under the sun

Japan

Japanese solar energy use

One of the most noticeable “booms” in Japan recently is one that will probably extend a lot further, and unlike other booms become a permanent fixture. Using solar power to heat water has long been common in Japan. However in the last few years arrays of photovoltaic cell panels have started to appear everywhere, from the rooftops of the terminals at the airport, to those of local schools and factories. The most noticeable growth though has been the large number of new houses incorporating solar energy into their design, and existing households retrofitting solar panels to their rooves.

In 1997, Japan took the lead as the country generating the most power from solar energy, a lead it has extended in the years since, with production passing 1.13 million kilowatts during 2005. As was the case during the rapid growth years of the 1960’s, it is the exports that are grabbing the headlines, even though it is domestic demand that is actually underwriting the boom. Sharp Corporation is the market leader, and although they have reinvested heavily in their production capacity, other manufacturers are moving into the industry as demand continues to increase exponentially, at growth rates now passing 20%. The vast majority of the solar panels produced in Japan are sold and installed in Japan. In 2006 more than 100,000 households installed solar panel systems, the first time that sales surpassed 100,000 in a calendar year. Leading manufacturers of prefabricated houses (ie catalog houses made to order, then assembled on site) such as Sekisui Heim, have reported than more than half of their annual sales in 2005 were homes that included solar energy generation. In the case of Sekisui, that was 53% of more than 11,500 houses. The Japanese government is actively stimulating the market through a range of incentives, and the goal is to more than quadruple the amount of energy produced by solar power from last year’s 1.13 million kilowatts to more than 4.8 million kilowatts just 4 years from now. While a certain percentage of that will be through industrial generation, a large and vital amount will be from ordinary houses.

 

The reason behind the boom is a simple matter of economics. The retail price of electricity in Japan is relatively expensive. Problems with Japan’s nuclear power plants have exacerbated the energy problem. For example the accident in 1995 at Monju, shut down the only fast breeder reactor in Japan (it is still closed), and all 17 of the nuclear plants managed by the Tokyo Electric Power Company were shut down in 2003 after the government discovered that the company had been falsifying safety documentation. The result is that the vast majority of the electricity generated in Japan is from burning coal & natural gas, almost all of which is imported, and which has become increasingly more expensive as commodity prices continue an upward trend. In this respect, the demand for solar panels is mirroring the demand for the excellent mass produced hybrid cars being sold by Toyota Motor and Honda.

 

There is considerable government and corporate support for the industry subsidies and other incentives in place. The cold winter in 2005/06 caused Japan to overshoot its emissions targets, and put upward pressure on the prices paid by industry for essential power. Japan has a thriving carbon trading market and very widespread implementation of ISO14000 standards, but current prices and energy demand is such that there was quick recognition that something had to change, and change fast.

 

Installing the average solar power system costs about 650,000 yen per kilowatt. The cost and size of the panels is falling annually, while their efficiency continues to improve, generating significant power even during cloudy weather. Architects have learned how to design optimal space and surfaces, accelerating the move towards passive solar designs. The result is that many families are drastically reducing the amount of energy purchased from the power grid, and in some cases become net sellers of electrical power – earning income while reducing the stress on industry. It is common now to see electricity company representatives displaying solar panels in shopping malls, part of the massive education and promotion scheme in part underwritten by the national government.

 

from: http://www.yamasa.org/acjs/network/english/newsletter/things_japanese_41.html

 

 

Honda opens new solar cell plant in Japan

 

November 14, 2007 Honda, a name usually associated with all things transport, has opened a new production plant in Kumamoto to supply Japanese homes and businesses with solar cells.

Operated by a wholly-owned subsidiary, Honda Soltec Co., Ltd, the new plant was officially opened by Honda’s President and CEO, Mr Takeo Fukui.

 

Honda currently has 80 distributor locations for solar cells throughout Japan and plans to increase this to 200 during 2008, as well as venturing into export markets.

 

The plant will reach full production capacity of 27.5 megawatts (an approximation based on 9,000 houses running 3kW systems) by the second quarter next year.

 

The production of the next-generation thin film solar cells involves the use of a compound of copper, indium, gallium and selenium (CIGS) instead of silicon. According to Honda this reduces the energy needed to make the cells by around 50% over conventional crystal silicon solar cells.

Japan Plans To Launch Solar Power Station In Space By 2040

by Takahiro Fukada
Tokyo (AFP) Jan. 31, 2001

Undaunted by its less than glorious track record in space, Japan’s ministry of economy, trade and industry (METI) has ambitious plans to launch a giant solar power station by 2040.

 

“We are starting research for a solar power generation satellite from fiscal year 2001 in April,” Osamu Takenouchi, of METI’s airplane, weapons and space industry division told AFP.

 

“We are planning to start operating the system in 2040,” Takenouchi added.

 

“On Earth, clouds absorb sunlight, reducing (solar) power generation.

 

But in space, we will be able to generate electric power even at night,” Takenouchi said.

 

METI plans to launch a satellite capable of generating one million kilowatts per second — equivalent to the output of a nuclear plant — into geostationary orbit, about 36,000 kilometers (22,320 miles) above the earth’s surface.

 

The satellite will have two gigantic solar power-generating wing panels, each measuring three kilometers by a 1,000 meter diameter power transmission antenna between them, Takenouchi said.

The electricity produced will be sent back to earth in the form of microwaves with a lower intensity than those emitted by mobile phones.

 

“We intend to ensure the microwaves will not interrupt mobile phone and other telecommunications,” Takenouchi said.

 

The receiving antenna on the ground, several kilometers in diameter, would probably be set up in a desert or at sea, and the electricity relayed from there along conventional cables he said.

 

The satellite is projected to weigh about 20,000 tonnes and the total construction cost is estimated at around two trillion yen (17 billion dollars), at current prices.

 

One economic hurdle so far is that it would cost about 23 yen per kilowatt hour to generate power in space compared to nine yen for thermal or nuclear power generation.

 

“But we will consider ways to lower the costs,” Takenouchi said.

 

A similar plan was aired by the United States’ National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) but nothing has so far come of it.

 

One of the reasons for pursuing the dream of beaming power back to Earth is that scientists believe it could help reduce global warming.

 

“Solar power generation will not emit carbon dioxide, and so would benefit the environment compared to thermal power,” Takenouchi said.

 

Besides, “the safety and other issues associated with nuclear power generation will disappear,” Takenouchi said.

 

Honorary professor of space science at Tokyo University, Jun Nishimura said launching such a huge satellite was theoretically possible, adding the investment on research and development was money well spent.

 

Satellites being put into orbit nowadays weigh between 20 and 30 tonnes on average, Nishimura noted. “But 20 to 30 years earlier, satellites weighing only 100 kilograms could be launched.”

“The International Space Station will also be huge.”

 

While the lead time needed to develop the technology to build large-scale structures in space made 2040 a realistic target date, “the real question is cost performance,” he said.

 

“Solar power generation in space can be realized only if the same amount of electricity can be generated at the same cost” as conventional means of power generation including construction costs, Nishimura said.

 

Japan started its space development programme in 1969 and has launched more than 30 rockets. But the programme has been blighted by a series of embarrassing failures.

 

Last November, the National Space Development Agency of Japan was forced to explode an H-2 rocket and satellite by remote control when it veered off course after lift-off.

 

In February 1998, a satellite was lost in space despite a successful separation from an H-2 rocket because it was released at the wrong altitude and sent into an elliptical orbit.

 

The H-2 is intended to be Japan’s answer to Europe’s Ariane commercial satellite launch vehicle.

http://www.spacedaily.com/news/ssp-01a.html

 

JAPAN MOVING TOWARD
MORE EFFICIENT SOLAR POWER

 

A growing number of solar power systems are being installed in Japan for residential use, helping to ease the environmental impact of producing energy for homes.

 

    Systems rated at three kilowatts (kw) or less used to be common in the past, but high-capacity systems that can produce more than five kw are beginning to be used. A wide variety of systems are already available, not only for homes, but also factories, lighthouses, distant islands, isolated deserts, other remote areas and satellites.

 

    Solar power systems are highly eco-friendly because they use the sun’s energy, a renewable resource, and emit no carbon dioxide. Support is growing for solar power as the world community becomes increasingly concerned about global warming and the conservation of nonrenewable resources. Amid an expanding global market for solar power systems, the Japanese government is providing strong support for continued refinement of photovoltaic technology.

 

    The photovoltaic process converts sunlight into electrical energy by taking advantage of the fact that silicon semiconductors generate electricity when they are exposed to light. A basic solar power system consists of photovoltaic modules, an inverter for converting direct current into alternating current and peripheral devices including a controller. Many photovoltaic modules are made of silicon materials, such as crystalline silicon (single-crystalline or multicrystalline) and amorphous silicon.

    The basic unit in a photovoltaic system is the cell. Silicon is crystallized to create a crystal column called an ingot, which is sliced thinly and processed into cells. Cells are arranged, interconnected, covered with tempered glass and packaged into a product called a module. There are many different sizes and shapes of panel-shaped modules for residential applications, varying roughly from 1.0 x 1.2 meters to half that size. Some are rectangular while others are triangular. A photovoltaic array is a set of modules arranged in a frame for mounting on a roof. The power rating of a system means the electric power generated by an array.

 

    Conversion Efficiency of 15.7%

 

    Kyocera Corporation has developed a residential solar power system with a conversion rating of 15.7%. This rating measures the system’s maximum power output divided by the total photovoltaic area of its modules (multicrystalline silicon). This is the highest rating in the world for a residential system. The cells themselves are actually rated at 17.7%, but resistance in the models’ electrodes and wiring lower the system’s conversion efficiency. Given that at the surface of the planet sunlight produces approximately one kw of energy per square meter, the conversion rating of 15.7% means 157 watts of electric power per square meter of module surface.

 

    Although Japanese homes generally have small roofs, they are large enough to accommodate three- to four-kilowatt systems. Accordingly, efficient systems that require relatively less surface area can be expected to enjoy greater popularity. Moreover, these systems should be easier to install and less costly than earlier-generation models.

 

    Newer systems will be even more efficient. A “concentration module” will track the sun with a special lens that concentrates sunlight in germanium cells that are 1.5 times more efficient than the silicon cells of modules in widespread use today. Recently, a 1.7 x 0.3 meter module produced about 150 watts of output with a 28.1% rating. Jointly developed by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), Sharp Corporation and Daido Metal Co, the new system is expected to be commercialized in 2005. The developers also hope to achieve a 40% rating and a module costing 100,000 yen per kw within the same year.

 

    Of course, the effectiveness of solar power systems depends on the amount of available sunlight, which varies depending on the region, the season, the time of day and the weather. It also depends on the inclination and direction of the roof mounting, as well as the rise in cell temperature.

 

    Taking all these conditions into account, current systems are generally expected to achieve 12% efficiency and generate nearly 1,000 kilowatt-hours (kwh) per available kw output per year. An average Japanese household with four members consumes some 4,500 kwh of electric power per year, which could be handled by a 4 to 5 kw system with a conversion efficiency of 15.7%. Consuming no fossil energy, the system would enable the family to produce the equivalent of 180 kgs less of carbon CO2 emissions and consume 243 liters less oil each year.

 

    Citizens Can Sell Surplus Electricity

 

    Another advantage of residential systems is that individuals can sell their surplus electricity to electric power companies at nearly the same rate as they would pay to purchase electric power. Solar power cells cannot store power, so when production is low (mornings, evenings, cloudy days, etc.) or not available (night), the shortfall must be offset with power purchased from an electric utility.

    The government hopes to see the cumulative capacity of solar power systems reach 4,820 mw, or the equivalent of five 1,000 mw-class nuclear power plants, by 2010. It is a most challenging goal considering that the estimated capacity was 637 mw at the end of 2002, according to international Energy Agency. The 2002 figure, by the way, accounted for 49% of the global total, compared to 277 mw in Germany and 212 mw in the United States.

 

    Attaining the goal will require installation costs to be lowered to a level comparable to that for household electric power charges. Besides making the systems more affordable, this would free the government from the need to offer consumers rebates to encourage them to buy solar power systems. In 1999, the total pretax cost of installing a home solar power system was 930,000 yen, or about $9,000 per kilowatt of rated power. This fell to 700,000 yen by 2004. With further reductions in equipment costs, it might be possible for the per-kilowatt cost to plunge below 500,000 yen (about $4,550).

 

    Meanwhile, power-generation costs remain high. Electricity from residential systems is about three times more expensive than electricity from public utilities (24 yen per kwh), while power from large systems is around five times more costly than the commercial rate (16 yen per kwh). Market development and overseas expansion, including international cooperation, depend on the cost of residential electricity falling to around the level of commercial electricity.

 

    But lower costs will require better power-generation and manufacturing technologies. New cells must feature more efficient energy conversion, thinner membranes, larger surface areas (up to 300 x 300 mm) and higher throughput, and they must be mass produced.

 

    In the meantime, efforts will continue to develop better technology for evaluating the performance and reliability of modules and systems, and for recycling and reusing power system components. Such efforts are being pursued by Sharp Corp, Kyocera Corp, Sanyo Electric and other Japanese manufacturers in collaboration with New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).

 

    Japan accounts for nearly 50% of the total solar cell production in the world and Japanese manufacturers dominate the global industry, exporting about 30% of their production. They are expected to continue leading field in the foreseeable future, including through offshore production.

 

    Outside Japan, global demand should expand at more than 20% per year, thanks to new incentives in California and other U.S. states, continued promotion in Germany and other EU members and demand generated by the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008. The future for solar power systems is bright.

 

Written by: Japan Today

 

from: http://ecomall.com/greenshopping/japansolar04.htm

 Yeu Jia

Chart around the world

#	Country or Region Report Nat. Int.	Produced Cells	Off-grid Δ	On-grid Δ	Installed 2006	Off-grid Σ	On-grid Σ	Total 2006	Wp/capita Total	Mod. Price USD/Wp	kW·h/kWp·yr Insolation
	World	1,866	97.48	1,452	1,549	712.7	5,150	5,862	0.879	3.14-14.0	0800-2902
	European Union	653.7	16.91	1,032	1,049	112.3	3,108	3,221	6.533	3.8-10.1	0800-2200
1	Germany [28][29]	514.0	3	950	953	32	2,831	2,863	34.78	5-6.6	1000-1300[30]
2	Japan [31][29]	919.8	1.531	285.1	286.6	88.59	1,620	1,709	13.37	3.7	1200-1600
3	United States [32][29]	201.6	37	108	145	270	354	624	2.058	3.75	0900-2150[30]
4	Spain ?[29]	75.3	9.1	51.4	60.5	17.8	100.4	118.2	2.620	3.8-5.6	1600-2200
5	China ?[29]		15		15	73		73	0.055		1300-2300
6	Australia [33][29]	36.0	7.576	2.145	9.721	60.54	9.765	70.30	3.327	5.6-6.8	1450-2902[34]
7	Netherlands [35][29]	18.0	0.278	1.243	1.521	5.713	46.99	52.70	3.217	4.1-5.6	1000-1200
8	Italy [36][29]	11.0	0.5	12	12.5	12.8	37.2	50	0.846	4-4.5	1400-2200
9	France [37][29]	33.5	1.478	9.412	10.89	21.55	22.38	43.93	0.685	4-6.4	1100-2000
10	South Korea [38][29]	18.0	0.28	20.93	21.21	5.943	28.79	34.73	0.716	4.4-4.8	1500-1600
11	Thailand ?[29]		6		6	30		30	0.477	3.14[28]	2200-2400
12	Switzerland [39][29]		0.15	2.5	2.65	3.4	26.3	29.7	3.955	4-4.2	1200-2000
13	Austria ?[29]		0.274	1.29	1.564	3.169	22.42	25.58	3.076	4.5-5.4	1200-2000
14	Luxembourg ?[40]			0.042	0.042		23.60	23.60	50.54		1100-1200
15	Canada [41][29]		3.354	0.384	3.738	18.98	1.508	20.48	0.620	4.7	0900-1750
16	Mexico ?[29]		0.938	0.116	1.054	19.59	0.155	19.75	0.185	6.8-8.1	1700-2600
17	United Kingdom [42][29]	1.9	0.376	3.007	3.383	1.3	12.96	14.26	0.232	4.6-7.2	0900-1300
18	India ?[29]		6		6	12		12	0.010		1700-2500
19	Norway [43][29]	37.0	0.35	0.053	0.403	7.54	0.128	7.668	1.624	14.0	0800-0950
20	Greece ?[40]		1.049	0.201	1.25	5.081	1.613	6.694	0.601		1500-1900
21	Sweden [44][29]		0.302	0.301	0.613	4.285	0.555	4.84	0.529	4.1-8.8	0900-1050
22	Belgium ?[40]			2.103	2.103	0.053	4.108	4.161	0.398		1000-1200
23	Finland ?[40]			0.064	0.064	3.779	0.287	4.066	0.768		0800-1050
24	Bangladesh ?[29]		1.134		1.134	3.6		3.6	0.023		1900-2100
25	Sri Lanka ?[29]		0.65		0.65	3.6		3.6	0.187		2200-2400
26	Portugal ?[40]		0.25	0.227	0.477	2.691	0.775	3.466	0.326		1600-2200
27	Denmark [45][29]		0.04	0.21	0.25	0.335	2.565	2.9	0.531	6.7-10.1	0900-1100
28	Nepal ?[29]		0.333		0.333	2.333		2.333	0.083		1900-2200
29	Israel [46][29]		0.275		0.275	1.294	0.025	1.319	0.183	5.4	2200-2400
30	Cyprus ?[40]		0.08	0.44	0.52	0.45	0.526	0.976	1.142		1900-2200
31	Czech Republic ?[40]			0.241	0.241	0.15	0.621	0.771	0.075		1100-1300
32	Malaysia [47]?			0.00452	0.00452		0.486	0.486	0.018	5.94	1950-2250
33	Poland ?[40]		0.027	0.087	0.114	0.319	0.112	0.431	0.011		1100-1300
34	Slovenia ?[40]			0.183	0.183	0.098	0.265	0.363	0.180		1300-1500
35	Ireland ?[40]					0.3		0.3	0.070		1000-1200
36	Bulgaria [48]?		0.12		0.12	0.2		0.2	0.026		1300-1800
37	Hungary ?[40]					0.09	0.065	0.155	0.015		1300-1500
38	Slovakia ?[40]		0.004		0.004	0.064		0.064	0.012		1200-1400
39	Malta ?[40]			0.033	0.033		0.048	0.048	0.118		2100-2200
40	Lithuania ?[40]		0.023		0.023	0.04		0.04	0.012		1100-1300
41	Estonia ?[40]		0.005		0.005	0.008		0.008	0.006		1100-1200
42	Latvia ?[40]		0.001		0.001	0.006		0.006	0.003		1100-1300
#	Country or Region Report Nat. Int.	Produced Cells	Off-grid Δ	On-grid Δ	Installed 2006	Off-grid Σ	On-grid Σ	Total 2006	Wp/capita Total	Mod. Price USD/Wp	kW·h/kWp·yr Insolation

table on the use of solar power in different countries.

Notes: While National Report(s) may be cited as source(s) within an International Report, any contradictions in data are resolved by using only the most recent report’s data. Exchange rates represent the 2006 annual average of daily rates (OECD Main Economic Indicators June 2007)
Module Price:Lowest: 2.5 EUR/Wp (2.83 USD/Wp) in Germany 2003.Highest: 90 NOK/Wp^[43] (14.0 USD/Wp) in Norway 2006
Partly Defunct Sources: PV Power (2007-June), , IEA PVPS website.

to see full chart

SOLAR IRRIDANCE DATA, INTERACTIVE MAP: http://re.jrc.ec.europa.eu/pvgis/apps/radmonth.php?en=&europe=

 

mindy

China’s solar industry

CHINA & SOLAR ENERGY

As reported by industry experts in August 2007, China, with the rapid development of the solar power industry, became the world’s largest solar power market.

Statistics then show that China topped the world in solar energy production and solar water heaters production and consummation.

Polysilicon plants, flush with venture capital and with generous grants and low-interest loans from a central government touting its efforts to seek clean energy alternatives, have been sprouting up all over China and more than 20 Chinese companies are starting polysilicon manufacturing plants. The combined capacity of these new factories is estimated at 80,000 to 100,000 tons, which is more than double the 40,000 tons produced in the entire world today.

Moreover, in September 2007, China held the 2007 Solar World Congress in Beijing, further bringing out China’s new image: one actively involved in renewable energy.

The Chinese government has made the development of renewable energy a high priority in its strategy for national sustainable development. Ambitious targets have been set in its mid- and long-term planning, projecting a 10% contribution of renewable energies to the total energy mix in 2020.
China’s 11th Five-Year-Plan lays out a comprehensive set of measures to gear the country towards sustainable development; its objectives are to

• implement preferential policies for renewable energies in finance, taxation, and mandatory market share
• encourage production and consumption of renewable energies
• enhance their proportion in the consumption of primary energies
• speed up wind energy development
• set up thirty large-scale wind power stations with over 100 MW of dynamoelectric power generation capacity
• build wind power bases of GW proportions
• quicken the exploration of biomass energy
• support and develop straw and waste incineration, as well as landfill- gas generation
• set up straw and wood power stations
• extend the production performance of biomass solidified fuel, fuel ethanol, and bio diesel
• raise the cumulative installed capacity of grid connected wind power and biomass generation to 5 GW and 5.5 GW respectively
• exploit and utilize energetically solar, geothermal and ocean energy

  Problems & Challenges Faced

China, a country buckling under the swift pace of its industrial and economical growth, has put its energy industry in the difficult position of having to face both insufficient energy supply and an ever more ardent need to engage in environmental protection. It has to find a feasible way to balance its green energy efforts with its miraculous economical progress. It is not an easy task and in my opinion, China has yet to prove itself in this aspect.

In a residential area in China, Gaolong, factory workers carried out a ritual of dumping buckets of bubbling white liquid onto the ground almost every day for nine months. Though such stories of environmental pollution are not uncommon, but Luoyang Zhonggui High-Technology Co., the company responsible for the act, stands out as it is a green energy company, producing polysilicon used for solar energy panels sold around the world. However, the byproduct of polysilicon production, silicon tetrachloride, is a highly toxic substance that poses environmental hazards.

This incident brings out the fact that China is in fact facing many problems and unexpected consequences from trying to push into the solar energy market. With the price of polysilicon soaring from $20 per kilogram to $300 per kilogram in the past five years, Chinese companies are eager to fill the gap, and polysilicon plants, as mentioned above, are flourishing. However, Chinese companies’ methods of dealing with waste are not up to standard. Most polysilicon companies in the world recycle the compound, and put it back into the production process. However, the high investment costs, time, and enormous energy consumption required for heating the substance for recycling, have discouraged many factories in China from doing the same. These factories have not installed technology to prevent pollutants from getting into the environment or have not fully brought in those systems. These Chinese companies’ effort to cut down on costs, together with the willingness of the Chinese government to overlook these environmental pollutants, due to the severe shortage of polysilicon, have led to the continued pollution of environments. Most Chinese companies, through choosing not to install proper recycling systems, can save up to $30,000 a ton. Instead, these companies either choose to stockpile these hazardous substances and hope for a chance to dispose of them in future, or are simply dumping them wherever they can.    

More about polysilicon:                                                   

-made from sand, Earth’s most abundant substance                                                                   

-tricky to manufacture: requires huge amounts of energy, and a small slip-up in the production can introduce impurities and ruin an entire batch.                                                        

Dealing with the waste is also another major problem. For each ton of polysilicon produced, at least four tons of silicon tetrachloride liquid waste is generated. When exposed to humid air, silicon tetrachloride transforms into acids and poisonous hydrogen chloride gas, which can make people who breathe the air dizzy and can make their chests contract. This waste also affects crops and plants in the soil greatly, causing them to wilt and die.

references: http://www.swc2007.cn/english/indexEn.htm

 

 yeu jia