Sun Above the Horizon: Meteoric Rise of the Solar Industry

541 Pages·2014·15.62 MB·English

by  Peter F. Varadi

Peter F. Varadi
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Meteoric Rise of the Solar Industry
SUN ABOVE
THE HORIZON

Pan Stanford Series on Renewable Energy
Series Editor
Wolfgang Palz
Titles in the Series Vol. 4
Solar Power for the World: What
You Wanted to Know about
Published
Photovoltaics
Vol. 1 Wolfgang Palz, ed.
Power for the World: The Emergence 2013
of Electricity from the Sun 978-981-4411-87-5 (Hardcover)
Wolfgang Palz, ed. 978-981-4411-88-2 (eBook)
2010
978-981-4303-37-8 (Hardcover)
978-981-4303-38-5 (eBook)
Vol. 5
Sun above the Horizon: Meteoric
Rise of the Solar Industry
Vol. 2 Peter F. Varadi
Wind Power for the World: The Rise 2014
of Modern Wind Energy 978-981-4463-80-5 (Hardcover)
Preben Maegaard, Anna Krenz, 978-981-4613-29-3 (Paperback)
and Wolfgang Palz, eds. 978-981-4463-81-2 (eBook)
2013
978-981-4364-93-5 (Hardcover)
978-981-4364-94-2 (eBook)
Forthcoming
Vol. 6
Biomass Power for the World
Vol. 3 Wim P. M. van Swaaij, Sascha R. A.
Wind Power for the World: Kersten, Wolfgang Palz, eds.
International Reviews and 2015
Developments
Preben Maegaard, Anna Krenz,
and Wolfgang Palz, eds.
2013
978-981-4411-89-9 (Hardcover)
978-981-4411-90-5 (eBook)
Pan Stanford Series on Renewable Energy
Volume 5
Meteoric Rise of the Solar Industry
SUN ABOVE
THE HORIZON
Peter F. Varadi
Published by
Pan Stanford Publishing Pte. Ltd.
Penthouse Level, Suntec Tower 3
8 Temasek Boulevard
Singapore 038988

Email: [email protected]
Web: www.panstanford.com
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Sun above the Horizon: Meteoric Rise of the Solar Industry
Copyright © 2014 Peter F. Varadi
Disclaimer
The regulatory information contained in this book is intended for
academic learning and market planning and is subject to change
frequently. Translations of laws and regulations are unofficial.
For photocopying of material in this volume, please pay a copying fee
through the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive,
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ISBN 978-981-4463-80-5 (Hardback)
ISBN 978-981-4613-29-3 (Paperback)
ISBN 978-981-4463-81-2 (eBook)
Printed in the USA
Contents
Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction 1
Act 1: Dawn—1972–1984
1. Damn the Torpedoes and Full Steam Ahead 7
2. Cook Book: How to Make Solar Cells and Modules 21
3. Betting on Horses 31
4. The Dawn of the Terrestrial PV—Solarex:
The Beginning and … 41
5. … Almost a Premature End 49
6. “Chevron” Solar Cells 67
7. The Silicon Enigma 73
8. Silicon, the Second Most Common Element in the
Earth’s Crust 77
9. The Evolution of the Terrestrial PV Modules: The Importance
of Testing and Quality 91
10. Dreamers and Sobering Reality 101
11. Photovoltaic Systems 113
12. “Stand-Alone” or “Off-Grid” PV Systems 117
13. 1975 the Year of Change 129
14. The Importance of Consumer Business 133
vi Contents
15. Micro-Generators and … 137
16. … and a Permanent Bridge to Europe 151
17. The Micro-Generator Mushroom Resulting in a Solar
Thin-Film Solution 167
18. PV for the People 175
19. Story about Success and Cash Flow 191
20. Water Pumping with PV 197

21. Navigational Aids 215
22. Amorphous Silicon (a-Si) the First Successful Thin-Film
Solar Cell 229
Act 2: Sunrise—1985–1999
23. Changing Landscape 245
24. The Big Oils’ Involvement in PV 247
25. Building-Integrated Photovoltaics and PV Roofs 255
26. Space Applications Used in Everyday Life: Communication
and GPS 275
27. Development of the Global PV Quality Program 293
28. World Bank’s Trailblazing Role for PV in Developing
Countries 309
29. Japan and Then Europe Take Over the Baton 323
30. Three Axioms That Will Shape the Future of PV 331
31. Does PV Need Government Subsidy or Can It Be Financed
Privately? 337
32. Grass Roots—Common Sense 345
Contents vii
Act 3: Towards High Noon—2000–2013
33. The Winding Road to the Feed-in Tariff 353
34. A New Silicon Enigma and Thin-Film PV Alternatives 359
35. PV Becomes Unstoppable 367
36. The Chinese Miracle—Part 1 375
37. The Chinese Miracle—Part 2 393
38. Concentrated, Tracking, and the Solyndra PV Systems 417
39. The PV Rollercoaster 429
40. The Last Barrier: “Bankability” = Proof of
Quality/Reliability 433
41. The Effect of PV on the Transformation of the
Electric Utilities 445
42. Energy Independence and the Wireless Environment 463
Epilogue 479
Annexes 481
Index 529