INDUSTRYMARKET
USA solar promise begins shaping
The PV industry has relied on subsidies to achieve growth in a hostile climate. New opportunites continue and with the USA government aiming to drive advanced
16
manufacturing, the eyes of the solar industry look to the manufacturing giant.
Steven Chu has announced grants of up to $112.5 million over five years for funding to support the development of advanced solar photovoltaic (PV)- related manufacturing processes throughout the United States. The Department’s SunShot Advanced Manufacturing Partnerships will help the solar power industry overcome technical barriers and reduce costs for PV installations, help the U.S. regain the lead in the global market for solar technologies, and provide support for clean energy jobs for years to come.
A
Faced with falling U.S. market share for the domestic semiconductor industry from 57 % in 1982 to 38 % in 1988, SEMATECH began working with domestic suppliers. As a result of the work to solve common manufacturing problems, within ten years the domestic semiconductor industry had grown by 16 percent. SEMATECH will now apply similar ingenuity to helping the U.S. recapture the lead in solar manufacturing.
“Expanding the U.S. solar energy industry is an important part of the administration’s goals to diversify our electricity supply and rebuild America’s manufacturing base to create jobs now and in the future,” said Secretary Chu. “The SunShot Initiative will not only keep the United States at the forefront in solar energy research and
s part of the SunShot Initiative, U.S. Department of Energy Secretary
development, but will help win the race to build a solar manufacturing industry that produces solar systems that are cost competitive with fossil fuels.”
The investments are part of DOE’s SunShot Initiative, which aims to reduce the costs of PV systems by about 75 % so that they are cost competitive at large scale with other forms of energy without subsidies by the end of the decade. Achieving this goal, equivalent to approximately $1 a watt or roughly 6 cents per kilowatt-hour for utility systems, would allow solar energy systems to be broadly deployed across the country.
Selected projects will create organizations designed to bring PV companies together in a coordinated environment to address common technology needs. The facilities established through these projects will provide services, tools, and facilities to PV companies and suppliers to assist them in developing and demonstrating new technologies and in making the transition to commercial production. The program will also link universities and national labs with PV cell, materials, and equipment suppliers to help speed the rate of innovation through coordinated and focused PV manufacturing development. The selected industry focused organizations will strongly leverage industry, state, and local funds, and are expected to achieve financial self- sufficiency after five years.
www.solar-pv-management.com Issue IV 2011
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48