SOLARAWARDS2011 WINNERS
This year’s recipient hits all those targets and if you have ever read one of his breakdowns of a journalists work you know that he is not shy to speak his mind or clarify misinformation. Our winner has also being prolific in his writings and has pushed the thin film path since its beginnings.
Ken Zweibel has almost 30 years experience in solar photovoltaics. He was at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory ) much of that time and the program leader for the Thin Film PV Partnership Program until 2006. The Thin Film Partnership worked with most US participants in thin film PV (companies, universities, scientists) and is often credited with being important to the success of thin film PV in the US.
Corporate participants in the Partnership included First Solar, UniSolar, Global Solar, Shell Solar, BP Solar, and numerous others. Zweibel subsequently cofounded and became President of a thin film CdTe PV start-up, PrimeStar Solar, a majority share of which was purchased by General Electric. Zweibel became the founding Director of The George Washington University Solar Institute at its formation in 2008.
Ken has seen the successes and failures in the thin film solar industry and knows that a crossroads has been reached. When asked why thin film has not expanded as planned he is happy to acknowledge that he has been surprised by crystalline success. Despite changing market conditions Ken has no doubt that thin film solar will continue to grow and be an important part of the industry. His continued support of this technology and industry will continue to be an enabling contribution.
Note from the Judges: The early years of PV and solar technology is not a story of financiers and companies seeking imminent fortunes but was started by dedicated individuals with a longer term vision of the potential of technology and the changing needs of the population. Without the pioneering work of such individuals we would have the industry we do today.
Rural Electrification Award
backing and the technical support. The target of the project is making suitable a concession scheme, in which the user as well as the other players would come out benefiting.
Introduction: The main difference between this project and others is international competitive bidding conditions, not only requesting the supply and installation of the systems, which is a common practice, but also requiring a contractual commitment for the development of a sustainability programme, to assure the operation and management of the systems for 15 years.
Figure 1. Project Area
The project has been developed by the Interamerican Development Bank (BID) and the National Energy Commission (CNE), and required the amount of 1,040,000 USD of which the BID provides 85% to the CNE through subsidies and the remaining 15% is obtained from the tariff charged to the end users.
WASPAM
Isofoton has been involved in an important project for the PV industry called WASPAM which aims to show real costs and benefits of a rural off grid system over a 15 year period. The main differentiator of this project is related to the international public tender requiring a turn key project, together with a commitment to the 15 year study. The Project is been carried out by a social partner active in the project area, a local installer company, and a PV manufacturer, supplying the financial
A consortium formed by the companies ISOFOTON S.A., TECNOSOL and the NGO PANA-PANA led the project. Which is being carried out in the North Atlantic Autonomous Region (RAAN), in 31 communities situated along the shore of the Coco River, the natural border between Nicaragua and Honduras and one of the poorest areas in the country. The area is inhabited by the Miskita tribe, which has its own language (Miskito) and whose knowledge of Spanish is directly proportional to their proximity to the town of WASPAM. They have a subsistence economy based on the harvest of different crops, frijoles, rice and bananas in two annual harvests in April and September.
ISOFOTON is responsible for supplying the equipment and technical management of the installations. TECNOSOL, official distributor of ISOFOTON in Nicaragua, is responsible for the installation of the solar equipment and systems, under our training and supervision, and it will also be responsible for the supply of the Balance of the system, wires, switches, lamps (all this material must be local in order to obtain spare parts relatively easily).
Issue IX 2011 I
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