Recent Comment
Share
Nanosolar just can't stop making news! After completing it's $100M manufacturing plant and starting up the manufacture of nearly 500 megawatts of solar generating capacity per year, NanoSolar is taking yet more investment.
EDF Energies Nouvelles, a renewable energy provider that serves up 1.4 gigawatts of power throughout Europe, has invested $50 million in NanoSolar, at least in part in order to get access to some of the panels they're producing. Already, NanoSolar is undercutting the price per watt of every other photovoltaic provider on the planet. They've done this by developing a technique whereby they can basically print solar panels. It's fast, simple, and cheap (now that they've got the plant up and running) and they've been selling everything they can produce.
EDF's investment ensures that they'll be able to buy some of the highly in-demand solar panels from NanoSolar in 2009.
But NanoSolar's vision isn't without problems. Long-term efficiency of their cells has yet to be established, and some worry that they could degrade faster than traditional panels. Additionally, these thin-film solar cells require indium, an element that has recently become scarce due to a huge increase in use for flat-panel televisions and solar panels. The near-term shortage might force Nanosolar to increase its prices.
Other companies like Miasole and HelioVolt are working on creating similar panels using the same chemistry, but only NanoSolar has begun selling them in significant quantities.
Via CNet Green Tech
Subscribe to this comment's feed
written by Chris Morrell, April 03, 2008
-
- +0
-
-
written by C Williams, April 03, 2008
Do not drive a vehicle on May 18th and let them know that a grass roots effort can bring their profits down and save the environment. The entire environmental impact could be monumental.
Check out this page and send it on to everyone you know and tell them to send it on......Let's make a difference
http://nodrivingday.blogspot.com
-
- +0
-
-
written by jake3988, April 03, 2008
Most interesting. Wonder when the average consumer will be able to purchase these "cheap" panels.
=============================
As stated in the post, likely 2009. The production plant has been built, I assume it just needs to get running and get the industries that ordered them theirs.
After that, I'd imagine consumers will be the next target.
There's plenty more than just nanosolar promising $1 a watt. There's at least 3 other companies too planning to go, uh, 'online' by late 2008 to 2009.
Hopefully any one of those will be available as soon as possible!
-
- +0
-
-
written by Dan, April 05, 2008
-
- +0
-
-
written by Eddie, April 05, 2008
-
- +0
-
-
written by Vladan, April 07, 2008
Vladan
-
- +0
-
-
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
Indium is a by-product extraction mineral that can be obtained during the processing of zinc. But the historical demand for indium has been so low that not all zinc processors bothered to collect the indium.
Now demand is increasing and more indium will be brought to market. There may be temporary shortfalls, as there was in PV quality silicon, but the shortfalls will be due to rapid increases in demand, not availibility.
--
BTW, you might want to check with Nanosolar. They give some quite good long term projections for their panels.