What's Raining On Solar's Parade?

[H. E. Taylor]

2006/02/06: BWeek: What's Raining On Solar's Parade?
Almost all solar panels are made with silicon -- and makers can't buy enough of it


Sometimes it's possible to be a little too successful. The solar power
industry has been on a tear, growing at more than 30% per year for the
last six years. It's poised to reach a surprising milestone within two
years, when it will gobble up more silicon for its electricity-generating
panels than semiconductor makers use in all their chips and devices.
The onetime "'tree-hugger' industry is not a niche business anymore,"
says Lisa Frantzis, director of renewable energy at Navigant Consulting
Inc. (NCI).

So what's the problem? "Global demand is stronger than the existing supply,"
says Lee Edwards, president and CEO of BP Solar (BP ). His company and
others can't buy enough of the ultrapure polysilicon now used in 91% of
solar panels. The raw material shortage has slashed growth for the
industry from more than 50% in 2004 to a projected 5% in 2006.
[...]
<http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_06/b3970108.htm>

<regards>
-het


--
"Circles. And circles within circles.
It's a native thing." -Gracie Heavy Hand

PV FAQ: http://www.autobahn.mb.ca/~het/energy/pv_faq.html
H.E. Taylor http://www.autobahn.mb.ca/~het/

 

[Mitchell Dickson]

ROTFLMAO!!!!

I never read such drivel. Demand exceeding supply my rear end. Someone let
the oil companies and derivitaves thereof buy up the solar industry.
Silicon is very very abundant and there is not, let me repeat not, any valid
reason for this shortage. It is contrived!

There should be litterally stacks of solar pannels in walmart for $3.95
each. They can produce and sell a VCR with gears and belts and enough
silicon chips to make a hundred solar panels and sell it for $29.95. This
reaks of suppressed technology. In WWII, we geared up and built an entire
Liberty Ship ever week!!!!!!!!! To lay this at the feet of "not enough
silicon" is ludacrous. For the price of one nuclear plant we could build
enough solar and wind energy generators to make 8 times the electricity that
"ALL" coal, gas and nuclear currently produce. All the enviromental
offenders could be shut down easily in 2 to 3 years. That this is not being
done is a crime.

So whoever you are, at least read what your posting before you spout this
trash about "demand exceeding supply". You may be getting your paycheck
from an oil company but not all of us "proles" buy into it What is the
price of selling your soul these days?

Mitch

 

[Anthony Matonak]

Please help me out here. I have been reading about concentrating solar
cells, that require less silicon related to output, create more energy
etc. Is this not a proven technology?

....
Yes, it's proven technology. Unfortunately, it's been shown that when
you add the costs for the extra parts to cool the cells, focus the
sunlight and track the sun, it's as expensive as regular PV panels
and more likely to break.

Anthony

 

[SJC]

Please help me out here. I have been reading about concentrating solar
cells, that require less silicon related to output, create more energy
etc. Is this not a proven technology?

Otherwise other technologies seem cheaper:
1. Biomass, changing heat to electricity with advanced stirling
technology.

2. Wind power with less expensive materials.

3. Passive solar.

4. Evaporative cooling.

5. Concentrating mirrors on a high temp boiler and genset.

6. Geothermal cooling.

7. I have heard all sorts of claims for advances in solar. Such as just
painting it on.

etc.

Please help me out. Enlighten me. I am new at this. What is the
attraction of solar, if it is too expensive to make financial sense? I
am ready for a new roof, and would love to go solar on the south and
west sides of my pyramidal roof. I will need a new roof eventually.
anyway. I am interested in solar roofing.

Thanks,

Ron Wagner

I don't know what kind of roof you have, but if you are going to replace it,
Unisolar has PV roofing that might be of interest to you. I can not vouch for
this, but maybe they have some customer recomendations.

http://www.uni-solar.com/interior.asp?id=102

 

[Martin Herzfeld]

Its about $6 a watt uninstalled, although it is more DIY friendly than
the glass plate type panel. $4 a watt is the best that an average
homeowner is going to get on the glass panels. It is however $150 M^2
so be aware that if your south face is 30M^3 thats $4500 before
installation, inverter etc. That is actually cheaper than doing the
same area in glass panels since they are $4 a watt but $600 on the M^2
because they have about 3.5 times the power density of the flexible
panels.
http://www.solarbuzz.com/moduleprices.htm

30M^2 of flexible panels will get you 750watts of capasity with about
2000 hours of sun a year that is about 1500kwh a year. Assuming 10%
time value of money thats $0.30 kwh, but that price will be constant
for the next 20 years.

The same installation of standard panels will cost you $18K before
http://www.solarbuzz.com/SolarIndices.htm
http://www.findsolar.com/index.php?page=rightforme

installation. But has 4.5kW of capasity and 9000kwh of output for a
cost of $0.2 kwh assuming that you install (and wire) it yourself
(which few people would dare) and the inverter costs are incidental to
the installation.

All numbers of solar output are estimates, I dont know where you live
so YMMV.

 

[SJC]

The solar tiles are in fact much LESS DIY friendly than glass panels. The
installation - integrating them with the roof structure - is the expensive
part, but even at that the up front costs are also higher. And due to their
relatively low efficiency and low output per panel, you also need a lot more
wiring for the same power. It is not unusualy in California to see installs
on the order of $10-$12 per watt for the solar shingles, vs around $7-$8 for
standard glass.

I kind of figured it was labor intensive for the shingles. Unisolar used to sell
the laminate attached to standing seam roof panels about 26' long. It looked like
you could make a whole PV roof out of them.

 

[Richard P.]

So the Chinese just built a huge PV manufacturing plant... is there a
shortage or are they going to muscle in on the remaining silicon supply.

By the way, I love your tag line! heheheh!


in message

 

[Steve Spence]

It's not conrived, since the solar industry are as much thieves as
the oil induary.
Since they're both fudging the numbers and the future with coal
energy.
They're a shortage of panels, since solar panels are custom made,
back-fitted into gas-heating systems, and expensive.

Custom made? gas-heating systems? I don't get the connection.
Maybe you are thinking about solar water panels?