www.interPV.

net

JANUARY,
JANUARY, 2010
2010

COVER STORY

PV PICKS
FOR 2010
AFTER A DELIGHTFULLY- EXHAUSTING EXAMI-
NATION OF THE MANY COMPANIES MAKING HEAD-
LINES, DRAWING CROWDS, EXCI-
TING ENGINEERS AND MOTIVATING
INVESTORS, WE’VE COMPILED
A LIST OF 10 PV PICKS
FOR 2010.
GLOBAL LEADERS IN PV POWER SYSTEM
SCHOTT Solar, Up on the
Setting New Standards Roof
FINANCIAL & INVESTMENT VIEW
VIEW POINT
VIEW POINT
POINT DIRECTORY
Towards Grid Parity New Challenges for Asia
PRODUCTION & INSPECTION Thin Film in 2010
Thin-film Solar Cells Green Growth for
Tested Using InGaAs Developing Countries
SWIR Camera
GLOBAL
GLOBAL
GLOBAL MARKET
MARKET REPORT
MARKET REPORT
REPORT
Flexible Non-contact U.S. Solar Industry: Op-
Laser-soldering for portunities and
Solar Cell Strings
Obstacles
A New Sensor for UV February 3(Wed)~5(Fri) 2010

Preconditioning of Spain, Bright Spot for KINTEX, KOREA

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PV Modules the PV Industry
COVER STORY USA

Solar 10 PV Picks for 2010

Picks
PV plant in a German farm

34 January, 2010
January, 2010 35
COVER STORY USA
10 PV Picks for 2010
After a delightfully-exhausting examination of the many companies
making headlines, drawing crowds, exciting engineers and motivating
investors to take a deeper dive into their unique solutions, we’ve compiled
a list of 10 PV Picks for 2010.
BY TERRI STEELE
he United
T Nations Cli-
mate Conference
in Copenhagen,
Denmark, has
come and gone,
and in its wake,
one thing re-
mains certain:
renewable ener-
gy’s profile as
the economic
Terri Steele engine of this
century’s clean energy economy is gaining
unprecedented credibility and a momen-
tum that even the most aggressive pes-
simists will be hard pressed to derail.
For the first time in the history of the
world, 193 countries of all economic
strata most importantly the planet’s two
largest emitters, China and the United
States have agreed on an accord how-
ever meek to address the adverse affects
of global warming and the security, agri-
cultural, human health, economic, air,
water and ecological challenges it repre-
sents.
Anyone ever involved in negotiations
with so many economically, geographically
and culturally diverse parties know these
kinds of agreements don’t come easily. The
deal struck in Copenhagen is a political
agreement forged by major emitters to curb
greenhouse gases, help poorer nations build
clean-energy economies and get money
flowing to ameliorate the effects of climate
change on vulnerable regions. And billions
of dollars are being raised to help poorer
countries switch to greener technology.
That’s good news for clean tech, as re-
newable energy solutions of all scope and
scale will play a role in addressing the ini-
tiative. Beyond the scope of Copenhagen,
the industry has taken some hits. According
to a December 2009 Solarbuzz quarterly re-
port, demand shifts on a country by country
basis created massive economic realign-
ment throughout the PV chain, which pre-
36
sented enormous commercial challenges
for the companies operating within it.
But the industry as a whole continues to
see uninterrupted market growth. The re-
port goes on to say global end-market PV
industry revenues were US$11.2 billion in
third quarter 2009, up 62% from the sec-
ond quarter. Forecasts from the December
2009 Solarbuzz QUARTERLY report sug-
gest that when all the numbers are in, the
global solar Photovoltaic (PV) market will
reach 6.37 GW in 2009 5% growth over
the previous year. Craig Stevens, President
of Solarbuzz LLC, interprets the data for
early 2010 this way: The outlook for the
first quarter 2010 demonstrates a distinct
change from the first quarter in past years,
when seasonal factors have typically
caused a sharp decrease. Market factors
are poised to set new revenue trends.
With Canada’s new feed-in tariffs and
the United States’ rich tax and state incen-
tives, Solarbuzz says North American
growth for 2010 is anticipated to increase
54% over 2008 accounting metrics. A re-
cent report by Greentech Media’s GTM
Research has the U.S. PV market becom-
ing the global demand leader by 2012.
This certainly explains the ingress of Euro-
pean and Asian companies establishing op-
erations in North America. And in return,
America, the sleeping giant who invented
PV technology nearly half a century ago, is
using the keen entrepreneurial minds of its
burgeoning high-tech community to pro-
vide solutions that are helping European
companies stay competitive as well.
Nowhere has the optimism for 2010
been more evident than at this past year’s
Solar Power International in Anaheim,
California. Hosted by the U.S.-based Solar
Energy Industry Association (SEIA) Solar
Electric Power Association (SEPA), the
2009 conference drew more than 24,000
industry professionals from 99 countries
that’s a 27% increase over 2008.
After a delightfully-exhausting examination
of the many companies making headlines,
drawing crowds, exciting engineers and moti-
vating investors to take a deeper dive into
their unique solutions, we’ve compiled a list
of 10 PV Picks for 2010.
Solar PV today reaches wildly-diverse
markets with a broad spectrum of climatic
conditions, challenging terrain and a swath
of lifestyle demographics. As this bedaz-
zling array of technology solutions sug-
gest, when it comes to solar, one size does
not fit all. And this array of options helps
guarantee a better fit for solar end-users
and broader market adoption for 2010.
Growth, unprecedented competition,
compelling social benefits and government
support to fuel green jobs, slash energy
costs and create a more sustainable com-
munity make it clear that no matter how
you slice it, today’s big solar pie will keep
more than a few in the industry from going
hungry.
Solar PV today reaches
wildly-diverse markets
with a broad spectrum of
climatic conditions,
challenging terrain and a
swath of lifestyle
demographics. As this
bedazzling array of
technology solutions
suggest, when it comes
to solar, one size does
not fit all. And this array
of options helps
guarantee a better fit for
solar end-users---and
broader market adoption
for 2010.
January, 2010

ZEP SOLAR
Off the Rack
Making the jobs of solar installers easi-
er, safer and more profitable is the aim of
PV Pick Zep Solar, Inc., a product of the
fertile entrepreneurial ground of America’s
Golden State, California. After five years
of experimenting with new approaches to
decrease materials, labor, and installation
costs, Zep co-founder and PV systems en-
gineer Jack West and his team have pro-
duced the solar industry’s first rail-free
drop-in mounting solution. It allows an en-
tire array to be constructed and grounded
using only two component parts. And it
cuts project installation times in half.
Dubbed The Zep System, the product
features solar panel frames that rapidly in-
terlock with specialized stainless steel cou-
plings (known as Zeps) to form a strong,
solidly-grounded, structural grid. The
mounting grid accommodates special Zep-
certified modules whose unique perimeter
grooves quickly and easily set into the
mounting system. With a specialized tool
and a simple twist of the wrist, quarter-turn
Zeps are used to lock the modules onto the
frame. The Zep cuts through the module
frame’s anodization to secure a solid
ground path while accommodating issues
like tolerance take-up and thermal expan-
sion. A specialized slot in the PV frame
enables rapid coupling and automatic
grounding of solar modules for both its
roof and ground-mounted applications. No
additional installation times are required to
ground the array. A special Zep anti-theft
tool ensures modules stay put once the in-
stallation is complete.
The time savings claims of Zep are
January, 2010
Photo by Zep Solar
Photo by Zep Solar
1
Photo by Zep Solar
2
1,2,3 Zep’s new rackless mounting allows contrac-
tors and solar companies to install rooftop PV
for 50% faster than conventional rail-based
systems at half the cost.
nothing short of remarkable, but on-site in-
Product
stallations at Solar Power International
The Zep System: Rail-free Auto-Bonding
confirmed how a 9-panel, 2 kW array can
Mounting Systems
be installed, wired and bonded for ground-
Market
ing in around 15 minutes. The company
Global Residential, Commercial Rooftop and
has a short, useful installation video on its
Ground-mount Systems
Web site for those wishing to take a look.
Company HQ
Zep delivers solutions with 85% fewer
San Rafael, CA, U.S.A.
parts than traditional systems. Because
Zep Systems are rail-free, they’re also eas- Of Note
- Industry’s First and Only Auto-bonding
ier to ship and warehouse than convention-
System
al approaches.
- Rail-free Drop-in Installation 4.5x Faster than
The one sticking point in this solution is Conventional Rail-based Systems
the Zep Groove specification that is re- - Savings Claims of up to US$500 per
quired for all modules used with the Zep Kilowatt
System. Zep, however, offers a cost-neu-
tral module certification to all manufactur-
ers whose customers might be interested in stallers realize savings of up to US$500
benefitting from Zep’s cost-cutting mount- per kilowatt on a typical 4 kW system.
ing solutions. This means solar installation companies
To help installers realize further can install more kWs per crew each work
economies of scale in the solar value chain day. Combined with the substantial PV
(while further capitalizing on its current module price reductions of 2009, Zep tech-
market niche), Zep is planning on offering nology is helping drive unprecedented
its own solar modules. Its first PV modules and oh-so-palatable solar pricing levels
are currently undergoing UL testing and for a cost-conscious 2010.
are scheduled to ship 1Q this year. Info: www.zepsolar.com
With crystalline prices plummeting, labor
costs are becoming a larger variable in the
installation equation. All told, Zep’s recipe
for a faster approach to installation and up
to 75% less rooftop time means the com-
pany can claim a solution that helps in-
37
COVER STORY USA
DEGERENERGIE TRACKING SYSTEMS
Tracking Solar Success
DEGERenergie’s focus on increased
solar energy yields and higher profits for
customers are what has fueled its own
growth trajectory from 3 million euros in
2006 to more than 40 million euros in rev-
enue this past year. DEGER’s intelligent,
sensor-based trackers strategically maneu-
ver arrays of solar modules to point in the
direction of making incident light. This not
only helps exploit every minute of direct
sunshine, but makes the best use of dif-
fuse, scattered and reflected light through-
out the year. Field studies have demon-
strated DEGERenergie systems can lead to
added solar energy yields of 20-25% for
single-axis trackers and 35-45% for dual-
axis tracking systems. Many agree that the
company’s patented DEGERconector sen-
sor is superior to astronomical PLC (Pro-
grammable Logic Controller) technology
because it optimizes varied lighting condi-
tions, has fewer moving parts, and requires
no communication cabling (all of which
translate to fewer capital and maintenance
expenses). It also offers a longer warranty
period (extended warranties of up to 25
years are available) and has lower energy
consumption than competing systems.
Both building-integrated and open land
mounts are available. This year,
DEGERenergie will release its CT series
of trackers the first designed to support
Concentrating PV (CPV) modules. The
company is opening subsidiaries in Italy,
Greece and the U.S., with a particular
focus on the solar-drenched U.S. state of
Arizona. With more than 25,000 installa-
ENPHASE ENERGY
“Current” Headliner
With over 900 exhibitors and 24,000+
solar-interested parties, there are bound to
be enticing morsels to whet one’s PV ap-
petite at Solar Power International. Last
year’s conference in Anaheim, California,
was no exception. One company with two
buzz-generating solutions was microinvert-
er phenom Enphase Energy. The first solu-
tion creating that solar buzz was Enphase’s
combined J-Box microinverter prototype.
Enphase had its microinverter system built
right into the junction box of a solar mod-
ule. Instead of DC being conducted from
each module, current was immediately
converted into useful AC. This not only
38
DEGERenergie’s in-
telligent, sensor-based
trackers strategically
maneuver arrays of
solar modules to point
in the direction of
light, whether it’s di-
rect sunlight or inci-
dent light.
Photo by DEGERenergie Tracking Systems
Photo by DEGERenergie Tracking Systems
tions in 38 countries, it appears these sen-
sor-based systems are tracking for a ban-
ner year.
Info: www.DEGERenergie.com
eliminates code compliance concerns of
DC electricity ever being accessible be-
tween a module and microinverter, it really
pumps up the energy volume of AC mod-
ules, while creating an immense industry
value-add.
The second crowd-pleaser was En-
phase’s set of Microinverter Systems.
These solutions by their very nature address
the issues of module mismatch, shading
(both obstruction and inter-row), occlusion
from dust and other debris and erratic
changes in temperature and irradiance, all
of which affect a system’s energy harvest.
The culprit is the concept of the weakest
Photo by DEGERenergie Tracking Systems
Product
- Sensor-based Intelligent DEGER Solar
Tracking Systems
- DEGERtraker 5000HD (4-6.4kWp)
and DEGERtraker 7000NT
Market Utility & Commercial; Open Land
PV farms, Flat Roofs
Company HQ Horb am Neckar, Germany
Of Note
- 2009 Finalist w/Arntjen Solar, Agricultural
Award of Excellence, Ontario Solar Farm
- 2009 Finalist, 100 Most Innovative German
Companies
- 2006, 20..Best Companies in
Baden-Wurttemberg
- 2001, Patented Technology Earned State of
..
Baden-Wurttemberg Inventors’Award
Photo by Enphase Energy
Enphase microinverters increase energy harvest
by as much as 25% over systems using tradi-
tional centralized inverters.
link, which means a solar string only puts
out according to the capabilities of its
weakest player. The microinverter elimi-
nates this problem by assessing variable
light and other inhibitors at the module
level and enabling it to adjust for anomolies
to optimize energy production at all times.
Enphase Envoy, the microinverter’s MPPT
January, 2010
NATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR
Little Box, Big Boost
When the engineers at global chip giant
National Semiconductor were determining
the most logical, viable product to address
the inconsistencies of power production
with today’s solar modules, National’s Re-
newable Energy Business Director Ralf
Muenster says they considered making
micro-inverters, but chose to go another
route because they felt that micro-inverters
“Distributed the least reliable part of a
solar system throughout the entire array,
multiplying the system failure points by
the number of panels in the system.” They
concluded a better method was to distrib-
ute solely the inverter’s optimization func-
tion throughout the entire system and keep
the inversion centralized and accessible.
Thus the genesis of National’s award-win-
ning SolarMagicTM power optimizer. Solar-
Magic’s power optimizers are mounted to
modules to ameliorate the energy-degrad-
ing perpetrators of ‘mismatch’, which in-
clude varying string lengths, module mix-
ing, and different module plane orienta-
tions. They also provide MPPT to allow
Product
SolarMagicTM Power Optimizer
Market
All Major Solar Markets: Residential,
Commercial and Utility Scale
Company HQ
Santa Clara, California, U.S.A.
Of Note
- Winner, Intersolar 2009 Award; Winner, 2009
Elecktra Renewable Energy Design Award
(Maximum Power Point Tracking) solu-
tion, collects module performance and
transmits this data to a Web site, where
users can view and manage the perfor-
mance of their solar power system. En-
phase microinverters convert power inde-
pendently at each solar module, so if one
microinverter fails, the rest continue to op-
erate. The ‘micro’ nature of this product
also comes in handy if a product is dam-
aged or fails, as it can be replaced during
routine maintenance or when convenient,
which helps keep maintenance costs under
control. Tests have demonstrated that En-
phase Microinverters increase energy har-
vest by as much as 25% over systems
using traditional inverters.
Designed to accommodate solar modules
of 175 watts and up, Enphase’s microin-
verters are emerging as a strong market
play. The product’s tip sheet stats are com-
pelling. They have shipped over 100,000 of
January, 2010
Photo by National Semiconductor
SolarMagic
customers to monitor energy output and be
alerted to any potential anomalies in pro-
duction. The product is designed to in-
crease the power yield of underperforming
Crystal Silicon Panel Solar PV arrays of all
sizes despite shading, temperature imbal-
ances, panel mismatch challenges or multi-
ple panel orientations. Shading is not near-
ly as big a problem with amorphous-Si
(Applied Materials SunFab modules),
CIGS (Solyndra, Ascent Solar), CdTe
(First Solar, Abound Solar) as it is with
conventional mono and polycrystalline sil-
icon cell modules.
Since its launch at InterSolar in Munich
this past May, National’s Renewable Ener-
gy Business Director Ralf Muenster says
SolarMagic has developed a distribution
network that is selling its power optimizers
via 25 distributors on four continents. With
its recent acquisition of commercial moni-
toring and performance management
provider Energy Recommerce, SolarMagic
is positioning itself for penetration in all
major solar markets and across residential,
their microinverters and demand for the
product accelerates every day.
Some contend that the price of another
PV Pick National Semiconductor’s Solar-
Magic product and the Enphase microin-
verter is so close that if the two were in a
horserace, the microinverter solution would
be the odds-on favorite. Microinverters
offer similar advantages to the SolarMagic
product with the added value of having in-
tegrated “ micro-” inverter technologies
ready, willing and able to convert DC to
AC on each and every module they touch.
National Seminconductor, another PV
Pick for 2010, has a different perspective
and it believes it’s got the horsepower to
back it up. Whether one is a proponent of
Enphase’s Microinverter approach or Na-
tional Semiconductor’s SolarMagic power
optimizer and its central inverter partners,
one thing is clear: there’s a palatable pay-
out no matter where you put your money.
commercial and utility-scale strata.
Some believe that the market may
choose microinverters as an investment
priority over SolarMagic. Microinverter
companies insist centralized inverter im-
plementations create a single point of fail-
ure for solar power systems that spells
risky business. If the inverter fails, the en-
tire system is disabled. But the folks at Na-
tional have a high degree of confidence in
their systems and the opposing point of
view. Muenster says his teams are engag-
ing central inverter manufacturers as part-
ners, and are working with a number of in-
verter companies on optimized inverter so-
lutions that further enhance PV system
performance in conjunction with Solar-
Magic devices. The question is who has
the higher degree of success regarding fail-
ure rates. The magic isn’t lost in National’s
relationship with central inverter firms, but
until there are formal announcements
made about solid partnership agreements,
the honeymoon has yet to begin. For in-
stallers and integrators looking to optimize
energy output for customers, that marriage
can’t happen soon enough.
Partnerships with central inverter com-
panies may not be the only liaison we hear
of involving SolarMagic in 2010. This
year, plan on reading about National’s
Semiconductor’s collaborative effort with
leading panel manufacturers to develop
smart panels with integrated SolarMagic
power optimization technology.
Info: www.solarmagic.com
Both these horses are industry winners.
Info: www.enphaseenergy.com
Product Enphase Energy Microinverter
System & Combined J-Box Microinverter
Prototype
Market Full Spectrum from Residential,
Commercial, Utility Scale
Company HQ Petaluma, California, U.S.A.
Of Note
- 2009 Global Cleantech 100
- TIE50: 50 Hottest Startups in 5 Hottest
Segments
- BusinessWeek’s 25 Companies to Watch in
Energy Tech
- Greentech Media: Top 10 Solar Companies,
2009
- Time Magazine, America’s Top Green
Companies 2008
39
COVER STORY USA
Photo by Applied Materials

APPLIED MATERIALS

Enormous Output
The world’s largest solar PV equipment
supplier isn’t going to sustain its number
one position in today’s hotly-competitive
marketplace by resting on its laurels. Late
last year, Applied Materials opened the
world’s largest non-government solar en-
ergy research facility in the world’s most
populous country, which also happens to
be one of the planet’s largest energy con-
sumers: China. Comprised of over
400,000 sq. ft. of laboratory and office
buildings, the Xi’an-based Solar Technol-
ogy Center contains an entire Applied
SunFabTM‚ thin-film manufacturing line
and a complete crystalline silicon pilot
process. These lines are configured to
closely simulate customer fabrication (fab)
environments. Add to that last year’s IEC
certification for Applied’s SunFab TM‚
5.7m2 solar panels the thin-film indus-
try’s largest and Applied’s thin-film pro-
file is rising. Amorphous silicon may not
be as efficient as CdTe or CIGS, but sili-
con is much more abundant (and less ex-
pensive) than the ingredients in these tech-
nologies. And cost is a key variable in the
solar energy value equation. The debate
over choice of thin-film material notwith-
standing, the remarkable growth burgeon-
ing markets like China and the U.S. are
seeing in utility-scale projects (behemoth
solar farms recently announced by thin-
film category leader First Solar range from
a 550 MW solar farm to a staggering 2
GW project), and the competition Ap-
plied’s enormous SunFab Thin Film pan-
els add to the industry mix make bring
big news to the category in the com-
ing year.
Earlier this year, world-renowned
author and journalist Thomas Fried-
man noted in a New York Times op-
ed on the solar industry that Applied
Materials is one of the most important
U.S. companies you’ve probably
never heard of. This year will tell a
different story.
Info: www.appliedmaterials.com
Photo by Applied Materials
2
1 Applied Materials Chairman and CEO Mike Splin-
ter greeted Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi in
front of a demonstration of the Applied SunFab thin
film solar panel, the world’s largest and most pow-
erful thin film solar panel, as she visited the compa-
ny’s Sunnyvale, Calif. campus for a briefing with
Silicon Valley CEOs.
2 (From left to right): President of Applied Solar
Charlie Gay, Applied Materials Chairman and CEO
Mike Splinter, and California Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger viewing an Applied SunFab panel
at the dedication ceremony for Applied’s parking
lot-based solar array system at the company’s Sun-
nyvale, Calif. R&D campus.
1

CONERGY

Green Giants
Coastal environment-compatible, farm
and open-field friendly, Conergy’s Solar
Giant III is a hardy, low-maintenance mod-
ular solar energy system vying to become
the standard of ground-mount solar solu-
tions on the North American continent.
module installation and site prepara-
tion.
To keep installations simple (and
costs down) each SolarGiant is sup-
plied as a complete kit with pre-as-
Conergy
sembled components for just about Photo by

And it is those who were among the first to
install it in North America last year Ca-
nadian distributors in Ontario and Ameri-
can distributors in Hawaii, where labor is
costly who are making that claim.
The SolarGiant is designed expressly to
reduce the overall cost of small commer-
cial to full utility-scale projects by substan-
tially reducing the labor involved in assem-
bling and erecting the mounting structures,
any module type. The German-engi-
neered, American-made structure has
been carefully designed to minimize the
parts count and provide for fast and easy
assembly using only two people. At the
core of this innovative design is its simple,
sturdy frame. Each SolarGiant structure is
delivered as a complete, ready-to-install kit
that includes slide-in rail components,
which simplify the installation process.
Conergy’s hardy, scalable mod-
ular solar energy system whose
labor-saving design is vying to
become the standard of ground-
mount solar solutions on the
North American continent
Modules are installed in the slide-in rails
and no clamping is required for excep-
tionally quick module installation.
The Solar Giant is low maintenance and

40 January, 2010
 3 The Applied SunFab thin film pro-
duction line features up to four,
seven-chamber PECVD systems
for depositing critical light-ab-
sorbing silicon layers on 5.7m 2
glass substrates. Currently being
deployed at multiple customer fabs
around the world to rapidly estab-
lish solar panel manufacturing ca-
pacity, Applied’s solar strategy is
to bring significant change to the
industry by enabling lower cost-
per-watt solutions for solar cell
manufacturing-----with the goal of
making solar a more meaningful
contributor to the global energy
supply.
Product
Applied SunFabTM 5.7m2 Thin Film Line Solar
Panels
Market
Utility-scale Solar Farms and Commercial
Rooftops
Company HQ
Silicon Valley, California, U.S.A.
Of Note
- Opening of 400,000 sq. ft. Xi’an, China-based
Solar Technology Center
- Selected as One of America’s 10 Greenest
Companies (Newsweek Magazine, 2009)
- US Environmental Protection Agency’s
(EPA’s) Green Power Leadership Award
- Wall Street Journal 2008 Technology
Innovation Award

Photo by Applied Materials Photo by Applied Materials

Photo by Applied Materials

4 5
4, 5 Applied has received several prestigious innovation awards for solar technology includ-
ing the Platts Global Energy and Wall Street Journal Technology Awards, and was
named the world’s largest supplier of photovoltaic cell manufacturing equipment in 2008
by VLSI Research. The Applied SunFab Thin Film Line produces the world’s largest
solar panels using 5.7m2 glass substrates and defines a new standard for the solar indus-
try. Four times the size of traditional panels and covering an area about the size of a
garage door, SunFab panels are ideally suited for large scale applications such as Power
plants and Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV).
3

it plays well with others.
While its proponents
and experienced in-
stallers note that the
Solar Giant III is an ex-
cellent solution for all site
conditions, Conergy’s
Solar Giant III is especially
economical in open field
solar farms with difficult
ground and soil conditions in-
volving rocky soils, sandy soils
and high water tables conditions
that make conventional arrays using
driven posts, earth augers, caissons or
screw piles expensive and impractical.
Among SolarGiant’s useful character-
istics in coastal communities is that its alu-
minum and stainless steel construction
holds up well in marine and coastal envi-
ronments, where often-times steel even
galvanized steel may not be permitted.
SolarGiant’s ballasted mounting works
well for less tony neighborhoods as well.
It’s ideal for landfills and brown field sites,
where earth-penetrating anchors are not an
option.
The SolarGiant III is compatible with al-
most all framed and laminate module
types. For framed modules, the SolarGiant
uses unique mounting rails that allow mod-
ules to simply slide into place in the array
with no further clamping required. These
slide-in rails are module thickness-specific
and are available for modules of 35 mm,
40 mm, 46 mm and 50 mm. It is supplied
from the factory with the proper rail chan-
nel thickness for the modules that will be
mounted.
Laminate (un-framed) modules are ac-
commodated by Conergy-supplied high-
strength, top-clamp rails that allow the
modules to be conventionally secured to
the rails. The SolarGiant can be supplied
with standard tilt angles ranging from 5°
to 35° in 5° increments, allowing efficient
PV generation performance throughout
North America. Reducing site preparation,
labor and installation costs while trimming
installation times for a variety of terrestrial-
mount challenges make the SolarGiant a
big, industry-friendly consideration for
2010.
Info: www.conergy.com
Product
SolarGiant III, Simple, Scalable, Ground-mount
Modular Solar Solution
Market
Full Range Distribution from Small Commer-
cial (50 kW) to Utility Scale
Company HQ
Hamburg, Germany; Denver, CO, U.S.A.
Of Note
All-aluminum and stainless steel construction;
simple, fast, economical installation

January, 2010 41
COVER STORY USA
Photo by Envision Solar International
ENVISION SOLAR INTERNATIONAL
Seeing the Solar for the Trees
One technology that’s getting major
global employers like Dell Computers and
McDonald’s all revved up is the Clean-
ChargeTM system on Envision Solar’s Solar
Trees. Solar Trees use solar PV to collect
energy and convert it to AC to charge pa-
tron, student and employees’ electric vehi-
cles while they conduct their daily rou-
tines. These energy assets also have ap-
plications for fleet vehicles.
Envision’s designers used principles of
bio-mimicry to create CleanChargeTM Solar
Trees, whose Solar PV charging stations
can be introduced en masse into corporate
parking lots create Solar Groves . These
Solar Grove’s offset companies’ energy
costs, provide shelter to employee and pa-
tron vehicles and recharge electric fleet,
patron and employee vehicles during the
course of the business day. And they im-
prove the function of static parking lots.
Why does this matter? The idea of solar
trees isn’t so new the City of Vienna
started incorporating Ross Lovegrove’s
original design seven years ago. The inno-
vation here is in Envision’s emerging mar-
ket adaptation: the electric vehicle market
is going into overdrive (at least by historic
standards) with offerings that run the
gamut from Honda’s prototypical EV-Cub
electric motorcycles to Tesla Motor’s sexy
roadster, which goes 0-60 in fewer than
Photo by Envision Solar International
42
four seconds. It’s an exciting ride.
But an electric vehicle goes nowhere
without a charging station. And the icing to
any charging station’s cake is if it, like the
vehicles it powers, can be clean and emis-
sions-free. In France, the government re-
cently announced a US$2.2 billion invest-
ment in charging stations for electric vehi-
cles. And even in America, utilities Duke
Energy and Florida Power and Light are
investing US$600 million to bring more
than 10,000 Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehi-
cles (PHEV) and Electric Vehicles (EV) to
their fleets. The economics are there. The
Duke/FL&P announcement will cut fuel
costs by 80% and carbon emissions by up
to 70% or more. Add solar-electric charg-
ing means to the mix and the savings can
be even more.
Combining form and function with a
higher purpose is no stranger to the folks at
Envision Solar. This group of socially-con-
scious, business-minded entrepreneurs
have leveraged their core expertise in ar-
chitecture, industrial design and structural
technology to build aesthetically-pleasing
“solar you can see”. Given the integrity of
building design many corporate headquar-
ters, universities and public institutions
employ, solar aesthetics can be a serious
consideration.
Each 12-foot high SolarTree is topped
Photo by Envision Solar International
1 Energy assets like these Solar
2 Solar Trees at a McDonald’s in
3 Solar Trees create Solar Groves
2 3
Product
CleanChargeTM Solar Trees: Solar-to-electric
Vehicle Charging Station; Solar Groves
Market
Quick Service Restaurants, Corporate & Major
Retail Properties and Large-scale Public Insti-
tutions (Universities, Municipalities).
Company HQ
San Diego, California, U.S.A.
Of Note
Envision principals have won numerous
awards for their environmental design:
- The American Institute of Architects-
San Diego Chapter (Energy Efficiency Award)
- National Public Radio (E-chievement Environ-
mental Award)
- Popular Science Magazine (Best of What’s
New, 2003)
- Entrepreneur Magazine (Environmental Inno-
vator of the Year, 1993, Urban Land Inst.)
by a canopy using Kyocera panels capable
of producing thousands of hours of clean
solar power per year while providing shade
to dozens of vehicles. While these trees
don’t sequester carbon as their green broth-
ers do, the amount of clean energy they
generate eliminates 13.2 metric tons of car-
bon emissions per year.
When equipped with Envision’s Clean-
Charge Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technolo-
gy, each Solar Tree bears the additional
Trees enable corporations, univer-
sities and public agencies to defray
energy costs and charge electric
vehicles for fleets and patrons.
San Diego, the U.S.A.
and can charge electric fleet and
employee/patron vehicles.
January, 2010

fruit of offering 120-volt outlets per
covered parking space able to concur-
rently charge multiple vehicles over
the course of a business day. Its batter-
ies allow vehicles to be charged day or
night.
The world’s first CleanCharge sys-
tems were “ planted” at a 130 kW
Solar Grove at Dell Computer’s in-
ternational HQ in Round Rock Texas.
Another Solar Grove at a McDonald’s
Restaurant in San Diego, California,
highlights sustainability in a heavy
traffic area, and includes one of Envi-
sion Solar’s CleanCharge solar-to-
electric vehicle charging stations. En-
vision Solar created custom Solar Tree
Arrays to integrate seamlessly into a
high density built environment.
The tilted canopies of Solar Trees
help to route rainwater into bio-swales,
porous organic material that filters pol-
lutants from parking lot run-off. The
company says a Solar Grove can pay
for itself in as little
as five years, and
create positive cash
flow from its first
day of operation by
simply offsetting
the cost of utility
bills.
Envision’s new
residential Clean-
Charge product line
is called LifeTree.
A single post steel
Photo by Envision Solar International
structure with a
cantilevered
Global employers canopy, it costs
like Dell Comput-
ers and McDon- around US$18,500
ald’s are getting and provides about
revved up about 1.4 kilowatts of
Envision Solar’s clean energy to res-
CleanChargeTM sys-
tem, whose Solar idential structures.
Trees use solar PV Envision’s
to collect energy CleanCharge Sys-
and convert it to tem includes: the
AC to cut energy
costs and charge parking shade
electric vehicles. structure known as
the Solar Tree, solar
photovoltaic mod-
ules, inverters, battery backup,
Coulomb’s ChargePointTM‚ Networked
Charging Station and Smart Meter
technology.
The system is currently limited to
U.S. distribution. But as the market
and delivery of electric vehicles drives
adoption worldwide, this uniquely
holistic approach to sustainable living
reinforces the axiom that big solar
ideas often come in small(er) pack-
ages.
Info: www.envisionsolar.com
January, 2010
Photo by SANYO Electric Co., Ltd.
SANYO ELECTRIC
A Look Ahead
For nearly four decades, Sanyo’s engi-
neering teams have risen to the challenge
of refining the power generating capabili-
ties of solar photovoltaic technologies.
With advances like their highly-efficient
HIT Power solar module technology,
Sanyo has been helping integrators and in-
stallers optimize the power generating ca-
pabilities of their solar solutions from the
U.S.A.’s San Diego, California, to the
Kingdom of Lesotho, South Africa and
from Western Europe to the Republic of
Korea to China.
Introduced in 2009, Sanyo’s HIT Power
solar modules contain 72 hybrid HIT cells
that combine high efficiency monocrys-
talline silicon with ultrathin layers of
amorphous silicon. The monocrystalline
silicon is sandwiched between two layers
of amorphous-Si, allowing for power gen-
eration on both panel sides when exposed
to light. Sanyo’s HIT Double glass-on-
glass modules utilize the bifacial character-
istics of HIT cells to generate up to 30%
more energy from the back, depending on
mounting surface conditions. The ability of
these cells to produce electricity from inci-
dent sunlight makes them popular for
building-integrated designs like awnings,
pergolas and skylights.
With the successful closure of Panasonic,
Inc.’s tender offer late last year, Sanyo stock
is hot, as expectations are high that the new
partnership will lead to remarkable syner-
gies between the two electronics giants.
Meanwhile, Sanyo’s eager engineering
teams continue to do what they do best.
Late last year, Sanyo engineers announced a
technological advancement that will allow
The Sanyo Ark, Kobe
Japan, where engineers
eagerly work on improving
solar photovoltaic
technologies.
them to produce solar cells as thin as 58
microns, almost 1/4 the thickness they
currently are. The cells that have been
developed use two different types of sil-
icon. Their estimated conversion effi-
ciency is thought to be around 22%. The
svelte nature of these cells suggests they
will be more flexible like
paper allowing them to
manifest themselves into a
variety of aesthetically
pleasing forms. But the
beauty of this advancement
is more than skin deep. Not
only can the technology
offer unique, attractive
new form factor options for solar PV
(BIPV potential exists as well), it can offer
users a strong Return On Solar Investment
(ROSI) for locations whose space for solar
PV solutions may otherwise be limited.
Conversations with Sanyo’s Research
and Development Department in Japan in-
dicate that while the general thought is that
the cost to produce the panels/cells will fall
(the thin nature of the cells require less sili-
con), there can be no final cost estimate at
this time. Sanyo offered some of these
same insights late last year at the Materials
Research Society meeting in Boston.
While commercialization of this technolo-
gy is some years off, Sanyo has confirmed
it is in the pipeline. And assuming silicon
will still be the material of choice as this
remarkable industry evolves, there’s a very
bright light at the end of that pipeline not
only for Sanyo, but the industry at large
and the many constituencies it serves.
Info: www.sanyo.com/solar
Product
PV Cells Thinner than Human Hair
Market
Potential for a Full Range of Applications
Including BIPV
Company HQ
Moriguchi City, Japan
Of Note
Sanyo’s solar cells are rated at the highest
certified level for conversion efficiency; as
are their practical-sized panels.
43
COVER STORY USA
SOLYNDRA
360 Solar
When it rains, it pours. In the case of
California-based thin-film solar manu-
facturer Solyndra, that’s a good thing.
Solyndra’s rain is manifested in the tor-
rent of demand it has been seeing for its
tubular CIGS (Copper, Indium, Gallium
and Selenium) solar solution, which
they claim provides the industry’s low-
est installed cost per system and high-
est solar electrical energy output for typ-
ical low slope commercial rooftops.
The ‘360’ geometry of its cylindrical
form factor and what’s inside are
the headline grabbers. Solyndra’s panels
resemble a row of long fluorescent light
tubes, each an inch wide and an inch
apart. Solyndra chose to coat the inside
of these cylindrical tubes with CIGS in-
stead of a traditional flat plate collector.
The cylindrical geometry allows light
Photo by Solyndra
360 geometry and use of CIGS thin-film tech-
nology are Solyndra’s recipe for a solar solu-
tion they’re claiming has the industry’s lowest
installed cost----and highest solar electric ener-
gy output----for low slope commercial rooftops.
Product
CIGS Thin-film Photovoltaics
Market
Commercial Rooftop
Company HQ
Fremont, California, U.S.A.
Of Note
- IPO Intent Announced on December 18,
2009
- Global Cleantech 100 2009
- TiE50 Awards Cleantech 2009
- Prism Awards for Photonics Innovation
2008
- Business Journal Emerging Technology:
Green/Clean Technology 2008
44
from 360 degrees to make perpendicu-
lar contact with the CIGS thin film. The
optics around its inner core help focus
about 50% more sunlight onto the core
than it would otherwise receive, thus
enhancing energy output.
CIGS thin-film PV devices tend to be
quicker to install than their crystalline
counterparts and require less design
work. They also have a proven perfor-
mance advantage under conditions of
indirect solar radiation making them im-
mensely productive in coastal areas,
dusty or other diffuse light conditions.
Reflective light potential is also opti-
mized.
The design also allows Solyndra to
lay its panels flat against a rooftop, so
there’s very little need for tilting to re-
ceive sunlight at the best angle. This re-
duces worry about orientation or shad-
ing. And because the product can lay
flat, there’s very little need for ballast-
ing except maybe in locations where
hurricane-strength winds are common.
It also stands less risk of hail damage
than more traditional solutions.
Solyndra has had no trouble convinc-
ing buyers of its output potential or its
cheaper installation costs. Last year, the
company boasted a US$2 billion back-
log in orders. To meet its announced
contractual backlog, Solyndra secured a
US$535 million loan guarantee from
the U.S. Department of Energy to sup-
port the construction of a new 5 MW
manufacturing facility. To reinforce
clean energy’s priority role in the
Obama Administration’s Recovery Act
efforts, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden
Photo by James Chou for Soliant Energy
Product
Concentrating Photovoltaic Systems:
SE500X
Market
Flat Commercial-industrial Rooftop
Company HQ
Monrovia, California, U.S.A.
Of Note
Investors include General Electric,
Rockport Capital Partners, Trinity
Ventures, Rincon Venture Partners,
Convexa and Nth Power.
attended the September groundbreaking, as did
renewable energy proponent California Gover-
nor Arnold Schwarzenegger. That money is
being combined with US$198 million in private
sector dollars to support the capital required for
the project. Solyndra estimates the project will
employ over 3,000 people, the ongoing opera-
tion of the facility will create over 1,000 jobs,
and that installation of Solyndra PV systems will
generate hundreds of additional jobs worldwide.
These kinds of projects fuel the fire for more
widespread adoption of solar PV incentives
and technology.
As current levels of involvement attest, young
Solyndra’s reach is broad and deep. The compa-
ny has more than 60 active installations with
customers across North America, Europe, Aus-
tralia and the Middle East.
Clearly those who’ve gotten a close look at Solyn-
dra’s product and studied its energy capabilities are
January, 2010
 SOLIANT ENERGY
500-proof Solar
It’s not easy being
first. But smart engi-
neering concepts to
solve recurring mar-
ket challenges de-
serve consideration
in this forum even
if they’ve yet to be
proven in today’s
solar marketplace.
The potential pay-off
for carving out that
fresh new niche is
notable. That’s why
Soliant Energy made
this year’s list. So-
liant Energy repre-
sents the industry’s
first attempt to com-
mercialize Concen-
trating Photovoltaics
(CPV) for rooftop
applications. Soliant
1 makes concentrating
solar photovoltaic
systems. Its SE500X
product line uses lenses to concentrate the
sunlight 500 times and direct it to solar
cells for electricity generation. This com-
pany is so new, it doesn’t yet have its UL
listing. That should come at the end of Q1
2010. General Electric, Rockport Capital
Partners, Trinity Ventures, Rincon Venture
Partners, Convexa and Nth Power see the
potential and have signed on as investors.
Founded by former NASA Jet Propul-
sion Laboratory scientists in 2005, Soliant
Energy’s CPV solution makes engineering
believers. Last month, Solyndra signed a new
long-term framework agreement with Al-
witra GmbH & Co., a Trier, Germany-based
supplier of roofing systems. In late Novem-
ber, Solyndra announced it had signed a new
multi-year multi-million-dollar framework
agreement with solar integrator Sun System
of Milan, Italy. This past July, German solar
power company Umwelt-Sonne-Energie
signed a three-year, US$238 million supply
contract with Solyndra.
Others with whom Solyndra has long-
term commercial agreements include
GeckoLogic, Phoenix Solar, Solar Power
Inc., Carlisle Construction Materials, Sun
Sytem, SunConnex and EBITSCHenergi-
etechnik. In addition, Solyndra has special
partnering arrangements with SPG Solar
Inc. and Premier Power Renewable Ener-
gy Inc.
January, 2010
and economic sense. The lens housing is
an easily-oriented bucket, arranged in what
Soliant’s team calls six-packs. The buck-
ets, corresponding lenses, rack mounting
even the dual-axis, auto-calibrated TipTilt
TrackingTM tracking equipment are much
more affordable than silicon solar cells.
And by using those lenses to concentrate
the sun to a very targeted square inch or so
within the bucket housing, it becomes pos-
sible to prudently place the most expensive
solar cell technology at the focal point of
the lens. Because the buckets are easily
oriented to the precise location of the
sun and they then concentrate its power
by a factor of 500 the energy potential
even with limited roof space is nothing
short of remarkable.
Soliant Energy’s concentrated solar pan-
els are specifically designed for commer-
cial rooftops with high energy needs. The
company claims a Soliant Energy-
equipped rooftop can generate up to twice
as much energy as typical polysilicon flat
panels, and up to 240% more than thin-
film solutions under peak sun conditions.
Ultimately, low-cost thin-film products
seem to have the large-scale utility market
due to current and projected cost advan-
tages. However, if space is a limiting fac-
tor, solutions like this will find a viable
niche market. With mass production, the
space grade solar cells used in this product
should come down in price, too.
Soliant opened a 1 MW pilot production
facility at its southern California headquar-
ters this past August. It is expected to pro-
duce 2,700 panels the aforementioned
The world has spoken, and Solyndra’s
innovative design streamlines racking re-
quirements and alignment effort. And its
application of CIGS within that slick,
functionally-superior form-factor trans-
lates into a noteworthy installation cost
advantage in any language.
[On December 18, 2009, Solyndra, Inc.
filed a registration statement with the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission re-
lating to the initial public offering of its
common stock.]
Info: www.solyndra.com
Solyndra’s unique cylindrical panel
configuration and use of CIGS thin-film
technology resulted in a reported US$2
billion backlog in orders from Europe,
the U.S. and the Middle East last year.
six-packs in its first year of operation.
The company says it is on schedule for get-
ting product to its beta sites and has al-
ready shipped to two of its six confirmed
beta customers. In addition, Soliant is eval-
uating beta customers for international
markets, whom they anticipate selecting
(and installing product with) late this year.
The company is refining the automation
process on its new plant, which means lim-
ited product availability in 2010. They
ramp into full production next year.
As credit markets loosen, field tests con-
firm the capabilities of this technology and
commercial interests familiarize them-
selves with the benefits of CPV, scrutiny
of Soliant’s cost-cutting solution and its
ability to reliably deliver these high-per-
forming systems at a competitive price
could transform their pilot plant of poten-
tial into one humming with activity.
Info: www.soliantenergy.com
y
nerg
Solia
nt E
hou for
Jam
es C
to by
Pho
2
1 Soliant claims its CPV technology can generate
up to twice as much energy as typical poly-sili-
con flat panels, and up to 240% more than thin
film under peak sun conditions.
2 Soliant Energy represents the industry’s first
attempt to commercialize Concentrating Photo-
voltaics (CPV) for rooftop applications.
Photo by Solyndra
45
COVER STORY USA
Excited about
What’s toCome
Solyndra CEO Dr. Chris Gronet’s
comments at the groundbreaking of his
new 300,000 square foot manufactur-
ing facility this past summer bear re-
peating: “ The economy needs clean
tech alternatives to help it recover, but
our planet requires clean tech solutions
in order to survive.”
The 193 countries eager for solutions
at Copenhagen last month will look to
the industry for ways to wisely apply
the billions of dollars the U.S., China
and other nations have allocated for
clean technology answers to the
world’s energy woes. There’s no silver
bullet solution to the problem, just a
quiver of creative PV quills that, as the
creative solutions addressed here con-
February 16 (Wed)~18 (Fri), 2011, KINTEX / KOREA
46
firm, provide a palatable prologue to
the coming year.
The tireless drive, great engineering
advances, creative solutions and, in
some instances, the just-as-creative fi-
nancing this year’s PV Picks have em-
ployed to 1) reduce costs, 2) improve
output and 3) accelerate adoption, bring
a current of excitement of what’s to
come in 2010, no matter how it’s pack-
aged.
Terri Steele is a correspondent for InterPV
Magazine based in San Diego, California,
the U.S.A. ※ Jeffrey Owens contributed to this article. Founder and Execu-
You can find her at InterPV@cox.net and tive Director of Missouri-based Show Me Solar, Owens resides
in Puerto Rico. He recently earned a Master’s Degree in
at www.Twitter.com/SolarSavvy. Physics from the University of Missouri.
EXPO Solar 2011
International Solar Energy Expo & Conference
February 16 (Wed) ~ 18 (Fri), 2011, KINTEX, KOREA
January, 2010