Business is bad? Where is business bad? Not in the solar cell industry is business bad.

During the 3Q of this year, Japan’s fiscal 2Q shipments of solar cells to the European Union grew 44% on the year in power capacity terms. It now reaches 304,500kW says the Japan Photovoltaic Energy Association.

Europe accounted for 60% of all shipments. Exports to the Old Country rose 53% from the same period last year. These shipments are the main engine for overall growth.

The market for solar cells is firm despite the global financial crisis. Hmm … anybody looking for a job?

Nobody knows whether shipments can keep up the pace. We could lay a bunch of economists end to end but they still wouldn’t be able to reach a conclusion.

Best business decision these days – think GREEN! – via Nikkei (sub req)

Image courtesy of Zruda

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You can call this a celestial show on earth or probably the most eco-friendly display of dazzling light aimed at producing clean energy.

The Solucar solar park, near Seville, Spain, has been designed to produce 11 megawatts of electricity from the sun’s rays, collected by 624 giant movable mirrors. This is the first in a set of a solar power generation plants that will produce a whooping 300 megawatts of electricity by 2013, making it a project with potential that matches its visual spectacle and grandeur.

The project works by bringing together some very simple principles of physics. It uses giant mirrors to concentrate solar energy o to a tall tower. With Seville having bright and clear weather for over 320 days a year, the 624 moving mirrors would have enough sunlight to reflect.

Also, the tower uses water that is converted to steam which produces energy by the known method of rotating turbines. The giant solar light show in Seville is yet another demonstration of how the world is progressively discovering grand new ways to use renewable energy to the fullest.

Remember Renfe’s AVE S103? Spain is doing incredible progress to become sustainable.

Source: DailyMail

Solar energy is without a shadow of a doubt, the leader when it comes to renewable energy sources. It seems that the State of California is assuming the mantle of being the new “Sunshine State” in the US with its amazing progress in utilizing solar energy to the optimum level. Even the economic meltdown that hit the country so hard seems to have been a lot kinder to California’s solar march into the future, as it showing no signs of stopping.

Designed by Ausra in mere seven months, the Kimberlina Solar Thermal Plant is the first of its kind in North America. It was built using an array of solar-thermal panels that use a technology called Compact Linear Fresnel Reflectors, that revolutionizes the traditional notion of solar power. With the Fresnel principle, solar energy is converted into thermal energy and that heat is used to turn water into steam. The working from there on is pretty common with the steam producing electrical energy by rotating the turbines.

The plant will utilize 1,000-foot long mirrors to enhance the process and produce 5MW of electricity when at full capacity.

The Bakersfield plant is also a testing prototype for a future 177MW facility set to open in 2010 in San Luis Obispo that will power more than 120,000 homes. For something so grand and involving solar power, it had to be Arnold who cut the ribbon and so he did.

The future sure looks sunny and bright for California! Check out more pictures after the break. (more…)

TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power Co) will build two solar power plants on the waterfront in Kawasaki, Kanagawa (near Yokohama), that will have a capability of producing some 20,000kw – enough energy for 5,900 households. That’s great news, only 24,994,100 households to go. TEPCO’s investment will come to about Y10B ($100 million).

Solar power wind turbine lampost in Tokyo, Japan

The solar panels will cover some 30 hectares at two landfills and construction starts next year and will be finished within two years. Overall, the plant will reduce carbon emissions by 8,900 tons and TEPCO has similar plans for plants in other parts of Japan.

Meanwhile – KEPCO ( Kansai Electric Power Co.) and Sharp Corp. are jointly building a 28,000kw solar power facility in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, that’s going to be two times smaller.

Source (subscription required) – Image courtesy of Howard.Gees

When the US Army takes a small break from those unnecessary and probably unnecessary wars, or don’t plan new ones, they manage to amaze us. I’m talking about the latest initiative to build a 500MW solar thermal plant in the Mojave Desert near Fort Irwin, CA, that will help them cut down $21 million a year from their $3 billion energy bill.

Set to be ready in 2014, the new solar plant is not only going to reduce the risk of power interruptions but will also reduce the carbon footprint by 4,015,000 tons. No word on how much money it will cost to build this military installation but it sounds like a better way to spend money.

Keith Eastin, the Army’s assistant secretary for Installations & Environment said that the new solar thermal plant will be built in the name of energy security and not necessarily the environment. However the US Army plans to buy 4,000 electric vehicles for maintenance and operations and also a joint geothermal initiative with the Navy that should be ready by 2012 and would provide 30 megawatts of power at Hawthorne Army Depot, Nevada.

Is the US Army turning eco-friendly?

Image courtesy of Schwarzerkater