A Mixed Solar Bag For Suntech

 

Suntech Power Holdings, the world's largest manufacturer of solar panels, has experienced mixed fortunes over the last few months, largely thanks to an uncertain economy.

On the positive side of things, Suntech  announced last week their crossing of the 1 gigawatt solar cell production capacity threshold and the opening of their new headquarters in Wuxi, China. The Wuxi facility includes the world's largest grid connected solar facade system, made up of semi- transparent solar panels.

Yesterday, Suntech stated it had also entered into an exclusive agreement to license Open Energy's building integrated solar roof membrane product. The membrane can be easily installed, even over existing roofs, with no structural reinforcement typically required. Under the terms of agreement, Suntech will undertake the worldwide manufacture, distribution, sales and marketing of the solar membrane. The product will be marketed by Suntech under the SolarEze brand name.

But it certainly hasn't been all sunshine for the company of late. Yesterday, Suntech also announced it would be laying off  800 workers - around 10% of Suntech's total workforce. 

Suntech has also suspended a plan to expand capacity by 40 percent in 2009 and put the hiring of 2,000 new staff on hold for the time being. While it's not great news for the company, investors may see moves such as this as Suntech simply being prudent in a shaky global marketplace where risk-taking high flyers are regularly being shot down.

Shares in Suntech have fluctuated greatly over the past year, valued at as little as USD$5 and as much as USD$70. Currently the shares are trading at around USD$10.81. 

Alternative Transportation Energy Source Scorecard

 

As the world moves closer towards the uptake of vehicles that don't rely so heavily on crude oil, many questions remain about the actual environmental impact of "green" cars and their associated fuel source technologies. 

For example, while a battery electric vehicle may generate zero emissions in operation; if the electricity used to recharge that vehicle was generated via coal-fired means, even if it were the "new generation coal" being heavily promoted by the coal industry; there would be certainly more associated emissions and negative environmental impact than would be generated by plugging that vehicle into a solar array.

Professor Mark Z. Jacobson, the researcher who recently concluded the best general energy options for addressing climate change are provided by technologies such as wind energy and solar power, has published another study ranking energy sources for alternative transportation.

Professor Jacobson's paper reviews and ranks major proposed energy-related transportation solutions in relation to global warming, air pollution mortality and energy security while also taking into account other impacts of the proposed solutions, such as on water supply, land use, wildlife, resource availability, thermal pollution, water chemical pollution and nuclear proliferation.

Wind power scored highly as a green transportation energy source and Professor Jacobson ranked nuclear, coal with carbon capture and ethanol towards the bottom of the list.

Scorecard results

1. Wind power source and battery electric vehicles
2. Wind powered source and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles
3. Concentrated solar-power source and battery electric vehicles
4. Geothermal power source and battery electric vehicles
5. Tidal power source and battery electric vehicles 
6. Solar photovoltaic power source and battery electric vehicles,
7. Wave power source and battery electric vehicles,
8. Hydroelectric power source and  battery-electric vehicles
9. Nuclear power source and battery electric vehicles
10. Coal with carbon capture power source and battery electric vehicles
11 Corn E85 ethanol vehicles
12 Cellulosic E85 ethanol vehicles.

Professor Jacobson's study, entitled "Review of solutions to global warming, air pollution, and energy security" can be viewed here.

News for Tuesday 13 January, 2009

 

• Wind And Solar Powered Car In Development
  


• Obama's Renewable Energy Mission
  

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