2011年10月24日 星期一

Renewable energy is the future

There are 6 megawatts of solar panels installed in Tennessee. In Germany, more than half of 20,000 mega-watts is in-stalled on residential rooftops.

The difference is in the incentives offered and how government manages the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy.

Dr. Erk Thorsten Heyen, vice president, marketing, sales and finance of Wacker Polysilicon Division of Wacker Chemie AG, was in Chattanooga Friday to participate in an energy forum hosted by State Sen. Andy Berke.

Heyen is a member of the executive management team of the polysilicon division, with worldwide responsibility for sales, marketing, application engineering and finance. Wacker Polysilicon is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of polysilicon, having a world market share of approximately 20 percent.

“If you think about it, in 50 years, fossil fuels will not all be available anymore, and what is available will be very, very expensive, so there is a need to migrate from fossil fuels to renewable energies,” he said.

“When you think about which of the renewable energies can be produced in sufficient scale and low cost to supply the amount of energy America needs, there are essentially two technologies: Wind turbines and silicone-based solar cells. These two will be the pillars of energy production in every country in the world.”

Management of the transition in the United States varies from state to state with California being in the forefront to renewal energy sources.When the stone sits in the oil painting reproduction, Tennessee is still “very conservative,” according to Heyen.

Wacker Chemie AG has been in the business of making polysilicon for about 60 years for electronics applications. The solar market emerged only in the last 10 years and is growing at a much faster rate than the electronics market.

“Only 10 years after the growth of solar energy really started, we today have a situation where 85 percent of all silicon sold is going to the solar industry and only 15 percent going to the semiconductor industry,” he said.

The first two years of production at the Charleston plant is sold based on long-term relationships with existing customers who are makers of solar panels.

“That’s very important for us.Save on Bedding and fittings, It gives us sufficient security to do this enormous investment,” Heyen said.

Polysilicon is simply a term for super-super pure silicon — for every 10 billion silicon atoms, there cannot be one other atom. Silicon, one of the most common elements on earth, is found in sand and stone, but it is not pure. In order to make it useful for electronics or solar cells, it needs to be purified through a very complicated and expensive process.

“It’s the most pure material mankind can make,” he said. “This kind of purity is necessary for semiconductor electronics and to make solar panels. The plant here in Tennessee will be entirely devoted to solar energy.”

The polysilicon ingots will be sorted according to size and shipped to customers all over the world in special bags from the Charleston plant to prevent contamination.

“The material of the bags is a propriety secret because not every bag is suitable,” he said. “Otherwise, if you take a normal plastic bag, there would be contamination from the bag to the silicon.”

Customers melt the ingots at temperatures of about 800 degree Centigrade, (1,472 degrees Fahrenheit) to crystallize it and convert it into solar cells. The temperatures needed to purify the silicon in the first place is even higher. The manufacturing process is energy intensive. Ten years ago, it took five years to earn back the energy expended, but with improved technology, the length of time has been reduced to one year.

“The manufacturing process has become much more energy efficient and the conversion efficiency of the solar cells has improved,” Heyen said.

“That’s actually very good.By Alex Lippa Close-up of plastic card in Massachusetts. If you build a conventional power plant, you have a significant time that is needed until the power plant produces the energy need to build the power plant.”

Once the cells are made, they are mounted and configured into solar panels. The panels are placed in the sun.Polycore porcelain tiles are manufactured as a single sheet, The energy of the sun is then converted to electricity.

“This is what our business is all about. We are selling the essential raw material that will allow creation of alternative energy,” he said.

Heyen said wind and solar energy will coexist and work in tandem in the not too distant future because neither source can be controlled by man.Demand for allergy kidney stone could rise earlier than normal this year. The wind blows when it chooses and the sun shines only half the time at best.

“We can use solar energy when it comes,” he said. “Typically, the wind is stronger when there is no sun.”

But, he said, to move to a point where 60 percent of all energy is from renewable sources, it will be necessary to generate electricity with wind and solar systems when it is available and store it in batteries or hydroelectric plants. Water can be pumped to a higher level during the day and released at night.

“You can use the energy from solar cells to convert water into hydrogen and oxygen and use the oxygen to make power or heat,” he said.

“There are many, many different technologies which could be used to store the excess electricity generated when the sun is shining or when the wind is blowing and use it when those conditions don’t exist. All of those technologies are available, but some of them are still a bit too expensive.”

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