U.S. Department of Energy • Solar Energy Technologies Program
SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER
MARCH 2009
Stimulus Gives Solar a Big Boost
Stimulus Gives Solar a Big Boost ........................ 1
The solar industry is getting bigger, better, and brighter. On Feb. 17, 2009,
Key Activities
President Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act,
Industry to Assess DOE Solar Program ................... 2
cementing his support of solar and other renewable energy sources.
Solar Cities Plan Annual Meeting in March.............. 2
Billions of dollars will be invested in funding, tax incentives, loans, and grants
Training a Better Solar Workforce.......................... 2
to increase the use of solar energy, support energy efficiency, remove market
New Pre-Incubator Funds Move
barriers, and cultivate green jobs. The law promotes:
PV Concepts to Prototypes ................................. 2
Three Awardees Show Diversity of Solar Showcases .. 3
• Training programs for green jobs
Progress in Identifying Lands for Renewable Energy .. 3
• Solar and energy efficiency improvements for federal buildings and schools
Workshop Participants Analyze Impact of PV on Grid .. 4
Experts Address Need for Consistent
• Smart grid enhancements
Data on PV Systems ....................................... 4
Workshop Focuses on Solar
• Expanded research and development programs for renewable energy and
for Asian-Pacific Countries ................................ 4
energy efficiency
PV Training in California ................................... 5
• Solar grant alternatives to the investment tax credit
Reliability Workshop Held in China—a PV Hotbed ..... 5
International Conference Tackles Grid Integration ...... 6
• Incentives for solar manufacturers
Market Transformation Team
Seeks International Alliances ............................. 6
• Incentives for solar water heating.
Wrap Up of Solar Power Conference Activities ......... 6
Of the $16.8 billion allocated to the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and
Solar ABCs Holds First Stakeholder Meeting ............ 7
Renewable Energy, the Solar Energy Technologies Program (SETP) expects to
Solar America Cities Kick Off
receive a significant share to further grow and support the solar industry.
Events Across the Nation ................................. 7
Visit www.eere.energy.gov for updates on the stimulus bill.
Industry Update
Extension of ITC a Major Victory for Advancing Solar .... 8
SolarPACES Meeting Highlights CSP Activities ............ 8
Clean Energy Group Conducts National RPS Summit ... 9
New Organic PV Manufacturing Facility Unveiled ...... 9
DOE Solar Program & Partner Publications ......... 9-10
DOE Solar Program Funding Opportunities ....... 11-12
Solar Events Calendar ....................................13
National Lab Technology Developments ...... throughout

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SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER MARCH 2009
Key Activities within the DOE Solar Program
NATIONAL LABORATORY
TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS
SNL and SES Win Breakthrough Award
Industry to Assess DOE Solar Program
Chuck Andraka, engineer at Sandia National
Laboratories (SNL), and Bruce Osborn, chief
Every two years, solar experts weigh in on SETP activities, efforts that are lacking
operating officer of Stirling Energy Systems
or should be enhanced, and the program’s future direction. The SETP Annual
(SES), received a Popular Mechanics magazine
Meeting and Peer Review will be held March 9–11, 2009, in Denver, Colorado.
“Breakthrough Innovator Award” in October.
The Breakthrough Awards celebrate both the
Peer reviewers have already been selected, but after the meeting, visit
innovations poised to change the world, as well
www.solar.energy.gov/review_meeting to view the presentations.
as the personalities behind the innovations.
The award recognizes a solar-to-grid system
Solar Cities Plan Annual Meeting in March
conversion efficiency record set by an SES dish
in January 2008 at SNL’s National Solar Thermal
Mayors, city solar coordinators, and technical experts will meet March 30–April
Test Facility in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The
2, 2009, for the 2nd Solar America Cities Annual Meeting. More than 100
previous 1984 record of 29.4% was toppled
participants from the 25 participating cities are expected to share best practices,
by a new record of 31.25% net-efficiency. The
discuss lessons learned, and network. San Antonio, Texas, a Solar America City,
conversion efficiency is calculated by measuring
will host the meeting.
the net energy delivered to the grid and dividing it
by the solar energy incident on the dish mirrors.
Training a Better Solar Workforce
SETP is working to ensure the U.S. solar workforce is ready to meet the needs
of a clean energy future. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will
MOU with Chinese Academy of Sciences
provide the program with funds to launch a new workforce development
In November, NREL and the Institute of
solicitation in 2009. The goal will be to create solar energy educational centers
Electrical Engineering at the Chinese Academy
and training programs.
of Sciences (IEE CAS) signed a Memorandum
of Understanding (MOU). The MOU formalized
These new activities, slated for the coming months, will provide high-quality
interactions with the NREL PV Cell and Module
solar education throughout the United States. A well-trained solar work force is
Performance Characterization group. The IEE
critical for a strong U.S. solar industry.
CAS goal is to become an ISO 17025 accredited
calibration facility, which will allow it to become
These workforce development activities complement the Obama administration’s
part of the world terrestrial PV primary calibration
focus on building a renewable energy infrastructure and creating millions
community that includes NREL, AIST in Japan,
of green jobs. Such efforts will help our nation harvest its renewable energy
PTB in Germany, and the European Solar Test
resources, reduce pollution, and conserve energy and natural resources.
Installation in Ispra, Italy.
New Pre-Incubator Funds Move PV Concepts to Prototypes
Up to $500,000 is available to small companies for turning their module-related
technologies into prototypes. The Photovoltaic (PV) Technology Pre-Incubator
solicitation, released on Jan. 27, 2009, is open to U.S. small businesses or teams
led by a U.S. small business. The technologies should be innovative and capable
of commercialization by 2015.
This financial opportunity is administered by DOE’s National Renewable
Energy Laboratory (NREL).
Before the opportunity closes on March 10, 2009, visit
www.nrel.gov/business_opportunities/solicitations_rfps.html.
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SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER MARCH 2009
Three Awardees Show Diversity of Solar Showcases
NATIONAL LABORATORY
TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS
Scottsdale and Phoenix, Arizona, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, are the
Alliance Becomes New
locations of the most recent Solar America Showcases. Each showcase is a
Management Contractor of NREL
large-scale, high-visibility solar installation that can accelerate demand for solar
DOE selected the Alliance for Sustainable
technologies. All showcases receive free technical assistance from SETP solar
Energy, LLC (the Alliance) as the next
experts. The newest awardees, announced Jan. 16, 2009, are:
management contractor of the National
Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
• The Hartman Company: A 115-kilowatt (kW) PV installation at the Hyatt
Midwest Research Institute (MRI) and Battelle
Regency Resort in Scottsdale. This showcase is part of a master plan to
formed the Alliance, in a partnership that will
replicate solar energy technologies at other Hyatt facilities.
enhance NREL’s leadership and accelerate the
achievement of national energy goals.
• Philadelphia Water Department: A PV installation that powers drinking-water
The Alliance’s primary mission is to support
treatment facilities and provides up to 7.6 megawatts (MW) of new capacity.
DOE in developing and deploying innovative,
high-impact renewable energy technologies.
• Southwest Solar Technologies, Inc: A solar test and demonstration
Its vision for the future of NREL includes:
installation that provides 1 MW of combined solar and storage energy at
• Driving Market-Relevant Technology
the Riverpoint Solar Research Park in Phoenix.
Innovations: Strengthening NREL’s
scientific, technical, and analytical
foundation by recruiting and retaining
The Solar America Showcase opportunity closes and reopens each quarter of 2009 for
leading talent and by effectively partnering
re-review of applications. Applications received before the end of each quarter (March 31,
with premier research centers.
June 30, September 30, and December 31) will be reviewed during the following quarter.
• Accelerating Commercialization and
Deployment: Implementing new business
strategies and partnership arrangements
and rapidly moving revolutionary
Progress in Identifying Lands for Renewable Energy
innovations from concept to consumer.
Three initiatives are expected to resolve generation and transmission issues
• Leading Insightful Analysis: Serving
faced at the state, regional, and national levels. Each initiative is objective and
as the definitive source of objective,
transparent and is being shaped by public input.
independent, quality analysis, providing
the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and DOE are collaborating on a Solar
Renewable Energy (EERE) with technical,
Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS). The PEIS will identify
economic, and policy insights to help direct
the impacts of and develop better management strategies for utility-scale solar
and refine EERE’s Research, Development,
development on the public lands of six states (Arizona, California, Colorado,
Demonstration, and Deployment program.
New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah). The BLM and DOE expect to complete a draft
PEIS in spring 2009 and make it available for public comment.
See details at http://solareis.anl.gov.
The Western Renewable Energy Zone (WREZ) Initiative involves working groups
that are identifying high-resource areas and lands to exclude from energy-zone
development. The assessment will be presented to the Western Governors’
Association for approval in June 2009, concluding Phase One of the process.
Subsequent phases will develop a modeling tool and a high-level transmission
plan coordinated through the Western Electricity Coordinating Council.
More information is available at www.westgov.org/wga/initiatives/wrez.
The Renewable Energy Transmission Initiative (RETI) is a collaboration between
public and private entities in California. The objective is to provide information
to policymakers and stakeholders on the transmission requirements to access
cost-effective, environmentally sensitive renewable energy resources. Phase One
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SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER MARCH 2009
of the initiative identified and ranked zones in California and nearby states
NATIONAL LABORATORY
that can provide and competitively deliver renewable energy. Phase Two, which
TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS
includes developing conceptual transmission plans and refining previous work,
NREL Hosts Solar
is under way.
Resource Workshop
Additional information is available at www.energy.ca.gov/reti.
In October, NREL hosted a Solar Resource
Workshop to present the state of the art in
resource modeling to CSP developers and
Workshop Participants Analyze Impact of PV on Grid
other stakeholders. Accurate assessment
of solar irradiance is essential for siting
Understanding how large amounts of PV impact the grid is critical to making
solar power plants. Rapid data collection
solar energy a viable source of electricity. SETP brought together industry and
and analysis are key to calculating and
research experts at a workshop, Feb. 24–25, 2009, in Ontario, California, to
forecasting system performance quickly.
identify issues related to grid integration.
More than 60 stakeholders attended.
Workshop participants also determined activities for high priority research,
Feedback was overwhelmingly positive,
development, and demonstration activities in the near term, mid-term, and long
with the following items noted as priorities:
term. Participants also quantified performance requirements for these high-
• Produce documents such as a handbook
priority projects.
and collection of best practices to help
the industry and establish accepted
evaluation protocols that can be used
Experts Address Need for Consistent Data on PV Systems
with financial sources.
Solar experts, laboratory researchers, and SETP staff came together Feb. 25–26,
• Establish a Web-based publications
2009, in Ontario, California, to tackle the need for consistent performance
clearinghouse for easy access to CSP-
data on PV systems, both in the lab and the field. The meeting followed SETP’s
relevant solar resource documents.
information-gathering efforts, which began last fall through a Request for
• Continue plans to expand the ground
Information (RFI), titled PV Community Project.
data network via the SOLRMAP project.
The objective is to make performance data and analysis available to industry
• Continue development of the Solar
to improve PV system and module lifetime, while protecting the identity of
Power Prospector as a user-friendly
solar resource tool.
individual manufacturers and products.
• Improve satellite-based resource
The meeting was held to define and prioritize data parameters, installation sites,
modeling and forecasting tools.
and systems and components that will be included in the overall design of the PV
Community Project.
NREL is assessing how to best integrate
these goals into the current budget and R&D
plan. Presentations from the workshop are
Workshop Focuses on Solar for Asian-Pacific Countries
available at http://rredc.nrel.gov/solar/pubs/
RAWorkshopList.html.
The Renewable Energy
Grid Integration Systems
workshop brought together
stakeholders to identify the
extent to which renewables
can be integrated into
power grids, particularly
in Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation (APEC)
countries. DOE and APEC
hosted the workshop, which
Systems Integration Team Lead Dan Ton (front center) at the
was held in Hawaii on Jan.
Renewable Energy Grid Integration Systems Workshop in
12–15, 2009.
Hawaii with participants from China, Japan, New Zealand,
Spain, Taiwan, and the United States.
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SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER MARCH 2009
Dan Ton, SETP Systems Integration team lead, delivered a plenary presentation
NATIONAL LABORATORY
on DOE’s activities in this area.
TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS
IEC Working Group Prepares
Workshop participants visited projects that are helping the State of Hawaii reach
New Proposals
its goal of meeting 70% of all its energy needs (electricity and transportation)
from renewables by 2030.
The solar industry needs common methods to
characterize concentrator photovoltaics (CPV)
To find more information on the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative, visit
modules, systems, and trackers. To address
www.eere-pmc.energy.gov/Hawaii.aspx.
this need, the International Electrotechnical
Commission (IEC) Working Group 7 held a meeting
in November in California, following the 5th
PV Training in California
International Conference for Solar Concentrators.
The meeting explored the purposes of two new
Dozens of educators and administrators took advantage of a 2-day PV training
standards for power and energy rating.
program that was offered in California, in the fall of 2008 and January 2009.
Writing each of these standards is complicated
The Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) held the trainings, which were
by the diversity of the products being developed
funded by SETP, in the northern and southern parts of the state.
today and the subtleties of different approaches
to defining the metrics. A simple PV standard
Topics included task analyses, model programs, resources, and credentialing by
is needed for something comparable to a
the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners.
miles–per-gal on (MPG) rating, but the industry
New sessions of these and other IREC courses are listed at www.irecusa.org.
also needs a more complex model validation;
banks want confident predictions of electricity
generation over the life of a PV system. Meeting
Reliability Workshop Held in China—a PV Hotbed
participants determined that one purpose of
the power rating standard was laying the basis
for the energy rating standard, mimicking the
approach being taken for flat-plate modules
under IEC 61853. A standard for defining
tracker specifications was also discussed.
These standards wil be submitted as formal
proposals to the IEC.
NREL Gets Special Recognition
at R&D 100 Awards
NREL’s two R&D 100 award-winning
technologies received an additional honor as the
“most revolutionary technologies of the year” by
Solar Program Manager John Lushetsky (center) with members of the US-China delegation at the
R&D Magazine. This honor, given to the “Hybrid
International PV Reliability Workshop, sponsored by the Asian Pacific Partnership.
CIGS” and “IMM Solar Cell” technologies, was
announced at the annual R&D 100 Awards
China produces nearly one quarter of all PV modules in the world. Because of
ceremony in Chicago on October 16. Only four
this, SETP organized an international workshop with local officials in Shanghai,
Editor’s Choice Awards were given for the year,
China, Dec. 4–5, 2008, that focused on PV quality assurance, reliability, and
so the fact that NREL garnered half of them was
testing practices.
an impressive showing.
The hybrid CIGS technology is a fast,
Nearly 300 leading international scientists and industry and government professionals
low-cost process for making high-quality
met at the International PV Reliability Workshop. Presentation and panel discussion
copper indium gal ium diselenide (CIGS)
topics included cells, materials, encapsulation, modules, systems, and building-
photovoltaics. The research team was led by
integrated PV. SETP Program Manager John Lushetsky chaired the workshop
Dr. David Ginley. The Inverted Metamorphic
and stressed the critical importance of PV reliability to total industry growth.
Multijunction (IMM) solar cel technology is a
new class of solar cells with a breakthrough
A follow-up workshop on PV reliability, codes and standards, and market
design that yields ultra-light weight, high-
acceptance, is tentatively scheduled for June 3-5, 2009, in Tempe, Arizona.
flexibility, and world-record efficiencies. The
research team was led by Dr. Mark Wanlass.
Details are available at www.nrel.gov/pv/ipr_workshop_08.html.
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SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER MARCH 2009
International Conference Tackles Grid Integration
NATIONAL LABORATORY
TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS
Grid integration issues were the hot topics at the Third International Conference
New SAM Version Available
on Integration of Renewable and Distributed Energy Resources. Held December
NREL, in conjunction with SNL and in
10–12, 2008, in Nice, France, the conference brought together scientists, utility
partnership with SETP, released version
operators, manufacturers, regulators, and policymakers to discuss the technical,
2.5 of the Solar Advisor Model (SAM) in
market, and regulatory issues to prepare for massive distributed energy resources
December 2008. This new version of SAM
(DER) integration into power grids. SETP Systems Integration Team Lead
incorporates a variety of large and small
Dan Ton presented a poster paper, titled Renewable Energy Grid Integration –
upgrades and several key enhancements.
Distributed Photovoltaic Studies.
Anyone currently using SAM is encouraged
to upgrade to this new version.
Ton and personnel from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
also visited the National Solar Institute of France to discuss potential areas
The software allows users to investigate
the impact of variations in physical, cost,
of collaboration. This 2-year-old institute consolidates all of France’s publicly
and financial parameters to better
funded solar research in one location. Potential partnership areas include module
understand their impact on key figures of
performance testing and characterization, PV and energy-storage integration,
merit. Figures of merit related to the cost
and PV grid integration.
and performance of these systems include—
but are not limited to—system output, peak
Market Transformation Team Seeks International Alliances
and annual system efficiency, levelized cost
of electricity, system capital and operating
SETP is considering ways to collaborate with the international community on
and maintenance costs, and hourly
system production.
market transformation activities, including work on solar codes and standards.
The key enhancements to SAM are:
On Dec. 3, 2008, solar market experts met at the International Energy Agency’s
PV Roadmap Workshop in Paris, France. The group evaluated the potential role
• Addition of the Parabolic Dish-Stirling
Engine CSP model
of PV through 2050, identified milestones for reaching that goal, and determined
policy measures needed to overcome existing barriers. Meeting results will be
• Updated California Energy Commission and
available in early 2009. Tom Kimbis and Kevin Lynn represented the SETP
Sandia PV Module and Inverter Databases
Market Transformation team.
• Addition of time-of-use utility rates
• Automated optimization of the power
Wrap Up of Solar Power Conference Activities
purchase agreement price escalation rate
and the load fraction for projects with
At the Solar Power International (SPI)
Independent Power Producer (IPP) and
conference held Oct. 13–16, 2008,
Utility financing
“The Solar Power International
SETP staff informed hundreds of
conference and expo is by far
• Availability of user documentation as both
solar professionals about its activities
the biggest and best in the
context-sensitive Help and as a PDF file.
aimed at making solar electricity
United States. It’s a showcase
become cost competitive by 2015. The
Download the version at www.nrel.gov/
for this industry whose time has
analysis/sam/download.html.
panel session, entitled Solar America
really come. And the prospects
Initiative – Entering a New Phase,
Also, join the SAM Google group at http://
for solar energy have never
conveyed the perspective of each of
groups.google.com/group/sam-user-group/
been brighter.”
the four SETP subprograms: PV,
to share SAM project files (and compressed
Concentrating Solar Power (CSP),
SCIF files) with other users. Members can
California Governor
Systems Integration, and Market
communicate about issues, bugs, or
Arnold Schwarzenegger,
helpful hints.
Transformation. SETP was
keynote speaker
also a Kilowatt sponsor of SPI.
Visit http://blogs.renewableenergyworld.com/solarpower/video/ to view the video
from the conference.
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SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER MARCH 2009
Solar ABCs Holds First Stakeholder Meeting
NATIONAL LABORATORY
TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS
The first annual stakeholder meeting of the Solar America Board for Codes
Rapid Mirror Characterization
and Standards (Solar ABCs) was held following the SPI conference. Attendees
Developed for Production Monitoring
discussed safety issues, interconnection, and the National Electrical Code, and
SNL researchers have developed a rapid
provided input into future directions.
mirror characterization system to detect
Three technical reports were released, available at www.solarabcs.org.
manufacturing quality and errors on dish
mirror facets. The system completes a
detailed test of a facet in less than 10
Solar America Cities Kick Off Events Across the Nation
seconds, which is suitable for 100%
inspection of facets in production.
DOE’s Solar America Cities partners are working to accelerate the adoption of
The facet characterization tool is based
solar energy at the local level. With the help of their mayors, several cities kicked
on Fringe Reflection Deflectometry, a
off and showcased their efforts with successful public and media events during
methodology used for inspection in the
the past few months. Their local activities and accomplishments include:
automotive industry. Like the Video Scanning
Hartmann Optical Test (VSHOT), this new
• Madison, Wisconsin: Mayor
tool reports the quality of the mirror in terms
Dave Cieslewicz helped dedi-
of slope error and focal length, and can
cate a new PV installation on a
plot the results. The system is customized
public library.
to parabolic dish facets. Slight extensions
to the methodology wil make it useful
• Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Mayor
for characterizing heliostat and trough
Tom Barrett kicked off the
facets. An extension of this technology is
being developed for rapid, automated dish
city’s designation as a SAC at
alignment for large field installations.
the Milwaukee Solar Decade
Conference, where SETP team
The Knoxville Solar America City team poses in
front of its new road signs.
members also presented.
New Pre-Production Prototype
Dishes Installed at SNL
• Knoxville, Tennessee: Mayor
Bill Haslam, the Tennessee
Four next-generation foundation/pedestal
Valley Authority, and several
units from Stirling Energy Systems, Inc.
(SES) are being instal ed at SNL. Each unit
other partners discussed the
is a prototype single-piece, no-concrete
possibility of installing PV on
installation, designed for rapid deployment.
DOE’s Office of Scientific and
SES is funding the installation, but co-
Technical Information facility
location on SNL property al ows support
in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, which
from SNL dish/engine experts. SES wil next
Market Transformation Team Lead Tom Kimbis
is undergoing reroofing.
instal the electrical system using techniques
(left) with members of the New Orleans Solar
developed for the large plants. The
America City team at the dedication of the new
• New Orleans, Louisiana: The
commercialized dish wil be instal ed early
Buildsmart Learning Center.
city celebrated the opening of
in 2009 and fitted with new pre-production
Stirling engines, fabricated by SES’s
the Alliance for Affordable
partner Linamar.
Energy’s BuildSmart Learning
Center and the city’s Solar
SES is using its proprietary solar dish Stirling
technology to develop two of the world’s
America City designation. The
largest solar generating projects in southern
BuildSmart Learning Center
California, which combined wil initial y
is a model New Orleans home
produce 800 MW of power and up to 1,750 MW.
that showcases techniques for
energy efficiency, residential
Tom Kimbis (right) presented Pittsburgh Mayor
solar power, and eco-friendly
Luke Ravenstahl (2nd from left) and Pittsburgh
construction.
team lead Jim Sloss (left) with the city’s official
Solar America City road sign on January 26.
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SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER MARCH 2009
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The SAC kick-off meeting was well attended by
NATIONAL LABORATORY
TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS
local stakeholders. The following day, Mayor Michael Nutter held a media
event to announce the completion of a large solar thermal system at the
Thin-Film Module Sets
Riverside Correctional Facility, which will ultimately save the city $1 million.
World Record
NREL has verified a 12.5% aperture-area
• Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: The city sponsored a solar training workshop that
conversion efficiency for a thin-film CdTe
covered solar hot water systems, PV systems, permitting, working with the
power module fabricated by First Solar. The
utility, and workforce development. Opening remarks were given by Mayor
company produced four thin-film cadmium
Luke Ravenstahl and State Senator Jim Ferlo.
tel uride (CdTe) modules in the efficiency
range of 12.0% to 12.5% by improving
processing and module design. The present
manufacturing efficiency is 10.6%, with a
Industry Update
target manufacturing efficiency of 12.0% by
2012. The manufacturing cost of First Solar’s
thin-film CdTe power modules is reported
Extension of ITC a Major Victory for Advancing Solar
at $1.14 per watt, which is the lowest
cost in the industry for any PV technology
The federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC) was extended 8 years, through 2016, as
worldwide. The target for First Solar’s
part of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. The act was signed
manufacturing cost is $0.92 per watt by
into law on Oct. 3, 2008. The ITC provides a tax credit equal to 30% of the
December 2009.
system cost of residential and nonresidential solar electricity installations.
Both PV and concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies are eligible for the
ITC. The 8-year extension period was crucial for CSP because such projects
German MOU Signed
require several years to be completed.
In November, NREL signed a memorandum
of understanding (MOU) with DLR, the
The ITC was extended not only in its duration but also in its application. First,
German Aerospace Centre. DLR plays a
Congress removed the restriction preventing regulated utilities from using
leading role in international energy research
the ITC. Second, the ITC cap of $2,000 for residential solar installations was
and analysis and is actively involved in CSP
eliminated. Removing the cap tripled the available tax credit for a typical 3-kW
research and development. Under this MOU,
residential system with an installed cost exceeding $20,000. Finally, the extension
the two institutions wil strengthen their
allowed the ITC to be applied against the Alternative Minimum Tax, which had
collaboration on CSP testing and standards,
not previously been possible.
CSP storage, and energy systems analysis.
Next steps for joint work in each area
include a plan for a February workshop at
SolarPACES Meeting Highlights CSP Activities
NREL on CSP testing and standards. CSP
storage researchers were invited to visit DLR
In November, CSP developments around the world were highlighted at the 75th
in April or May, and a joint NREL/DLR energy
Executive Committee Meeting of the International Energy Agency’s SolarPACES
analysis workshop was proposed for later
in Almeria, Spain. SolarPACES is a cooperative of the International Energy
in 2009.
Agency, focusing on the development and marketing of CSP systems. A snapshot
of worldwide CSP highlights includes:
• Algeria: Three projects are part of natural-gas power plants—two are
400-MW power plants with 70 MW each generated from CSP and one
is a 150-MW plant with 25 MW generated from CSP. Algeria plans to
export power to Europe through high-voltage direct-current lines under the
Mediterranean.
• France: The country established a 0.30 euro/kWh feed-in tariff for CSP in
2006 with a limit of 12 MW and capacity of 1,500 hours per year.
• Mediterranean Countries: The Mediterranean Solar Plan has a goal to
generate 20 GW of CSP in North Africa that will be transmitted to Europe.
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SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER MARCH 2009
• Spain: Two projects are planned.
NATIONAL LABORATORY
TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS
• 700 MW of CSP projects are under construction. They include mostly
SNL and NREL Experts Among
troughs, but also tower and Fresnel systems. Some 1.2 GW of CSP will
the Most Cited in the World
be installed by the end of 2010 and another 2 GW will be installed by the
end of 2011.
SNL and NREL experts have seen a
significant increase in global recognition
• Officials are commissioning the first large-scale commercial CSP plants in the
for their work, and a recent analysis in
world to incorporate thermal storage. Andasol 1 and 2 trough plants are each
Science Watch has the stats to prove it. The
50 MW with 7 hours of thermal storage. Andasol 1 is grid-tied and being
November/December featured analysis from
Science Watch, “Energy Gauge: Who Exactly
commissioned. Andasol 2 is expected to begin operation in March 2009.
is in Power?,” looked at roughly 100,000
articles in Thomson-indexed journals in the
Clean Energy Group Conducts National RPS Summit
field of energy and fuels, published during
the past decade, to identify the most-cited
On Nov. 6 and 7, 2008, the Clean Energy Group (CEG) held its national
institutions, authors, and journals. SNL and
summit on Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) in Chicago. About 75 people
NREL were repeatedly found near the top
of the list.
attended the summit, including state RPS program administrators, public utility
commissioners, and clean-energy policy experts and advocates from around the
SNL and NREL ranked first and second,
country. The summit was a culmination of CEG’s first year of working with
respectively, among al institutions in total
states on RPS practices and policies. CEG is funded by DOE and the Energy
number of citations. As for citation impact,
Foundation to facilitate a multi-state, multi-stakeholder collaborative and to
NREL and SNL ranked third and seventh,
provide a forum to explore interstate and state and federal cooperation, build
respectively. Overal , the most cited paper
in this survey, from 1999, reports the
bigger renewable energy markets, and foster strategies to ensure RPS success.
achievement of 18.8% conversion efficiency
Sarah Truitt, Market Transformation team member, represented SETP.
in a thin-film solar cell at NREL. The
Science Watch story is available at http://
New Organic PV Manufacturing Facility Unveiled
sciencewatch.com/ana/fea/08novdecFea/.
On Oct. 7, 2008, Konarka Technologies opened its 250,000-square-foot
manufacturing facility in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Program Manager John
Lushetsky attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for this thin-film organic PV
ORNL Dedicates New Solar Array
plant, which has a 1-GW nameplate capacity and will produce the company’s
On January 22, Oak Ridge National
patented Power Plastic® material. Konarka is one of SETP’s Technology
Laboratory (ORNL) dedicated its new 50-
Pathway Partners. This project aims to develop PV components and system
kW solar PV array, the second largest in
designs for production in order to deliver solar energy at grid parity by 2015.
Tennessee. The energy produced by the
system is expected to offset nearly half of the
electricity used in a nearby research facility.
DOE Solar Program and Partner Publications
The instal ation is part of ORNL’s Sustainable
Campus Initiative, headed by Melissa Lapsa
at ORNL.
A Historical Analysis of Investment in Solar Energy Technologies (2000 – 2007)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), December 2008
This paper examines investment in solar energy technologies. Investment trends are
analyzed by technology, region of the world, and source of investment.
www.nrel.gov/docs/fy09osti/43602.pdf
Own Your Power! A Consumer Guide to Solar Electricity for the Home
NREL, January 2009
This consumer guide provides an overview of solar technology basics as well as cost and
incentives information.
www.eere.energy.gov/solar/pdfs/43844.pdf
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SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER MARCH 2009
NATIONAL LABORATORY
A Homebuilder’s Guide to Going Solar
TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS
NREL, January 2009
Obama Environmental
Advisor Visits NREL
This guide helps builders assess the benefits of installing solar equipment or making
houses “solar ready” to both their businesses and customers. Builders will find information
Dan Kammen came to NREL with a specific
on the basics of solar technology, selling points for builders and realtors, a ballpark-cost
interest in CSP on Nov. 17, 2008. Kammen
estimator, and highlights of success stories from other builders who have integrated solar
is senior environmental policy advisor to
into their building plans.
President Barack Obama, professor at the
www.eere.energy.gov/solar/pdfs/44792.pdf
University of California Berkeley, and founding
director of the Renewable and Appropriate
Utility Solar Tax Manual
Energy Laboratory.
Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA), January 2009
He observed the lab’s work with SkyFuel’s
parabolic trough col ector SkyTrough, using
This new report provides clarity on solar tax credit changes for the utility and solar industries.
the VSHOT laser ray-trace system. SkyTrough
The manual also sheds light on the implications of these changes on new business models for
uses ReflecTech® mirror film, instead of
both industries and their customers. The full report may be downloaded for free by SEPA
glass mirrors. VSHOT is a laser ray-trace
members and purchased for $2,495 by nonmembers.
system designed to characterize the optical
www.solarelectricpower.org
surfaces of solar concentrators and can
be used to analyze both linear-focus and
Utility Procurement Study: Solar Electricity in the Utility Market
point-focus systems. SkyFuel has requested
VSHOT analysis several times during the
SEPA, January 2009
development of SkyTrough.
This is the first in a series of SEPA research reports to be released in 2009. The report,
which is aimed at improving large scale solar acquisition by electric utilities, provides
innovative ideas for future project procurement.
www.solarelectricpower.org/docs/Procurement%20Report%20FINAL%20-%2012-16-08.pdf
Financing Non-Residential Photovoltaic Projects: Options and Implications
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, January 2009
The purpose of this report is threefold: (1) to survey recent trends in the financing of
non-residential PV projects in the United States, (2) to describe and compare the financing
options available to both taxable and tax-exempt non-residential site hosts interested in
PV, and (3) to analyze the impact of these various financing options on the cost of solar
power.
http://eetd.lbl.gov/EA/EMP/reports/lbnl-1410e.pdf
State Clean Energy Fund Support for Renewable Energy Projects:
Key Findings from the CESA National Database
Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA), January 2009
This 4-page summary presents an overview of the findings from the Clean Energy States
Alliance (CESA) National Database.
www.cleanenergystates.org/Publications/cesa-database_summary_v8.pdf
P. 10

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Document Outline

• SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM NEWSLETTER
  • Stimulus Gives Solar a Big Boost
  • Industry to Assess DOE Solar Program
  • Solar Cities Plan Annual Meeting in March
  • Training a Better Solar Workforce
  • New Pre-Incubator Funds Move PV Concepts to Prototypes
  • Three Awardees Show Diversity of Solar Showcases
  • Progress in Identifying Lands for Renewable Energy
  • Workshop Participants Analyze Impact of PV on Grid
  • Experts Address Need for Consistent Data on PV Systems
  • Workshop Focuses on Solar for Asian-Pacific Countries
  • PV Training in California
  • Reliability Workshop Held in China„a PV Hotbed
  • International Conference Tackles Grid Integration
  • Market Transformation Team Seeks International Alliances
  • Wrap Up of Solar Power Conference Activities
  • Solar ABCs Holds First Stakeholder Meeting
  • Solar America Cities Kick Off Events Across the Nation
• Industry Update
  • Extension of ITC a Major Victory for Advancing Solar
  • SolarPACES Meeting Highlights CSP Activities
  • Clean Energy Group Conducts National RPS Summit
  • New Organic PV Manufacturing Facility Unveiled
• DOE Solar Program and Partner Publications
• Summary of DOE Solar Program Funding Opportunities
• SOLAR EVENTS CALENDAR

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