Poorer Cousin Concentrated Photovoltaics(CPV) getting Traction through as PV Efficiency reaches Upper Limit

Concentrated Photovoltaics (CPV) is regarded as the poorer cousin of other Solar Technologies such as Thin Film,PV and Concentrated Solar Power (CSP).While other technologies get much more media attention and investment dollars,CPV is not considered sexy enough.However things  seems to be  changing with New Contracts being signed by CPV leaders such as Solaria and Amonix.Concentrating Photovoltaics (CPV) unlike CSP uses Solar Light to generate Energy rather the Solar Heat.Also it uses Optics to increase the Efficiency of Photovoltaic Cells generally made of Crystalline Technology.CSP on the other hand uses Solar Mirrors to Focus Heat onto materials such as Salts and Oil which in turn convert this Heat into Energy.Note CPV like the Thin Film Technology saw investments during 2007-2008 when the Polysilicon Prices were quite high at $400/kg.With prices crashing to $50/kg in 2009 and 2010,these Technology Suppliers ran into a lot of problems.CPV is making a comeback as traditional c-Si based cells  are reaching the upper limit of their efficiency.Sunpower which makes the most efficient PV cells recently said that it would look at CPV technology to improve the efficiency of their 24% cells further.Note that Efficiency Improvements are the most important cost cutting measure for Solar Technology in order to bring it towards Grid Parity.

Solaria,SolFocus,Concentrix Solar and Amonix the CPV Companies to Watch out For

Solaria has recently managed to sign a module supply deal with a subsidiary of French giant utility EDF while Amonix has snagged a deal to supply 30 MW for a project being built for Xcel Energy.This  30 MW Project is the largest CPV project of its kind and is being developed by Concentrix which is a Goldman offshoot.Note while CPV technology is still some way away from maturity,it looks like it will gain further traction in the future as efficiency improves dramatically with minute increase in costs.SolFocus and Concentrix Solar are the other 2 companies to watch out for in this space.Concentrix Solar was taken over by speciality wafer firm Soitec while SolFocus is building its first 3 MW pilot plant in Spain.

enXco and Solaria Sign Supply Agreement – BusinessWire

enXco – an EDF Energies Nouvelles Company (PARIS: EEN) and Solaria Corporation announced today a five year global supply agreement under which module manufacturer Solaria will supply their patented solar module to enXco as well as a small equity investment from enXco in Solaria.

The agreement, which is a combination of a firm order and significant options, will enable enXco to execute on its growing portfolio of utility-scale solar PV projects in the United States and Canada.

Xcel to Buy Power From Goldman Colorado Solar Plant (Update1) – Bloomberg

Xcel Energy Inc., the owner of utilities that operate in eight U.S. states, will buy the power from a solar plant in southern Colorado that’s being developed by Cogentrix Energy LLC.

The 30-megawatt solar field will concentrate the sun’s rays onto photovoltaic panels that generate electricity, providing enough power for about 6,500 homes, Charlotte, North Carolina- based Cogentrix said today in a statement. Cogentrix is a unit of Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

When completed, the concentrating photovoltaic, or CPV, plant will be the largest of its kind in the world, Cogentrix said. The technology represents less than 0.5 percent of total installed global solar energy. Cogentrix will use panels designed by Torrance, California-based Amonix Inc., which plans to complete a factory near Las Vegas by the end of this year.