Reviewing last week's solar energy news

Reviewing last week's solar energy news Given the truncated week in the U.S. because of Independence Day, there was a slightly shorter news week for solar as well. But there were some interesting developments across the solar-market. Innovation in the concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) market is really taking off. But weaker than projected sales of photovoltaics in the second quarter have led to a temporary glut that will lower module prices going forward.

The news should be bigger this week as Intersolar North America starts on Tuesday. It’s one of the largest solar industry events in North America, and this year’s already a record breaker, with 22,000 registered attendees and 800 exhibitors. It’s the fourth year for this San Francisco-based event held at the Mascone Center in San Francisco.

The concentrating photovoltaics market is continuing to take off with more innovative approaches. For instance, Pyron Solar is testing a CPV array designed to float in the water. The array uses a Fresnel lens to focus sunlight on hermetically sealed high-efficiency photovoltaic cells and promises solar arrays that can produce 1 megawatt per 3.1 acres, requiring less space than other arrays.

Innovation also is happening on the high-efficiency photovoltaic cell side. Last week JDSU acquired multiple quantum well technology patents from QuantaSol to increase the efficiency of JDSU’s triple-junction CPV cells in a bid to reach efficiency levels over 40 percent.

Last week was a big week for reports, most of which point to growth in solar industry, even if it is in fits and starts. The Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) found that the number of U.S. solar installations in 2010 was 22 percent higher than in 2009. In all, there were 124,000 solar installations in the U.S. in 2010. While California remained the largest market within the states for solar, its share of the market fell dramatically, while other states picked up more of the market.

A new report from GTM Research projected that in the U.S. in 2012 the balance-of-system costs for utility-scale photovoltaics will comprise more of the cost of solar installations than the photovoltaics themselves. It’s an achievement for the photovoltaic manufacturing industry, but also a telling sign that more needs to be done to bring down the costs of permitting, mounting and construction for such projects.

Bookending the GTM Research report, a SolarBuzz Quarterly report found that lower demand for photovoltaics in the second quarter of 2011 led to oversupply of modules, which will further reduce the cost of photovoltaics this year. However, it projected that demand will pick up in the second half of the year. The lower-than-expected demand stemmed from uncertainty in European markets.

To help ensure that utility-scale solar projects have the opportunity they were promised, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) said it issued a Notice of Segregation of Public Lands designated as Solar Energy Zones to protect them from mining and other appropriations claims. The agency took the action to ensure that the long-term application process that solar installations must undergo is not undermined by other interests, which could otherwise swoop in and claim the land for other purposes.

Arista Power, Inc. has partnered with Helios Solar Works to introduce a scalable hybrid wind/solar/storage system. Arista, a manufacturer of wind turbines, has developed a battery storage and conditioner system that can take multiple inputs, i.e., solar, wind, and off-peak grid power and store it in batteries for use during peak demand periods. In markets with peak-demand pricing, the combination can help lower the price of electricity below what businesses would otherwise pay for it.

Image courtesy of NREL.