Manufacturing Cost
jfdenault
I've researching on manufacturing costs for Solar Panel, and it seems
to hover between 1 to 2.5$ / watt.
I'm curious though how the scalling on this works... the numbers out
there seem to be averages, but would there be much of a difference for
a 60 / 70 or 75 panel?
Thanks!
Jf
Eeyore
jfdenault wrote:
Regardless of the cost, the problem is that you get no output at night
when you need it most (and little in winter when you also need it most),
or even on cloudy days.
In short, unless you're seriously off-grid, PV Solar is an utter waste of
time and money.
Graham
Mauried
Im curious as to where you got the manufacturing costs from.
What type of Solar panels are being made for $1 a watt.
The only Company who have ever claimed that are Nanosolar
and theres no evidence to back that claim.
Anyway, the manufacturing costs are not whats important, its the cost
per watt that you can actually buy.
Eeyore
Mauried wrote:
> Eeyore wrote:
> >jfdenault wrote:
> >>
> >> I've researching on manufacturing costs for Solar Panel, and it seems
> >> to hover between 1 to 2.5$ / watt.
> >>
> >> I'm curious though how the scalling on this works... the numbers out
> >> there seem to be averages, but would there be much of a difference for
> >> a 60 / 70 or 75 panel?
> >
> >Regardless of the cost, the problem is that you get no output at night
> >when you need it most (and little in winter when you also need it most),
> >or even on cloudy days.
> >
> >In short, unless you're seriously off-grid, PV Solar is an utter waste of
> >time and money.
>
> Im curious as to where you got the manufacturing costs from.
> What type of Solar panels are being made for $1 a watt.
> The only Company who have ever claimed that are Nanosolar
> and theres no evidence to back that claim.
And they're very coy about it. I.e. won't tell !
$6 / peak watt is more normal and that excludes fitting, maintenance and
inverters.
> Anyway, the manufacturing costs are not whats important, its the cost
> per watt that you can actually buy.
True. Do you fancy paying $1-2 / kWh ?
Graham
jfdenault
>
> > Im curious as to where you got themanufacturingcosts from.
> > What type of Solar panels are being made for $1 a watt.
> > The only Company who have ever claimed that are Nanosolar
> > and theres no evidence to back that claim.
>
unless they are already out of business?
- AVA Solar Inc. will start production by the end of next year on the
technology developed by Colorado State University. The new 200-
megawatt factory is expected to employ up to 500 people and will cost
less than $1 per watt. The cost to the consumer could be as low as $2
per watt, about half the current cost of solar panels. Source: New
Low Cost Solar Panels Ready for Mass Production, Adrienne Selko,
IndustryWeek, Sept. 10, 2007
- 1366 Technologies has raised $12.4 millions to build a pilot solar
cell plant in Lexington, Mass., Rather than design new materials in
pursuit of a solar cell efficiency breakthrough, 1366 Technologies is
focusing on manufacturing improvements around silicon cells. A
combination of two manufacturing technologies will allow it to make
polycrystalline cells 25%more efficient at converting light to
electricity. Its goal is to produce solar cells at one dollar per
watt, or 10 cents per kilowatt-hour by 2012, which is about half the
manufacturing cost now. Source: MIT spinoff shoots for solar power at
$1 per watt, Martin LaMonica , News CNET
- The success is only partially attributable to UT. It is much more a
tribute to the ingenuity of Ohio’s scientists, engineers and
technicians who brought major expertise in glass handling, glass
coating, and manufacturing to help solve the many challenging issues
that needed to be resolved before such a new technology could be
brought to market. First Solar, now employing over 600 in Toledo, I
understand, announced this spring that their manufacturing cost was
$1.25 / watt which is by far the lowest in the industry. First Solar,
now the world’s largest manufacturer of thin-film solar modules has
realized what scientists have been predicting for several years, that
second generation solar modules, not based on silicon wafers but thin-
film coatings on glass or metal foil, will lead in reducing the cost
of solar power in America and the world. Source : Alvin D. Compaan,
Chair, Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Toledo,
Testimony on S.B. 221, before the Ohio Senate Energy and Public
Utilities Committee , October 18, 2007
Jf
Eeyore
jfdenault wrote:
> >
> > > Im curious as to where you got themanufacturingcosts from.
> > > What type of Solar panels are being made for $1 a watt.
> > > The only Company who have ever claimed that are Nanosolar
> > > and theres no evidence to back that claim.
> >
> Actually I found reference to quite a few who made that claim...
> unless they are already out of business?
>
> - AVA Solar Inc. will start production by the end of next year on the
> technology developed by Colorado State University. The new 200-
> megawatt factory is expected to employ up to 500 people and will cost
> less than $1 per watt. The cost to the consumer could be as low as $2
> per watt, about half the current cost of solar panels. Source: New
> Low Cost Solar Panels Ready for Mass Production, Adrienne Selko,
> IndustryWeek, Sept. 10, 2007
Hmm, www.avasolar.com isn't loading right now.
http://guide.opendns.com/?url=www.avasolar.com&servfail
Graham
Eeyore
Eeyore wrote:
AVA Solar is a manufacturer of thin-film photovoltaic (PV) modules.
AVA Solar�s proprietary technology will enable the production of low-cost
PV modules and will significantly reduce the cost of generating solar
electricity. Production capacity will be scaled rapidly to meet the fast
growing demand for solar energy.
Using cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin-film technology, AVA Solar has
perfected a robust, industrial-scale, continuous process for producing
solar PV modules. Over the past five years, AVA Solar has successfully
performed testing simulating 30 years of field exposure. These tests
indicate efficiency and stability performance comparable to the leading
CdTe-based modules currently on the market.
AVA Solar is currently in the process of scaling up its initial production
lines for a variety of large-scale, grid-connected applications.
AVA Solar intends to enter large-scale production in 2009.
(Google's cache).
Graham
Eeyore
jfdenault wrote:
> - 1366 Technologies has raised $12.4 millions to build a pilot solar
> cell plant in Lexington, Mass., Rather than design new materials in
> pursuit of a solar cell efficiency breakthrough, 1366 Technologies is
> focusing on manufacturing improvements around silicon cells.
"1366 Technologies is dedicated to making silicon solar cells competitive
with coal generated electricity."
http://1366tech.com/v1/content/view/14/33/
Uhuh ! As if ! A site full of over-simplifications.
Graham