CleanTechnica » cigs http://cleantechnica.com Clean Tech News & Views: Solar Energy News. Wind Energy News. EV News. & More. Tue, 30 Dec 2014 18:48:25 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.0.1 Tariffs-Smariffs, We Can Already Make the World’s Lowest Cost Solar Modules — Here In The US http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/29/tariffs-smariffs-can-already-make-worlds-lowest-cost-solar-modules-u-s/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/29/tariffs-smariffs-can-already-make-worlds-lowest-cost-solar-modules-u-s/#comments Mon, 29 Dec 2014 19:33:36 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=76920 By Brad Mattson, CEO Siva Power and author of The Solar Phoenix The stiff solar tariffs recently imposed by the US on Chinese panels have made quite a splash. I think it is great my government is pushing to level the playing field so more solar companies can make products from a technology we invented. However,

Tariffs-Smariffs, We Can Already Make the World’s Lowest Cost Solar Modules — Here In The US was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/29/tariffs-smariffs-can-already-make-worlds-lowest-cost-solar-modules-u-s/feed/ 23 New CIGS Solar Cell Record — 21.7% CIGS Cell Conversion Efficiency Achieved At ZSW http://cleantechnica.com/2014/09/27/new-cigs-solar-cell-record-21-7-cigs-cell-conversion-efficiency-achieved-zsw/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/09/27/new-cigs-solar-cell-record-21-7-cigs-cell-conversion-efficiency-achieved-zsw/#comments Sat, 27 Sep 2014 17:26:55 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=72506 A new CIGS thin-film solar cell conversion efficiency record was recently achieved by researchers at the Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research (ZSW) in Stuttgart. The new conversion efficiency record of 21.7% beats the previous record of 21% — that was set earlier this year by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems —

New CIGS Solar Cell Record — 21.7% CIGS Cell Conversion Efficiency Achieved At ZSW was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/09/27/new-cigs-solar-cell-record-21-7-cigs-cell-conversion-efficiency-achieved-zsw/feed/ 2 Solar Frontier’s ‘Blueprint’ CIGS Module Factory Nearing Completion http://cleantechnica.com/2014/08/27/solar-frontiers-blueprint-cigs-module-factory-nearing-completion-targeting-cell-efficiency-15-production-lines/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/08/27/solar-frontiers-blueprint-cigs-module-factory-nearing-completion-targeting-cell-efficiency-15-production-lines/#comments Wed, 27 Aug 2014 10:50:33 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=71137 Development on Solar Frontier’s new ‘blueprint’ CIGS solar cell factory is moving along nicely, according to recent reports. The facility — which is aiming for a cell efficiency of 15% on its production lines — is being constructed in the northeastern Tohoku region of Japan, and is expected to be completed by March 2015. Once

Solar Frontier’s ‘Blueprint’ CIGS Module Factory Nearing Completion was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/08/27/solar-frontiers-blueprint-cigs-module-factory-nearing-completion-targeting-cell-efficiency-15-production-lines/feed/ 0 $15 Million In Funding For Thin-Film Solar Company Siva Power http://cleantechnica.com/2014/06/25/siva-power-thin-film-solar-company/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/06/25/siva-power-thin-film-solar-company/#comments Wed, 25 Jun 2014 12:20:45 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=68483 Last year a San Jose, CA, company called Solexant rebranded as Siva Power and starter to focus on CIGS thin-film solar. It looks like it’s refocusing strategy has been successful because it just got $15 million in funding from Acero Capital, DBL Investors, and Trident Capital. All three had invested in The company previously. Siva also

$15 Million In Funding For Thin-Film Solar Company Siva Power was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/06/25/siva-power-thin-film-solar-company/feed/ 6 Perovskites: The Future of PV? http://cleantechnica.com/2014/06/11/perovskites-future-pv/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/06/11/perovskites-future-pv/#comments Wed, 11 Jun 2014 07:22:20 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=68034 By Sam Stranks A new material has entered the emerging low-cost photovoltaics arena and is threatening to blow much of the existing competition away. Power conversion efficiencies (how efficiently incident sunlight is converted to electrical power) in perovskite-based solar cells have increased from a starting point of 3.8% in 2009 to a staggering 19.3% by May 2014. Such

Perovskites: The Future of PV? was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/06/11/perovskites-future-pv/feed/ 4 Color This New Solar Cell Efficiency Breakthrough Blue http://cleantechnica.com/2014/01/25/new-solar-cell-efficiency-breakthrough-harvests-blue-light/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/01/25/new-solar-cell-efficiency-breakthrough-harvests-blue-light/#comments Sat, 25 Jan 2014 14:04:11 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=61753 If you had to pick the best color for solar cell efficiency off the top of your head, yellow – as in sunlight – would probably get the nod. However, there is a lot of efficiency to be mined in the blue end of the spectrum. The problem is, blue light has excess energy that

Color This New Solar Cell Efficiency Breakthrough Blue was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/01/25/new-solar-cell-efficiency-breakthrough-harvests-blue-light/feed/ 10 Samsung Now Holds CIGS Solar Efficiency Record http://cleantechnica.com/2013/12/23/samsung-now-holds-cigs-solar-efficiency-record/ http://cleantechnica.com/2013/12/23/samsung-now-holds-cigs-solar-efficiency-record/#comments Mon, 23 Dec 2013 11:40:53 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=60444 Samsung now holds the record for the most efficient CIGS solar panels — 15.7% on a 1.44 square-meter substrate. This efficiency was achieved using a two-stage process similar to that of Solar Frontier. Solar Frontier isn’t terribly far behind with its 14.7% efficiency rating, which was achieved on a 1.23 square-meter substrate. Samsung’s 15.7% efficiency was

Samsung Now Holds CIGS Solar Efficiency Record was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2013/12/23/samsung-now-holds-cigs-solar-efficiency-record/feed/ 1 CIGS Solar Cell Efficiency Gets A Tweak From Swiss Research Team http://cleantechnica.com/2013/11/09/swiss-team-tweaks-cigs-solar-cell-efficiency/ http://cleantechnica.com/2013/11/09/swiss-team-tweaks-cigs-solar-cell-efficiency/#comments Sat, 09 Nov 2013 12:37:54 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=58768 The solar cell efficiency horse race is in full swing and it seems like every other week a new record-breaking announcement comes out, but let’s take a step back and consider how efficiency is just one element in the installed cost of solar power. Another key factor is the cost of manufacturing, as demonstrated by

CIGS Solar Cell Efficiency Gets A Tweak From Swiss Research Team was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2013/11/09/swiss-team-tweaks-cigs-solar-cell-efficiency/feed/ 4 Thin-Film Solar Cell Efficiency Record Set By Centre For Solar Energy & Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg http://cleantechnica.com/2013/10/31/thin-film-solar-cell-efficiency-record-set-centre-solar-energy-hydrogen-research-baden-wurttemberg/ http://cleantechnica.com/2013/10/31/thin-film-solar-cell-efficiency-record-set-centre-solar-energy-hydrogen-research-baden-wurttemberg/#comments Thu, 31 Oct 2013 05:30:01 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=58414 Originally published on Solar Love. The Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW) has announced that it has set a new copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) thin-film solar cell efficiency record. The 20.8% record beats ZSW’s own previous record of 20.3% as well as the 20.4% multicrystalline PV cell record — the first time that thin-film

Thin-Film Solar Cell Efficiency Record Set By Centre For Solar Energy & Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2013/10/31/thin-film-solar-cell-efficiency-record-set-centre-solar-energy-hydrogen-research-baden-wurttemberg/feed/ 0 Record Breaking Solar Cell Efficiency From A “Perfect Crystal” http://cleantechnica.com/2013/10/28/record-breaking-solar-cell-efficiency-perfect-crystal/ http://cleantechnica.com/2013/10/28/record-breaking-solar-cell-efficiency-perfect-crystal/#comments Mon, 28 Oct 2013 12:20:54 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=58320 Gallium is already on its way to becoming the workhorse of the solar tech field, and now it looks like the soft metal is is on track to become a thoroughbred. A team of US scientists has hit upon an improved method for growing indium gallium nitride (InGaN) crystals that could lead to record-breaking solar

Record Breaking Solar Cell Efficiency From A “Perfect Crystal” was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2013/10/28/record-breaking-solar-cell-efficiency-perfect-crystal/feed/ 7 Potential Funding Opportunity For PV Projects In Europe http://cleantechnica.com/2013/04/11/potential-funding-opportunity-for-pv-projects-in-europe/ http://cleantechnica.com/2013/04/11/potential-funding-opportunity-for-pv-projects-in-europe/#comments Thu, 11 Apr 2013 10:36:20 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=50614 Reposted from the website of the European Photovoltaic Industry Association: The European Union’s NER300 programme, which funds innovative low-carbon energy demonstration projects, has issued a new call for proposals. EPIA monitoring has found that it includes several potential funding opportunities for PV projects. Published on 3 April, the call for proposals includes the following subcategories

Potential Funding Opportunity For PV Projects In Europe was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2013/04/11/potential-funding-opportunity-for-pv-projects-in-europe/feed/ 0 13 More Cleantech Stories Not To Miss http://cleantechnica.com/2013/03/07/13-more-cleantech-stories-not-to-miss/ http://cleantechnica.com/2013/03/07/13-more-cleantech-stories-not-to-miss/#comments Thu, 07 Mar 2013 22:29:19 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=49258 Looks like I’m turning this into a daily thing. Below are 13 more cleantech (or sort of cleantech) stories from around the interwebs. For an additional 81 from the past day or so, check out this Google Doc. Clean Transport Greenpeace Takes On The World’s Biggest Carmaker… And Wins! Study: Carbon Pricing Needed In Order

13 More Cleantech Stories Not To Miss was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2013/03/07/13-more-cleantech-stories-not-to-miss/feed/ 1 Solar Frontier Predicts 50% Cut In Price Of Its Thin-Film Solar Modules http://cleantechnica.com/2013/02/23/solar-frontier-predicts-50-cut-in-price-of-its-thin-film-solar-modules/ http://cleantechnica.com/2013/02/23/solar-frontier-predicts-50-cut-in-price-of-its-thin-film-solar-modules/#comments Sat, 23 Feb 2013 13:00:30 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=48814 This article was originally published on RenewEconomy: Showa Shell, the Japanese subsidiary of global oil giant Royal Dutch Shell, has predicted that its solar unit Solar Frontier will be able to cut production costs of its solar modules by half in the next few years as it seeks to emerge as one of the world’s

Solar Frontier Predicts 50% Cut In Price Of Its Thin-Film Solar Modules was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2013/02/23/solar-frontier-predicts-50-cut-in-price-of-its-thin-film-solar-modules/feed/ 8 Solar Frontier Achieves 19.7% CIGS Solar Cell Efficiency, Breaks 10-Year Record http://cleantechnica.com/2013/01/11/solar-frontier-achieves-19-7-cigs-solar-cell-efficiency/ http://cleantechnica.com/2013/01/11/solar-frontier-achieves-19-7-cigs-solar-cell-efficiency/#comments Fri, 11 Jan 2013 20:19:24 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=47038   Solar Frontier has developed solar cells that achieve 19.7% efficiency using CIGS technology, and without the use of cadmium. This new cell finally broke a previous record of 18.6%, which stood for 10 years. The 19.7% efficiency was measured by Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology. This efficiency improvement was done through collaboration

Solar Frontier Achieves 19.7% CIGS Solar Cell Efficiency, Breaks 10-Year Record was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2013/01/11/solar-frontier-achieves-19-7-cigs-solar-cell-efficiency/feed/ 0 SoloPower Offers Relatively Expensive Panels with a Potentially Huge Cost Benefit http://cleantechnica.com/2012/10/01/solopower-offers-relatively-expensive-panels-with-a-potentially-huge-cost-benefit/ http://cleantechnica.com/2012/10/01/solopower-offers-relatively-expensive-panels-with-a-potentially-huge-cost-benefit/#comments Mon, 01 Oct 2012 19:00:41 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=43396   Editor’s Update October 3, 2012: I have confirmed with SoloPower that it has NOT actually published anything on the cost of SoloPower’s solar modules, and that the numbers in the original post (which we retrieved from Greentech Media) were extrapolated from another technology. As such, I’ve deleted lines referencing them. We wrote about SoloPower

SoloPower Offers Relatively Expensive Panels with a Potentially Huge Cost Benefit was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2012/10/01/solopower-offers-relatively-expensive-panels-with-a-potentially-huge-cost-benefit/feed/ 0 Spain Forges Ahead with Low Cost Solar Research http://cleantechnica.com/2012/06/10/spain-forges-ahead-with-low-cost-solar-research/ http://cleantechnica.com/2012/06/10/spain-forges-ahead-with-low-cost-solar-research/#comments Sun, 10 Jun 2012 14:10:51 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=38921 Despite its economic travails, Spain has continued to ramp up its position as a global solar power leader. In the latest development, the Catalonia Institute for Energy Research (IREC) has announced that it will undertake a three-year research project aimed at producing low cost solar cells using a new approach previously developed by IBM, which

Spain Forges Ahead with Low Cost Solar Research was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2012/06/10/spain-forges-ahead-with-low-cost-solar-research/feed/ 3 Solar Energy Companies Look to Capital Markets for Long-term Financing http://cleantechnica.com/2012/02/17/solar-energy-companies-look-to-capital-markets-for-long-term-financing/ http://cleantechnica.com/2012/02/17/solar-energy-companies-look-to-capital-markets-for-long-term-financing/#comments Fri, 17 Feb 2012 09:43:37 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=35026 Utilities and independent power producers with ready access to the US bond market are ramping up their project development and ownership activities, and that may open up opportunities for other industry participants to follow suit. Recent developments indicate that institutional investors may have an appetite for solar energy bonds, as well.

Solar Energy Companies Look to Capital Markets for Long-term Financing was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2012/02/17/solar-energy-companies-look-to-capital-markets-for-long-term-financing/feed/ 0 Clean Links: Solar, Wind, EV, & Policy News http://cleantechnica.com/2012/02/06/clean-links-solar-wind-ev-policy-news/ http://cleantechnica.com/2012/02/06/clean-links-solar-wind-ev-policy-news/#comments Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:02:28 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=34548 Other than our 60+ stories from the past week, here are a few more noteworthy ones worth a look or two: Solar Energy 1. MidAmerican Renewables, LLC Completes Acquisition of 550-MegawattAC Topaz Solar Farm from First Solar (solar farm in video above) MidAmerican Renewables, LLC, a subsidiary of MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company, announced it has completed its acquisition

Clean Links: Solar, Wind, EV, & Policy News was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2012/02/06/clean-links-solar-wind-ev-policy-news/feed/ 0 Solar News (10 Stories) http://cleantechnica.com/2012/01/25/solar-news-10-stories/ http://cleantechnica.com/2012/01/25/solar-news-10-stories/#comments Wed, 25 Jan 2012 10:53:47 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=34253 Some recent solar energy news we haven’t hit yet: 1. Agendas for the 7th Annual Photovoltaics Summit and 4th Annual Concentrating Solar Thermal Power, scheduled for April 17-19 in San Diego, have been announced. 2. Kyocera has now launched “its highest-output solar module, the 80-cell KD 315,” the company notes. “The new module is ideal for large-scale installations like solar-covered parking, and

Solar News (10 Stories) was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2012/01/25/solar-news-10-stories/feed/ 2 CIGS Thin Film Solar PV Starts 2012 Off on the Good Foot with Solar Frontier-EDF Supply Contract http://cleantechnica.com/2012/01/18/cigs-thin-film-solar-pv-starts-2012-off-on-the-good-foot-with-solar-frontier-edf-supply-contract/ http://cleantechnica.com/2012/01/18/cigs-thin-film-solar-pv-starts-2012-off-on-the-good-foot-with-solar-frontier-edf-supply-contract/#comments Wed, 18 Jan 2012 13:09:15 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=34013 2012 may well shape up as a pivotal year for CIGS thin film solar PV technology. Japan's Solar Frontier, the world's largest manufacturer of thin-film CIGS solar PV modules, has closed a deal to supply EDF Energies Nouvelles' enXco with as much as 150-MWp of CIGS modules for use in the latter's 100+ MW Catalina Solar Project in Kern County, California

CIGS Thin Film Solar PV Starts 2012 Off on the Good Foot with Solar Frontier-EDF Supply Contract was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2012/01/18/cigs-thin-film-solar-pv-starts-2012-off-on-the-good-foot-with-solar-frontier-edf-supply-contract/feed/ 2