Monthly Archives: November 2007

First Solar Announces Acquisition of Turner Renewable Energy

Posted on November 30, 2007 | Leave a comment

PHOENIX, Nov 30, 2007 (PrimeNewswire via COMTEX News Network) — First Solar, Inc. (Nasdaq:FSLR), manufacture of solar modules with an advanced thin film semiconductor process, announced that it has acquired Turner Renewable Energy, LLC for a purchase price of approximately $34.3 million paid in a combination of common stock of First Solar, Inc. and cash. The company will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of First Solar, Inc. under the name First Solar Electric, LLC. Turner Renewable Energy, LLC has operated under the name DT Solar and has designed and deployed commercial solar projects for utilities and Fortune 500 companies in the U.S. since 2004.

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Posted in Technologies, U.S.

Bravo Gordon Brown……………..

Posted on November 22, 2007 | Leave a comment

When I hear top decision makers (unlike former presidents or former vice- presidents) presenting strategic plans for “technological revolution” for developing innovative clean energy technologies, I am getting optimistic. Britain Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, following Nicolas Sarcozy, promised to cut Britian’s carbon dioxide emissions by at least 60% by 2050.  The reason for my blessings are Browns realizing that achieving this challenging goal (without drastically cutting energy demands), requires a “technological revolution, similar to the development of steam engine…”, and creating new business opportunities. “This means a significant change in our energy economy. Indeed, I believe it will require no less than a fourth technological revolution,” Mr Brown said.

The concept is absolutely right. Now, Mr Brown, you have to establish a board of relevant experts and to take advantage of the wisdom of the relevant crowd (we can help you on this…..using the BiPSA neural-network, the most powerful data integration tool;  please ask your people to approach us, via amnon@ags-tech.com, ) and make a realistic plan. Since what appears in newspapers about supporting the development of new car technologies such as commercial hybrid engines, plug-in hybrids, electric cars and hydrogen fuel cells – is far from being a ‘revolution’….. that is nice, but will NOT make the change…. Despite what you might think – a technological revolution is required….

Now we have to see if you, Mr. Brown, are capable and brave enough to convert your vision into actions. ….. 

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 You are kindly invited to participate in a world-wide Internet survey that is posted in the following site:

http://www.bipsa.com/globalwarming.htm

You will be asked to refer to the following assumption:

 - By the year 2020 Highly Innovative and Bold Technologies will outrank Social Retrenchment in Global Climate Impact?

The opinions will be integrated through the BiPSA neural-network, which will summarize the community wisdom using this novel methodology.

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Posted in Europe, Technologies, Thoughts

Why debating on global warming?

Posted on November 13, 2007 | Leave a comment

Some people are debating on global warming. Others are making money from frightening us about the climate change as the gravest threat that the world has ever faced; The ‘smarters’ are making money out of the $30 billion global carbon market;  But only very few are really planning for the global rising energy demand, driven by economic growth in developing countries, beside the old players (oil, gas and coal companies) that are smart enough to realize that until the world will invest hundreds of billion of dollars in developing new innovative technologies for clean energy production – fossil fuels will continue to provide the vast majority of global energy demand. Even according to the most optimistic forecasts, the fossil fuel share in global energy demand will only be reduced to 77% by 2030! The pessimistic forecasts are that all renewable sources will account only 2.4% of total energy consumption in 2030. Building a wind power plant here or a solar power plant and a biofuel factory there, or even an infrastructure for charging car batteries or adopting policies to encourage energy efficiencies — are not enough.

Wake up my friends!  The main issue is not whether there is global warming or not? Whether the carbon-dioxide emissions are contributing to global warming or not?  The main threat is our oil dependence; that is why a technology breakthrough is required urgently inorder to free the world from the state-run companies that control most of the oil and gas resources and are ‘feeding’ the world terror.

What do you think?

You are kindly invited to participate in a world-wide Internet survey that is posted in the following site:

http://www.bipsa.com/globalwarming.htm

You will be asked to refer to the following assumption:

 - By the year 2020 Highly Innovative and Bold Technologies will outrank Social Retrenchment in Global Climate Impact?

The opinions will be integrated through the BiPSA neural-network, which will summarize the community wisdom using this novel methodology.

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Posted in Politics, Technologies

Who will be the next solar energy supplier for PG&E?

Posted on November 6, 2007 | 2 Comments

Following 535 MWe parabolic trough systems supposed to be built by Israeli Solel Solar Systems (if they succeed to join forces with the right strategic partners and raise the required 2BnUSD), and about 500MWe Power Towers systems to be built by BrightSource -LuzII (if they succeed to build their first pilot plant to provide heat from the sun, early next year), and the today announced 177MWe deal based on Ausra Inc.’s linear fresnel reflectors, –  it seems that parabolic dish and/or CPV are in line.    

 It is understandable why PG&E decided on the parabolic trough systems, as they are considered commercially available, and Solel has the know-how of the primary developers of this technology. Moreover, Solel, did not rest on Luz’s laurels, and enhanced the performance of their linear receivers. However, it seems that they have already pushed the envelope of these single-axis trackers….….. and does not have the long term commercial potential. 

 Until lately it was taken for granted that troughs and towers were having potential advantage for providing electric power to utilities, having high dispatchability capabilities, that gives them the ability to more closely match the utility load profile,  over dish and CPV systems, which were having potential advantage for decentralized energy and mainly for remote areas, due to their modularity. 

It seems that the coast is clear now for solar systems based on dish with high concentrators, based on enhanced two-axis tracking systems and with inherent storage and hybrid fossil capabilities. The remaining question is what will the PCU be based on? There are no operating commercial dish-Stirling power plants; from the development of viable Stirling engines there is ‘nothing to write home about’; and storage is currently not a considered viable option for dish-Stirling. Hence, it seems that there is room for PCU based on CPV or an innovative receiver feeding a gas/air turbine with very high temperature flux.  

Moreover, there is room for doubt if all the above three – Solel’s trough, Ausra’s Fresnel and Bright Source’s towers – will really get under way in due time and provide electricity to PG&E as soon as 2010 (as suppliers claim). 

Hence, Solar Dish, high temperatures receivers and CPV providers – buckle down!  

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Posted in Technologies, U.S.

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