles from the top distinguished firms (Le Mans, IndyCar Series, Toyota, BMW, GM, Honda, Tesla Motors), hydrogen powered motorcycles, hybrid watercraft, solar manufacturing equipment, solar energy innovations and much more to garrison at the Energy Park. It is in this sense that GREAT EXPO 2009 brings the software and hardware of the renewable energies industry under one roof.

GREAT EXPO 2009 brings, in its summit, all the programs and operating information useful to the renewable energies industry. The expo element of GREAT EXPO 2009 brings all the tools, machinery and physical components used in the renewable energies needed for an earnest and industrious effort towards a sustainable world.

GREAT EXPO 2009, to be held in Washington in Spring 2009, gathers the most prominent players in the renewable energies industry It is expected to attract over 45,000 professional visitors and political delegations, and 1,400 exhibitors from 180 countries. Visitors will represent all relevant parts of the decision-making chain – from engineers, purchasers, and analysts to political representatives and board members.

This is the only event that covers key aspects of all eight renewable energies market and Energy Efficiency, giving unparalleled access to business contacts and unique networking opportunities.

Do not miss the opportunity to present, exhibit or network at the world’s premier renewable energies and advanced technologies event.

Matt Nicodemus takes me to task – Corection Due!

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I don’t usually post on the weekend but… 

Matt Nicodemus, currently on Taiwan, and my favorite cousin sent me stuff for a Climate Teach In and I mistook it for the Graduation Pledge that Matt started years ago. Anyway I will let Matt tell you in his own words.

…I didn’t help to found the project!  I’m just passing along the info.  Now, if you want to run a correction at some point, you could tell folks that what I did co-found was the Graduation Pledge Alliance (www.graduationpledge.org), another education-related world-improving network of school programs that will also, like Focus the Nation, give students opportunities to better manifest their social-environmental values & visions through their life choices, especially those choices regarding careers and jobs.

Hoping I’ll be able to drop by your office one of these days and see what & who y’all have got going there,

Mateo

I Am Running A Series Of Cool Sites for Energy/The Environment

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These guys cover it all. 

http://www.greenprogress.com

Nation’s Largest Solar PV System

 Takes Flight at Nellis

Air Force Base

12/17/2007 – Today the US Air Force celebrates the completion of North America’s largest solar photovoltaic system at Nellis Air Force Base. A joint project of the U.S. Air Force, MMA Renewable Ventures, LLC, a subsidiary of Municipal Mortgage & Equity, LLC (NYSE: MMA), SunPower Corporation (Nasdaq: SPWR), and Nevada Power Company, the 14 megawatt Nellis solar energy system will generate more than 30 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of clean electricity annually and supply approximately 25 percent of the total power used at the base, where 12,000 people live and work.

Combining technology and systems expertise from SunPower Corporation and financing by MMA Renewable Ventures with discounted purchase commitments by the U.S. Air Force, the innovative Nellis solar energy system demonstrates that the U.S. government’s goals for enhancing security through energy independence can be met both economically and practically when the public and private sectors work together.

SunPower Corporation designed and built the photovoltaic power plant using its proprietary single-axis SunPower(R) T20 Tracker solar tracking system which follows the sun throughout the day and delivers up to 30 percent more energy than traditional fixed-tilt ground systems.

Equally innovative is the funding and ownership of the landmark solar energy system: MMA Renewable Ventures, LLC has financed and will operate the solar power plant, selling electricity to Nellis Air Force Base at a guaranteed fixed rate for the next 20 years. Nevada Power will support the project by purchasing Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) generated by the solar array. MMA Renewable Ventures closed a fund for the system earlier this year with financing commitments from Citi, Allstate, and John Hancock Financial Services, with Merrill Lynch providing construction financing.

Dignitaries such as Air Force Assistant Secretary William Anderson and Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons will flip a switch marking full operation of the system at a ceremony to be held today at the Nellis base. A team including MMA Renewable Ventures, SunPower Corporation, and Nevada Power Company will join public officials in recognizing the United States Air Force for its commitment to national security, energy independence and environmental sustainability.

“This solar project at Nellis is a first step of many toward making renewable electricity integral to the operations of the U.S. Air Force,” said Assistant Secretary Anderson. “As the largest consumer of energy in the federal government, the Air Force is well-positioned to promote both solar technology and new approaches to its implementation. This pioneering initiative is a good example of how a creative approach to public-private partnership can make our energy supply more sustainable, more secure and more affordable.”

“The best way to secure a healthy and prosperous economy is to develop our affordable, reliable local resources,” said Governor Gibbons. “With these 14 megawatts, Nellis Air Force Base is leading the country in solar energy deployment, a move that is good for the environment and our nation’s energy security alike.”

Covering 140 acres of land at the western edge of the Nellis base, the photovoltaic system comprises 72,000 solar panels using the SunPower Tracker technology. The energy generated will support over 12,000 military and civilians at Nellis who are responsible for Air Force advanced combat training, tactics development and operational testing.

“We are faced with an incredible opportunity to promote U.S. energy security by developing our own abundant domestic resources,” said United States Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada. “Nevada and the United States have the technology and natural resources to serve our growing power demand with clean, renewable energy. I congratulate the Air Force for its continued leadership on clean power.”

“Nellis, the ‘Home of the Fighter Pilot,’ is now home to the largest solar electric power plant in all of North America,” said Colonel Michael Bartley, Nellis Air Force Base commander. “Our base and indeed our entire nation will benefit from the predictable, secure supply of clean energy that this landmark power plant is now generating. The project also provides a future test bed for the Department of Defense to assess the benefits of similar arrangements on installations across the United States.”

“The Nellis project is a powerful demonstration of the U.S. Air Force’s ability to execute on its aggressive goals for clean energy. From early concept through today’s dedication, the Air Force collaborated closely with the strong coalition of partners instrumental in making this grand vision for solar a reality, and we look forward to maintaining that solid relationship over the long life of this clean energy system,” said Matt Cheney, CEO of MMA Renewable Ventures. “The Nellis project further demonstrates how public-private partnership coupled with an innovative approach to third-party finance can make solar an affordable solution at even the largest scale.”

“We congratulate the Air Force for having the vision to make solar power a mainstream energy source, and for hosting the largest solar photovoltaic system in the nation,” said Tom Werner, CEO of SunPower. “Solar power is the fastest growing energy resource to help meet our escalating power demand, generating reliable, affordable power without creating emissions or waste. Nellis’ decision to maximize the size and efficiency of its solar system underscores its commitment to secure energy and environmental preservation. We are proud that SunPower was selected by the Air Force to design, supply, and build this hallmark project.”

“Working with partners, such as Nellis Air Force Base, to develop and generate solar energy projects is part of our strategy of providing clean, safe, reliable electricity to our customers at reasonable and predictable prices,” said Michael Yackira, chief executive officer of Sierra Pacific Resources, parent company of Nevada Power. “Now that the Nellis solar energy system is on-line, the state of Nevada will be number one in the United States in solar generation per capita. We plan to expand our investments in renewable energy in order to increase the leadership position our company already has in renewable energy nationwide.”

Peak Oil – Another Perspective

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While most environmentals and us that have done energy issues for along time have the perspective that the Oil, Natural Gas, and the Coal Companies are the problem. That is they want to keep burning as much as they can and that the only thing that will stop them is the severe results of Global Warming. There is another perspective that says that we are running out of those resources, in particular Oil, and that we are barely adding alternatives fast enough to offset our shortfalls in standard energy sources. Before I talk about the Bali agreements I thought I should give them their due.

http://www.peakoil.com/

 http://www.fcnp.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2255&Itemid=35

Falls ChurchNews – Press ONLINE

The Peak Oil Crisis: Issues    
Written by Tom Whipple   
Thursday, 20 December 2007

As 2007 winds down, it is good time to review some of the major issues that those of us following the peak oil story are watching closely.

Depletion vs. Production is, of course, the heart of the peak oil story. Every year production from the world’s existing oil fields declines by several million barrels a day. Every year new sources of liquid fuel, new oil fields, more natural gas liquids, ethanol etc., must be found to replace the losses and hopefully to satisfy increasing demand. For the last two years, new supplies have been roughly balancing declines so there has been little growth in world production. Some day soon depletion will get ahead of new sources of oil and other liquid fuels for such an extended period that it will be obvious to all that peak oil has arrived.

The prospects for an economic recession or worse increased markedly during the past six months. In recent weeks, oil prices have been moving up and down rather vigorously on economic news — interest rates, subprime losses, government bailouts, etc. — rather than on traditional oil market concerns such as stockpiles and geopolitical threats to production. Many believe that the recent $25 a barrel jump in oil prices was largely the result of the Federal Reserve’s interest rate cuts taken in hopes of forestalling an economic setback.

Should serious economic difficulties arise from the current mortgage/liquidity problem, then a significant drop in worldwide demand for oil is likely. If a reduction in demand for oil were to continue for many months or years, then it is likely that world oil production will never grow much beyond current levels. By the time demand was restored, geologic and economic constraints on production would prevent production from ever again reaching current highs.

So much of the world’s oil production comes from around the Persian Gulf that nearly everything that happens in the region bears watching for possible impact on oil exports. The machinations of Kurds, Iraqis, Iranians, terrorists, mullahs, and numerous small states, tribes, sects and clans all could be important to the uninterrupted flow of oil to the industrialized world.

As the world’s biggest exporter and the only one that may have some spare capacity to increase production, the Saudis are worthy of special attention. Not only are there questions about the ability of the Kingdom’s oil fields to sustain or increase production over the next few years, but concerns also are arising over Riyadh’s domestic consumption of its own oil production which is increasing rapidly. Expectations that the Saudis alone will fulfill the world’s rapidly increasing demand for oil, even at $100+, will never happen.

The rapid rise in oil prices in recent years has resulted in a wave of nationalism on the part of producing countries. Contracts with international oil companies that were written back in the days of $10 or $20 dollar a barrel oil are falling by the wayside as producing nations are demanding an ever increasing share of the profits. In the past year Russia and Venezuela have essentially taken back “their oil” from the foreigners and Nigeria and Kazakhstan are on the verge of doing the same.

From a peak oil perspective, it does not matter if governments or international companies take most of the profit, but as the internationals’ role declines, so does investment and the availability of technical know-how. As oil becomes increasingly difficult to extract from non-conventional sources, partnering with ideological soul mates such as Venezuela and Belarus to help produce oil is unlikely to result in increasing production.  

With a population of 1.3 billion and an annual growth rate in excess of 11 percent, the course of China’s economy plays a key role in the peak oil story. Beijing is now a major importer of oil and products. For several years now, the Chinese have been making a major effort to secure long-term bi-lateral contracts with oil producers and have had numerous successes. It is only a matter of time before China’s demand leads to shortages in the developed world.

Given the close balance of the supply and demand for oil, the world’s importing countries are in constant threat of a sudden interruption to oil supplies. A hurricane, coup, earthquake, terrorist attack, assassination, bird flu or something we have not imagined could easily stop the steady supply of oil to the world’s fuel tanks. Although there are reserves, depending on the nature of the interruption, these could only be sufficient for a few days before serious disruptions occur. There are numerous chokepoints in the Persian Gulf where an interruption of more than a few days would cause serious grief around the world.

Nearly 40 percent or 5.3 million of the 13.6 million barrels of oil and products that the U.S. imports each day comes from Canada, Mexico, and Venezuela. We are going to have a little problem shortly because these sources of oil are going to dry up. Mexico’s biggest field is collapsing so that within ten years they will be out of the oil exporting business. For political reasons, Venezuela is doing its best to sell its oil to anybody but the U.S. and is off to a good start. If Hugo Chavez hangs in there as president for another five years the 1.4 million barrels a day we are currently getting is likely to be a lot less.

To many, Canada is America’s greatest hope to continue happy motoring for a while longer. They look longingly at those billions of barrels of “oil” trapped in the Alberta tar sands and assume that it will soon be flowing south in whatever amounts we desire. This is unlikely to happen for extracting “oil” from Alberta is turning the place into one of the greatest environmental disasters on earth. While production from the Alberta sands will likely continue for centuries, it will never reach the level to replace even a fraction of the 13 million barrels of imports the U.S. requires each day. It will not be long before the Canadian people start thinking about their grandchildren and exports will slow.

Bali Protocols Passed – More on that later.

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I will have comments on the passage of the Bali Protocols but I have 2 posts that have been laying around for awhile. I want to get them off the shelf while I can. The Bush administration made sure that nothing will happen on their watch because the negotiations will take 2 years. 2 years we may not have! 

 http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/85/i31/8531notw4.html

Latest News

July 30, 2007
Volume 85, Number 31
p. 15

Silicon cells

Solar Energy Advances

New technology should lead to increased supplies

Marc Reisch

AS THE WORLD increasingly looks to solar power as a new source of energy, technology advances and new cooperation agreements among photovoltaic industry leaders promise to increase the supply, processibility, and cost-efficiency of silicon-based solar energy cells.

Using new technology, Wacker Chemie plans to build a solar-grade granular polysilicon production facility at its site in Burghausen, Germany. The 650-metric-ton-per-year plant should come on-line at the end of 2008 and will manufacture the polysilicon used to make solar wafers in a continuous fluidized-bed process.

 New process yields easier route to polysilicon for solar cells.

The firm first announced two years ago that it had developed the process as an alternative to the batch production procedure now more widely used to make polysilicon for both semiconductors and solar cells. The starting material, trichlorosilane, is the same for both batch and continuous processes.

In the batch process, trichlorosilane is deposited at high temperature on a starter rod, where it decomposes to polysilicon. Workers then remove the rods from the reactor, transfer them to crushing machines that create manageable polysilicon pieces, and run the pieces through an acid-etching step to remove contamination introduced during crushing. The continuous process eliminates the rod removal, crushing, and etching steps.

Taking its advances in solar polysilicon a step further, Wacker also says it is in talks with Schott Solar, a German maker of photovoltaic components, to set up a 50-50 joint venture to make silicon ingots and solar wafers, precursors for the production of solar cells. The two hope to conclude discussions and start up production later this year.

Separately, Germany’s Q-Cells, which claims to be the world’s second-largest maker of silicon solar cells, has increased its stake in a smaller U.S. silicon cell maker, Solaria, from 12% to 33%. Q-Cells acquired its increased stake in the Silicon Valley-based firm as part of a $50 million investment it made together with two financial investors and Moser Baer, an Indian maker of photovoltaics.

Along with the investment, Q-Cells committed to supplying Solaria with enough cells to generate 1.35 gigawatts of power over the next 10 years. Using its “cell multiplication technology,” Solaria will double the output of cells it obtains by slicing them into thin strips and reassembling them to double the surface area they cover. The technology includes packaging the cells under an optical concentrator to focus more sunlight on them.

DuPont is also doing its part to improve solar-cell efficiency. The firm will manage prototype development and testing of a solar cell designed by the University of Delaware that has the potential to be 30% more efficient than existing solar cells. The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency awarded a DuPont/University of Delaware consortium $12 million to advance solar-panel development, but it could award as much as $100 million over the three-year life of the project.