islandmusicteach
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New solar technology
Start-Up Sells Solar Panels at Lower-Than-Usual Cost
By JOHN MARKOFF
Published: December 18, 2007
nytimes
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Nanosolar, a heavily financed Silicon Valley start-up whose backers include Google’s co-founders, plans to announce Tuesday that it
has begun selling its innovative solar panels, which are made using a technique that is being held out as the future of solar power manufacturing.
The company, which has raised $150 million and built a 200,000-square-foot factory here, is developing a new manufacturing process that “prints”
photovoltaic material on aluminum backing, a process the company says will reduce the manufacturing cost of the basic photovoltaic module by more than
80 percent.
Nanosolar, which recently hired a top manufacturing executive from I.B.M., said that it had orders for its first 18 months of manufacturing capacity.
The photovoltaic panels will be made in Silicon Valley and in a second plant in Germany.
While many photovoltaic start-up companies are concentrating on increasing the efficiency with which their systems convert sunlight, Nanosolar has
focused on lowering the manufacturing cost. Its process is akin to a large printing press, rather than the usual semiconductor manufacturing
techniques that deposit thin films on silicon wafers.
Nanosolar’s founder and chief executive, Martin Roscheisen, claims to be the first solar panel manufacturer to be able to profitably sell solar panels
for less than $1 a watt. That is the price at which solar energy becomes less expensive than coal.
“With a $1-per-watt panel,” he said, “it is possible to build $2-per-watt systems.”
According to the Energy Department, building a new coal plant costs about $2.1 a watt, plus the cost of fuel and emissions, he said.
The first Nanosolar panels are destined for a one-megawatt solar plant to be installed in Germany on a former landfill owned by a waste management
company. The plant, being developed by Beck Energy, is expected to initially supply electrical power for about 400 homes.
The company chose to build its plant in southern San Jose, news that was cheered by local development officials. Much of the microelectronics industry
created here has moved to Asia and new factories are a rare commodity in Silicon Valley.
- Marko
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Bajabus
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Google will soon rule the world. I checked out their website. Pretty amazing. Their first megawatt is going to a german power plant and 12 months
production is already sold out
Production panel #2 is now being sold on Ebay as a collector item.
Solar energy for $1 per watt...on a flexible foil that can be cut to any shape, that is a quantum leap.
Available and shipping as of Dec 18 2007......pretty incredible.
Freaking Google.
"Preventive war was an invention of Hitler. Frankly I would not even listen to anyone seriously that came and talked of such a thing."
Dwight David Eisenhower
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BajaWarrior
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The website says they are sold out for the next 12 months!
These prices are at a wholesale volume anyway. When the dealers get ahold of them the panels will be back up to $5 a watt anyway.
Haven't had a bad trip yet....
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Bajabus
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The more large wholesale customers they have the better pricing will be to consumers.
They have repeatedly said that they are committed to delivering power panels with an end cost of approx 1 dollar per watt. Right now production costs
for them are about 30 cents per watt and this is only the first iteration of their proprietary machinery!
I do not think it true that pricing will go up to 4-5 dollars per watt when they catch up with production
The implications for peak power production are staggering.
"Preventive war was an invention of Hitler. Frankly I would not even listen to anyone seriously that came and talked of such a thing."
Dwight David Eisenhower
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castaway$
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So is this company selling stock? My be a great opportunity at hand.
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Bajabus
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They are funded up the wazoo by Googles 2 founders who provided "angel money" to seed the concept and some very prestigious investment houses. It is a private held corp and on the investor page it says they are not accepting capital right now.
"Preventive war was an invention of Hitler. Frankly I would not even listen to anyone seriously that came and talked of such a thing."
Dwight David Eisenhower
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Al G
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| Quote: | Originally posted by castaway$
So is this company selling stock? My be a great opportunity at hand. |
Solar at these prices is the kernel to a new energy economy...there are two fields that can produce tomorrows energy for zero air pollution...solar
and nuclear. Neither will ever power transportation in the next 100 years...hope I am wrong about solar.
So what is the power system for transportion needed for zero destruction of our world...hint ...something that already powers our research in
boundaries
Albert G
Remember, if you haven\'t got a smile on your face and laughter in your heart, then you are just a sour old fart!....
The most precious thing we have is life, yet it has absolutely no trade-in value.
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castaway$
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My guess is the same thing the "dollar" is made of- cellulose. I like the subtle hints sprinkeld throughout your post.
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MrBillM
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Optimism and Caution
During the last Twenty years or so, we have witnessed numerous introductions of "Revolutionary" advances in Solar Technology only to have those
products either fail or not make it to market. TI had one such technology that was promoted heavily and written about in one publication after
another until it quietly disappeared pre-market.
We are reminded by the Kyocera KC-120 Fiasco that even proven technology can fail due to poor design or manufacturing failures and those flaws may not
be apparent for years into usage.
If ultimately successful, this would be good news, but we may not know for many years.
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Roberto
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| Quote: | Originally posted by MrBillM
We are reminded by the Kyocera KC-120 Fiasco that even proven technology can fail due to poor design or manufacturing failures and those flaws may not
be apparent for years into usage.
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What's the KC-120 fiasco? I don't know anything about it.
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Hook
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Roberto
| Quote: | Originally posted by MrBillM
We are reminded by the Kyocera KC-120 Fiasco that even proven technology can fail due to poor design or manufacturing failures and those flaws may not
be apparent for years into usage.
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What's the KC-120 fiasco? I don't know anything about it. |
Yeah, me neither. I am considering buying one.
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Roberto
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I have three, had them for five years. No problems.
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Al G
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MrBillm...you are the eternal pessimist, and in this case not a character flaw. It is most assuredly a good thing. Keeps you from ever
failing...something I do often. I am a eternal optimism a character flaw that I have used to my advantage many times and a few disadvantages...I have
managed to get to a reasonable point in life as I am sure you have. From my point of view the future looks bright and promising...possibly brilliant.
It is good to have that sort of thing going on in ones life. Your posts makes me feel there are many things politically and philosophically we may
have in common. Hope for a spectacular tomorrow may not be one of them...Merry Christmas MrBill
Albert G
Remember, if you haven\'t got a smile on your face and laughter in your heart, then you are just a sour old fart!....
The most precious thing we have is life, yet it has absolutely no trade-in value.
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awfulart
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solar
I can hardly wait for my Nanosolar powered electric vehicle. 
I wonder when they will start delivery? 
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MrBillM
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KC-120s
Kyocera built THOUSANDS of defective KC-120s over a period of a number of years. The defects didn't show up until the panels had been in use for at
least a few years. In my case, the units were in place five years before the charge rate deteriorated. For some of my neighbors, the period was at
least three years. Kyocera corrected the problem with a design change on the later units. Since I had Six built during the defect period and Four
built after, it was easy to look at the cell junctions and see the difference in manufacturing process.
Luckily the Full warranty period is long and to Kyocera's credit, they have handled the defect returns with excellent customer service. Even after
KC-120 production ended and they were replaced by the more expensive KC-130. Upon being notified and being given the Serial numbers of the panels,
they ship replacement KC-130s prepaid at no charge and pay the freight on the defective unit returns.
The point I was making, though, is that they built and sold these units for years before their defects became known. If the warranty period was
shorter or the manufacturer less solvent, it would have been tough luck. As I've said before (with computer tech), being on the leading edge of new
technology can leave you badly cut.
To read more on the Kyocera experience:
http://forums.homestead.org/forum_posts.asp?TID=10055&PI...
http://www.solar-guppy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=233
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Roberto
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| Quote: | Originally posted by MrBillM
Since I had Six built during the defect period and Four built after, it was easy to look at the cell junctions and see the difference in
manufacturing process. |
Could you post some pictures illustrating the differences? Since I have three, I would like to check them
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MrBillM
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Pictures ?
The earlier model (defective) panels have all been returned, but I could take a pic in the next few days of the area to look at on the newer panels.
There is a notable difference of the width of the metallic band at the cell junctions.
As an indicator of the period involved, the latest of my defective panels had a mfg date (6-2001) and serial no: 2001.6 01632B1761
The later 120s I own built AFTER the correction had a coding of: 2002.10 03X32B0191
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