Thanks to Muti, I came across an article from IOL announcing a solar power breakthrough pioneered by South African researchers.
The article claimed that the new panels will allow a house to receive all of its electricity from the solar panels, even in winter, and that the panels will be available in South Africa within a year. They are much cheaper and much more efficient than the existing solar panels.
That’s fantastic news if everything is as claimed. With Jhb and Cape Town having suffered frequent power failures recently, and the nuke proponents in full flight once again, some progress in renewables is sorely needed.
Being a cautious type, before I set up my IT business in the Karoo, far from Eskom’s lines, I tried to find some other corraborating sources. The article (originally from the Weekend Argus) is rather over-the-top, and reads more as a press release than serious scientific reporting. It’s easy to be cynical. Scientists need to generate noise to get funding, and promising the next big thing is a surefire way of getting attention. I’ve also no idea of what happens at night time, whether sufficient energy can be stored, or alternative sources are required. Googling for the term solar breakthrough gives a good indication of the abuse of the term. Or a big oil company could come along and buy the whole thing, sticking it in a vault while they milk the dying planet of the last of its oil.
However, the leader of the team, Professor Vivian Alberts from Johannesburg University has been in the field for a long time, and seems to have built up quite a track record. In 2004 there was a lot of noise about a big breakthrough, with production estimated within three years. Since it’s now estimated at 1 year, that means everything is still on track. Reports from 2004 came from Science in Africa and the SABC, amongst others. IAfrica has a good article from October 2005 that looks at some of the economics.
Ordinary solar panels are 350 microns thick, while the new method means they can be 5 microns thick. That doesn’t mean much on its own, but in this case it means its much cheaper to product. Not only that, it’s more efficient. So, on a commercial scale, old solar panels produced 50 W at a cost of about R2100. New panels produce 60 W at a cost of R650. Quite a dramatic increase that suddenly make solar very viable. How does that compare to other sources? These next figures are gleaned from a bit of rough research, sources don’t really match up, and of course there’s lots of vested interest research in all these figures. I don’t really know the details , so don’t trust anything quoted here entirely 🙂 One source claims that this means that solar energy can be generated at a cost of 50c/kWh (SA currency used throughout).
Apparently wind energy costs 30c/KWh in the US (with a subsidy), and until now wind has always been seen as the most cost-effective renewable energy, so coming in under this is a big step forward for solar. It’s tricky to make fair comparisons, as the calculation is relatively complex, and of course affected by the capital costs of building the power stations, so I didn’t manage to find reliable figures for the others. But Earthlife publish a good, though dated, investigation of how existing nuclear power stations rely on massive subsidies to be in the slightest bit viable.
At least it looks like exciting times ahead. I’ve always believed that the correct way forward is not massive, centralised sources, but decentralisation. Each household being able to generate its own power will be a wonderful achievement.
After reading through these comments i realise that many will be taken advantage of because of their lack of knowledge on what the requirements are to set up a solar type power solution.
Please use google or whichever and learn before you pay !
I’m busy with the planning of revamping my house, build in 1965.
I’m redoing it completly with a budget of +- R 500k. Included in this price is money to be totally independant from Eishcom……..
Please help
I came onto this site by accident.
Some very interesting comments.
Let me drop a spanner in the works. I’m an accreddited electrician, which used to work for SA’s biggest Telecommunication Company, not mentioning names.I do have my own business now.We installed thousands of Solar Dect Tower systems( 15-20m Mast Towers with a 6m platform from ground level) in the rural areas.As far back as from before the first elections.Mainly to provide the community with basic communication needs.These Dect towers make use of either a 12 or 48 voltage supply,Solar Panels, solar regulator + 6v Gell Sealed Batteries coupled accordingly. The amount of Panel + Batteries installed per site varied from 6 panel to 24 panel configurations.
To get to the point. The biggest problem that we have experience,and they still do today, is the African continents nightmare……THEFT.More than a million rands a month worth of panels and batteries alone, excluding switching equipment damaged,labour to re-do the installation etc, six meters above ground we made use of special ladders, the aliens, made theis own plans,knock a tree or two down,manufacture a quick ladder according to spec, and Bobs your uncle.We have tried everything from theft proof solar structures(glueing the panels into the structures using “windscreen glue,to 6mm lockable galvanized battery boxes.This did put the aliens back a bit,when they could not get the panels out any more,they just smashed them.Some of the steel battery boxes they chiselled open.What do you think is going to happen where you can climb onto roofs within a blink. Those days the panel were retailing for about R2500ea, and the 6v battery blocks R1500ea.
Comments would be appreciated
Thanks for the article. While I am sure there will be problems I beleive it is in our own interests to do what we can to make life easier and to aleviate the problems that arise from blackouts and general shortage of electricity. Gas for cooking is most certainly a viable option while solar heating is a good first step. I believe that if we do not do something we will suffer the consequences and then we have nobody to blame but ourselves. It is always a problem when one relies on government to provide what we need.
We are a large manufacturing company.We build and supply electrical distribution boards to various small,medium and large customers.We would like to introduce solar power technology to our client base by becoming a supplier.
Looking for information and price on solar panels for house.
I am a industrial plumber as well as domestic and see a vast scope in solar heating not only for homes but also hotels where large boiler systems are used. There is massive demand for systems like what your are talking about all that is needed is for someone to inform plumbers like myself.
We decided to start a website aimed at constructively addressing the problem, getting people involved and seeking solutions and alternatives…
Feel free to visit http://www.shedhappens.co.za. The site has only been running for a week now, but we honestly believe that it has a lot of potential to become a valuable nationwide tool in solving this problem.
Pointing fingers at this stage will not help us. We must look at sustainable long term solutions.
Rian Groenewald
January 2008
I am an electrical contractor and would like to reicieve all the relevant details to become a didtributor!
Why can’t the use of Ripple Receivers be more effectively and widely used? At present, many municipalities use them just to switch the geysers off at peak periods.
Instead of just the above, and in place of (complete cut-off) load shedding they could instead, switch to a lower amperage (master) circuit breaker allowing a maximum of say, 2 or 5 amps so that essential low current items could still be used. They can even be programmed to sound a warning alarm before switching. Wiring of premises could also be altered, dividing circuitry into low and high current sections to alleviate having to switch off high wattage items to avoid the master breaker tripping.
It would also encourage users to increase their usage of lower powered items eg light bulbs, lower wattage microwaves etc
Solar panels.-Cost for a system for a house 2 geysers, 5 fridges and 10 light bulbs.(15 wt)
quote 2- 1 fridge, 1geyser and 2 light bulbs. complete system.
I would like to purchase the new solar panels as developed by Prf Vivian Alberts now. Who are the local agents?
I would like to purchase the new solar panels as developed by Prf Vivian Alberts. Who are the local agents?
Where will these panesl be available. Who can I contact for a quote.
see copy of message from Germany re Prof V Alberts technology!
—–Original Message—–
> From: Traemann Heide
> [mailto:Traemann@johanna-solar.com]
> Sent: Thursday, November 01, 2007 3:26 PM
> To: gardendesign@irene-village.co.za
> Subject: AW: enquiry from South Africa
>
> Dear Mr. Labenicht,
>
> sorry, but I’m not allowed to give the conctact from
> Prof. Alberts. You
> can
> imagine that he is very busy these days, ramping up
> the production line
> in
> Brandenburg and planning a new facility in South
> Africa.
> As mentioned in my email before, the facility in
> South Africa is still
> in the
> planning phase.
> If the facility will be realized, soonest time for
> production start will
> be
> in 2010.
> We are not allowed by the PTIP, a spin-off of the
> University of
> Johannesburg, to sell our modules in Africa.
>
> Mit freundlichen Grüßen/ Kind regards,
>
> Heide Traemann
> Unternehmenskommunikation/Corporate Communication
>
> Durchwahl: Tel./ Fax: – 127/-227
> Mobil: +49 151 58256000
>
> —
>
>
>
> Johanna Solar Technology GmbH
>
> Tel. +49 3381 7975 – 0
> Münstersche Straße 24
>
> Fax +49 3381 7975 – 222/212
> 14772 Brandenburg an der Havel
>
> http://www.johanna-solar.com
>
>
>
> Geschäftsführer:
>
> HR AG Potsdam B 20054
> Jeroen Haberland (CEO)
>
> USt-IdNr. DE246001886
> Matthias Baumann(CFO)
>
>
> Gunnar Flenner(CTO)
>
>
>
>
>
> —–Ursprüngliche Nachricht—–
> Von: Irene-Village
> [mailto:gardendesign@irene-village.co.za]
> Gesendet: Freitag, 26. Oktober 2007 09:03
> An: Traemann Heide
> Betreff: RE: enquiry from South Africa
>
> Dear Heide,
> Thank you for your prompt reply. I am thrilled to
> hear Prof Alberts will
> be involved in the S.A. production. Do you know how
> soon this will be
> and would you be so kind as to copy me contact
> information for Prof
> Alberts. As we are about to install the electrical
> provision for our new
> home I would like to make sure we do it the best way
> possible for the
> solar technology in question.
> Kind regards,
> Helen Lachenicht.
Mavlis Energy is an alternative energy company.Our leading product at the moment is ethanol gel.
I am looking for an established solar panel manufacturer or distributor for which I can be an agent.I have had too many enquiries to pass this opportunity.
My number is 0746148806
Kind regards
Lizwi Ndamase
To much talk will help nobody. Lets make plans and implement it and help others to cope with our problem(s).
1. Ripple relays for geysers and for underfloor heating.
2. Underfloor heating might be wonderfull but is realy the most uneficient way of heating. Should only be installed on top of thermal isolation. Get a municipal regulation in this regard. (A law)
3. Shops have lights (even 400W) burning every night. Some even over weekends 24hr per day continiously. Fine those and or publish there names on TV and other media.
4. Get Solar water heating going at an accelerated pace. The companies is taking the public for a ripoff at present with their prices. AND where is the so called subsidies. It will help Escom a lot in monetary and capacity terms if geysers can be solar devices. It should help in the region of 50% of the domestic consumption. Many companies claim they must train there technicians…utter nonsens….No special training other than an information sesion of one or two hours are needed.
5. Streetlights. Consideration should be given to use lower wattage or less lamps. In some cases every second or third lamp can be removed.
6. Goverment and Municipal buildings ignore the switching off of lights not being used. That is a fact in my hometown(city) during day-hrs and night-hrs. It must be thousands of lights.
7. Do not spend money on solar cells for intersection robots for the purpose of saving energy. It can however be usefull to ensure continuity of trafic regulation/controll during blackouts at important crossings. Remember, it will be stolen and or vandalised. It will be much better to make that vast amounts of money available to susidise solar geysers that will help Escom and indirectly save money.
This article was originally published on page 5 of The Star on January 26, 2008
There is light at the end of the tunnel – and it’s not being generated by Eskom but rather by revolutionary solar-powered technology developed by University of Johannesburg professor Vivian Alberts.
He has spent the past 13 years developing highly advanced photovoltaic, or thin-film, solar panels that could be the solution to South Africa – and the world’s – scramble for power.
The panels are already being constructed by Johanna Solar Technology (JST) in Brandenburg, Germany, and will go on sale in Europe this year.
According to JST, current solar modules convert only direct sunlight into electrical energy, but thin-film solar modules convert any light across the spectrum into electricity – generating power even under low-light conditions.
Due to the construction of the cells, comparatively high yields can be obtained even under partially shaded or overcast conditions.
Alberts, interviewed in Germany this week, said plans to make the photovoltaic panels commercially available in South Africa were at an advanced stage and there would be a major announcement at the end of March about when they would go on sale.
Alberts said agreements had been signed with major investors and they were in the process of finalising agreements with banks for the funding, which prevented him from giving further details on the sale dates.
JST reportedly has seven shareholders, including South Africa’s state-owned Central Energy Fund and private investors Richemont, VenFin and Anglo Coal.
Alberts has already identified a site for a factory in Cape Town and has designed the factory building where the photovoltaic solar panels will be designed.
He said production would be well below the current price of solar panels – at least 50 percent cheaper than anything that is commercially available at present.
Based on improved temperature coefficients – which means lower performance losses at high temperatures – thin-film modules were especially suited to temperatures over 25°C, which was the case in South Africa, he added.
The new thin-film solar modules are based on a wafer-thin, semiconducting absorber layer made of copper, indium, gallium, sulphur and selenium, and are just half the thickness of a human hair and almost a hundred times thinner than a silicon cell.
JST spokesperson Heide Traemann said the Brandenburg factory’s target was to produce about 500 000 panels a year.
“We now have 90 people working for JST. We are not producing yet but are currently focusing on the so-called ‘process set-up’, which means the qualification of machines. Once this is completed, production will begin.”
Hermann Iding, spokesperson for Aloe-Solar, the German company which will distribute the panels in Europe, said they were preparing for the launch of the thin-film modules later this year.
This article was originally published on page 5 of The Star on January 26, 2008
First off, thanks for a very informative site. It is the end of the piece of string I need to start my own search.
Secondly thankyou to those who took the time to make a meaningful!!! contribution with practical inputs and web sites.
Finally a question. Solar power seems good but costly and still open to practcal problems.
Gas and solar heating are ecofriendly and more economical.
Generators are practical,reasonibly priced,but costly to run and definitely
not environmentally friendly.
Question: Are there gas driven generators or can the existing ones be economically converted?
John
Please send me more info on how to use solar energy for farm use. Thanx
The February 2006 IOL story that sparked this thread was followed a week later by a story in which Professor Alberts confidently envisaged that complete systems (i e panels, converers AND batteries) would become available in South Africa within a year, i e Feb/March 2007). He even hazarded a prediction of what various-sized installations would cost – something in the order of R40 000 for a large luxury house (generating about 3kW), R13000 for a smaller house (about 1kW) and R4000 for a small, poor household (about 50 watts) …. with a R2000 government subsidy already being availabe for solar installations, a poor household could be equipped for R2000.
Two years have flown by since Prof Alberts made that prediction to Willem Steenkamp in Independent Newsapers. Something must have happened to slow down his bullish roll-out predictions, as all that appears to have happened since then is identification of a site for starting local manufacture.
One would think that SOMEONE in government would by now have recognised the potential of Prof Alberts’s invention and got Eskom to throw money at it. Instead of budgeting R120-billion for a second nuclear power station sometime after 2010, just think how many solar installations could have been subsidised with that kind of money, designed to generate more power than each household needed, which surplus could have been sold to Eskom on a feed-in basis. Not only would this lighten the load on Eskom, but it would also provide it with more reserves to service the remaining demand.
Even if the costs weren’t as attractive as Alberts has suggested, there’s the added benefit of large-scale planet-friendly harnessing of a clean, renewable energy source that would earn huge kudos for South Africa.
Seems to me some kind of campaign is needed in this regard.
A bit of the track or stream:
I own property next to a river which according to history has never being dry. Now I want to use the river for power generation using a flotation device (pontoon) from which a propellor or wheel is suspended, thus driving a generator on top. Now these systems are available in Australia, America, Britain and Belgium. The most succesful one being the darrius turbine type. With this type you do not even need a head of water for propulsion!
Now we South African have brains, Yes! Is there someone out there who can assist or point me into the right direction re generators to use (overseas they mostly use a magneto type generator) but I am sure others will do.
According to one company’s claim one small darrius wheel can produce sufficient power to power 2 complete houses.
I will appreciate any help to design a system for use on my property. IE how to bleed of and sispose of unused power, some type of control system to brake the wheel if required lest it run away in a flood for instance. Control panel and so on – unfortunately my electrical brain cells are lacking
Thanx in advance
BenJ
You can contact me regarding using solar panels to power your house, and recharge battery simultaneously.
Stop talking , where do we buy???
If you need to buy solar panels, please feel free to contact me. We manufacture and sell most of solar panels in Europe, because we didn’t have market in Africa most in particular South Africa.
Feel free to contact me on my E-mail.
If you want a solar panel, go to the markets in Mozambique where they sell them next to the soap, shoes and coconuts (they had the telcom logo on; they are probably the same ones that belonged to the guy called Alien Factor). They go for cheap, but you’ll have to keep buying your own stuff back:) Not very viable and in the end, more frustrating than Eishkom. Maybe in residential areas its won’t be stolen so quickly, but that is some very expensive equipment that you’ll be leaving on your roof for all to see. Considering the effort that cable thieves put into taking copper worth a couple of hundred bucks, I doubt expensive solar panels will be all that safe. All that said, I really do hope it becomes an option for every household to own one day. We need clean energy!
Hi Lwazi Mato
Please contact me via my email = welgemm@telkomsa.net asap
Would like to speak to you regarding s/panels etc,
Regards
Marius Welgemoed
Dear Sir,
We are looking for a partner of marketing and the introduction of solar panels in Africa, for major production from 1 to 5 Megawatts.
We are an engineering company in the treatment of drinking water and we intend to create several production units of drinking water in North Africa, using solar energy.
If you are interested in this collaboration, and only if you are a manufacturer of solar panels, please contact us in the return.
In the meantime, and thanking you,
Best regards.
Hi,
When will the panels Prof Alberts develped be on the market in Germany. And in In South Africa and where will I be able to buy it?.
Regards
Annchen, the company making the panels in Germany is Johanna-Solar. Try speaking to Heide Traemann (Traemann@johanna-solar.com). Other contact details:
Heide Traemann
Unternehmenskommunikation/Corporate Communication
Durchwahl: Tel./ Fax: – 127/-227
Mobil: +49 151 58256000
—
Johanna Solar Technology GmbH
Tel. +49 3381 7975 – 0
Münstersche Straße 24
Fax +49 3381 7975 – 222/212
14772 Brandenburg an der Havel
http://www.johanna-solar.com
i got your web through searching, am having electronic idear so am looking forward to get more knoledge on electronics and am intrested this sollar generator, i belief you can make my dream come true, am a NIGERIAN guy looking forward to fultur.
thanks
Dear sir/madam
Good days to you,well i would like to buy some solar panel from your stores and advise on shipping to Entebbe Air Port Kampala Uganda with the prefered modes of payments. Hopping for your positeve response
Regards
Bukenya Maurece
simon agencies city house building
p.o box 6694 plot 14 william street
+256 752 596944
Thin-film solar panels for permanent installation can be bought from bushpower.co.za and rentech.co.za. If you’re after portable thin-film panels for camping or spending time in the bush go to thinfilmsolar.co.za. They also have 5W and 10W thin-film solar panels.
I HAVE BEEN READING ALL THE ABOVE LETTERS FOR THE PAST HOUR . THE WAIT IS OVER . I TOO HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR PROF. ALBERTS TO DO HIS THING . BUT HAVE GIVEN UP WAITING .
I HAVE ORDERED 10 X SOLAR KITS , WITH THIN FILM SOLAR PANNELS , TO START MY BUSINESS SELLING THESE . EACH KIT IS MADE UP OF THE FOLLOWING : 8 x LED LIGHTS , 80Ah BATTERY , 80W P.V.PANEL , 10A REGULATOR .FROM CHINA .
I AM GOING TO INSTALL THIS KIT AT MY HOUSE IN NORWOOD , JHB . AND GET AWAY FROM ESKOM FOR MY HOME LIGHTING . OF COURSE I WILL GET AN INVERTER FOR MY KITCHEN + TV SETS .
I ALREADY HAVE A BUSINESS INSTALLING GEYSER BLANKETS WHICH SAVE 27% OF MY HOUSEHOLD ELECTRICITY BILL .
I AM LOOKING FOR 5 X DISTRIBUTORS .
THE COST OF MY KITS ARE R 7,500 EACH
ANYONE INTERESTED ?
RICHARD ROTHBART CELL : 074 100 5457
The “thin-film” solar panels mentioned by Morrison above do not appear to me to be the CIGS panels developed by Prof Vivian Alberts at the University of Johannesburg. As far as I can gather from the websites, they are silicon-based. The point about the post that sparked this thread is that Alberts’s CIGS thin-film panels are not only more efficient than silicon panels, they are also significantly cheaper. On top of that, the CIGS material (composed of copper, indium, gallium and selenium)can be taken from the panels after their projected lifespan of 20 years, and recycled into new panels.
So after all the long winded comments and various suppositions what the hell happened to the thin solar panels anyway, I think that “ET” got them too.
But on a more serious note did it all end with the last comment by Leon Du Plessis on 21/10/2008, because we should all be helping each other in this, perhaps we should try to get a consortium going see me on BIZWAVE
Johanna Solar of Germany released a press release to inform us that they started production of these panels and starting to market in their summer but seems that we are not their market but rather germany france and italy .Why are we not even mentioned? after all it is a South African invention.
Johanna Solar told me some time ago that the conditions of their licence from University of Johannesburg prevented them from selling the panels outside Europe. But they assured me that Prof Alberts was on the point of starting local manufacture (in SA). Some weeks later Alberts was quoted in a local newspaper as saying suitable premises had been acquired his somewhere in the Cape, but there’s been no word since then.
Whether your concern is financial or environmental, this is a place where Im sure you all would appreciate this:
Synopsis:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeitgeist_addendum
Video:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7065205277695921912
If you are using Firefox, once the movie has been 100% buffered, you can find the actual movie file in this directory:
C:\Documents and Settings\\Local Settings\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\a4yw03bk.default\Cache
I have checked the box below, i will be notified of any followup comments… so please, i’d love to read what you thought!
Hi.. Just looking on the forum… apparently here is where one can apply for distribution rights.
http://www.globalsolar.com/products/wheretobuy.php
Hi all,
I have lived off grid for ten years. Very doable IF you are prepared to adjust lifestyle and practice personal load shedding when the sun does not shine for weeks on end, such as lately.
Unfortunately 6 panels were stolen off the roof on Monday. Uninsured, replacement cost about R30 000.
The Police have not bothered to respond to date (Wednesday afternoon). The thieves were observed loading the loot into a vehicle on Tuesday evening, IF the police was not incompetent, the panels could have easily been retrieved and the criminals apprehended. As it is, the same people WILL steal more panels in future, destroying any hope of a growing solar power industry.
!!Africa would thrive, but for greed!!
As for Prof Alberts thin film technology, no electrical performance data has been published to date. Don’t hold your breath.
Did anyone made contact with Prof Alberts to find out when they will start with production in SA?
I need to develop about 5000 low cost housing (more to come) and would like water heating to be complete solar driven.
I have 2 choices.
1. Buy/import complete system and install
2. Buy components, get small factory started and assemble self, and install.
Second option seems better as I can develop this in a little stand alone business eventually.
Anybody got any ideas where I start?
Johnny@adept.co.za
In need of 75W modules x32 of. Could anyone please assist, regarding best brand quality or equvalent prize wise. Regards; Phillip
Hi Phillip, we have surplus 50W panels, used for 3-4 years. Going at 1/2 price ie. R1799-00 p/50W panel.
Tel: +27832555745
Hi Phillip, call me 084 808 0443, provide source for locally manufactured Tenesol panels, 80W, i have just purchased 14! actual rating 82.5 W 20-25 year lifespan.
Hi there I am from Knysna. We are looking for 40 watt solar panels. We want to buy in large quantities. Please call me 044 382 1310 or 076 106 0000.
Regards Lynn
I have a client in Nigeria who want to patner with any company that produces solar geyser more especialy a south African company.Please direct me to a prospective company
u call me on my south african phone :declan +27714889915 or my contact in Nigeria with :alfred +2348036711267