Solar Power Logo

JA Solar Announces Strategic Cooperation Agreement with TUV SUD

("JA Solar" or the "Company"), one of the world's largest manufacturers of high-performance solar cells and solar power products, today announced that it has signed a cooperation agreement with TÜV SÜD, one of the world's leading providers of testing and certification services. Under the terms of the agreement, JA Solar and TÜV SÜD will cooperate on a range of product and system testing and certification initiatives, including the establishment of a TÜV SÜD-accredited testing facility at JA Solar's Fengxian facility in Shanghai. JA Solar is the first Chinese solar company to sign a strategic cooperative agreement with TÜV SÜD.

With TÜV SÜD's support, JA Solar will establish at its Fengxian facility a world-class testing center, which will be qualified to conduct IEC61215/61730 testing. As part of the process of establishing the center, TÜV SÜD has already awarded TMP (Testing at Manufacturers' Premises) certification to JA Solar's in-house laboratory, which is the sole TMP laboratory of TÜV SÜD worldwide to date in the photovoltaic industry. The TMP qualification will enable the Company to complete its product certification processes more quickly and will lead to improved cost efficiencies.

Source: MarketWatch (press release)

MiddleEastEvents.com -IBM, KACST Unveil Research Initiative to ...

Riyadh , Saudi Arabia - April 8, 2010 : 

ARMONK, N.Y. and RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, April 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- IBM (NYSE:IBM) and the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), Saudi Arabia's national research and development organization, today announced a research collaboration aimed at creating a water desalination plant powered by solar electricity, which could significantly reduce water and energy costs. A new, energy efficient desalination plant with an expected production capacity of 30,000 cubic meters per day will be built in the city of Al Khafji to serve 100,000 people. KACST plans to power the plant with the ultra-high concentrator photovoltaic (UHCPV) technology that is being jointly developed by IBM and KACST; this technology is capable of operating a CPV system at a concentration greater than 1,500 suns. Inside the plant, the desalination process will hinge on another IBM-KACST jointly developed technology, a nanomembrane that filters out salts as well as potentially harmful toxins in water while using less energy than other forms of water purification. According to KACST scientists, the two most commonly used methods for seawater desalination are thermal technology and reverse osmosis, both at a cost ranging from 2.5 to 5.5 Saudi Riyals per cubic meter. By combining solar power with the new nanomembrane, the goal of this project is to significantly reduce the cost of desalinating seawater at these plants. "Currently, Saudi Arabia is the largest producer of desalinated water in the world, and we continue to invest in new ways of making access to fresh water more affordable," said Dr. Turki Al Saud, vice president for research institutes, KACST. "Water has the first priority in the Science, Technology and Innovation Plan of the Kingdom, overseen by KACST." Because over 97 percent of the world's water is in the oceans, turning salt water into fresh water cost effectively and energy efficiently offers tremendous potential for addressing the growing worldwide demand for clean water. One of the most efficient means of desalination is reverse osmosis. But there are obstacles to unlocking this reserve -- principally bio-fouling, degradation by chlorine and low flux challenges. The KACST / IBM joint research focuses on improving polymeric membranes through nanoscale modification of polymer properties to make desalination much more efficient and much less costly. "Our collaborative research with KACST has led to innovative technologies in the areas of solar power and of water desalination," said Sharon Nunes, vice president, IBM Big Green Innovations. "Using these new technologies, we will create energy-efficient systems we believe can be implemented across Saudi Arabia and around the world." In February 2008, IBM and KACST signed a multi-year collaborative research agreement, under which scientists from IBM and KACST work side by side at IBM Research labs in New York and California as well as at the KACST / IBM Nanotechnology Centre of Excellence in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. IBM's multi-faceted research with KACST also includes exploring new ways to recycle polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastics, commonly used for food and beverage containers.

Source: MiddleEastEvents.com -IBM, KACST Unveil Research Initiative to ...

News

CNPV Signs Long-Term Strategic Partnership with AE Photonics, a German Company

istockAnalyst.com (press release) - Apr 09, 2010

CNPV Solar Power SA (NYSE Euronext: ALCNP), through its wholly- owned subsidiary, CNPV Dongying Photovoltaic Power Company Limited, is a leading integrated

Wine Notes: Jim Efird and Bob Schiebelhut of Edna Valley

San Luis Obispo Tribune - Apr 09, 2010

Larry Brooks winemaker at Tolosa in SLO with their new solar power installation. photo Jayson Mellom 4-1-10 By Jayson Mellom | The Tribune Today,

www.standoutstocks.com: Stocks That Stand Out For Apr. 8th, 2010 Are Apr 08 ...

Trading Markets (press release) - Apr 08, 2010

George M. Buckingham, the previous owner of Ship Ahoy, and PBEC have begun the process of responding to a request for proposal to develop a solar energy

EnergyStar Failure: Government Gives OK To Bogus Green Products

ChicagoNow (blog) - Mar 26, 2010

Without honestly making an effort to have lower electrical output and increase the types of alternative electrical energy such as wind farms, solar power,

Google to Power Campus Rollercoaster with Surplus Solar Power

Inhabitat (blog) - Apr 01, 2010

Google Inc. is building a roller coaster — in the shape of their logo — to run on excess solar power from the company's 9212 photovoltaic solar panels.