Suntech for Sale Suntech Power, once the world’s largest solar panel builder, is bankrupt (or the Chinese equivalent) and receiving bids for its main manufacturing unit, according to reports in the Financial Times. Suntech owes a total of $2.3 billion to a number of Chinese banks. The bidders are: Shunfeng Photovoltaic, an acquisitive solar cell maker, which looks… Keep reading →
While there are some nagging questions, Texas is spending $6.8 billion on new transmission lines to deliver electricity from wind farms in West Texas to its major metro areas such as Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.
And while it’s certainly a plus for the state, its economy and jobs, that transmission investment also is attracting developers who plan to spend $3.3 billion on new wind farms that will generate 1,633 MW of new capacity in the next two years, according to a story in Sustainable Business. Keep reading →
The excitement over solar power, which once attracted billions in private investment and public subsidies, has waned recently, underscoring the limitations of renewable energies and the unchallenged dominance of fossil fuels.
Some of the $75 billion sector’s high profile names have fallen on hard times recently – most notably Suntech Power. The China-based solar panel company rattled the industry when it filed for bankruptcy last week. In its heyday, the stock traded just shy of $90 and had a market capitalization of $16 billion: on Thursday, the last day U.S. markets were open, the shares traded around for 42 cents each. Keep reading →
While it may seem like a simple process to churn out solar cells, this video outlines every step in the complex process.
Of note is the various steps Suntech Power takes to reduce reflectivity of the panels and keep solar power from bouncing off the cells. Texturing disturbs the smoothness of the cells and a silicon-nitrite anti-reflective coating further reduces reflectivity. Together, these processes reduces overall surface reflectivity to less than 1%, according to the video. Keep reading →
