BP Solar
Encyclopedia
BP
has been involved in solar power
since 1973 and its subsidiary, BP Solar, is a solar power company with production facilities in India
and the People's Republic of China
, employing a workforce of over 2,000 people worldwide. BP Solar is worldwide manufacturer and installer of photovoltaic solar cells for electricity. Headquarters for BP Solar are located in Madrid, Spain.
The international photovoltaic industry provides solar cells which convert light into electricity. Driven by concerns about global warming
and energy security
, and with technological advances reducing prices, the market is growing by about 25% each year. The composition of demand is also changing. In the 1980s and early 1990s, most photovoltaic modules provided remote area power supply or powered consumer products such as watches, calculators and toys, but from around 1995, industry efforts have focused increasingly on developing building-integrated photovoltaics and power plants
for grid connected applications.
, installing 1000 solar devices to provide power to 400 remote villages in the Philippines
, and setting up a rural electrification scheme in Malaysia to provide power to 30,000 remote homes in Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia.
). This GreenGel battery, and CSIRO's new battery charging procedures, will reduce capacity loss and premature failure sometimes encountered with existing battery technology. A significant component of the project will be the establishment of an innovative manufacturing process which will enable the production of these advanced batteries at an internationally competitive price, facilitating a major export market.
, and the second at its joint venture facility, Tata BP Solar, in Bangalore
, India
. For stage one of the Madrid expansion, BP Solar is aiming to expand its annual cell capacity from 55 megawatts (MW) to around 300 MW. Construction of this facility is underway and expected to be completed in 2007. The Bangalore expansion should add another 300 MW to the company's total capacity.
The new cell lines use innovative screen-printing technology. By fully automating wafer handling, the manufacturing lines will be able to handle the very thinnest of wafers available and ensure the highest quality. This is of particular importance since there has been a silicon shortage in recent years.
BP Solar formerly maintained a manufacturing facility in the United States in Frederick, MD. The plant opened as an independent solar power company, Solarex, in the 1970s. Solarex was taken over by Amoco/Enron in 1983 and later became a part of BP. The facility produced polycrystalline solar cells with a blue chromium color, which are slightly less efficient than monocrystalline solar cells, but cost significantly less to produce. Despite a recent expansion project, BP Solar ceased manufacturing operations in Frederick in March 2010, citing changing market conditions. Administrative and research operations in Frederick remained open until January 2011.
BP
BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
has been involved in solar power
Solar power
Solar energy, radiant light and heat from the sun, has been harnessed by humans since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving technologies. Solar radiation, along with secondary solar-powered resources such as wind and wave power, hydroelectricity and biomass, account for most of the available...
since 1973 and its subsidiary, BP Solar, is a solar power company with production facilities in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, employing a workforce of over 2,000 people worldwide. BP Solar is worldwide manufacturer and installer of photovoltaic solar cells for electricity. Headquarters for BP Solar are located in Madrid, Spain.
The photovoltaic industry
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
and energy security
Energy security
Energy security is a term for an association between national security and the availability of natural resources for energy consumption. Access to cheap energy has become essential to the functioning of modern economies. However, the uneven distribution of energy supplies among countries has led...
, and with technological advances reducing prices, the market is growing by about 25% each year. The composition of demand is also changing. In the 1980s and early 1990s, most photovoltaic modules provided remote area power supply or powered consumer products such as watches, calculators and toys, but from around 1995, industry efforts have focused increasingly on developing building-integrated photovoltaics and power plants
Photovoltaic power station
The following page lists photovoltaic power stations that are larger than 25 MW in current net capacity. Solar photovoltaic cells convert sunlight into electricity and many solar photovoltaic power stations have been built, mainly in Europe...
for grid connected applications.
PV power plants
There are several PV power plants of megawatt capacity which use BP solar modules. These include:- BürstadtBürstadtBürstadt is a town in the Bergstraße district in southern Hesse, Germany, 7 km east of Worms, and 17 km north of Mannheim.-Location:Bürstadt lies in the Rhine rift between the Rhine and the Odenwald, and thereby in the Hessisches Ried....
, Germany -- 5 MW from 30,000 modules - Springerville, AZ, USA -- 4.59 MW from 34,980 modules
- Geiseltalsee, Germany -- 4 MW from 25,000 modules
Projects in developing countries
BP Solar has many projects and co-operative activities in developing countries, including supplying power to 36,000 homes in rural IndonesiaIndonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, installing 1000 solar devices to provide power to 400 remote villages in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, and setting up a rural electrification scheme in Malaysia to provide power to 30,000 remote homes in Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia.
New battery technology
BP Solar (with the CSIRO) is also involved in the commercialization of a long life deep cycle lead acid battery, which is well suited to the storage of electricity for renewable remote area power systems (RAPSRAPS
RAPS or Raps may refer to:* Rapping, spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics* Ram Air Progression System, a parachuting training method* Remote-area power supply, an off-the-grid electricity system* "Raps", a nickname for the Toronto Raptors...
). This GreenGel battery, and CSIRO's new battery charging procedures, will reduce capacity loss and premature failure sometimes encountered with existing battery technology. A significant component of the project will be the establishment of an innovative manufacturing process which will enable the production of these advanced batteries at an internationally competitive price, facilitating a major export market.
New solar cell manufacturing plants
BP Solar has begun constructing two new solar photovoltaic (PV) solar cell manufacturing plants, one at its European headquarters in MadridMadrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, and the second at its joint venture facility, Tata BP Solar, in Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, India
Solar power in India
India is densely populated and has high solar insolation, an ideal combination for using solar power in India. India is already a leader in wind power generation...
. For stage one of the Madrid expansion, BP Solar is aiming to expand its annual cell capacity from 55 megawatts (MW) to around 300 MW. Construction of this facility is underway and expected to be completed in 2007. The Bangalore expansion should add another 300 MW to the company's total capacity.
The new cell lines use innovative screen-printing technology. By fully automating wafer handling, the manufacturing lines will be able to handle the very thinnest of wafers available and ensure the highest quality. This is of particular importance since there has been a silicon shortage in recent years.
BP Solar formerly maintained a manufacturing facility in the United States in Frederick, MD. The plant opened as an independent solar power company, Solarex, in the 1970s. Solarex was taken over by Amoco/Enron in 1983 and later became a part of BP. The facility produced polycrystalline solar cells with a blue chromium color, which are slightly less efficient than monocrystalline solar cells, but cost significantly less to produce. Despite a recent expansion project, BP Solar ceased manufacturing operations in Frederick in March 2010, citing changing market conditions. Administrative and research operations in Frederick remained open until January 2011.
See also
- Green technology
- List of photovoltaics companies
- Photovoltaic array
- PhotovoltaicsPhotovoltaicsPhotovoltaics is a method of generating electrical power by converting solar radiation into direct current electricity using semiconductors that exhibit the photovoltaic effect. Photovoltaic power generation employs solar panels composed of a number of solar cells containing a photovoltaic material...
- Photovoltaic power stations
- Renewable energyRenewable energyRenewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...
- Solar powerSolar powerSolar energy, radiant light and heat from the sun, has been harnessed by humans since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving technologies. Solar radiation, along with secondary solar-powered resources such as wind and wave power, hydroelectricity and biomass, account for most of the available...
- Solar shingle
- Solar trackerSolar trackerA solar tracker is a generic term used to describe devices that orient various payloads toward the sun. Payloads can be photovoltaic panels, reflectors, lenses or other optical devices....
- Timeline of solar energy
External links
- BP Solar to expand its solar cell plants
- Australia's largest city solar project contract awarded
- BP Plans to Invest $1.5 Billion in Alternative Energy