Dr Kevin Hard, Managing Director of EvoEnergy was recently invited to talk at the World’s largest sustainable building event in the section entitled “performance matters”.

The talk was well received and further indication of how EvoEnergy is becoming recognised on a national level as solar photovoltaic experts.

The slides to the talk, entitled simply “Solar Photovoltaics” can now be found on our website.

In a speech on the challenges of tackling climate change during the recession, Lord Smith made a range of radical suggestions.

He said every public building in the country should be fitted with solar panels and wind turbines must be put up wherever possible.

Children should be taught about climate change alongside literacy and numeracy and all public sector organisations should be forced to consider the environment in annual budgets.

In a lecture to the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), Lord Smith advocated following in the footsteps of US President Barack Obama with a range of measures that boost the economy by creating jobs while tackling climate change.

He said: “All public buildings should be fitted with solar or photovaltic panels. New buildings should be fitted with ground source heat pumps. Public land should be used, where possible, for wind power generation. Every new public building should meet the highest possible standards for energy and water efficiency, becoming a showcase of good practice for other local businesses and organisations to follow.”

The Government is due to announce a heat and energy package on Thursday that will include plans to insulate millions of homes and introduce grants for renewable heat generators like solar panels or wood chip boilers.

Lord Smith said policy-makers must make it easier for people to go green. For example a one-stop-shop run by local authorities to help households fit renewables and interest free loans to pay for micro-generators like wind turbines.

He also said transport in local government could be transformed by switching to hybrid or electric cars or video conferencing where possible. Every public sector organisation would be required to publish an “environmental responsibility report” alongside its annual budget.

In education children should be taught about the impacts of climate change.

He said: “I’m sure there is scope to do more to place the science and the impact of climate change as much at the heart of the school week as the other fundamentals of language, literacy, numeracy and the broader fields of physics, chemistry and biology.”

Lord Smith is in a key position to influence Government.

He made clear that controversial plans to build a new coal-fired power station at Kingsnorth in Kent should not be allowed unless carbon capture and storage (CCS), that takes the CO2 and stores it underground, is fitted by the 2020s.

He said all fossil fuel power plants should be fitted with the technology by the mid 2020s and old power stations should be retrofitted with CCS by 2030.

read more at:  http://www.evoenergy.co.uk

Energy firms which have not sourced enough electricity from renewable sources will have to pay more, according to energy regulator Ofgem. In the Renewables Obligation compliance period of 2009-10, Ofgem expects energy firms to have to pay £37.29 per megawatt hour (MWh), to confirmed by legislation due in April. This represents an increase from £35.76 per MWh they have to pay currently if they cannot provide sufficient Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROC) for the energy they produce. The amount of electricity the companies supply from renewables will also have to rise from the present 9.1 per cent to 9.7 per cent. Ofgem also said that the Renewable Obligation Order 2009, which will set the so-called buy-out rate, will also establish banded subsidies, so that some renewable technologies are granted more support by being worth more in ROCs. “It is expected that the new legislation, which is planned to take effect from April 1st, 2009, will set the buy-out price and mutualisation ceilings for 2009/10, It is also expected that these will then be adjusted by Ofgem in each subsequent year to reflect changes in the Retail Prices Index.” The government has committed to generating 15 per cent of energy from renewable sources by 2020.

Read more at:

http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Resources/Daily-news/Renewable-energy2/Energy-firms-to-pay-more-for-failing-to-source-renewables

and

http://www.evoenergy.co.uk

The Information Network, recently published a report projecting that the nanomaterials for solar cells industry is expected to grow by 44 percent in 2009, after a growth rate of 47 percent in 2008. The report, “Nanomaterials for Solar Cells, Displays, Sensors, Lighting, and RFID Marketing Analysis and Driving Forces,” says that Copper Indium Gallium diSelenide (CIGS) solar cells pushed the market as manufacturers developed unique deposition methods and substrates using nanomaterials. According to Dr. Robert Castellano, president of The Information Network, “[C]ompeting with GICS are traditional crystalline and polycrystalline cells made with silicon wafers. On the horizon is a new nanomaterial that promises to cut solar cell prices.” Dr. Castellano describes a steel based on nanotechnology that would allow solar wafer manufacturers to reduce the amount of waste, or kerf, when slicing silicon wafers. This development could save the industry US$866 million, and drive down the price of solar cells.

One of EvoEnergy’s solar photovoltaic (PV) panel suppliers has been talking about a competitor installing a PV system on the It’s Not Easy Being Green (INEBG) house. The episode was screened last night (Wednesday 7th January) at 8pm on BBC. I do not know the viewing figures, but being prime time terrestrial it is certain to be at least a couple of million.

The solar PV installation world is a small one in the UK, with most of the firms having met one another. We recognise that the industry benefits from positive coverage that any one firm receives and we were therefore delighted to see the first terrestrially televised UK PV installation and the positive publicity that it received.

Already we have seen an increase in the number of enquiries through our website and expect, as the series goes on, that this will be maintained.

The solar system installed looked to be 15 x Sanyo 215 panels which would give a maximum output of 3,225W. The reading taken on the show was around 2,300W which would be entirely consistent with this as it was, as Dick Strawbridge commented in show, an overcast day. Where they are based geographically they should be generating in excess of 3,000kWh per year with this system, which is nearly enough for a standard household.

A very telling factor was the installation cost of £15,000 and the ‘bargain’ that it represented to the installers, to a somewhat taken aback customer (Dick). I don’t think I am going out on much of a limb to suggest that this didn’t include the very entertaining under road digging made with ‘the mole’. It might well also have been made with the full realisation that the extra TV exposure was something not to be missed (we’d probably have undercut this value for similar airtime).

The question of payback is one that is often asked, and addressed on a number of sites. I’ll only reiterate here what was said in the show; that panels last a very long time and do pay for themselves eventually. It was also mentioned that the Renewable Obligation Credit value is doubling in value this year; this will bring the amount paid per kWh generated to around 10p, which is suddenly not an insignificant amount of money at all, and almost doubles the worth of the electricity on an unsupported free market.

Overall, it was the first time that I’ve actually watch INEBG and loved the combination of hi-tech and low-tech solutions given, meaning that there was something for everybody. I am particularly looking forward to what they can make of an old Victorian house given a nicely sized budget of £100,000. This does sound a lot of money, even to somebody in the business, so I hope they manage to make it look good value.

What would be the perfect time for solar?

– A breakthrough for making solar cells directly from sand for mere pennies?

– A giant mirror placed on the moon focusing sunlight onto your house’s roof through the night?

– Or a combination of less exotic factors resulting in the best time to invest for many years to come?

The world has seen an unprecedented explosion in growth slow to a crawl, with the majority of the developed world now officially in recession. The spiralling costs of crude oil and natural gas have come to an end – oil has been back below $40 a barrel, but the utility companies so quick to point out the direct cause and effect a year ago are now back pedalling. We are now told that risk is the decisive factor in pricing and that companies don’t want to be seen to decrease the price and then increase it soon afterwards, even if that would have saved consumers money.

Overall, it looks as though domestic energy prices will remain higher than previously thought. This is particularly ominous when wholesale gas and oil prices slowly start their rise again when the recession lifts. There is an air of inevitability in the increase of the price of oil and gas, as the finite resource becomes ever rarer and more expensive to extract.

Solar photovoltaic cells are the perfect way to establish independence from increasing electricity prices. The only other remotely viable electricity generation would be a miniature wind turbine. These also provide protection from electricity price increases and although they only function on windy days, this is comparable with only working in daylight hours. The major disadvantages with microgeneration of electricity using wind turbines are swirling wind direction in urban areas, particularly if not mounted on the tallest building in the vicinity, and the obstructive planning laws in this country. Hopefully planning permission will become much easier and 2010 might yet be the year of the micro wind turbine.

Renewable technology cannot compete on the free market with fossil fuels unless carbon trading schemes are brought in to represent the global damage being caused by climate change. The UK has introduced Renewable Obligation Credits (ROC’s) and one off grants towards the initial capital outlay of microgeneration. For solar photovoltaics this grant currently stands at £2,500 per household and ROC’s provide about 5p/kWh of energy produced.

Since the climate change bill was passed into law in late 2008 there has been renewed talk of what form a feed-in tariff will take. If the bill follows the path blazed by Germany, France and Spain it will create a massive boom in the market. This will not only begin to strain demand, leading to an increase in solar panel costs, but more importantly it will replace the upfront capital grant.

The resultant conclusion: If you believe the feed-in tariff is likely to come into law, now is the ideal time to be purchasing solar photovoltaic systems. You receive the capital grant and the production grants making solar photovoltaics a sound financial investment.

Suniva Inc., a manufacturer of high value monocrystalline silicon solar cells, today announced that in less than 12 months after the initial planning it successfully began production of solar cells on its new 32MWp line in Norcross, Georgia. The company simultaneously announced plans to install a second production line next year with twice the manufacturing capacity of its first, bringing total production capacity of the Norcross facility to 96MWp by the middle of 2009.

The newly completed 32MW line produces Suniva’s ARTisun(TM) solar cells, which are then delivered to module manufacturers to be assembled into some of the industry’s most efficient solar modules. Suniva currently sells solar cells produced at the Norcross facility under existing customer contracts with companies including Solon AG and Titan Energy Systems LTD., totaling more than USD$1B.

With the successful completion of its first line, Suniva concurrently announced plans to continue the partnership with centrotherm photovoltaics AG to design and integrate a second, larger production line at the Norcross facility. Both lines will use uniquely configured, centrotherm integrated equipment and Suniva’s patented fabrication techniques to produce high efficiency, low-cost monocrystalline silicon solar cells. Suniva plans for this first factory to eventually feature a total capacity of about 175 MWp by early 2010 and will provide many new high paying cleantech jobs.

read more at: http://www.renewableenergyjobs.net/showthread.php?t=1636

Obama’s encouragement to build alternate energy sources coupled with the eight-year extension of tax incentives for solar power projects, which was part of the $700 Billion bail out passed by US Congress are good reasons for solar power companies to feel optimistic.

The tax breaks announced by Congress will encourage private investment from photovoltaic companies such as Moser Baer which have planned investments to the tune of US $3.6 Billion in research, development and manufacturing of products dedicated to generating solar power.

Other players who will benefit are Tata BP Solar and Reliance Industries Ltd. which announced last year its intention to set up a solar plant in West Bengal.

Read more at: http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Solar-power-cos-cheer-green-initiatives/381918/

Tired of waiting for solar photovoltaics costs to finally drop? Looks like the wait is almost up. Average Selling Prices (ASPs) of solar photovoltaic modules are expected to decline 20% in 2009 and 25% in 2010.

After subsidies, Plan B for module makers is to sell products at a discount to keep inventory moving. It helps that manufacturing costs continue to decline about 10% each year, thanks to design improvements and benefits of scale. But it seems a little coincidental that most solar companies happened to predict the ASP for their products will decline at the exact same rate.

Analysts from Deutsche Bank (nyse: DB – news – people ), UBS (nyse: UBS – news – people ), Hapoalim Securities and Goldman Sachs all reached a different consensus, namely that ASPs will need to decline closer to 20% in 2009 to absorb excess inventory, and as much as 25% the following year.

Read more at: http://www.futurepundit.com/archives/005686.html

Deloitte today released their “UK Technology Fast50” Report.  It lists the fifty fastest growing technology companies in the UK.
“The 2008 Deloitte Fast 50 results bear testament to the vibrancy of the UK technology sector, even in challenging market conditions. Overall growth rates have in fact increased in the last 12 months – the average growth rate of the 2008 Fast 50 was 2161 per cent, up from (2318 per cent).

Last year’s winner would have been ranked third this year. The average revenue figures for the 2008 Deloitte Fast 50 are £17.3m.

David Halstead, Partner TMT practice and Fast 50 Chairman, Deloitte said: “The 2008 Deloitte Fast 50 provides a fascinating view of the evolving structure of the UK’s tech sector, with software and internet businesses making up the bulk of the fastest growing companies. While their products and services are at the extreme cutting edge of global technology, it is important to note that it is not just technology that makes these companies leaders in their sectors – it is about the quality of the people and their Intellectual Property that makes these businesses the success stories they are.”

To qualify for the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 award, companies must have met stringent criteria: to have been in business for over five years, be UK-owned, to have operating revenues of at least £34,000, to own proprietary technology or proprietary intellectual property that contributes to a significant portion of the company’s operating revenues; or to devote a significant proportion of revenues to the research and development of technology.”

Top of the list is Thunderhead Limited, a software vendor with a staggering growth of 28,558% in the last year.  Ubisense also experienced five figure growth, at 15324%.  What they do, to quote their website is “Ubisense precise real-time location solutions drive process improvement, delivering maximum ROI to our industrial customers by providing 15cm 3D accuracy, real-time sub-second response and proven robustness in challenging manufacturing environments across standard networks.”

What I find most interesting is the absences. Despite being a technology listing, open to any kind of technology manufacturer, there are no representatives from the renewable energy sector.
On a quick skim, there are only really five companies that actually ‘make’ anything physical (Ubisense, picoChip, CSR plc, Sensornet Ltd, Xtreme Business Solutions Ltd ).*  I wonder when the government will pass the legislation required for a renewable sector company to make this list, it can surely only be a matter of time.

Miliband has been making the right noises about feed in tariffs, and potentially reducing the obstructions to offshore wind-farms. Will 2009 be the year? To exclude software from making something physical is a little glib, I admit.