Suntech To Open US Solar Panel Plant

 

Suntech, the largest crystalline silicon solar panel manufacturer in the world, is looking to expand its manufacturing presence beyond China into the USA to capture  more of the growing North American solar power market.
 
Suntech (NYSE:STP) is currently investigating several US cities as possible locations for a new solar panel manufacturing facility. 
 
According to Suntech’s Chairman and CEO, Dr. Zhengrong Shi, growth in demand for large-scale solar farms, the increasing number of US states with feed in tariff programs and Obama's recent stimulus package were among the factors leading Suntech to make the leap to local manufacturing. 
 
The company will be announcing the final choice within the next six months. The choice will depend on a number of different factors including tax incentives, and cost-effective location.
 
By locating manufacturing facilities close to its customers, Suntech says it will drastically reduce logistics issues and costs and also reduce carbon emissions due to the shorter transport routes for solar modules. The company will announce its choice of cities within the next six months, which will depend on a number of factors including tax incentives and cost-effective location. A US produced Suntech solar panel will also be more attractive to American consumers dedicated to buying local.
 
While the USA has been successful in attracting a number of big name renewable energy players to set up manufacturing facilities on its shores recently and creating many new jobs in the process; Australia hasn't been so lucky. While the nation's smaller population does come into play, Australia is reportedly losing out on billions of dollars in overseas investment and countless local jobs through not providing solar companies incentives that are available in other countries. 
 

Sun Running Low On Energy?

 

Is this the worst nightmare of every solar power system owner, aside from a neighbour adding an extension or planting a tree that throws shade on their solar panels - is the sun running low on the juice that generates their electricity? Should they all buy more solar panels or go back to filthy, coal generated electricity?
 
Not quite. 
 
Solar activity runs in 11 year cycles where energy generated by the Sun increases and then decreases. The Sun's new solar cycle, which is thought to have begun in December 2008, will be the weakest since 1928 according to the NOAA/Space Weather Prediction Center.
   
The NOAA boffins believe that this solar cycle will be below average in intensity, with a maximum sunspot number of 90. Sunspots are patches on the Sun's surface indicating major activity. The more sunspots, usually the greater the intensity of the sun. Given the predicted date of solar minimum and the predicted maximum intensity, solar maximum is now expected to occur in May, 2013.
  
For solar power system owners, these variations in the Sun are hardly noticeable; however, peak sun activity does threaten normal electricity infrastructure through solar storms. Solar storms are eruptions of energy ejected from the Sun and even a weak storm can wreak havoc on satellites and power grids, disrupting communications and electricity supply. 
 
According to the NOAA, a recent report by the National Academy of Sciences determined if a storm of the intensity that was experienced in 1859 occurred today, it could cause  USD $1-2 trillion in damages in the USA in the first year and require four to 10 years for recovery. The 1859 storm was so intense that it shorted out telegraph wires, causing fires in North America and Europe and produced northern lights so bright that people read newspapers at night.
 

News for Monday 11 May, 2009

 

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