MIT’s Technology Review writes about a company called Prism Solar Technologies of Stone Ridge, N.Y., which has developed a slim panel laminated with holograms that concentrate sunlight onto rows of silicon solar cells. The system apparently needs 25 to 85 per cent less silicon than a traditional polycrystalline silicon panel of comparable wattage, and has the potential to cut the cost of solar modules by 75 per cent.

“In their ability to concentrate light, holograms are not as powerful as conventional concentrators,” the magazine writes. ”They can multiply the amount of light falling on the cells only by as much as a factor of 10, whereas lens-based systems can increase light by a factor of 100, and some even up to 1,000.”

But, as the magazine points out, traditional concentrators using lenses and mirrors are bulky, complicated and need to track the sun. They also require cooling because they heat up the solar cells. This means for smaller applications such as homes and businesses, the prism-based system is a more practical compromise.

The company’s CEO hopes to have the price-per-watt down to $1.50 (U.S.) with its second-generation product, making it more competitive with fossil-fuel-based energy generation. For now, however, the focus is on raising $6 million (U.S.) so manufacturing can start before the end of the year on first-generation modules, which promise $2.40 per watt.

Another fine invention to watch…

Red Herring has a great little piece on Southwest Windpower, which I had a post on earlier this month. To recap, the Flagstaff, Ariz.-based company is the largest producer of small wind generators in North America, the company has been around for 20 years, and it recently snagged $8-million (U.S.) in a series-B round of financing led by Rockport Capital Partners of Boston.

Rockport is apparently excited because Southwest Windpower is trying to crack the market for grid-connected small wind generators, which it estimates could be as large as 13 million homes. The key to doing this is bundling all necessary inverters, controllers and other parts within the body of the generator itself, making the whole system much easier to install. It also lowers production costs, so the company can sell the system at a retail price of $5,500 (U.S.).

Frank Greco, CEO of Southwest Windpower, told Red Herring that the system would be able to produce electricity at an average cost per kilowatt hour of 8 cents, and this would exclude any subsidies that may be offered in some U.S. states. This would mean that in many jurisdictions it would beat the average cost per kilowatt hour coming off the grid.

The company does sell through distributors in Ontario. The question is whether Ontario’s new Standard Offer Program, which offers to pay 11 cents (Canadian) per kilowatt hour for wind power, would be open to small wind systems. All indication is that only large turbine projects would qualify, but perhaps we’ll be surprised when we see the details this fall. Either way, if the company’s claims hold true, this product — and others like it — could prove an affordable way for a homeowner or business to generate some of their own electricity either off-grid or through a grid-tie system. So long as they’ve got the wind resources and property to make it worthwhile.

Red Herring has a great little piece on Southwest Windpower, which I had a post on earlier this month. To recap, the Flagstaff, Ariz.-based company is the largest producer of small wind generators in North America, the company has been around for 20 years, and it recently snagged $8-million (U.S.) in a series-B round of financing led by Rockport Capital Partners of Boston.

Rockport is apparently excited because Southwest Windpower is trying to crack the market for grid-connected small wind generators, which it estimates could be as large as 13 million homes. The key to doing this is bundling all necessary inverters, controllers and other parts within the body of the generator itself, making the whole system much easier to install. It also lowers production costs, so the company can sell the system at a retail price of $5,500 (U.S.).

Frank Greco, CEO of Southwest Windpower, told Red Herring that the system would be able to produce electricity at an average cost per kilowatt hour of 8 cents, and this would exclude any subsidies that may be offered in some U.S. states. This would mean that in many jurisdictions it would beat the average cost per kilowatt hour coming off the grid.

The company does sell through distributors in Ontario. The question is whether Ontario’s new Standard Offer Program, which offers to pay 11 cents (Canadian) per kilowatt hour for wind power, would be open to small wind systems. All indication is that only large turbine projects would qualify, but perhaps we’ll be surprised when we see the details this fall. Either way, if the company’s claims hold true, this product — and others like it — could prove an affordable way for a homeowner or business to generate some of their own electricity either off-grid or through a grid-tie system. So long as they’ve got the wind resources and property to make it worthwhile.

Shares in Ballard Power Systems soared 22 per cent yesterday. Why? Because George W. Bush, a man who doesn’t know squat about hydrogen fuel cells and the challenges of a hydrogen economy, makes a speech that — once again — says hydrogen-powered vehicles are an attainable goal. “I strongly believe hydrogen is the fuel of the future,” he said during his weekend Earth Day speech.

Ballard shares have roughly doubled over the past months on this re-emerging belief, this newfound confidence, in the hydrogen economy. I think hydrogen and fuel cells are going to play an important role over the coming decades, but I’m not convinced they will transform the transportation world and that we’ll all be driving fuel-cell cars — at least not within the next 20 or 30 years. There are too many other great, cheaper alternatives coming onstream, and there are too many barriers — cost, infrastructure, storage — that continue to hold back the potential of fuel cells. These barriers will be overcome over time, but investors don’t tend to be the patient type. Which leads me to believe it’s retail, not institutional investors, that are driving this Ballard share frenzy.

Remember, this is a company with a market cap of $1.4 billion that had revenues of $54 million last year and isn’t expected to be profitable until after 2010.

What’s more mindboggling is Ballard’s skyrocketing stock seems to be happening in isolation, despite the fact that rising fossil fuel prices and global warming fears should be driving the entire sector. We’re not seeing the same degree of lift with Hydrogenics Inc., which is arguably better positioned to take advantage of near- and medium-term hydrogen opportunities. After Bush’s speech, we’re also not seeing the same kind of enthusiasm for other alternative energy or technology companies, from Xantrex to VRB Power to Carmanah Technologies. (Though you could argue the last two, like Ballard, are already overvalued)

Today, institutional investors struck back — issuing downgrades that pulled Ballard’s shares back by 13 per cent. At least someone hasn’t lost their marbles.

My Clean Break column/feature in today’s Toronto Star takes a look at the potential that low-temperature geothermal technology has to reduce the use of fossil fuels in the province, and in certain situations, also reduce electricity consumption. Now, there’s much debate over what these systems should be called. The Canadian GeoExchange Coalition prefers the name ”geoexchange,” but they’re also known as “earth energy” systems or simple ground-source heat pumps. The column focuses largely on some of the new financing models that are emerging to make these systems more affordable to homeowners and businesses. Marshall Homes, for example, offers them as an upgrade on new homes and allows buyers to roll them into their mortgages. NextEnergy Geothermal Solutions has worked out a deal with Waterloo North Hydro and rents the systems to homeowners under a 20-year contract that charges a fixed fee on the customer’s local utility bill. The benefits of offering low-interest financing can be seen in Manitoba, which has seen annual geothermal installations nearly triple over the last four years.

Still, there are barriers to adoption. One is a lack of skilled workers to install these systems as the market grows, and the other is a lack of standardized training. The Canadian GeoExchange Coalition is going to unveiled a national training program this fall that should help matters, but it will take some time before this industry gets itself organized. There’s also a shortage of drillers that can dig the vertical holes where tubing is laid, but as with any market, if the demand is there the drillers will come.

One more thing: This technology isn’t for everybody. It benefits those who use electricity for heating the most, and while it does offer benefits for those wanting to switch from natural gas, oil or propane, switching from these fuels means relying more on the grid during the winter times to power the geoexchange system. In the summer, the system would use less electricity than a conventional air conditioning system. Overall the energy savings are high — the net effect is quite positive — but the impact on the grid depends on the mix of homes that are switching.