New Solar Trends at Solar 2008 Conference in San Diego
New trends spotted at the American Solar Energy Society conference last week in San Diego (courtesy of Illinois Solar Energy Association President Mark Burger, who attended):
- From Bosch, a new generation of solar flat plate collectors (used in solar thermal water heating applications) that can be mounted on the roof at a lower angle, addressing some peoples’ aesthetic concerns. The panels are also lighter-weight and easier to mount even on high roofs. Low-profile collectors were also unveiled by Schuco, Viessman, and Velux. Perhaps next year, one of the innovative solar companies will be from the U.S.?
- Solar thin film technology is exceeding expectations, with market share estimated at 3%, vs. 1-2%. Thin film is the new solar kid on the block, celebrated because of its lower cost, higher efficiency and more flexible applications.
- SolarBuzz reported a 62% increase in world PV production. “Germany’s PV market reached 1,328 MW in 2007 and now accounts for 47% of the world market. Spain soared by over 480% to 640 MW, while the U.S. increased by 57% to 220 MW, [making it] the world’s largest market behind Japan, once the world leader.”
- ASES (American Solar Energy Society), the conference’s sponsor, announced a push to establish more student chapters, in order to enlist solar energy’s future leaders. (Photo from VELUX image gallery.)
Related Posts:
Solar System Leases: Taking the Industry by Storm
Solar Thermal Electricity: Can it Replace Coal, Gas and Oil?
If you’re interested in the future of solar, you should attend the Renewable Energy Finance Forum-Wall Street (http://www.REFFWallStreet.com), held June 18-19 in New York City. One of the official event sessions will feature the CEOs of First Solar, LDK Solar, Applied Materials, and SunPower in a discussion about the potential of the solar photovoltaics industry, as well as the economic and policy factors fueling development.
[...] New Solar Trends at Solar 2008 Conference in San Diego [...]
i had a thought about clean energy. you can use a line up of magnifying lenses to heat a low melting point metal. this in turn will have a metal pipe in the molten metal of a higher mealting point with water running thru it. this will turn the water to stream. the steam will flow thru the pipe passing thru turbines at a high rate of speed replicating a hydro dam. after the water passes thru the turbines it will meet up into a cooling process only to go back to the molten metal and repeat the cycle again. i know this would work on a huge scale producing a lot of electricity. this is also a clean method as well as it can be put into various areas of the world that are not very populated with a minimum crew to maintain the system.
Posted by: james young | September 15, 2008 at 07:49 PM