The Solar Energy Market

$46 billion renewable energy market by 2008

The renewable energy market worldwide will nearly double in size from its 2005 levels by 2008 according to Renewable Energy World Markets, a newly released report from the McIlvaine Company.

A market of $27 billion in 2005 is forecast to reach $46 billion by 2008. The leading segment will continue to be wind energy followed by solar and in third place biomass.
The Kyoto Treaty is forcing many countries to turn to renewable sources of energy. Although not a signatory to the treaty, local initiatives are driving the market in the United States. Individual states have mandates to generate a certain percentage of their energy from renewable sources. Some states have banded together in regional groups. In other cases, cities have made a commitment to renewables and some companies have also jumped on the green bandwagon.

Solar energy use has been growing at the rate of 30 per cent per year. Germany and Japan are the world’s largest markets for grid-connected systems. Each had government subsidized programs for the installation of solar panels on roofs. California is the leading state in the United States.

Schwarzenegger Signs Solar Law
California will churn out tons of solar energy under a $2.9-billion program.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who long has put alternative energy as one of his top priorities, signed into law Monday a program that would make the state one of the world’s largest generators of solar energy.

The bill aims to generate 3,000 megawatts of power and install 1 million rooftop solar panels on homes, businesses, public buildings, and farms by 2018. The production would be equal to the output from five power plants.
Under the new law, home builders will have to offer solar power as an option to buyers, starting in 2011. Developers do get tax credit in return. People who put solar panels on their homes and businesses also will be allowed to sell excess power back to their power companies.

Thin Film Solar To Go Large
Nanosolar and Conergy say they are working together to make large thin-film solar power plants that will be competitive with grid electricity.

Nanosolar recently has signed an agreement with Conergy to develop large-scale solar power systems using thin-film technology.

Under the agreement, Nanosolar and Conergy will develop a new solar-electric system design and a new panel design that will work together in a “highly coordinated and very unique way” to produce the cheapest solar power yet, he said.

Thin films are promising because they use little to no silicon - an advantage since the high-grade silicon needed for PV is scarce. Even without today’s shortage, silicon has been the costliest part of a traditional cell. And light, flexible thin films could tap into lucrative new applications like consumer electronics and clothing.
Many other thin-film startups, including Innovalight, Konarka, Miasolé, and HelioVolt, have also received funding in the last year

In February, Royal Dutch Shell sold its crystalline silicon business to SolarWorld, choosing to focus on thin-film technology instead. In December, Honda Motor said it will enter the thin-film business and mass-produce cells by 2007.

Source: OGIS GmbH, www.glassglobal.com (The foregoing information was compiled from publicly available information in reports and news releases)