news digest ♦ Solar
term. Isofoton is listed among the firms that are leading the research effort together with renowned research centres such as the Fraunhofer ISE Institute (Germany), ECN (The Netherlands), imec (Belgium) and the Lausanne Federal Polytechnic School (Switzerland). Spain’s second entity, Madrid Polytechnic University, ranks at 18. No other European company is listed among the first twenty entities.
ANNEX: DETAILED OVERVIEW OF RESEARCH CLUSTERS IN THE EU
The 7 clusters through which the European Union groups aid to photovoltaic technology include:
Cluster 1:Photovoltaic cells based on silicon wafers. These are first-generation photovoltaic devices.
Cluster 2:Thin film photovoltaic technology. This second-generation technology with a 12% market share covers diverse thin film technologies including CIGS and CdTe. Eight R&D projects are being financed under this cluster, where Isofoton participates in the so-called THINSI project (
www.sintef.no/ Projectweb/thinsi).
Cluster 3:Third-generation photovoltaic technology. This technology uses advanced concepts including nanomaterials (quantum dots, nanoparticles, nanowires, etc.) or new concepts for developing new photovoltaic devices such as organic cells. This heterogeneous cluster comprises 15 projects that are subdivided into three groups (quantum dot or nanowire based photovoltaics, organic cells and innovative nanostructures).
Cluster 4:Concentration photovoltaic technology. There are three projects that are financed by the EU under this group, where Isofoton participates in the NACIR project.
Cluster 5:This cluster focuses on innovations surrounding grid connections and photovoltaic
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www.compoundsemiconductor.net January / February 2012
installations (one project is currently being financed under this category).
Cluster 6:This cluster deals with the development of new manufacturing equipment (three projects are currently being financed under this category).
Cluster 7:This cluster deals with industry support on general and crosscutting aspects such as infrastructure, market, legal, quality and training. There are 6 projects that are currently being financed under this category. Although Isofoton does not participate directly, it does so indirectly through the European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA), which participates in 4 of these initiatives.
MidAmerican Energy invests in Arizona NRG solar plant
The 290-MW Agua Caliente solar project is being constructed by cadmium telluride manufacturer First Solar
MidAmerican Energy Holdings is to acquire a 49% interest in the Agua Caliente solar project from NRG Energy.
The 290-MW solar photovoltaic (PV) project in Yuma County, Arizona, will generate enough electricity to offset about 5.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide over 25 years.
The $1.8 billion project, is being constructed by CdTe manufacturer, First Solar and is expected to be complete by 2014. It is supported by a $967 million loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Energy and a long-term power purchase agreement with Pacific Gas and Electric for all of the project’s generation.
“We are aggressively pursuing opportunities to expand our presence in the renewable energy sector, and the Agua Caliente project is another important step toward that goal,” said Greg Abel, Chairman, President and CEO of
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