Sharp Expands Solar Cell Production Capacity to 600 MW Per Year

[jpak]

http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=46419

Kyoto, Japan Sharp Corporation has increased annual production capacity for solar cells at its Katsuragi Plant in Nara Prefecture by 100 megawatts (MW) to meet increasing demand in Japan and abroad. Solar cell production capacity at the Katsuragi Plant is expected to reach 600 MW per year.

In an investment amount approximately equal to 3.5 billion yen , Sharp has constructed a system that is designed to enter full production by November 2006.

In Japan, photovoltaic (PV) systems are increasingly being used for industrial applications and are being installed on new residential construction in collaboration with homebuilders, despite concerns in the PV power-generating market about a shortage of processed silicon.

Due to the introduction of subsidies and implementation of policies mandating power buy-back programs by utilities, demand in Europe and the U.S. is expected to expand, particularly in industrial and commercial uses, despite the shortage of silicon.

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[greenparty]

1. common misnomer

There isnt a shortage of silicon just a shortage of companies to process it into 99.9% PV grade purity.The new building code requirements are a huge boost for solar though.Of course the u.s. will be a follower on this but germany,Japan and China are all passing mandates that will require the installation of BIPV or traditional panels into the working structure of new hi rises and homes.Not sure what the capacity requirements will be but the future really is true materials integration.Embedded glass,conductive skins,clothes.Everything will be a potential energy producing structure or substrate.

[XemaSab]

2. You are right

Silicon is one of the most common elements in nature. It's what quartz is made out of, and therefore, most of the beach sand in the world.

However, there are only a few companies processing silicon into pure form, which is a very energy intensive process.

There's no free lunch. :shrug:

And welcome to DU! :bounce:

[greenparty]

3. Thanks

to you and others for the welcome,wasnt sure how a greeniac would be seen here but yeah if the u.s. would invest in silane processing plants solar prices would drop to 2$ a Watt.Add more capacity,the price keeps dropping,it is the only thing holding solar back.Its actually sort of a mystery to me as to why there arent u.s. startups trying to do it because there are a number of PV/wafer ventures being invested in that are as cost/capital intensive as silicon processing.Think a plant is 500M.Everyone else is expanding all over the place and are just scratching and clawing to find long term contracts that lock them into non-spot PV grade polysilicon supplies so they can assure their production and locked in panel/cell prices.
One cool recent thing is Dow's introduction of their metallurgic silicon which can be added to ingots which reduces the amount of silicon needed to produce a 260kg block.Really what the game plan these days is-- to reduce the amount of silicon needed--cells are now being produced that are much thinner than traditional cells but its really just a mid-chain bandaid to fix rising raw materials costs.
Just seems weird to me--the contracts could be pre-signed to build the plant from companies wanting guaranteed, fixed PV silicon supplies-it is a norm in the industry...why arent people in the u.s. doing it?Havent figured it out yet but it means that panel prices arent going to drop until 2 new plants in norway open up.Thats 2008.Sucks...
NOTE:BP could do this at a drop of a hat but they havent helped the industry since they entered it.They claim leadership and innovation but is nothing more than glossed bullshit.Ovionics,Sun Power and Evergreen are the companies that contribute along with a huge list of European and Asian companies.They are the ones trying to innovate and expand the industry to reduce costs and get solar to off the shelf status.
Man if anyone is interested in solar panels,if you get them,please,please,please do not buy BP panels.
They do nothing on a substantiative level to help PV and are really in it to keep a base for themselves when oil ceases to be a viable product for transportation.When oil dries up,they will then sink all their $ in green energy-most will go to H2 tied to coal but they will try to reassert themselves through sheer buyout power,to take control of the solar market.Essentially reap the rewards of a market that everyone else but themselves built.
Evergreen is the company that replaced the panels on the whitehouse(placed by carter and removed by reagan) during Clinton's terms.
Buy from them or sun power,uni solar--all american held companies and people trying to help the industry thrive.

[FernBell]

4. This is pathetically trivial.

Here's the sad truth. They're only producing 100 megawatts right now and they haven't even gotten anywhere close to their projected goal of 600 megawatts.

Just for the sake of comparison, TVA's coal-fired plant at Widow's Creek in NE Alabama is one of the very top electricity producers in the nation. It produces 10 MILLION MEGAWATT-HOURS of electricity every year all by itself.

Widow's Creek produces enough power to supply about 650,000 homes. Sharp's 600 megawatts of solar power production (when it actually happens sometime in the future) will provide enough power to supply about 9,200 homes.

The truth is we have a DAMN long way to go before solar power even BEGINS to make a real impact on our national energy addiction.

[Porcupine]

5. How much of that is wasted? Half? More than half?

How many buildings out there have ancient AC systems running on top of black roofs with incandescent lights inside heating everything up. More than a few.

How many 15 year old refrigerators and hot water heaters? How many leaky old houses and apartments with bad wiring? How many miles of old transmission lines and oversubscribed transformers?

Power generation is a small part of the total problem. Conservation has to be promoted and financed realistically. The services electric power provides can be had for far less energy than we currently use.

[FernBell]

6. You have a point but you're missing a more important point.

We're not about to suddenly improve our energy conservation by some amazingly dramatic margin. Sure, it can be improved, but just as our solar power generation is trivial in comparison to coal-powered generation, our improvements in energy conservation are also trivial compared to our constantly increasing energy appetite. We're not gaining any ground. We're not even close to the point where energy conservation will permit us to shut down enormous coal-fired plants like Widow's Creek. Increased solar production is great, but it's still just tiny and it's not even keeping up with increases in demand. Sadly, solar power is not anywhere close to changing America's hydro, nuclear and fossil-fueled energy gluttony.

[Ready4Change]

7. And a lot of people are hell bent to argue it out of progressing.

I see a lot of people arguing that since there isn't a lot of solar production, then it's a failed cause and WE MUST STOP WASTING TIME ON IT. ?

1900: Man wasn't meant to fly. No ones done it yet, inspite of all the attempts. We should expend effort on something worthwhile.

If we continue to argue against little steps, we'll never take big ones.

[jpak]

8. Agreed

The renewable naysayers are out of line.

22 states now have Renewable Portfolio Standards and will generate 15-30% of their electricity from renewable sources between 2010-2020.

California, New York and New Jersey have large, wildly popular and oversubscribed solar energy programs - these 3 states alone will install >5000 MW of grid-tied PV in in the coming decade (or less).

And the US will install ~3,000 MW of new wind capacity this year...

and that ain't nothing to sniff at...

[Ready4Change]

10. Well,,,

It IS something to sniff out. However, it's a good start, and more is needed.

I see what some of the sniffers mean. We are taking a long time to build renewable capabilities, and it will be a while before they can provide industrial strength power. (excluding major hydro installations.) While I don't like it, I think we do need expanded nuclear during the interim. I see it as being a purely stop-gap measure, to get us past the thin spot of developing renewables, as well as allowing us to majorly cut back on GHG emmissions until renewables get into gear.

And I'm all for conservation in terms of energy use reduction. No matter what route we take, reducing our energy requirements, or at least limiting their growth, makes everything easier.

Hope we make it.

[jpak]

9. This is pathetically wrong

Sharp produced 324 MW of PV cells and 259 MW of PV modules in 2004 - not 100 MW.

This *single* Sharp plant will rapidly ramp up to its 600 MW capacity - the demand is there...

Global PV demand (>5 GW per year) has far outstripped global PV production capacity (~2.5 GW per year).

and all the players are ramping up poly-Si supply and PV cell/module production capacity to close the supply/demand gap.

[greenparty]

11. also

People who focus on politics need to apply all of the same obfuscative tricks used against them there to the energy issue.For decades and historically,renewables have been systematically defunded and fought against by industry.All of the advancements today in PV are the work of a few select people.Pioneers like stan ovshinsky and other private enterprisers have built PV up to where it is today.Arco and shell,bp are in the game and have been there from the beginning but have done nothing for the industry.BP could solve the silicon issue and not even feel a draft,it wouldnt cost them even 3% of a single quarter of their oil profits to open a silane processing plant.They dont,why? it absolutely submarines their oil business. They dont give a shit about solar,they just want to be positioned when the world moves off oil and they like the image it gives them in the meantime.
That is the kind of help solar has gotten over the years,none.And thats from within.All the while oil gets tax shelters,corporate welfare checks and r&d giveaways.
Yeah its moved slow and for a reason.All of the talk of oh its "years off?"That is the industry echo chamber telling the general public that renewables are weak.It worked because you now see even seasoned people echoing their talking points.
What people have to do is look beyond the rhetoric and investigate.What you will find is that solar is growing at an amazing rate.EVERYONE is expanding,there are new plants for panel production almost daily it seems and the industry groth rate since 1996 has increased steadily to now 200% for this year.All i can say is invest in solar,they are the new dot com stocks without the merchandise-less bubble.3 new bill gates will be spawned from this industry.If someone figures out the trifecta and consolidates their manufacturing to include wind,solar and H2-presently the only one doing this is ovshinsky-they will own the world.
But solar is here now-states,cities and the fed are all using it and homeowners are starting to take advantage.
Ill add that this stuff really could have saved lives during katrina.More of the same is in the future and people in the gulf states have started looking to solar because they know the grid is worthless when a hurricane hits.All of these factors are equaling a major shift but if people are still thinking solar panels arent available?You want links to resellers?I made my own but damn,google solar panels and you will find a dealer in any state.