November 27, 2006
When energy kills...
I read this morning about more coal minings deaths in China. 53 dead fathers/brothers/husbands. What a crying shame that we don't see the light of investing so much more in renewables to rid ourselves of these risky entreprises all in the name of energy supply.
Take just ONE fiscal year of combined profits of all the coal and oil companies in the world and you'll probably reach a figure which exceeds ALL of the investment in solar power to date throughout its entire history.
Particular quandry is created for me when I see that China WANTS to bring about a solar power revolution yet focuses first on a wind-based strategy which simply mimics the current grid, rather than the huge potential of all its existing roof tops where the sun could create immediate impact without so much as another square metre of land being used up to house a windmill.
Hopefully the central government of China soon realizes that its greatest potential escape from the most dangerous coal mines in the world lies right atop the buildings it has raced to build and which have created in large part the shortage of energy it faces.
Sass
Posted by sass at 01:32 AM | Comments (1)
November 26, 2006
Small Solar Myth..
Truth be told. What a statement about our solar power industry that we can't look people in the eye when we talk about REAL deliverables and compare them to what the ratings say on the panels. I'm talking about what the majority of consumers perceive to be a "disappointment" when they are given one set of figures and their devices deliver another in the "real world". (Finally, the law is taking things into its own hands in the UK and I do hope that this sends out a warning message of things to come!)
Whereas we are so focused on "sun hours of irradiation", who has thought of snow, leaves, bird poop, dust and all the other variables which come into play when the true output of your system will be read on the meter?
And what about "portable solar power"? Are you to carry your solarbag always facing south? (you might discover new neighborhoods this way yet you probably won't get to where you really want to go!). ICP Solar sold AA solar chargers back in the 1990s and I'm dismayed to see low power AA chargers still on the market today when we had discovered long ago that we were simply fooling ourselves. People did indeed buy them as neat gifts, yet I can bet that a large majority ended up in some trash (how environmental is that!) because they were simply NOT practical.
So when I see solar powered AA chargers, I wonder whether or not the fact is that 99% of people want power on WHEN they want it and don't have the time to wait for a solar recharger to do its work. Or that people carrying solar cell phones are not likely to leave them on their desks or by the window suddenly changing their habits of keeping them in their pockets or bags. (Note that I am not commenting on newer, higher power AA chargers that have recently made it onto the market, albeit at higher price points. Just do the math...typical AA rechargeables hold 2A of current today. Anything therefore charging at a rate of under 1amp in full sun will take the better part of a normal day to recharge that type of battery.)
We are still trying to fit a round peg into a small hole. These foolhardy sales companies which do this are in fact discrediting the entire solar industry which wishes to establish for itself a brand of serious power delivery. Truth be told..not many of us are out there telling the truth when it comes to what solar can really do for you...and isn't that sad...
Sass
Posted by sass at 12:59 AM | Comments (1)
November 23, 2006
The CIS race just got racier...
The race in the new exotic thin films just got more interesting with Qcells investing in a Swedish company which will produce CIGS based thin film cells.
It shows that the race in solar power thin film will be between amorphous (and micromorph configurations of amorphous) and CIS/CIGS-based cell producers.
While amorphous makers have been proving for decades that they can produce repetitively with controlled and known costs, the CIS/CIGS producers have had a much harder time understanding their cost bases, while also dealing with more exotic components of their "recipes" thus making it harder to predict costs down the road.
Typically, CIGS/CIS based cells have higher STC efficiencies than Amorphous-silicon based ones. However amorphous solar power is lower costing to produce. So you have even within the thin film world, a "horses for courses" approach which must be taken prior to determining which technology is right for which application.
It just goes to show that our microchip solar world just keeps getting more and more interesting. From nanocrystalline to micromorph, we are about to live in a radically changed environment within the next 12 months. Hang on to your solar hats...
Sass
PS. My absence from the blogosphere for the past two weeks was primarily due to the integration of a number of new key members of our team which will be announced shortly as per SEC regulations (for those in the executive level). Oh what a feeling...
Posted by sass at 05:24 PM | Comments (3)
November 10, 2006
If you can't beat them...own them!
Microsoft announced that it has formed an alliance with Novell for the Linux system if offers for free worldwide, with paid customer support.
This marks the first time that Microsoft "partners" with someone offering a competitive and freely distributed operating software platform in such a high profile. Adoption rates of Linux have been quicker in third world countries where the cost of a Microsoft license can be the equivalent to a few months of salary and slower in corporate/government/developed-country consumer adoption because of the fears of patent issues and also the relative income of those users.
Thus the "democracy" of the Open Source has won again. Or has it? When a giant like Microsoft gets involved, its only for $$$ reasons. Frankly, I would suspect that one day Microsoft could seek to either BUY Novell or at least it figures it keeps its finger on the pulse of developments to help ensure that its Windows platform "keeps up with the Joneses".
Linux is developed as open-source, meaning that it benefits from free, worldwide development teams which are all working in different ways to use and improve its functionality for everyday consumer needs. Its really a matter of thousands of "davids" vs goliath in this situation and the fact that the giant decided to finally partner with Novell is a testament to the power of the democratization of software and the "ownership" which is slowly being moved from developer to consumer.
As this democratization is in line with the same movement with regards to marketing and communications in general, we see that the world today is evolving across many platforms yet in many ways..and much has to do with the increased use of technology to bring the power back to the people. Any brand worth its weight will realize this and capture the spirit in how it addresses its public...
Sass
Posted by sass at 12:14 AM | Comments (0)
November 04, 2006
O Canada....
This past week marked the largest Canadian solar power event ever held...a total of about 20 booths exhibited their wares at the CANSIA-led conference. Of the companies exhibiting a total of 4 produced product in Canada, while others represented products created and/or manufactured elsewhere.
There were politicians and business people, those from academic circles and from general interest. In all, despite its modest size, the general feeling is that there is momentum growing in Canada, as in other countries, for renewable energy, yet its still quite small in this country. Some people asked why?
Consider that Canada created know-how in nuclear reactors with Candu reactor technology, developed high-power hydro projects considered to be amongst the most successful and ambitious in the world and have more oil than Canadians could hope to consumer for generations to come. In such an environment, combined with the fact that the perception remains that solar energy is for "hot spots", and you can begin to understand why 30million people who live in a land 50% larger than the USA, don't really make a lot of noise for internal consumption of renewable power (as defined separately from hydro or nuclear). Thus it remains to be seen if substantial consumption programs can invigorate the business atmosphere in Canada.
Where we may have an opportunity is in the focus on export of product and development of key areas of technology or focus. Some solar power products such as the Solarwall and ICP Solar products are almost exclusively exported with 90% of revenue being generated outside of Canada. Therein perhaps lies the answer for the Canadian government which is struggling to understand how to better support Canadian industry without taking the kinds of risks it did with SSP Solar, division of ATS Automation, which has basically closed the chapter on its much trumpeted launch of spheral solar technology.
Sass
Posted by sass at 11:24 AM | Comments (2)