CleanTechnica » thin film solar panels 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 Plant Extracts Used For Making Water Soluble Solar Panels http://cleantechnica.com/2013/03/28/plant-extracts-used-for-making-water-soluble-solar-panels/ http://cleantechnica.com/2013/03/28/plant-extracts-used-for-making-water-soluble-solar-panels/#comments Thu, 28 Mar 2013 07:00:21 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=50074 Solar panel manufacturers, specifically those in the developing countries, use some harmful substances like Cadmium and Selenium which may prove difficult or costly to dispose of at the end of operational life of the solar panels. Water soluble solar panels may be the ultimate solution to the problem of disposal of used solar panels. Scientists

Plant Extracts Used For Making Water Soluble Solar Panels was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2013/03/28/plant-extracts-used-for-making-water-soluble-solar-panels/feed/ 6 #1 Solar Developer & #2 Solar Module Manufacturer Is… http://cleantechnica.com/2013/03/23/1-solar-developer-2-solar-module-manufacturer-is/ http://cleantechnica.com/2013/03/23/1-solar-developer-2-solar-module-manufacturer-is/#comments Sat, 23 Mar 2013 21:00:47 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=49921 Adding on to a couple of recent CleanTechnica posts, here’s a short look at First Solar’s solar power leadership, reposted from Solar Love: US-based First Solar seems to have done a pretty good job naming itself. It is the #1 solar developer in the world (based on March 2013 data), the #1 solar EPC contractor

#1 Solar Developer & #2 Solar Module Manufacturer Is… was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2013/03/23/1-solar-developer-2-solar-module-manufacturer-is/feed/ 5 Solar R&D Heavyweights Join In Effort To Drive Down Thin-Film CIGS Costs http://cleantechnica.com/2013/03/15/solar-rd-heavyweights-join-in-effort-to-drive-down-thin-film-cigs-costs/ http://cleantechnica.com/2013/03/15/solar-rd-heavyweights-join-in-effort-to-drive-down-thin-film-cigs-costs/#comments Fri, 15 Mar 2013 22:05:29 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=49602 Solar industry manufacturing consortium PVMC and NREL aim to help reduce the installed cost of thin-film CIGS solar PV by 75%, an effort that falls right in line with targets set out in PVMC's thin-film PV industry roadmap and President Obama's SunShot Initiative

Solar R&D Heavyweights Join In Effort To Drive Down Thin-Film CIGS Costs was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2013/03/15/solar-rd-heavyweights-join-in-effort-to-drive-down-thin-film-cigs-costs/feed/ 4 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 Peel & Stick Solar Panels: Game Over For Disposable Batteries… Eventually http://cleantechnica.com/2012/12/21/stanford-university-develops-peel-and-stick-solar-panels/ http://cleantechnica.com/2012/12/21/stanford-university-develops-peel-and-stick-solar-panels/#comments Fri, 21 Dec 2012 14:53:12 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=46413   A solar panel so small, light, thin, and flexible that you can stick it onto just about anything has been developed by engineers at Stanford University. The new peel and stick solar panels actually work more like those temporary tattoos that you apply with water, and there’s a bit of heating involved, so in terms of

Peel & Stick Solar Panels: Game Over For Disposable Batteries… Eventually was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2012/12/21/stanford-university-develops-peel-and-stick-solar-panels/feed/ 1 Solar Panel Manufacturer Stion Corp Receives $25 Million To Expand Production Ability http://cleantechnica.com/2012/12/21/solar-panel-manufacturer-stion-corp-receives-25-million-to-expand-production-ability/ http://cleantechnica.com/2012/12/21/solar-panel-manufacturer-stion-corp-receives-25-million-to-expand-production-ability/#comments Fri, 21 Dec 2012 14:34:18 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=46404   A major thin-film solar panel manufacturer, Stion Corp., recently announced that it had raised around $25 million to be used to increase the startup’s production level. The financing was led by Khosla Ventures and included nearly all of the company’s existing investors. “We may end up at the end of this round having all

Solar Panel Manufacturer Stion Corp Receives $25 Million To Expand Production Ability was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2012/12/21/solar-panel-manufacturer-stion-corp-receives-25-million-to-expand-production-ability/feed/ 0 South Africa’s Largest Ever Solar Deal, SolarX, First Solar CEO Interview… (Solar News Of The Week) http://cleantechnica.com/2012/12/15/south-africas-largest-ever-solar-deal-solarx-first-solar-ceo-interview-solar-news-of-the-week/ http://cleantechnica.com/2012/12/15/south-africas-largest-ever-solar-deal-solarx-first-solar-ceo-interview-solar-news-of-the-week/#comments Sun, 16 Dec 2012 01:11:34 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=46206   Here’s some more top solar energy news from the week (other than our own stories — which you can find via the link above): Rooftop Solar Why Utilites Will Pay A Premium For Rooftop Solar: “A power company rang me up last week offering to increase my rooftop solar (RTS) feed-in tariff if I

South Africa’s Largest Ever Solar Deal, SolarX, First Solar CEO Interview… (Solar News Of The Week) was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2012/12/15/south-africas-largest-ever-solar-deal-solarx-first-solar-ceo-interview-solar-news-of-the-week/feed/ 0 Grid Parity In Sight For New Low-Cost Solar Cell http://cleantechnica.com/2012/12/08/grid-parity-in-sight-for-cheap-new-solar-cell/ http://cleantechnica.com/2012/12/08/grid-parity-in-sight-for-cheap-new-solar-cell/#comments Sat, 08 Dec 2012 16:29:58 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=45933   That light barreling down upon us from the end of the tunnel is solar power as cheap as fossil fuels. The latest breakthrough is a low-cost solar cell manufactured with the help of Gallium Arsenide, a compound of the “poor metal” gallium and arsenic. It definitely does not sound like something you’d want to eat, but

Grid Parity In Sight For New Low-Cost Solar Cell was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2012/12/08/grid-parity-in-sight-for-cheap-new-solar-cell/feed/ 17 We’re Not Red Or Blue — We’re Purple (+ Cleantech News Bonanza) http://cleantechnica.com/2012/11/23/were-not-red-or-blue-were-purple-cleantech-news-bonanza/ http://cleantechnica.com/2012/11/23/were-not-red-or-blue-were-purple-cleantech-news-bonanza/#comments Sat, 24 Nov 2012 01:57:38 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=45390   Here’s some more cleantech news from around the interwebs from the past few days or so (enjoy!): Clean Energy (In General) Punjab’s New Energy Policy Aims For 10% Renewable Energy By 2020: “On Thursday, the Punjab government gave its nod to ‘New and Renewable Sources of energy (NRSE) Policy- 2012’, which focuses at enhancing

We’re Not Red Or Blue — We’re Purple (+ Cleantech News Bonanza) was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2012/11/23/were-not-red-or-blue-were-purple-cleantech-news-bonanza/feed/ 0 Solar Cell Degradation Research Can Improve Thin Film Solar Panels http://cleantechnica.com/2012/10/13/solar-cell-degradation-research-can-improve-thin-film-solar-panels/ http://cleantechnica.com/2012/10/13/solar-cell-degradation-research-can-improve-thin-film-solar-panels/#comments Sat, 13 Oct 2012 06:53:21 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=43951   The Laboratory for Photovoltaics at the University of Luxembourg has recently devised a new method to observe the causes of and prevent solar cell degradation before solar cell production is even finished. This will have huge effects on the solar cell manufacturing industry because of how fast chemical damage to solar cells can happen,

Solar Cell Degradation Research Can Improve Thin Film Solar Panels was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2012/10/13/solar-cell-degradation-research-can-improve-thin-film-solar-panels/feed/ 0 New Efficiency Record for Photovoltaic Cells Set, Jump in Efficiency Thanks to Heterojunction Technology http://cleantechnica.com/2012/09/30/new-efficiency-record-for-photovoltaic-cells-set-jump-in-efficiency-thanks-to-heterojunction-technology/ http://cleantechnica.com/2012/09/30/new-efficiency-record-for-photovoltaic-cells-set-jump-in-efficiency-thanks-to-heterojunction-technology/#comments Sun, 30 Sep 2012 10:28:33 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=43347   A new solar photovoltaic conversion efficiency record for solar cells made of amorphous and monocrystalline silicon of 21.4% was recently set, thanks to the innovations of researchers at EPFL’s Institute of Microengineering in Neuchatel. The research team, led by professor Christophe Ballif, director of the Photovoltaics Laboratory (PVlab), recently presented their work at the

New Efficiency Record for Photovoltaic Cells Set, Jump in Efficiency Thanks to Heterojunction Technology was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2012/09/30/new-efficiency-record-for-photovoltaic-cells-set-jump-in-efficiency-thanks-to-heterojunction-technology/feed/ 3 Solar Bench Takes Office Work Outdoors http://cleantechnica.com/2012/08/06/solar-bench-takes-office-work-outdoors/ http://cleantechnica.com/2012/08/06/solar-bench-takes-office-work-outdoors/#comments Mon, 06 Aug 2012 18:58:19 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=41091   It always seems that when the weather is perfect, you just can’t tear yourself away from the computer screen because of work. Here’s some good news for college students and worker bees from Green Sun Rising: a solar bench that can charge electronics while providing shade. The cedar and aluminum shelter has thin-film solar

Solar Bench Takes Office Work Outdoors was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2012/08/06/solar-bench-takes-office-work-outdoors/feed/ 0 Building Integrated Photovoltaics http://cleantechnica.com/2012/06/18/building-integrated-photovoltaics/ http://cleantechnica.com/2012/06/18/building-integrated-photovoltaics/#comments Mon, 18 Jun 2012 19:50:26 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=39155   A promising way of approaching renewable energy is with Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) construction that, in 2011, received a big move forward as Sunlogics PLC, which is a US solar panel manufacturer, purchased Phoenix Solar Holdings Corp and their operating subsidiaries. One of those subsidiaries was EPV Solar Germany GmbH, which has facilities to manufacture

Building Integrated Photovoltaics was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2012/06/18/building-integrated-photovoltaics/feed/ 0 Nanosolar Looking at Grid Parity by 2015 http://cleantechnica.com/2012/04/30/nanosolar-looking-at-grid-parity-by-2015/ http://cleantechnica.com/2012/04/30/nanosolar-looking-at-grid-parity-by-2015/#comments Tue, 01 May 2012 01:26:46 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=37617   Solar energy as cheap as grid-supplied electricity could be just a few years away, at least for large commercial facilities with flat rooftops or some acreage to spare. Six years ago the Department of Energy awarded a $42 million grant to a company called Nanosolar for the development of large-scale rooftop photovoltaic systems that

Nanosolar Looking at Grid Parity by 2015 was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2012/04/30/nanosolar-looking-at-grid-parity-by-2015/feed/ 0 Flexible CIGS Solar Panel Efficiency Record Set by SoloPower http://cleantechnica.com/2012/03/14/flexible-cigs-solar-panel-efficiency-record-set-by-solopower/ http://cleantechnica.com/2012/03/14/flexible-cigs-solar-panel-efficiency-record-set-by-solopower/#comments Wed, 14 Mar 2012 08:45:02 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=36056   Another week, another solar power efficiency record set! A California-based manufacturer of flexible thin-film solar cells and solar panels, SoloPower, yesterday announced a record aperture area efficiency for flexible copper, indium, gallium and (di)selenide (“CIGS”) modules — 13.4%. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) independently certified the record efficiency. “Importantly, the cells were made in SoloPower’s San

Flexible CIGS Solar Panel Efficiency Record Set by SoloPower was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2012/03/14/flexible-cigs-solar-panel-efficiency-record-set-by-solopower/feed/ 2 What’s the Best Solar Technology for Your Home, Community, Business or Farm? http://cleantechnica.com/2012/03/01/what-is-solar-energy-types-solar-energy-technology/ http://cleantechnica.com/2012/03/01/what-is-solar-energy-types-solar-energy-technology/#comments Thu, 01 Mar 2012 12:06:54 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=35348   Because of all the media attention about solar power, most people think of photovoltaic (PV) solar panels. People in or on the fringe of the clean energy business might know about the Chinese’ so called “dumping” of low cost PV panels onto the U. S. market; about how schools and universities are installing PV

What’s the Best Solar Technology for Your Home, Community, Business or Farm? was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2012/03/01/what-is-solar-energy-types-solar-energy-technology/feed/ 13 Stanford Engineers’ Nanoshell Whispering Galleries Improve Thin Solar Panels http://cleantechnica.com/2012/02/11/stanford-engineers-nanoshell-whispering-galleries-improve-thin-solar-panels/ http://cleantechnica.com/2012/02/11/stanford-engineers-nanoshell-whispering-galleries-improve-thin-solar-panels/#comments Sat, 11 Feb 2012 12:30:03 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=34822   By Andrew Myers Visitors to Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol Building may have experienced a curious acoustic feature that allows a person to whisper softly at one side of the cavernous, half-domed room and for another on the other side to hear every syllable. Sound whisks around the semi-circular perimeter of the room almost

Stanford Engineers’ Nanoshell Whispering Galleries Improve Thin Solar Panels was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2012/02/11/stanford-engineers-nanoshell-whispering-galleries-improve-thin-solar-panels/feed/ 0 New Thin-Film Solar Module Efficiency Record Set http://cleantechnica.com/2011/12/05/new-thin-film-solar-module-efficiency-record-set/ http://cleantechnica.com/2011/12/05/new-thin-film-solar-module-efficiency-record-set/#comments Mon, 05 Dec 2011 15:30:52 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=32669   Yes, it’s that time again — another solar power efficiency record has been set! The category: thin-film solar module efficiency. The company: Solibro, a subsidiary of the large German solar company Q-Cells SE. The efficiency: 17.4% (of aperture area). The confirming party: the independent Fraunhofer ISE Institute. Where will the technology be used? In “next generation

New Thin-Film Solar Module Efficiency Record Set was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2011/12/05/new-thin-film-solar-module-efficiency-record-set/feed/ 8 GE Invests $600 Million into Manufacturing New Solar Technology (“Most Efficient Thin Film Solar Cell on Market”) http://cleantechnica.com/2011/04/11/ge-invests-600-million-into-manufacturing-solar-pv-breakthrough-technology-most-efficient-solar-cell-on-market/ http://cleantechnica.com/2011/04/11/ge-invests-600-million-into-manufacturing-solar-pv-breakthrough-technology-most-efficient-solar-cell-on-market/#comments Mon, 11 Apr 2011 07:59:15 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=25554 GE just made a number of huge solar power announcements

GE Invests $600 Million into Manufacturing New Solar Technology (“Most Efficient Thin Film Solar Cell on Market”) was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2011/04/11/ge-invests-600-million-into-manufacturing-solar-pv-breakthrough-technology-most-efficient-solar-cell-on-market/feed/ 9 New Transparent Thin Film Solar Material Could Turn Windows into Solar Power Generators http://cleantechnica.com/2010/11/04/new-transparent-thin-film-solar-material-could-turn-windows-into-solar-power-generators/ http://cleantechnica.com/2010/11/04/new-transparent-thin-film-solar-material-could-turn-windows-into-solar-power-generators/#comments Fri, 05 Nov 2010 01:44:55 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=17886 Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy have developed a material that could turn an ordinary-looking window into a solar panel. If developed successfully, the breakthrough means that any window could do double duty as a solar panel, and entire glass-walled buildings could be designed around their capacity to generate solar energy.  Aside from their

New Transparent Thin Film Solar Material Could Turn Windows into Solar Power Generators was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2010/11/04/new-transparent-thin-film-solar-material-could-turn-windows-into-solar-power-generators/feed/ 4