Give me a lever, I could lift you out of the earth…

 Research breakthroughs to make solar battery can be used outside the production of silicon element. Scientists at the University of California at Los Angeles, said the results could significantly reduce the prices of solar energy.

Solar companies have been looking for efficiency and low cost of raw materials consumed less material than silicon. But for copper, indium, gallium compounds of selenium (CIGS) and material tests so far have not found a suitable Dell Inspiron 1300 battery, Dell Inspiron 1501 battery material.

William Hou University of California at Los Angeles for graduate engineering students, he said in a newspaper: “Human beings have a conversion efficiency of solar energy to 20%, but the high cost of current treatment methods so that production costs are too high, and current rates difficult to create competition. ”

Hou and his colleagues copper indium selenide solar cells cost, methods of effective treatment for this result was published in the week “solid films” magazine. They said that these batteries can be mass produced in the future and applied to many fields, such as mounted on backpacks or clothes.

Hou said: “With our new solution method, can easily reach 20% conversion efficiency and cost of production significantly decreased.”

Currently, researchers conducted 16 months of this project was the conversion efficiency of 9.13%, reaching 15% or 20% efficiency targets for conversion to be optimistic.

University of California at Los Angeles engineering professor Yang Yang led the research team, said: “16 months ago, we began to study from scratch, using a period of three or four months for material to reach 1% conversion efficiency, conversion efficiency today about 9%, with an average of about every two months increased 1%. ”

Most of CIGS solar cells produced using a total evaporation technique, you need to vacuum under the conditions, tedious and expensive. In the vacuum, the element is heated and deposited on the surface of cells.

The UCLA research team that invented the copper-selenide Indium (CIS) solar cells do not require a process of vacuum evaporation. Instead, they will be dissolved in the liquid material to adhere to the surface and cook. In the liquid, solar energy absorbing layer (using copper, indium, selenium, or CIGS materials, production, essential to the performance of solar cells) can be easily brush plated battery or chip.

Hou said: “In our approach, dissolved the benefits of technology is that it can continuously carry out the liquidation of production type, which is a significant cost breakthrough.

Yang said the technology can be achieved within three to four years in Dell Inspiron 1520 battery, Dell Inspiron 1525 battery business.

Mr. Yang also said: “In order to improve the performance of solar cells and efficiency at the same time, we also seek to work with industry to enable the continued development of technology.”

After the story finished in the above mentioned companies have followed involved in solar cell production. Is estimated that in the second half of 2008, only the output of these new companies will be much higher than the 2GW / year. According to a survey Natural Resources and the integrated system in 2006, global production will reach 2.521GW, Japan’s output will reach 927.5MW, This time can be seen from these figures that the large wave of momentum. Its bound to promote the current annual growth rate has been as high as 40% of global production to grow further. In addition, because of these new businesses to move more scattered in the United States, China and South Korea and other countries, so basic can be sure in the next 1 ~ 2 years, Japan ranks first in different regions of solar cell module production ranking does not happen too much change.

Production and firms against the backdrop of rapidly increasing the number of governments have introduced a powerful solar cell policies. Began in Germany for solar cells by the high price of the electricity acquisition policy “Feed-in Tariffs” is now beginning to be most of the countries in Europe, South Korea, the United States and Canada, followed by some of the state. In other words, “Solar cells are trees, money tree,” a growing number of other sectors involved in solar cell manufacturers have already started production.

On the other hand, the Japanese solar cells in order to support the cause, once introduced the “Sun Shine Program” and “New Sun Shine Program”, etc., but these plans have been implemented throughout the country is now basically complete. Perhaps precisely because of this reason, in other countries and regions in solar cell production soared at the same time, Japan’s output has remained its original state. From this perspective alone, I really would like to call “Japan should also be re-introduction of no less than other countries, support policies of solar cells.”

However, in the interview encounter well-known Japanese makers, no one strongly urge the Government introduced the same as the Feed-in Tariffs a strong support policy. Contrary to hear a lot of people worry that the market could well push the bubble, “Now the real output growth does not reflect the needs, but a speculative phenomenon” (a famous Japanese manufacturer).

Government’s support policies do have cardiac stimulant role, but it does not mean that all countries can continue to implement such a policy. In fact, in Germany a long time ago it was proposed to revise this policy. The original purpose of supporting the policy are: to encourage manufacturers to mass production solar cells, effort to reduce costs, and then support policies in the case of cancellation, but also spontaneously form a market. And now, “because there are supporting policies, there is no need to spend so much effort to reduce costs, the result of a price has been falling down at the irony of results” (a solar cell manufacturer). Therefore, once the termination of support for national policies, solar cells are likely will be caught in a serious situation of overproduction. Sharp increase from the current production situation, I thought “How does not lead to a chaotic situation in the termination of these support policies” are very important.

I also heard a Japanese person of a solar cell-related point of view: There is no support for the policy status quo in Japan should be affirmed. “In the absence of government subsidies can be basically the same circumstances, it is not a bad result. Because Japan has been ahead of the global solar cell market has entered the operational phase of self-discipline.” Nevertheless, I suspect that vendors compete with other countries, the only way is to survive. In any case, in the future to support aspects of solar cells must be just right to grasp the direction and scale.

      In 2006, metals accounted for the battery and the global chemical fuel cells and materials market, 48.79 percent, the largest party. The polymer is regarded as the fastest growing market in the years 2001-2010, will maintain an annual growth rate of 8.89% compound. Used in batteries and fuel cells, chemicals and other materials, carbon, graphite, etc. constitute the remaining market share.

      Between now and 2010, for battery materials and fuel cell demand will grow steadily. The demand for high quality materials, product designers and consumers are demanding longer-lasting batteries, electronic products are now increasingly need big support long-lasting power. As the polymer and carbon / graphite in fuel cells, lithium batteries and other batteries in the most complex applications, the demand for these materials will grow rapidly. Nano-materials can be improved through the fuel cell and battery performance, demand will grow rapidly.

Industry experts say, because the battery technology is not perfect enough, electric cars from China in 2012 is unlikely to enter the stage of commercial production.

      Despite more than 50 cell manufacturers in China have added to the development of the battery of new energy vehicles in the past, but these batteries are still too expensive and the quality is not reliable enough problems. The most advanced technology of the battery is still the key to control in Japan and other foreign manufacturers.

      China Automotive Technology and Research Center, Chang Chin-hua, deputy director of forecasting, said: “the electric car to go to China between 2012 to 2015 to be a certain size. The main reason is the Dell Inspiron 9400 battery, Dell Inspiron E1405 battery technology can meet the needs. ”

      It is also 863 plans energy saving and new energy vehicles, Deputy Head of the Expert Group on major projects.

      Major national projects of 863 electric vehicles Power Battery Testing Center Director Prince also gave a similar assessment of winter. The test center is funded by the National Science and Technology.

      Dong Wang said: “The development of China electric cars is still at an early stage. If the entry is large enough, then electric cars in three years is expected to reach the level of marketing.”

      Automakers in North America BYD Auto Company to its prospects for hybrid and electric cars to the optimistic expectations.

      BYD began targeting customers this month sold its first car, a plug-in hybrid F3DM. BYD said it has introduced in 2009 the first cars E6 electric car. Other automakers in China has not yet announced the release schedule for electric vehicles Dell Inspiron E1505 battery, Dell Inspiron E1705 battery.

      Prince Winter said: “BYD battery has reached the level of primary industry. Other developments in China’s energy supply to the vehicle battery is always produced at different levels of the stage of laboratory tests.”

      Wang Dong said there were more than 50 battery manufacturers involved in the development of hybrid and electric vehicles use batteries. Battery electric vehicles are facing several obstacles:

      - Life: A limited number of charging batteries. The number of battery charging are also lower than the number of battery charge only 70%.

      - Economics of energy use: development of a number of electric cars, energy consumption is relatively high. In most cases, drive an electric car weighing 1.000 kilograms travel 100 km to the need of drinking 8 to 12 kWh. And good electric cars need only to consume 5 kWh.

      - Key technologies: In the control technologies and management systems are very different, the essential building blocks are being imported.

      - A high cost: the Office of McKinsey & Company global managing partner of Shanghai, the GAO said, according to a recent study by McKinsey, if electric vehicles manufacturing costs that the high cost of 3 million or even less diesel, then to promote a wide range of market-oriented electric car is a starting point.

      Industry sources said, but now the production costs of new electric vehicles is far more than 3 million yuan.

      Wanxiang Group as an example to the battery. Universal electric vehicle batteries lithium iron phosphate are priced at 6 yuan (8783 U.S. dollars) to 8 million yuan (11,711 U.S. dollars). Universal said that can save costs in mass production are reduced by 30%, followed by the calculation, the price can be reduced to 42,000 yuan.

      China First Automobile Group Corporation is developing a small car based on the Veta versions of electric cars, and strive to reduce costs.

      FAW, a director, said: “If the energy consumption of large and medium-sized Dell Latitude D500 battery, Dell Latitude D600 battery vehicle according to the development, then the cost of the battery will double. Meanwhile, the air is essential for a higher end car. As the largest energy consumption air conditioning, it will increase even more costs. ”

      FAW basic research, R & D Center, said Vice Minister Liu Minghui, FAW is an intensive search for batteries and suppliers of electric motors, which does not include international markets.

      But he said many Chinese supplier of batteries and motors are the latest from the automotive industry turned to other industries.

      He said: “They offer in accordance with the standards of the automotive industry are too high.”

      CSMWorldwide’s manager of powertrain forecasting for Greater China, Jun-Hua Zhao said: “Once in production to ensure product stability, automakers are likely to cross the suppliers of batteries of supply. ”

      Jun-Hua Zhao said that the Japanese battery manufacturer now has the world’s most advanced technology of automotive batteries.