The U.S. Department of Energy has launched the Cadmium Telluride Accelerator Consortium — a $20 million initiative designed to make cadmium telluride (CdTe) solar cells less expensive, more efficient and develop new markets for solar cell products. The new consortium was announced in Northwest Ohio, home to CdTe powerhouse First Solar and newer entrant Toledo Solar. “As solar continues its reign as one of the cheapest forms of energy powering our homes and businesses, we are committed to a solar future that is built by American workers,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “DOE is proud to partner with leading solar researchers and companies to chart the future of CdTe technology, which presents an immense opportunity for domestic manufacturers to help ensure our nation’s security while providing family-sustaining jobs.” “To move America forward, we need an all-of-the-above strategy that propels our energy independence, lowers costs, and creates good-paying jobs. Northern Ohio has already revolutionized the field of solar technology,” said U.S. Representative Marcy Kaptur (OH-09). “Now, through this remarkable partnership between the U.S. Department of Energy, the University of Toledo, and First Solar – our region will become a hub of next-generation energy innovation that is built right here at home by Ohio’s workers.” The new Cadmium Telluride Accelerator Consortium will work on continued cost and efficiency improvements that will make CdTe cheaper and more efficient, and more competitive on the global market. To achieve these goals, the team has a broad research plan that includes CdTe doping strategies, characterizing and exploring new CdTe contacting materials, and work to enable a bifacial CdTe module that absorbs light from the front and back of the module. DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will administer the consortium, whose leaders were chosen through a competitive solicitation NREL released last year. The consortium will be led by the University of Toledo, First Solar, Colorado State University, Toledo Solar and Sivananthan Laboratories. NREL will serve as a resource, support, and technical analysis center as the consortium develops a technology roadmap, conducts research to meet targets set within the roadmap, and regularly assesses the domestic CdTe supply chain for challenges and opportunities. The consortium aims to expand domestic CdTe photovoltaic material and module production, support the domestic CdTe supply chain, and enhance U.S. competitiveness. DOE’s Solar Photovoltaics Supply Chain Review Report identified CdTe as an opportunity for expanding domestic production of solar panels, up to the limit that CdTe material availability allows, with little risk of being overtaken by low-cost foreign competition. The FY22 Solar Manufacturing Incubator funding opportunity, announced last month, will support projects that ready new technologies and manufacturing processes for commercialization...

The Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) has announced the opening of the Solar Technical Assistance Program. This program provides technical assistance to state and local government agencies to evaluate the potential for and site solar arrays on or around government buildings. Funded through the Strategic Energy Investment Fund, the program also offers access to technical resources and vetted contractors. “MEA is delighted to offer this program to help identify sites for solar, leveraging already developed spaces such as rooftops and parking lots,” said Dr. Mary Beth Tung, director of the Maryland Energy Administration. “Adding solar to these locations helps the state and local government achieve clean energy and greenhouse gas goals while enhancing energy independence and resiliency.” The program provides technical assistance for entities who are interested in including onsite solar generation, but do not have the expertise to evaluate potential issues for siting them. This information is needed to allow government entities to make decisions concerning the location, use (to include resiliency options) and budgeting of solar energy projects. MEA is providing $400,000 of technical assistance in partnership with the Maryland Environmental Service. To learn more about application requirements, visit the program webpage. For those interested in applying for the program or finding out more information on solar siting, contact program manager David Comis.

The hot summer is coming soon. Combining the two systems of solar panel (photovoltaic) infrastructure and agriculture can create a mutually beneficial relationship. This method can realize two-way utilization by planting crops in the shadow of solar panels. In an integrated farm solar power systems, the environment under the solar panel is much cooler in summer and can remain warm in winter. This not only reduces the evaporation rate of irrigation water in summer, but also means that plants will not be under so much pressure. Crops that grow under lower drought stress need less water. Because they are not easy to wither due to high temperature at noon, they can carry out photosynthesis for a longer time and grow more effectively. In the strong light environment, the leaves of plants tend to be smaller, which is to adapt to the strong sunlight and inhibit the solar panel supports systems. In low light conditions, plants grow larger leaves to disperse the chlorophyll that absorbs sunlight, turning more light into energy. Solar panels themselves benefit from this collaborative environment. When the sun is sunny and the temperature is too high, solar panels begin to perform poorly because they become too hot. The water evaporated from crops will produce local cooling effect, so as to reduce the thermal stress of overhead solar panels and improve the performance of solar panels. Japan has announced that the CO2 emission reduction target will be negative 46% in 2030 compared with 2013, and zero net emissions will be achieved in 2050. In Japan's total agricultural land area of 4.6 million hectares, if 3 million hectares are used for solar energy sharing, it can cover all Japan's electricity consumption throughout the year. This is a space that can be fully utilized for agricultural sheds in Japan, which is relatively short of land. Compared with open-air planting, first, the photovoltaic greenhouse solves the impact of adverse weather such as typhoon, rainstorm and high temperature, and provides a more stable planting environment for leafy vegetables. Second, the slope of the photovoltaic power generation project has good drainage and avoids the risk of flooding; Compared with the traditional greenhouse planting, the transformation cost of photovoltaic greenhouse is lower and the wind resistance is stronger, Dealong Solar has successively completed many agricultural shed projects. We use adjustable ground screw to enable customers to achieve high customer adjustability according to field requirements Let the agricultural shed be adjusted according to the different needs of the site and light. We look forward to your inquiry. If you also look forward to Installing Photovoltaic System on your farm shed.

Shuangheng group companies are about to start the Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) holiday from Feb 9th to Feb 20th 2021. Our team wish all new and old customers a prosperous business in 2021. Shuangheng will continue to pursue lean production and produces high-quality aluminum alloy products for our customers.

The latest version of the national standard GB/T8478-2020 for "Aluminum Alloy Doors and Windows" was released on March 31, 2020, and has been officially implemented on February 1, 2021. The new 2020 standard is to replace the previous GB/T8478-2008 standard. Compared with the 2008 version, the 2020 version has been improved to a greater extent in the scope of application, classification terms, basic performance requirements, requirements for aluminum alloy materials, detailed requirements for door and window construction, door and window processing accuracy, repeated opening and closing durability tests, product identification and so on. Door and window classification terms The first change of the new national standard is in the terminology of the classification of doors and windows. The classification principle of doors and windows of the new national standard has been revised from the original "function" to "performance". The "shading type" has been changed to "heat insulation type" basing on which two new types "heat insulation type" and "fire resistance type" are added. This change has brought great convenience to consumers and producers. From the type and name of doors and windows, the main performance and characteristics of the doors and windows can be clearly understood. Basic performance requirements for doors and windows With the continuous development of the industry and the continuous improvement of technology, people's requirements for the quality of life are also constantly getting higher. As an indispensable part of a livable environment, the performance of doors and windows are also advancing with the times. The basic performance of doors and windows is the key standard for testing the quality of doors and windows, and the new national standard puts forward higher requirements for basic performance. Watertight performance: The watertight performance value ΔP of the outer door shall not be less than 150Pa, and ΔP of the outer window shall not be less than 250Pa. Airtight performance: For exterior doors with airtight performance requirements, the air permeability per unit opening length q1 should not exceed 2.5m3/(m·h), and the air permeability per unit area q2 should not exceed 7.5m3/(m2·h); For exterior windows with tight performance requirements, q1 should not exceed 1.5m3/(m·h), and q2 should not exceed 4.5m3/(m2·h). Airborne sound insulation performance: The sound insulation performance value of sound insulation doors and windows shall not be less than 35dB. Heat preservation performance: The heat transfer coefficient K of thermal insulation doors and windows should be less than 2.5W/(m2·K). Thermal insulation performance: The solar heat gain coefficient SHGC of insulated doors and windows should not be greater than 0.44. In addition, the new national standard also provides corresponding regulations on fire resistance, lighting performance, sand and dust resistance, wind resistance and debris impact resistance, which more compre...

A-grade Aluminum Material Aluminium is an economy metal material and it is widely used in all industries. It has high-strength and high durability. It is also environment friendly and can be applied to different high-performance coatings. Great aluminum material is the most important considerations no matter for building or for industrial use. Choosing the appropriate material will ensure the extrusions and accuracy of parameters especially thickness. Shuangheng is using A-grade aluminium material to produce profiles which contributes to customers' business success. Aluminum Material Specs