A project to gather current information on Solar Power Generation and storage

Solar power is attractive because it is plentiful but there are many problems to be overcome before it can power the world. This project is dedicated to reporting progress. See also Electricity Storage Methods as these are of vital importance to the use of Solar and other renewables.

However Conservation and efficiency is the answer, at least until an affordable .

photovoltaic cell is developed. If Arizona was covered with 10% efficient solar

panels, it could provide the 100 quadrillion BTUs that the USA uses every year

Bob Maginnis October 2005

The race is not over however! See Pyron Solar Power and a new World Record of 40% efficiency has been established in USA also ENECO Solar who claim 38%. Now (2012) the front runner is Solar Junction with 44%. Possibly the cheapness of Nanosolar printed foils may outway the efficiency of other products. The largest project announced to date (2009) is in NW China.

More recently solar thermal systems have gained in popularity as they make use of a larger percentage of the energy reaching the earth. The largest planned to date is in South Australia Largest Solar in the World 2017. Morocco is a leader in North Africa as it plans to export to Europe (2018)

Systems in which the sun heats water to generate electricity are developing fast by the Spanish company Acciona Energy and they now plan a 200 MW plant in Nevada which will pay for itself in 10 years. German companies have initiated a giant application of this technology to provide 15% of Europe's electricity by 2050.

Google are investing in solar thermal research and are approaching their goal of energy as cheap as coal. Google Nears Cheap Energy Goal

One of the major problems is that heavy night demand does not co-incide with day time supply (see Electricity Storage Methods ). This is overcome in George Monbiot's thinking of a direct current supergrid which covers several time zones and blends wind power and solar with some storage capacity. Night time generation is also possible with generation in space. PG&E have linked with Solaren, a start up company, for 200mw Space Solar Planned 2016. Misubishi is involved in a $21 billion project with the Japanese Space Agency.

One of the newest methods is to use algae to capture the energy to fuel a power plant. It is claimed in Venice that a complete plant can be operational in 2 years.

The most hopeful breakthroughs may provide cheap solar cells which can convert 90% of the sun's energy reaching them into electricity. Another example is provided by the University of Missouri. This could lead to affordable energy for all and enable very rapid cuts in global emissions.

One hope is the vast rooftop space available on industrial and public buildings. This page collects examples and reports progress including a 2011 map of projects.

Group members

Malcolm Crocker

Sources

1. Largest Solar in the World  01/09/17
2. Battery Storage not Economic  07/07/15
3. France and India Solar Deal  01/12/15 
4. Apple to build 40megawatts in China  18/04/15 
5. PV Costs reach grid parity  in UAE etc 04/06/15 
6. US Utilities Selling Home Solar  26/10/14 
7. China Leads in Solar 2013  25/01/14
8. Obama Stimulates Solar Industry 21/05/14 
9. EU problems of integrating renewables  29/01/14 
10. Peru Plans Major Solar Expansion  for rural áreas 20/11/14 
11. Yingli Solar Surpasses 1 GW in the Americas 05/09/13
12. Over 39 Percent Solar Cell Efficiency  at 400 suns 27/11/13 
13. Japan has SolarProblems  19/11/13 
14. Coal India Turns to Solar  20/06/13
15. Houston Energy Capital of World ? 24/07/13 
16. Califonia in Shared Renewables Initiative 01/07/13 
17. Solar is the only long term solution  31/01/12 
18. 44 percent Conversion Achieved  18/10/12 
19. Solar Panels Imitate Leaves  27/04/12 
20. Asian Super Grid Plans  03/03/12 
21. Wordwide Solar Map 2011  20/07/11
22. New Nanocrystal Potential  01/05/12 
23. 90 percent efficiency Cheap Voltaic Solar  Breakthrough 08/05/10
24. University of Tennessee Green Solar Progress  02/02/12 
25. Cheaper Solar On The Way  15/07/11 
26. 90 percent solar film  efficiency claimed 15/05/11 
27. 80 percent increase in efficiency  claimed for nanocones 03/05/11
28. Temperature Control and Tracking  15/07/11 
29. Declining Cost of Silicon PV  03/01/11 
30. World Record Solar Cell  15/03/11 
31. UK Largest Solar PV Project  01/03/11 
32. Magnify PV Energy 100 x  say MIT 13/09/10 
33. More Efficient Sola PV Process  04/08/10
34. Heat Battery too Expensive  23/11/10 
35. Solar Industry Awards 2010  28/08/10 
36. PETE Process Shows Promise of double power  15/0810 
37. Obama Stimulates Solar  06/07/10
38. AT andT generating on Poles  23/07/10 
39. Solving Some Solar Problems  by producing hydrogen 24/08/10 
40. Financial and Legal Hurdles for Desertec 21/02/10
41. Worlds Largest Solar Station in India  is being planned 13/11/10 
42. DESERTEC Solar North Africa 01/07/09
43. Germany Invests in CIGS Solar  08/05/10 
44. Worlds Largest Solar Station in India 04/10/09
45. Micro Inverters more efficient  07/07/10 
46. Concentrating Solar, the comparison with nuclear 19/08/08
47. Molten Salt Solar Plant 07/06/09
48. Tobacco Plant Solar Cells 14/02/10
49. Incentives Drive Solar Contracts East 17/11/09
50. Solar Hybrid Local Power 29/06/09
51. 18 percent Conversion Efficiency in early trial of Nano Technology 12/10/09
52. Suncatchers to provide 1000MW solar pa by 2011 14/06/09
53. Big Solar Power NW China planned 11/01/09
54. Venice 40MW from Algae 26/03/09
55. Power from Space $21 billion project 14/09/09
56. Google Nears Cheap Energy Goal 09/06/09
57. 200mw Space Solar Planned 2016 16/04/09
58. Solar Energy Update Spring 08 26/03/08
59. Credit Crunch Solar Difficulties 29/01/09
60. Salt Storing Solar Energy 21/02/09
61. Artificial Trees Produce Solar and Wind Power 07/03/09
62. French Farmer New Sun King 25/02/09
63. Butterfly Wings Enhance Solar Collection 12/02/09
64. Sharp Solar Thin Film in US 2009 16/10/08
65. Sharp Cells in Italy $1.6 billion project 27/11/08
66. New Storage Technology makes solar viable 04/11/08
67. 110 mw Solar for Florida 27/06/08
68. Nanosolar hits the Streets Guardian 29/12/07
69. PV Windows from MIT 21/07/08
70. Big Business Solar Investment increases 21/06/08
71. Nanosolar - Green Power without paying more 23/04/08
72. CIGS progress 2008 REUTERS 03/04/08
73. IBM in the Solar race developing CIGS 17/06/08
74. Big US Solar Plans by Spanish Company 12/11/07
75. Google Renewables 03/12/07
76. MIT Electric Storage for homes 01/08/08
77. California adds more Solar 07/04/08
78. Race for Best Solar 14/06/07
79. Solar Paint on Steel Cladding development promising 10/03/08
80. Nanosolar Cheap Power 17/11/07
81. Google to boost green technologies 09/02/08
82. Nanosolar Ships First Panels 16/12/07
83. Solar Footprint not zero 09/02/08
84. Dye Sensitised Principle
85. Florida Solar Rooftop Plans 16/07/07
86. First Solar PV Factories 02/10/07
87. Inexpensive Solar on the Way 21/07/07
88. Financing Solar
89. Solar Becoming Cost Effective
90. 800MW Solar Cell Production in California 10/08/06
91. ENECO Solar
92. Pyron Solar Power
93. Dyesol Claims Zero Carbon Living with Glass 10/04/08
94. Electricity Stored
95. Tesco Solar Roof
96. Solar Dish Power
97. Quantum Dot Solar
98. World Record for Solar Efficiency
99. Spanish Solar Leadership