Solar Energy Portal

Solar Power: Products, Services & Potential


Solar energy, radiant light and heat from the sun, has been harnessed by humans since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving technologies. Solar radiation, along with secondary solar-powered resources such as wind and wave power, hydroelectricity and biomass, account for most of the available renewable energy on earth. Only a minuscule fraction of the obvious availability of the Sun is used. [more]

Solar Radiation Map \| Photovoltaic Cell and Module Report \|
Annual Shipments of Photovoltaic Cells and Modules, 1999 - 2008 Shipments of Photovoltaic Cells and Modules by Origin, 2007 and 2008 (Peak Kilowatts) Origin of U.S. Photovoltaic Cell and Module Import Shipments by Country


World Solar Radiation Map

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Solar energy, radiant light and heat from the sun, has been harnessed by humans since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving technologies. Solar radiation, along with secondary solar-powered resources such as wind and wave power, hydroelectricity and biomass, account for most of the available renewable energy on earth. Only a minuscule fraction of the obvious availability of the Sun is used. Solar powered electrical generation relies on heat engines and photovoltaics. Solar energy's uses are limited only by human ingenuity. A partial list of solar applications includes space heating and cooling through solar architecture, potable water via distillation and disinfection, daylighting, solar hot water, solar cooking, and high temperature process heat for industrial purposes.To harvest the solar energy, the most common way is to use solar panels. Solar technologies are broadly characterized as either passive solar or active solar depending on the way they capture, convert and distribute solar energy. Active solar techniques include the use of photovoltaic panels and solar thermal collectors to harness the energy. Passive solar techniques include orienting a building to the Sun, selecting materials with favorable thermal mass or light dispersing properties, and designing spaces that naturally circulate air. The Earth receives 174 petawatts (PW) of incoming solar radiation (insolation) at the upper atmosphere. Approximately 30% is reflected back to space while the rest is absorbed by clouds, oceans and land masses. The spectrum of solar light at the Earth's surface is mostly spread across the visible and near-infrared ranges with a small part in the near-ultraviolet. Earth's land surface, oceans and atmosphere absorb solar radiation, and this raises their temperature. Warm air containing evaporated water from the oceans rises, causing atmospheric circulation or convection. When the air reaches a high altitude, where the temperature is low, water vapor condenses into clouds, which rain onto the Earth's surface, completing the water cycle. The latent heat of water condensation amplifies convection, producing atmospheric phenomena such as wind, cyclones and anti-cyclones. Sunlight absorbed by the oceans and land masses keeps the surface at an average temperature of 14 C. By photosynthesis green plants convert solar energy into chemical energy, which produces food, wood and the biomass from which fossil fuels are derived. The total solar energy absorbed by Earth's atmosphere, oceans and land masses is approximately 3,850,000 exajoules (EJ) per year. In 2002, this was more energy in one hour than the world used in one year. Photosynthesis captures approximately 3,000 EJ per year in biomass. The amount of solar energy reaching the surface of the planet is so vast that in one year it is about twice as much as will ever be obtained from all of the Earth's non-renewable resources of coal, oil, natural gas, and mined uranium combined. From the table of resources it would appear that solar, wind or biomass would be sufficient to supply all of our energy needs, however, the increased use of biomass has had a negative effect on global warming and dramatically increased food prices by diverting forests and crops into biofuel production. As intermittent resources, solar and wind raise other issues. Solar energy can be harnessed in different levels around the world. Depending on a geographical location the closer to the equator the more "potential" solar energy is available.
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Table 3.5 xls pdf format Solar Photovoltaic Cell/Module Annual Report





Table 3.5 Photovoltaic Cell and Module Shipments by Type, 2006 - 2008
Type	Shipments (Peak Kilowatts)			Percent of Total
Type	2006	2007	2008	2006	2007	2008
Crystalline Silicon
Single-Crystal	85,627	128,542	359,259	25	25	36
Cast and Ribbon	147,892	181,788	306,537	44	35	31
Subtotal	233,518	310,330	665,795	69	60	67
Thin-Film	101,766	202,519	293,182	30	39	30
Concentrator	1,984	4,835	27,527	1	1	3
Other¹	-	-	-	-	-	-
U.S. Total	337,268	517,684	986,504	100	100	100
¹Other includes categories not identified by reporting companies. - = No data reported. Note: Totals may not equal sum of components due to independent rounding. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-63B, "Annual Photovoltaic Module/Cell Manufacturers Survey."


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Table 3.1 xls pdf format Solar Photovoltaic Cell/Module Annual Report
Table 3.1 Annual Shipments of Photovoltaic Cells and Modules, 1999 - 2008
Year	Number of Companies	Photovoltaic Cell and Modules Shipments
Year	Number of Companies	Total	Imports	Exports
1999	19	76,787	4,784	55,585
2000	21	88,221	8,821	68,382
2001	19	97,666	10,204	61,356
2002	19	112,090	7,297	66,778
2003	20	109,357	9,731	60,693
2004	19	181,116	47,703	102,770
2005	29	226,916	90,981	92,451
2006	41	337,268	173,977	130,757
2007	46	517,684	238,018	237,209
2008	66	986,504	586,558	462,252
Note: Total shipments as reported by respondents include all domestic and export shipments and may include imported cells and modules that subsequently were shipped to domestic or foreign customers. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-63B, "Annual Photovoltaic Module/Cell Manufacturers Survey."

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Table 3.9 xls pdf format Solar Photovoltaic Cell/Module Annual Report
Table 3.9 Shipments of Photovoltaic Cells and Modules by Origin, 2007 and 2008 (Peak Kilowatts)
Origin	2007	2008
Arizona	6,000	13,583
California	45,236	44,059
Delaware	18,412	15,000
Georgia	-	423
Iowa	1,147	1,143
Maryland	28,323	29,768
Massachusetts	8,264	38,811
Michigan	47,647	109,122
New Jersey	1,578	2,886
New Mexico	2,752	7,427
New York	107	144
Ohio	116,500	133,681
Pennsylvania	3,700	3,900
Shipments from United States/Territories	279,666	399,947
Imports	238,018	586,558
Total Shipments	517,684	986,504
- = No data reported. Note: Totals may not equal sum of components due to independent rounding. Source: Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-63B, "Annual Photovoltaic Module/Cell Manufacturers Survey."

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Table 3.12 xls pdf format Solar Photovoltaic Cell/Module Annual Report
Table 3.12 Origin of U.S. Photovoltaic Cell and Module Import Shipments by Country, 2007 and 2008 (Peak Kilowatts)
Region/Country	2007	2008	Percent of U.S. Imports 2008
Asia
China	59,405	133,038	22.68
Hong Kong	3,429	6,200	1.06
India	4,976	1,096	0.19
Japan	102,791	145,745	24.85
Philippines	364	150,092	25.59
Taiwan	583	44,889	7.65
Total	171,547	481,060	82.01
Central America
Mexico	23,961	43,440	7.41
Total	23,961	43,440	7.41
Europe
Federal Republic of Germany	41,265	58,517	9.98
Spain	-	3,540	0.60
United Kingdom	4	-	-
Total	41,268	62,057	10.58
North America
Canada	1,241	-	-
Total	1,241	-	-
U.S. Total	238,018	586,558	100.00
- = No data reported. Note: Totals may not equal sum of components due to independent rounding. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-63B, "Annual Photovoltaic Module/Cell Manufacturers Survey."

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Solar Energy Portal

Solar Power: Products, Services & Potential

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