August 31,2009 –

Researchers from the U. of New South Wales (Australia) have produced a multicell combination that tops any previous mark for solar-cell conversion efficiency in any type of cell.

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Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Green Culture, Solar, Chevrolet

For the last month, Tom Leitschuh has been cruising around Racine, Wisconsin in a 1981 Chevrolet El Camino without a single worry about his emissions or the price of gas. The reason is that his El Camino has been converted to all electric power and he generates electricity using wind and solar panels at home. This means he doesn’t care what the utility rates are, either. Sounds good, doesn’t it?

Leitschuh bought the car on eBay and spent a total of $30,000 on the project. A local electric parts company, Quick Cable, donated some pieces as well. The El-ectric Camino uses 46 lithium ferrite batteries, which Leitschuh says are “the safest batteries in the world, and they’ll work down to zero degrees.” These electron carriers give him a 200-mile range (if he drives carefully) and go about 100 miles on an average driving cycle. All sorts of details on the conversion itself - including a failed motor, how to pack in the four dozen (almost) batteries and Leitschuh’s simple economic reasons for swapping gas for electronc - are available here.

[Source: Journal Times, Quick Cable]

El(ectric) Camino takes to the road in Wisconsin originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How much do solar panels cost?  We get this question from homeowners a lot.   The truth is that the cost of solar varies based on many more factors than just the price of panels or government subsidies.  The cost for you to get solar panels will likely be different than for your neighbor.  Here are some of the biggest factors that will impact solar costs.

How much electricity you use
When you go solar, don’t think about it as paying for equipment; really, you’re paying for the electricity your system will produce for the next 25 years. If you use more electricity, you’ll need more panels, which means that you’ll have to pay more.   Generally, solar is a great option for people with high electricity bills because you can save a lot by locking in a lower rate.

Your roof construction
You might not have thought much about the shape of your roof, but slope, direction and roof material matter for solar.   If the flat parts of your roof face south-north rather than east-west you’ll get better sun and won’t need as many panels, which means it will be less expensive for you.

Certain types of roofs are easier to install on than others.  For instance, if you have an asphalt roof, it will be easier to install panels than if you have a ceramic tile roof.

The amount of sun on your roof
It’s not enough to live in an area with a lot of sun.   To get maximum value from solar panels, that sun actually has to hit your roof.   If you have lots of trees or tall buildings near your home, check to see if and when they shade your roof. Shade on your solar panels can greatly reduce the productivity of your system.  The way that solar panels work mean that even a small amount of shading on your roof can make your solar panels a lot less efficient.  If you have a lot of shade on your roof it’s quite possible that it won’t make economic sense for you to get solar.

The age of your roof
If you think you’re going to need to re-roof your home in the next 5 years, it probably makes sense to do it before you get solar.  If you decide to re-roof after you’ve gone solar, it’s not the end of the world. The panels will be removed, then reinstalled.

How you pay for it
You can choose to pay for your solar panels upfront, which can cost you anywhere from $10,000 to $25,000, depending on the factors above.  Or, you can choose one of the new financing options like SunRun solar financing which will allow you to pay less to get started (closer to $1,000) and get solar energy as a monthly service.

Government Subsidies
The U.S. government will pay you to go solar.  The federal government tax credit runs through 2016, but many states have rebates set up that decline over time.   The sooner you go, the more money you’ll likely get back from the government.

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Scosche Industries has come out with a solar powered speaker phone that can be charged by attaching it to any window. The “SolChat” is a Bluetooth speaker phone that’s powered by an integrated solar panel and lithium ion battery.

The SolChat can be placed on the driver’s side window through and the device will announce incoming calls. The driver will be able to communicate with the caller while keeping their hands on the wheel. SolChat pairs up with any available cell phone in area.

“Using voice announce, the speaker phone let’s users know who’s calling and actually guides them through the initial Bluetooth 2.0 device pairing process. The solCHAT automatically reconnects to users cell phones once initially paired. Users simply turn the solCHAT on when entering the vehicle and the device will automatically pair with the cell phone. “

SolChat automatically turns off when the cell is removed from pairing range. It features just 3 buttons: Vol Up, Vol Down and the Answer/Hangup Multifunction button. Also included are a windshield suction cup mount and sun visor clip for easy operation and solar charging.

Retails for $99.99 and SolChat comes with a USB charging cable and car adaptor so you can charge at night and on days with insufficient sunlight.

As someone pointed out, walk away from your vehicle with this speaker phone mounted on your windshield and it might not be there when you return!

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NANJING, China, Aug. 31 /PRNewswire-Asia/ — China Sunergy Co., Ltd. (Nasdaq: CSUN), a specialized solar cell manufacturer based in Nanjing, China, today announced that it has signed a series of sales contracts with NUE PTY Ltd (”NU Energy”), a photovoltaic firm based in Victoria, Australia.

China Sunergy expects to ship up to a total of 10MW of monocrystalline solar modules, which are manufactured under sub-contracted OEM arrangement, to NU Energy, with partial shipments having begun in June 2009 and the full delivery under these contracts scheduled to be completed by early 2010 with ongoing contracts anticipated.

“Australia represents another new market for China Sunergy, and our successful signing of multiple sales agreements with this new customer is a positive indication of our ability to deliver high-quality solar power products globally,” commented Dr. Ruennsheng Allen Wang, Director and CEO of China Sunergy. “Our dedicated sales efforts continue to generate results, both domestically and internationally, as we look to further diversify our sales channels.”

NU Energy Chief Executive Officer Simon Schauble said, “NU Energy is one of Australia’s largest solar companies, and these orders, totalling 10MW, show the strong confidence we have in our ongoing partnership with China Sunergy.”

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DANBURY, Conn., Aug. 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Solomon Technologies, Inc. (Pink Sheets: SOLM) announced today that its Technipower subsidiary has installed its first Instant Solar(TM) system at its Danbury, CT headquarters. The pre-assembled, pre-wired system, which is a self contained unit comprising two solar arrays and all the equipment necessary to tie to the power grid, was easily and quickly erected and electrically connected. The Company has a patent pending on the system.

Dan Connors, President of Technipower said, “Our installation demonstrated how easily the system can be placed in service at a customer’s site. Instant Solar provides an appealing alternative to solar installers, electrical contractors, building services providers, architects, and energy consultants who are expanding their business into the solar market and want flexibility without complexity. Since our recent announcement and local press coverage, we’ve had a very positive response from a number of industry channels.”

Connors continued, “In being our own customer, this installation has provided us valuable insights in streamlining the sales and installation process to improve the overall value proposition to the end user. We expect to install additional solar units at our Danbury headquarters and at our Reynosa, Mexico facility and to ship the first commercial units during the fourth quarter of this year.”

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XINYU CITY, China and SUNNYVALE, Calif., Aug. 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — LDK Solar Co., Ltd. (NYSE: LDK), a leading manufacturer of multicrystalline solar wafers, today announced that it has entered into an agreement with Suqian City of Jiangsu Province for the development of PV power projects. According to the agreement, LDK Solar will develop PV power projects in buildings, plants and integration systems, totaling up to 300 MW by 2015. The terms, including financing, design and specific location of each of the projects, will require a feasibility study as well as final approval from relevant governmental departments prior to initiation.

“Suqian City has unique advantages in developing PV projects, with average annual sunshine of up to 3,000 hours as well as strong support from the government for growing the solar energy industry,” stated Xu Huiming, Vice Mayor of Suqian City. “Suqian City has become a leading area for the development of the solar PV industry and we hope that our partnership with LDK Solar will further increase our solar resources and promote the expansion of the local solar industry.”

“We are very excited to partner with Suqian City and to support the development of its local economy and Chinese solar industry,” stated Xiaofeng Peng, Chairman and CEO of LDK Solar. “We are encouraged by the continued support from our government for PV projects and pleased with the enthusiasm for this partnership demonstrated by Suqian City.”

The PV application market has been rapidly developing in China this year and the Chinese government is supporting the establishment of the domestic PV market through the use of governmental financial subsidies.

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MARLBORO, Mass. and WUHAN, China–(BUSINESS WIRE)–In a ceremony today in Wuhan, China, Evergreen Solar, Inc. (NasdaqGM: ESLR), a manufacturer of String Ribbon™ solar power products with its proprietary, low-cost silicon wafer technology, and its contract manufacturing partner, Jiawei Solarchina Co., celebrated the groundbreaking for their new 100 megawatt manufacturing plants.

Evergreen Solar Chairman, President and CEO Richard M. Feldt was joined by Mr. Qing-Quan Lo, Hubei Province party leader; Mr. Hong-Zhong Li, Governor of Hubei Province; Mr. Song Yang, Wuhan City party leader; Mr. Chen-Fa Ruan, Wuhan City Mayor and other high ranking government officials as well as Professor Ding Kongxian, chairman of Jiawei Solarchina Co., Ltd., and senior management from Jiawei and the Hubei Science & Technology Investment Co for the ceremony celebrating the start of the plant’s construction, which actually began in July of 2009. Construction is on schedule to be completed by spring 2010.

These manufacturing plants are part of an agreement between Evergreen Solar and Jiawei through which Evergreen Solar will manufacture String Ribbon wafers using its state-of-the-art Quad furnaces at this leased facility being built on Jiawei’s campus. Jiawei will convert the String Ribbon wafers into Evergreen Solar-branded panels on a contract manufacturing basis.

“Today represents an important step in the growth of Evergreen Solar,” said Feldt. “When you combine Evergreen Solar’s unique wafer technology and Jiawei’s high quality, cost efficient cell and panel conversion processes, we believe we have a winning formula that will produce the best performing and lowest cost multi-crystalline solar panels in the world. We’re extremely pleased that construction proceeds according to schedule and look forward to beginning production of our String Ribbon solar panels in the spring of 2010.”

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