ARISE Technologies in talks to sell silicon assets due to going concern issues
November 30, 2009 | Comments Off
Struggling, ARISE Technologies has said it is in talks with an unidentified ‘Fortune 500’ company to sell its 7N+ high-purity silicon technology assets. A period of due diligence under an exclusive arrangement has been entered into by both parties. ARISE operates under three divisions, which include a c-Si cell plant in Germany, a PV Systems Division in Ontario, Canada as well as the polysilicon arm, up for sale.
Solar Millennium opens fund for investors in 50MW Andasol 3 parabolic trough power plant
November 30, 2009 | Comments Off
Citing an attractive 8% return on the investment, Solar Millennium is for the first time offering potential investors the opportunity to benefit from the returns on its 50MW Andasol 3 parabolic trough power plant, currently under construction, via a closed-end fund. The fund is aimed at investors domiciled in Germany, who can participate starting from a minimum amount of €5,000.
Phoenix Solar moving in on U.S. solar market
November 30, 2009 | Comments Off
Phoenix Solar is planning to enter the PV project and installation market in the U.S. with a wholly owned subsidiary located in California. The major European installer noted that California in particular had favourable market incentives coupled to the size of the market and the huge potential for the large-scale project business.
Toshiba, Sharp and Hitachi share 13MW power plant for TEPCO
November 30, 2009 | Comments Off
Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) is planning a 13MW solar power plant located in the Waterfront District in Kawasaki, Kanagawa prefecture, which could become the largest of its type so far built in Japan. The Ukishima Solar Power Plant project would seem to be shared between Toshiba and Hitachi, with Toshiba responsible for 7MW with the use of its own central inverters and the use of Sharp c-Si PV modules. Hitachi is said to be contracted for designing, manufacturing and testing the photovoltaic system.
Project Focus: REC Solar commits to 1.7MW of federal solar systems in U.S.
November 30, 2009 | Comments Off
REC Solar has signed an agreement to develop 1.7MW of solar power installations on federal facilities in California, Arizona and Nevada. Commissioned by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, the systems are scheduled for completion in early- to mid-2010. The 1.7MW will be spread over several locations: VA Medical Centers in Palo Alto, Fresno, Los Angeles, and Long Beach; and VA Medical Centers in Tucson, AZ and Reno, NV.
Order Focus: Praxair China to provide gases for 100% oxy-fuel float glass furnace
November 30, 2009 | Comments Off
Hainan China Aviation Special Glass Materials has tapped Praxair China for oxygen and high purity nitrogen for development of a 100% oxy-fuel float glass furnace. The furnace will be the first of its kind in China, and will be constructed by the Chinese company, a subsidiary of China Aviation Sanxin (CAS).
Project Focus: Silfab talks turnkey as Italian plants reach 60MW in 2010
November 30, 2009 | Comments Off
Padua, Italy-based Silfab, supplier of high-grade polysilicon to the photovoltaics industry, has opened five new 1MW solar power plants in the Bari and Taranto regions of Southern Italy. The company has also hinted that it intends to develop an integrated PV supply chain in an undisclosed location in North America based on a ‘Green-to-Green’ business model.
LED Bulbs Save Substantial Energy, A Study Finds
November 30, 2009 | Comments Off
Nov 30, 2009 – Eric A. Taub writes in The New York Times that “LED Bulbs Save Substantial Energy, A Study Finds.“ Osram, a German bulb manufacturer has made a detailed study of the energy savings of LED bulbs that includes their manufacture, packaging, shipping and energy use and finds a 5-fold savings over incandescent bulbs. Now, we need the initial cost of these LED bulbs to decrease. LED bulbs are going to be better than CFLs because of their better light characteristics and also because they do not contain polluting mercury.
Tesla May Manufacture Electric Cars at Old NASA Factory in Downey, California
November 30, 2009 | Comments Off
Tesla Motors is in the process of closing a deal to manufacture electric cars at the site of a former NASA manufacturing plant in Downey, California, according to Mayor Mario Guerra. The facility once employed 30,000 aerospace engineers and scientists.
“We’re excited by the possibility of Tesla coming here,” Guerra said. “We feel this could become the greenest manufacturing plant in North America.”
Tesla, which makes the $109,000 Roadster electric sports car, is looking for a factory to build its next-generation Model S sedan. In June, the company was approved for $465 million in loans from the U.S. Department of Energy to help build the proposed car. The Model S will travel 300 miles on a charge. Production is expected by 2011 . The base price will be $57,400. After a federal tax credit the car is espected to sell for $50,000 or less. 2,000 people have already paid a refundable $5,000 deposit to reserve one of the cars.
Copenhagen Climate Summit
November 30, 2009 | Comments Off
The most talked about environmental talks are about to commence in Copenhagen. Much hope is pinned on this summit and I don’t think it is an exaggeration at all to say they have the power to save the world over the space of a week. Great Britain has had the aim to cut carbon emissions by 80% by 2050 for some years now. Brenda Boardman’s 2007 Home Truths is a comprehensive paper on how this could be achieved proving that these figures are not just pure fiction. The fact that the world’s leader will be assembled in one place to talk about world emissions is a miracle in itself, but as highlighted by this Guardian article the summit could save the world, but equally it could also doom it.
Why is this post appearing on an Architecture blog? For far too long architects only gesture towards sustainability. A small windmill on your roof does nothing and despite their reputation, solar panels (photovoltaics) are not green. Sustainability can be designed into a building without sacrificing other architectural qualities, in fact it can enhance a project if embraced.