Monday January 16, 2006

Mitsubishi Heavy powers up new solar-panel program

peakoil.com -> asahi.com :

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. plans to enter the solar power market on a major scale, based on a significant advance in its solar-cell technology and a growing demand for renewable energy sources. Mitsubishi researchers developed a thin membrane that can use a broader spectrum in the wavelength of solar light to generate electricity. As a result, the efficiency rate for solar energy conversion was raised to 12% from the current model's 8%. The cost for manufacturing the new solar panels will also be about half that of rival companies.

In 2004, Mitsubishi panels accounted for about 1% of the world's solar power capacity of around 1,200 megawatts. It now aims to supply 5% of the capacity within 10 years. Sharp was the top manufacturer of solar panels in 2004, accounting for an estimated 27% of world capacity - followed by Kyocera with 9%. Japanese companies account for more than 50% of solar power generating capacity installed worldwide.

See also :

1. Honda to mass-produce solar cells from 2007

(2006-01-16 23:57:18 SGT) [Energy] Permalink

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