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- Solar energy demand has grown at about 30% per annum over the past 15 years. (Hydrocarbon energy demand typically grows between 0-2% per annum).
- The US market showed 57% growth in 2007. Japan’s market reached 230MW, a marginal increase from 2006.
- Japan has taken over from the United States as the largest net exporter of PV cells and modules.
- Japan accounted for 39% of total global cell production in 2006
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October 27, 2009
Sencera Completes Thin-Film Installation at Winery-- Takes Thin-Film from Concept to Cost-Efficient Solution.
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Charlotte, NC— Sencera, a manufacturer of thin-film solar panels, has completed a major installation at a North Carolina vineyard, allowing that business to harness the power of the sun at a fraction of the cost of traditional solar panels.
“Sencera’s years of research and development are paying off for users across North Carolina and the country,” Sencera CEO Rusty Jewett said. “We have taken thin-film photovoltaics from a concept to an energy-efficient, cost-efficient solution for solar customers.”
One of the early hurdles to solar panel adoption was the high cost of silicon. But Sencera’s thin-film technology uses only one-six hundredth the amount of silicon required for a comparable sized silicon wafer panel.
“For years, consumers have embraced the idea of solar energy,” Jewett said. “Now thin-film technology is allowing those consumers to embrace not just the idea, but the reality of harnessing the power of the sun.”
Sencera worked with SEM to install 104 panels at Raylen Vineyards in Mocksville, NC.
Raylen Vineyards and Winery in Mocksville is now using 104 100-watt panels to power everything from refrigeration systems to pumping machinery to office lights.
"As wine growers, we continue to implement environmentally friendly practices such as renewable energy,” said Joe Neely, owner and CEO of Raylen. “Since thin film technology has dramatically improved the economics of solar, we decided to install a solar electricity system. During each week of operation, our system has the effect of eliminating more than one ton of Carbon Dioxide gas emissions.”
Steve Shepard, Raylen’s general manager, says the vineyard’s energy bills were topping $1000 per month. The new solar panels could offset 50 to 60 percent of that cost, including rebates from programs encouraging private energy generation.
This installation at Raylen Vineyards generates enough energy to power seven homes.
Shepard also pointed out government incentive programs that defray installation costs.
“Sencera has been very, very helpful in helping us navigate those avenues,” Shepard said. “You heard about it, you read about, but you were wondering if when all the chips had fallen, would it really happen that way. So far, the incentives have worked just as they’re supposed to.”
Sencera worked with Southern Energy Management to install the 1.4-meter square panels on approximately one-twentieth of an acre of vineyard land. The energy produced from the panels is equivalent to that used to power seven households, or a medium-sized commercial building.
Eric Blomendale, a business development director at SEM, says the same land and sun needed to grow grapes make wineries ideal for solar installations.
“Typically the rows [of grapes] are oriented north to south,” Blomendale said. “Everything’s handpicked, so the height of those vines is kept within arms reach, so there’s no shading that would inhibit solar.”
Blomendale notes that other businesses with sun exposure and a bit of land or roof space to spare can look to Raylen as an example of what can be accomplished. He sees opportunities for everyone from livestock farmers to warehouse owners to take advantage of the free solar energy shining on their businesses daily.
Blomendale says SEM’s installation capabilities combined with Sencera’s cutting edge technology open up a world of possibilities for solar energy in the Carolinas and across the country.
“We can bring to Sencera some great field experience, and we can benefit from Sencera’s technology,” Blomendale said. “It’s going to be a natural evolution of our businesses. We’re very excited about that.”
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