Scope for PV energy savings for UK residents

NEWS Editorial office: Elsevier Advanced Technology PO Box 150 Kidlington Oxford OX5 1AS United Kingdom Tel:+44 (0)1865 843239 Fax: +44 (0)1865 853971 E-mail: [email protected] http://www.pvbulletin.com Contributing Editor: Roy Szweda Programme Editor: Steve Barrett Production/Design Controller: Esther Ibbotson Editorial board: Alan Delahoy, USA Robert Freling, USA Jeremy Leggett, UK Larry Kazmerski, USA Lou Raveson, USA Gerhard Willeke, Germany Permissions may be sought directly from Elsevier Rights & Permissions Department, PO Box 800, Oxford OX5 1DX, UK; phone: (+44) 1865 843830, fax: (+44) 1865 853333, e-mail: permissions@elsevier. com. You may also contact Rights & Permissions directly through Elsevier’s home page (http:// www.elsevier.nl), selecting first ‘Customer Support’, then ‘General Information’, then Permissions Query Form’. In the USA, users may clear permissions and make payments through the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, USA; phone: (978) 7508400, fax: (978) 7504744, and in the UK through the Copyright Licensing Agency Rapid Clearance Service (CLARCS), 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1P 0LP, UK; phone: (+44) 171 436 5931; fax: (+44) 171 436 3986. Other countries may have a local reprographic rights agency for payments. Derivative Works Subscribers may reproduce tables of contents or prepare lists of articles including abstracts for internal circulation within their institutions. Permission of the publisher is required for resale or distribution outside the institution. Permission of the publisher is required for all other derivative works, including compilations and translations. Electronic Storage or Usage Permission of the publisher is required to store or use electronically any material contained in this journal, including any article or part of an article. Contact the publisher at the address indicated. Except as outlined above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of the publisher. Address permissions requests to: Elsevier Rights & Permissions Department, at the mail, fax and e-mail addresses noted above. Notice No responsibility is assumed by the Publisher for any injury and/or damage to persons or property as a matter of products liability, negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods, products, instructions or ideas contained in the material herein. Because of rapid advances in the medical sciences, in particular, independent verification of diagnoses and drug dosages should be made. Although all advertising material is expected to conform to ethical a guarantee or endorsement of the quality or value of such product or of the claims made of it by its manufacturer.

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Photovoltaics Bulletin

Efficient PV cells made Scope for PV energy possible by new material savings for UK residents A new paper by K. Yu et al., to appear in the journal Physical Review Letters, describes a new semiconductor material which, the authors claim, could lead to solar cells with efficiencies up to 56%. In standard solar cells, light absorbed by the cell is converted to power by knocking loose an electron, allowing current to flow. Based on the properties of the particular semiconductor material used in the cell, the light must have a certain amount of energy, to knock an electron loose. Light with lower energy will not be absorbed; light with higher energy will be absorbed, and so the extra energy will be wasted. The new material, a ZnMnTe crystal with added oxygen impurities, has three bandgaps instead of one, and thus takes advantage of a much larger range of the solar energy spectrum. The researchers synthesized the material using a novel technique called oxygen ion implantation and pulsed laser melting. Adjusting the amount of oxygen in the material varies the bandgap to optimize power conversion.

Advent Solar wins national award Albuquerque-based Advent Solar won the 2003 National Clean Energy Venture Competition at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s 16th Annual Industry Growth Forum. The company beat 35 competitors to take the top prize, which included $7000 in cash and $3000 worth of incubation services from the Austin Clean Energy Incubator. The competition was sponsored by Bechtel Corporation. Advent Solar provides a line of advanced PV cells and modules based on proprietary technology aimed at dramatically reducing the cost of producing electricity. The technology is exclusively licensed from Sandia National Labs. Competitors were selected from hundreds of applicants to present their business plans to energy executives and other potential investors. Advent CEO, Rusty Schmit, who has developed solar energy technology for the labs and for private firms, founded Advent a year ago. It recently received a $400 000 seed investment from Seattle-based investors Angels with Attitudes. For more information on Advent Solar, go to: www.adventsolar.com For more information on the Austin Clean Energy Incubator, go to: www.cleanenergyincubator.com

According to the Energy Saving Trust in the UK, Scottish households are capable of generating £225 million (US$385 million) worth of solar energy every year. Domestic PV systems could save individual Scottish households up to half of their annual energy needs, or an average saving of £100 ($170) a year on bills, it claims. A typical PV solar system would cost £8000– 18 000 ($13 600–30 600). As government grants funded by the Department of Trade & Industry cover only half of the total installation costs, the householder can be left to pay up to £4000 for the cheapest system. Thus, based on the EST’s estimate of a £100 saving on energy bills per year, it would take 40 years before those opting to buy the technology realized any savings. Kirk Archibald, a PV program manager at the EST, insists the systems are playing an increasingly important role in the UK’s renewable energy revolution: ‘Thinking small is the first step to addressing the bigger picture,’ he says. ‘Each domestic installation contributes to the government’s aim of generating 10% of the UK’s electricity from renewable sources by 2010.’ For more information on the Energy Saving Trust, go to: www.est.org.uk

Texan institute opens PV power station, exhibit City Public Service (CPS) recently opened a new Solar Power Station at the Institute of Texan Cultures at the University of Texas in San Antonio (UTSA). It will not only provide 10 kW of electricity for the utility’s downtown grid, but also educate visitors on the benefits of renewable energies. The gas and electric utility spent $300 000 to construct three giant arrays comprising 200 PV panels. CPS has a 10-year agreement with the institute to operate the panels, with an option to renew the agreement for another five years. When completed, the institute will own the panels, although the electricity will continue to be fed into the CPS grid. A pair of the arrays covers an open-air carport with parking for eight vehicles, while the third is perched on top of an interactive exhibit explaining the benefits of solar power. ‘UTSA’s Institute of Texan Cultures is proud to partner with City Public Service to demonstrate the value of renewable energy sources and innovate research to our community,’ says

December 2003