Solar Panels with Zero White Space to Be Manufactured Through SunEdison and Solaria Partnership

Solaria announced today that SunEdison, the largest global renewable energy development company, has agreed to license Solaria’s manufacturing technology to cost effectively mass produce its new line of ultra-high efficiency 400 watt solar panels.

“SunEdison’s solar materials team has completed the development of the new 400 watt SunEdison ZERO WHITE SPACE™ solar panel. This architecture squeezes more electricity out of the module by reducing the amount of unproductive white space surrounding each cell,” said Bang Nguyen, SunEdison’s vice president of solar materials operations. “By licensing Solaria’s state-of-the-art manufacturing technology, we’re able to get SunEdison ZERO WHITE SPACE™ modules to market much quicker. These new modules are our most efficient yet, and are ideally suited for home and business applications where space is limited.”

“SunEdison is a visionary company and we are excited to enter into this collaboration to pursue our combined goal of accelerating the ubiquity of solar technology,” said Suvi Sharma, CEO, Solaria Corporation. “Combining Solaria’s high-density power generation solutions with SunEdison’s market leadership will continue to accelerate the availability of affordable and efficient solar.”

Building on an IP portfolio of more than 100 patents and a highly automated manufacturing line, Solaria’s cost and efficiency improvements are unmatched for a variety of large applications. By leveraging its core technology to develop and deliver new applications, Solaria offers solar solutions optimized for rooftop and utility PV, building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), and greenhouses. Through Solaria’s partnership-driven approach, Solaria enables market leaders across its three core segments to surpass competition via their own “powered by Solaria” branded products that leverage Solaria’s leading edge technology.

Polycrystalline Solar Panels to Be Deployed in Jordan Private PV Projects

Phoenix Solar AG and its partner Millennium Energy Industries have been jointly awarded an order to build a series of three photovoltaic power plants with a total capacity of 11MW polycrystalline solar panels in Jordan. The project aims at providing Arab International Hotels, plc, Al Dawliyah for Hotels & Malls, plc and Business Tourism Company with the capability to generate 100% of their electric power needs from solar energy. By adopting an innovative, full-scale approach to green energy, the hotels will reduce virtually to zero the environmental impact of their electric power needs with a saving of 10.7 million kilograms of CO2 emissions per year.

Phoenix Solar will carry out all engineering, procurement and project management tasks while Millennium Energy Industries will take on the actual construction works. Phoenix Solar will also be responsible for the operation and maintenance for the three power plants. The photovoltaic plants will consist of polycrystalline solar panels provided by Chinese solar panel and battery manufacturer and inverters from German producer. The solar power plants will be built in the Mwaqqar and Damikhi/Qatraneh areas, connecting respectively to the Jordan Electric Power Co, plc and Electric Distribution Company, plc, electrical networks using the Power Wheeling scheme. This innovative approach allows power generation in a location different from the consumption site, and is part of the Renewable Energy regulatory framework implemented in Jordan.

Bassam Maayeh, Managing Director, Arab International Hotels, plc, and spokesman for the consortium of hotels involved, stated: "This project is a milestone in pursuing our ambitious environmental targets for zero CO2 emissions. We are looking forward to successful cooperation with the team of Phoenix Solar and Millennium Energy Industries, who offer an ideal balance of a strong regional engineering knowledge and a world-wide experience in the design and execution of Solar Plants."

"Together with our partners at MEI we are proud to have been selected as the main contractor for this important photovoltaic endeavor", Tim P. Ryan, the CEO of Phoenix Solar AG, added. "The Kingdom of Jordan offers excellent conditions for companies to invest in renewable energy. This groundbreaking project is already generating a great deal of attention and excitement, and will serve as an example for similar photovoltaic power plants in Jordan and beyond. This gives us confidence that we will continue to expand our customer base and sales pipeline in the entire Middle East Region to further drive sustainable growth.

Renewable Energy and Its Benefits

Renewable Energy in Our Community

Renewable energy is generally defined as energy that comes from resources which are naturally replenished on a human timescale such as sunlight (solar thermal or solar photovoltaic), wind, rain, tides, waves and geothermal heat. Renewable energy replaces conventional fuels in four distinct areas: electricity generation, air and water heating/cooling, motor fuels and rural energy services.

Personally, it's more practical to use energy that comes from resources because it's infinite unlike other sources of energy that are finite and will someday be depleted. Renewable energy will not run out. Here in the Philippines we have wind turbines, to be specific in region 1 Ilocos Norte. Utility-scale wind turbines range from around 600 kW to 5 MW of rated power, although turbines with rated output of 1.5–3 MW have become the most common for commercial use; the power available from the wind is a function of the cube of the wind speed, so as wind speed increases, power output increases up to the maximum output for the particular turbine. Areas where winds are stronger and more constant, such as offshore and high altitude sites, are preferred locations for wind farms. Typical capacity factors are 20-40%, with values at the upper end of the range in particularly favorable sites.

Maria Christina Falls, In Iligan City, Philippines is an example of Hydro power where Misamis Occidental depend there electric power source. Hydroelectric energy is a term usually reserved for large-scale hydroelectric dams. We also have micro hydro systems are hydroelectric power installations that typically produce up to 100 kW of power. They are often used in water rich areas as a remote area power supply. The incentive to use 100% renewable energy, for electricity, transport, or even total primary energy supply globally, has been motivated by global warming and other ecological as well as economic concerns. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has said that there are few fundamental technological limits to integrating a portfolio of renewable energy technologies to meet most of total global energy demand. Renewable energy use has grown much faster than even advocates anticipated. This energy cannot be exhausted and is constantly renewed that can help the planet last longer. Geothermal power and marine energy is useful. These technologies are not yet widely demonstrated or have limited commercialization. Many are on the horizon and may have potential comparable to other renewable energy technologies, but still depend on attracting sufficient attention and research, development and demonstration (RD&D) funding.

Ralph Ryan Sanchez, University of San Carlos, Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines

The Benefits of Renewable Energy

The leaders of some of the largest economies have urged Prime Minister Tony Abbott to take a stance on reducing carbon emissions. However, Australia continues to display a lack of commitment towards tackling major environmental issues such as global climate change (Lewis 2014). Despite the reluctance to shift towards more sustainable ways of living, renewable energy presents a significant potential to benefit the community on both a local and global scale. As well as its value for the natural environment, renewable energy has been linked with improved public health. This is because air and water pollution is significantly reduced, and accordingly, there is a positive economic impact associated with the overall well-being of individuals within the community (Rizk 2013). Long-term economic benefits such as gradual cost reductions are also anticipated, along with greater opportunities to meet carbon cap and trade systems (Clean Energy Council 2012). Solar, wind, wave, and tidal energy are just some of Australia’s abundant sources of renewable energy (Effendi & Courvisanos 2012). It’s time to make use of such great potential in order to contribute to a clean environment, stable economy and better general health and well-being.

Farema Yazdi, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia