United Solar Sees
12 Percent Efficiency
The national Renewable energy laboratory (nRel) in January confirmed an initial 12
percent conversion efficiency of a large-area
solar cell using Uni-Solar’s proprietary nano-Crystalline silicon. this is the highest large-area
cell efficiency confirmed by nRel for thin-film
silicon PV technology, and is about 50 percent
higher than current production cells from Uni-Solar. the record-setting cell measured 400
square centimeters and was encapsulated in a
proprietary thin-film polymer. It uses a triple-junction assembly of silicon layers on a flexible
stainless steel substrate. the company plans
commercial production of the new architecture in 2012.
D.C. Reneges on Renewable
Energy Incentive Grants
In the March issue of SOLAR TODAY, Rob Robinson reported on solar co-ops in
washington, D.C. the article described the
passage of the District’s Clean and Affordable
energy Act of 2008, which established a
Renewable energy Incentive Program (ReIP)
offering a $3-per-watt rebate for small systems.
Robinson noted that “we have had to work
vigilantly with the members of the council to
keep the city government from hijacking ReIP
funds to spend on other programs.”
According to The Washington Post, rebates
were paid on 317 new systems. then, in
February, the city government reneged on pay-
ments to 51 residents who had been promised
about $700,000 in rebates. their systems had
already been installed. the funds were diverted
to help meet the city’s $188 million budget
shortfall. the move affects 417 projects on the
ReIP waiting list. See tinyurl.com/DCreneges.
Architecture 2030 Issues
Product Challenge
Architecture 2030, the sustainable-building initiative, has launched the 2030 Challenge
for Products ( tinyurl.com/A2030challenge), a
plan to sharply reduce the greenhouse-gas
emissions (GhG) resulting from the manufacture and transport of building products.
the building sector is currently responsible
for 49 percent of the energy consumption
and 47 percent of GhG emissions in the
United States. Five to 8 percent of total annual
U.S. energy consumption and associated
emissions is for building products and construction. the Challenge for Products asks the
architecture, planning, design and building
community to specify, design and manufac-
ture products to meet a maximum carbon-
equivalent footprint of 30 percent below the
product category average through 2014. the
embodied carbon-equivalent footprint
reduction will be increased to 35 percent in
2015, 40 percent in 2020, 45 percent in 2025
and 50 percent by 2030. A two-year period,
from 2011 to 2013, has been established for
the development of industry standards and
product averages, and for manufacturers to
move to meet the 30 percent reduction based
on a life-cycle assessment.
