March 6, 2008

Imagine if homeowners could print out plastic sheets of solar cells on inexpensive printers. Imagine further that the solar sheets could be plastered over the roofs of houses and generate electricity – acting in a sense like mini-power stations for the houses. Such a technology would be an enormous boon to American’s growing environmental movement.

And that is the aim of Somenath Mitra, a professor of Chemistry and Environmental Sciences, who is experimenting with a solar cell derived from polymers that could one day power not only houses but cars, laptops and other consumer computers. Mitra’s solar research was featured in the June 2007 issue of the Journal of Materials Chemistry, published by the Royal Society of Chemistry,

The company says that its coater can produce up to 1 gigawatt of solar cells each year, potentially cutting manufacturing costs by two orders of magnitude.

June 18, 2008

Nanosolar said Wednesday it has created the industry's largest solar production tool: a thin-film coater that has the capacity to produce up to 1 gigawatt of solar cells annually.

That compares with 10 to 30 megawatts of annual production capacity for most solar production tools, CEO Martin Roscheisen wrote on the company's blog.

The tool, which uses the Nanosolar's nanoparticle ink, costs $1.65 million and - at the speed at which it's currently running, 100 feet per minute -- produces cells for a hundred times less than a high-vacuum process, he wrote.

June 23, 2008

The rising cost of materials and labor has the potential to put an end to the nuclear renaissance before it ever gets started. Company estimates that have been released show costs for an individual unit could be as high as $12 billion, and one consultant expects those estimates could rise if material prices continue to escalate.

Florida Power & Light told the Florida Public Service Commission late last year that the cost for building new units at Turkey Point in south Florida could be up to $8,000 per kilowatt -- or $24 billion for two units. Earlier this year, Progress Energy pegged its cost estimates for two new units on Florida's west coast at about $14 billion plus $3 billion for transmission and distribution. While Progress' estimates are lower than FPL's, they are more than twice as much as the $2,000 per kilowatt that industry contractors promised for new nuclear plants just two years ago.

HULL, Mass. -- A recent Energy Department report said wind power could supply 20% of the country's energy needs by 2030. Community leaders in this blue-collar town of 11,000 think they might be able to top that by building an offshore wind farm that would supply all of their town's power.

That would be a first.

There are already more than 20 offshore wind farms producing electricity in Europe but, in this country, such proposals have sparked opposition from the Great Lakes states to Long Island. Opponents, including seafront homeowners, say such installations would threaten avian and aquatic life and ruin scenic vistas. With such environmental concerns pitted against the demand for clean energy, there is not a single offshore turbine anywhere in the United States.

June 20, 2008

America's growth spurt will require more energy. But economic development and environmental progress do not need to be in conflict with one another.

Indeed, the country is not helpless when it comes to fighting the effects of climate change, according to a report by the Brookings Institution. In fact, metropolitan areas offer greater energy and carbon efficiencies than less populated regions, in large measure because of residential density and good public transport.

June 18, 2008

The liberalization of Europe's electric and gas markets is taking a rough ride. But a critical compromise to win the backing from France and Germany has emerged, allowing those utilities to keep their distribution units within the corporate confines.

A more competitive and efficient utility system would subsequently help consumers of all sizes. While such reform does have the potential to give all such energy customers better options, history has shown that the process must be carefully watched and reviewed to ensure that it is open, honest and fair.