The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NRLE) installed an 8kW photovoltaic system in order to provide additional power for the illumination of the Christmas tree on the White House.  Among other things the public is supposed to be alerted to the solar program "1-million solar roofs" by the U.S. Department of Energy. (iwr)

The Association for the Support of Solar Energy in Aachen announced in its latest press release that during this year´s general meeting of RWE Corp. in Essen (December 11, 1997) 16% of all stockholders voted for a petition for the amendment of the statutes in order to ensure complete reimbursement of ecological power.  In 1996 only 1% agreed to a similar petition. (iwr)

From Jan. 1st, 1998 on there will be changes regarding the support of projects in the fields of solar heat and photovoltaic by the Federal State North Rhine-Westphalia. More information can be found on our page Sponsorship/Energy-advice in North Rhine-Westphalia. (iwr)

Between 1990 and 1996 the Federal Government and the Federal States 
have promoted altogether 5.200 photovoltaic systems (solar systems for the production of electricity) with a capacity of 14 megawatts (MW). This is 
the result of an inquiry on the promotion of solar energy in Germany, 
conducted by the IWR. (iwr)

Stadtwerke (city department) Munich are offering the so-called Munich 
Solar Service. From planning to the installation of thermal solar systems 
Stadtwerke are offering the following advisory services: rough drafts and 
expense estimate, financing model, planning of details, tender and placing, building supervision and construction acceptance as well as maintenance and handling of financing. More information under http://www.swm.de. (iwr)

On Nov. 19th, 1997 the worldwide biggest photovoltaic system on a roof 
on the Neue Messe Munich was officially started. As a part of the 100-million-DM-program "Energy Future Bavaria" about 15 million DM were invested into the cooperative project of Siemens, Stadtwerke Munich, the Bavarian ministrry for Economics, the federal ministry for Research and Bayernwerk.(iwr)

By means of an advertising campaign EUROSOLAR has started the Initiative Solar Germany. With a petition and fund-raising during a civic action it asks for cancellation of subsidies for nuclear energy research and for breaking even compensation of renewable energies fed into the net.(iwr)

The association for the support of solar energy Aachen states in its latest 
press report that the district Mettmann, as a communal RWE-shareholder, asked for a change of § 2 of the statute on the RWE-general meeting on November 12th, 19976. The support of the production of electricity from solar energy, wind power, hydro power, and biomass for cost-covering compensations shall be included into the RWE-statute.(iwr)

From now on the global radiation for the month October 1997 at the 
location Muenster can be downloaded under http://www.iwr.de/solar/klima//bilder/gs_mu97.GIF.(iwr)

The Electrotechnical Institute of the university of Karlsruhe offers a solar generator with a capacity of 3,8 kWp, consisting of 72 solar modules MQ36 from the firm AEG/DASA, whose measuring values can be seen online in the internet.

The German Shell AG - department Shell International Renewables - is 
planning to erect a solar cell factory in Gelsenkirchen, together with the 
photovoltaic-producer Pilkington Solar International GmbH from Cologne. 
25 MW multi crystalline cells shall be produced annually which shall be 
sold throughout Europe and overseas. The investment volume amounts 
to more than 30 million DM. The project will be supported financially by 
the Federal Government and the Land North Rhine-Westphalia.(iwr)

On October 16th, 1997 the solar factory Friburg has opened the production plant for photovoltaic modules. The plant, operated without any subsidies from the government, shall produce up to 50.000 m² solar modules annually. This is equivalent to a capacity of 5 MW. There are sales throughout Europe.(iwr)

SANYO Electric Co., Ltd will begin the mass production of hybrid-type thin 
solar cells, called HIT Power 21. The HIT (Heterojunction with Intrinsic Thin Layer) will have a conversion efficiency of 17,3%.(iwr)

The new Bavarian solar- and wind atlas with yearly and monthly maps of global radiation and the sunshine period for Bavaria has recently been published. Useful tips about grid-connection and permission of solar systems as well as possibilities how to get support complete the offer of information. You can obtain the atlas from: Bayerisches Staatsministerium fuer Wirtschaft, Verkehr und Technologie; Prinzregentenstrasse 28; 80538 Muenchen.(iwr)

The Royal Dutch/Shell Group will establish a sphere of activity for 
renewable energies with the name "Shell International Renewables". There 
are investments planned for the next five years in particular in the fields 
solar energy, biomass, and forestry, amounting to more than 500 million 
dollars. Even before the year 2005 Shell hopes to have gained a share of 10 % of the solar market.

The Australian New Zealand Solar Energy Society (ANZSES), which is the Australian section of the International Solar Energy Society (ISES) offers you to have a look at a map of the insolation in Australia.(iwr)

Within the "Energy Concept 2000" Stadtwerke (public works) Herten will support the area of renewable energies. The erection of solar thermal power systems will be supported with 1000,- DM per system as well as the installation of photovoltaic systems with a feeding into the grid with a minimum of 2 kWp.(iwr)

A new issue of the solar letter can be read from now on in the internet under the address http://www.sfv.de. In the September-issue 1997 the Solarenergie-Förderverein e.V. (association for the support of solar energy) informs about the demonstration that took place on Sept. 23rd, 1997, Compensation, the electricity-feed law and also about consumer advice and technology. (iwr)

A new Europe-record was reproted by the Fraunhofer Institut für Solare Energiesysteme (ISE). With a socalled tandem-concentrator-cell 31% of the sunlight with a radiation of 100% were directly converted into electricity. The Ministry for Educastion, Science, Research and Technology (BMBF) supports the development until the year 200 with 16 million DM. (bmbf)

The topical global radiation data of the climate-measuring field of the University Münster are now available for August. After the weak month July in August global radiation values within the normal range of variation could be registered again.

A new address register from the Rhineland region is published by the Solartechnik-Initiative Köln. The register comprises the addresses and centres of work of more than 50 companies and institutions. The brochure free of cost can be obtained from the city of Köln, Amt für Stadtentwicklungsplanung, z.Hd. Herrn Heuing, Augustinerstr. 10, 50667 Köln, tel.: ++49-(0)221/ 2214148.

As to own statements the company Enron increases its commitment in solar projects and wind projects. In the US-state Nevada a 10-megawatt-solar project is planned in cooperation with the Department of Energy (DOE). Other solar projects are speeded up in India, China and on the Hawaiian Islands.

According to the Solarenergie-Förderverein e.V. (SFV) (Association for the Support of Solar Energy) in Aachen the city of Bonn was able to realize the highest share of solar energy since the introduction of the KV with 740 kW installed power on August 1st, 1995.

The new planning software NESA (Niedrig- Energie-Solar-Architektur/ Low-Energy-Solar-Architecture) for the energetically optimal exegesis of buildings will be given free of costs to interested architects and engineers during a 2 1/2 hour PC-introduction couse of the Energieagentur NRW. Information about the seminar times can be obtained from the NESA-hotline ++49-(0)228/ 671281.

The Platforma Solar de Almeria (PSA), Spain, is looking for interested post-graduate-students, scientists and teachers who would like to use the facilities of the biggest European solar-centre in Almeria. You will find further information under http://www.psa.es.

With a new melting method for the production of silicon wafers the firm PV Silicon GmbH in Erfurt hopes to become one of the leading producers of silicon for solar cells. The new technology makes use of insufficient qualities of silicon which could not be used up to now to produce wafers. While the high quality of the wafers will stay the same the costs will turn out to be much lower than before.

BP Solar, Hamburg, conducted investigations on the efficiency rates of solar cells and found out that saturn cells, which possess a specific surface structure, provide a much higher power yield in comparison to other solar cells, especially when radation is low.

The Company "Solector KBB Kollektorbau GmbH" has recently started presenting its offer on our server. Solector offers a broad spectrum of solar heat systems for water heating, for the support of the heating system, and for the heating of swimming-pools.

DLW Metecno GmbH from Bitingheim-Bissingen built up the first noise barrier with a 10 kW PV system at interstate A 96 near Eching which is close to Lake Ammer. The idea of a muti-functional use of noise barriers by equipping them with photovoltaic systems shall be carried out more often in the future.

On a regular basis the Australian "Photovoltaics Research Centre" has examined the efficiency rates of solar cells since 1993. The results can be downloaded here (tables I-IV).

The data on global radiation for the month of June 1997 are now accessible under the heading "Solar data".

The bigest solar power station of the world shall be built on Kreta. After the completion in the year 2003 the US-firm Enron Solar shall have installed 50 MW. The project will mainly be financed by the Greek government and the European Community.

The Bayer Solar GmbH has invested 48 Mio. DM in a factory for solar silicon discs (wafer) in Freiberg/Sachsen. The only producer in Germany with 90 employees shall produce 6 mio. wafer per year (9% of the world market).

According to the magazine "New Scientist" in the next millennium the NASA will equip the third stage of its booster rockets with as cost-saving solar propulsion. At the beginning the propulsion will bring the satellite in its final orbit afterwards its purpose will be the production of energy.

The PreussenElektra gives 1-kW-PV-systems to schools in the own service area for shares of 3.000 DM. The results will be analysed by the Fraunhofer Institut für Solare Energiesysteme in Freiburg and published in the internet.

According to the VEW Energie AG there was a considerable growth of the German photovoltaic market in 1996. There was an increase of sales of solar cells from 2 MW in the year 1995 to 6 to 7 MW in the year 1996. A reason for this development of sales could be the prices- and sponsoring policy of the companies and public departments.

With a new thin-layer solar cell developed by the Fraunhofer Institut für Solare Energiesysteme (ISES) in Freiburg an efficiency of 19% can be reached. According to the ISES 90% of the expensive silicon could be saved if it were possible to apply the cell on a cheaper carrier material.

The University/ Polytechnic Wuppertal is the first university in NRW that uses the seminarpool of the Energieagentur, which contains 26 courses, in the summer semester 1997. On behalf of the Ministry for Building the Energieagentur makes its know-how available to continuing education facilities free of cost. In Wuppertal the seminars shall be offered within the scope of an experimental game "Development of a Solar City"

In 1996 43 solar systems with about 300m² collector surface were supported with 145.00 DM by the Freiburger Solar-Programm. Compared with this only 8 photovoltaic systems with altogether 35 kWp were installed.

According to the German Fachverband Solarenergie in Freiburg at the end of 1996 there were altogether about 15-25 MW photovoltaic power installed in Germany.

The company Kopf in Sulz has produced a prototype of a solar boat together with the university of Stuttgart. The boat has a solar module with 1 kW output and can reach a speed of 7 km/h.

The global radiation value at the location Muenster for March 1997 has come in. The value lies within the range of variation of the average of the month March, which was figured out during the previous five years.

The communes of the Land NRW are asked to 
participate in the competition about the erection 
of altogether 50 "solar-settlements", supported 
by means of the Laender. Applications can be 
submitted to Mr. Dr.-Ing.Efstratios Rigos, 
Landesinitiative Zukunftsenergien NRW Geschäfts- 
stelle, Außenstelle für den Bereich Bauen und 
Wohnen, c/o Ministerium für Bauen und Wohnen 
des Landes NRW (MBW), Elisabethstr. 5-11, 
40219 Düsseldorf, Tel.: ++49-(0)211/3843-531.

Beginning on July 1st the city department Konstanz 
raises the electricity charges for the time of one year. 
This is a compensation for the cancelled subsidies 
of the Laender for the operation of a solar heat 
power system. The shareholders of the solar heat 
power system receive 70 Pf/kWh solar power.

The Technischen Werke Friedrichshafen GmbH and 
the Hamburger Gaswerke Hamburg GmbH are working 
on two pilot projects in which 50% of the demand for 
heat for more than 50.000 mý living space will be 
met by solar energy. For this purpose a long-term heat 
accumulator holding 12.000 m³ of water was built 
in Friedrichshafen.

The heating system manufacturer Buderus will take over 
SolarDiamand, a producer of solar systems in Wettringen. 
There has only to be wait for the approval of the Federal 
Cartel Office in Berlin.

The biggest solar collector of the world with a size of 8000 square meters shall be constructed on top of the exhibition halls in Munich. This project will be sponsored by Siemens, the Bayernwerk and Munich's municipal utilities department. Costs are estimated to be approximately 15 million DM.

A German consumer services center will publish the results of a test of solar systems in the magazine test. The systems, which were already tested in 1995, show that several alterations and enlargements in the range of products have been made between the 1995 and 1997 test series. Most producers now also offer combined systems for heating systems based on solar energy.

In der kalifornischen Mojave-Wüste ist das 
240 Mio. $ teure 10-MW-Solarkraftwerk 
Solar One, das von 1982-1988 38 Mio. kWh 
Strom erzeugte, umgerüstet worden. Solar  
Two soll nach einer Testphase möglicherweise 
noch in diesem Jahr ans Netz gehen. In Solar 
Two wird nicht mehr Wasser für den Turbinen- 
antrieb verdampft, vielmehr wird ein Gemisch 
aus Natrium- und Kaliumnitrat als Wärme- 
transport- und Wärmespeichermedium dienen.

Nach dem ersten Förderprogramm im Jahr 
1992 starten die Stadtwerke Ettlingen nun ihr 
ausgeweitetes Förderprogramm für rationelle 
Energieverwendung und erneuerbare Energie- 
quellen. Das Programm soll bis zum Jahr 
2010 laufen. Jährlich sollen 200.000 DM 
u. a. zur Förderung von PV-Anlagen, Wärme- 
pumpen, Gas-Brennwertkessel und zur Ver- 
besserung der Wärmedämmung von Altbauten 
eingesetzt werden.

Das Institut für Solarenergie- 
forschung teilte gestern mit, 
die in Göttingen installierte 800 
Quadratmeter große Solaranlage 
entspreche nicht den Erwartungen. 
Die vor fünf Jahren installierte 
Anlage zur Nutzung der Sonnenenergie 
in einem Fernwärmeversorgungssystem 
erbringe nur eine mangelhafte Aus- 
beute.

Die künftigen Messehallen in München- 
Riem sollen Träger einer Solaranlage 
mit 1 MW Leistung sein. Auf den 
Dächern von 6 Ausstellungshallen 
werden Solarzellen mit einer Gesamt- 
fläche von 60.000 m² montiert. Diese 
sollen eine Jahresernte von ca. 
800.000 kWh erzeugen. Die Kosten 
der Solaranlage werden sich auf ca. 15 
Mio. DM belaufen. Das Projekt ist 
durch die Zusammenarbeit von Siemens- 
Solar, den Stadtwerken München und 
des Bayernwerks AG, welche sich zur 
Solardach München GmbH zusammen- 
geschlossen haben, entstanden.