Bob Goozner's Solar Review

Patent Day (The Last of 2008)

     The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. Today, the USPTO issued 3,510 patents.

    Of the 3,510 patents issued,

14 contained the word "photovoltaic";

   8 contained the phrase "solar cell";

   0 contained the term "biodiesel";

4 contained the word "geothermal"; and

   9 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by Gert W. Brunig of Philips Electronics, who developed a wireless battery charger. See: USP 7,471,062.

Alternative Energy in North Carolina

The Charlotte Observer has published an article on how North Carolina busnesses thrive on renewable energy. The article features Sencera, which manufactures thin film solar modules and boasts fast film deposition rates. However, the real spark plug behind North Carolina alternative energy seems to beDuke Energy. (Thanks to Bill Drinkard for the tip).

Robert E. Goozner - December 30, 2008

Patent Day

     The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. Today, the USPTO issued 2,411 patents.

    Of the 2,411 patents issued,

11 contained the word "photovoltaic";

   8 contained the phrase "solar cell";

   1 contained the term "biodiesel";

2 contained the word "geothermal"; and

   2 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by Richard M. Swanson of Sunpower, who developed a back side contact solar cell with doped polysilicon regions. See: USP 7,468,485.

Robert E. Goozner - December 23, 2008

When Dinosaurs Consort

    An article in the Wall Street Journal today reported on U.S. firms joining forces to build car batteries. Among the names dropped were Argonne National Labs, 3M, FMC, Johnson Controls and the Detroit big 3. This represents the triumph of hope over experience. For example, the semiconductor consortium Sematech never went anywhere, but somehow the article says that Sematech was a success. That is, having competitors cooperate is a non-runner.

    I don't think the article mentioned the U.S. Advanced Battery Consortium. At the top of the web page one may note the logos of the Detroit big three: GM-saurus, Ford-saurus and Chrysler-saurus. Also of interest is the battery section on Argonne's website.

    The only way this would work would be by micro-managing by the U.S. Government, that is, Argonne. Let's not forget that a large component of this consortium would the the coalition of the incapable: GM-saurus, Ford-saurus and Chrysler-saurus. Otherwise, this consortium will just end up laying a big dinosaur egg.

    In orther news, the New York Times had an article today about new jobs in solar power. I t seems that there was a 45% increase in installed solar energy systems from 2006 to 2007. It is estimated that there will be more than than 110,000 direct solar jobs by 2016.

    Also of note is that the price of oil is below $40 per barrel today despite the production cutbacks announced by OPEC.

* * * * *

Publication Day

    The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues publications once a week, on Thursday. On Thursday, the USPTO issued 6,230 publications .

    Of the 6,230 publications,

    51contained the word "photovoltaic";

    41contained the phrase "solar cell";

   6 contained the term "biodiesel";

    9 contained the word "geothermal"; and

   11 contained the phrase "wind turbine".

    The featured publication for today is from Darwin K. Decker, who developed a solar powered air vehicle that can stay aloft for indefinite periods of time. The vehicle employs photovoltaic solar cells for primary power and high speed counter-rotating flywheels for energy storage and steering of the vehicle. See: U.S Publication 20080308685.

Robert E. Goozner - December 18, 2008

Patent Day

     The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. Today, the USPTO issued 3,510 patents.

    Of the 3,510 patents issued,

12 contained the word "photovoltaic";

   10 contained the phrase "solar cell";

   2 contained the term "biodiesel";

1 contained the word "geothermal"; and

   2 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by Mary Galvin of Konarka, who developed a photovoltaic cell that has two electrodes and a hole injection layer. A liquid crystal material and a plurality of particles can be disposed between the electrodes. Photovolatic devices are fabricated from an insulating nanostructured template. See: USP 7,466,376.

Robert E. Goozner - December 16, 2008

Publication Day

     The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues publications once a week, on Thursday. On Thursday, the USPTO issued 5,708 publications .

    Of the 5,708 publications,

    44 contained the word "photovoltaic";

    52 contained the phrase "solar cell";

   5 contained the term "biodiesel";

   7 contained the word "geothermal"; and

   9 contained the phrase "wind turbine".

    The featured publication for today is from Craig Leidholm et al., who developed photovoltaic abosrber layers on foil substrates. See: U.S Publication 20080302413.

Intel Leaps In

    Former Intel CEO Andy Grove has announced that he is urging Intel to invest in battery manufacturing as a way to diversify from its core chip business. In an interview in the Wall Street Journal Grove said that Intel, with its cash resources, can invest in battery technology and manufacturing to bring down the cost of car batteries, which would drive adoption of plug-in electric cars.

    This is interesting, because the weak spot in the Chevy Volt technology is the battery. Since GM is now failing it would be rather logical to sell the Chevy Volt project to Intel, which is still a viable and successful American corporation and not a dinosaur on the verge of extinction.

    Also, I am no fan of Andy Grove. His cynical manipulation of the H1B visa program (along with other high tech executives) has had the effect of keeping wages low for engineers and discouraging American students from entering the engineering profession. Let's not forget the same effect that can be seen for the medical profession(s).

    Anyway, Mr. Grove's heart is in the right place in this, and I hope Congress will seriously consider reaching for some high-technology management expertise to restructure the American automobile industry.

Robert E. Goozner - December 12, 2008

A Better Place

    No less a pundit than Tom Friedman has recognized that Israel is producing more innovative automotive technology than the United States, that is Detroit, in today's New York Times. Friedman was referring to Israeli intrepreneur Shai Agassi's venture Better Place, which is developing alternative automotive technology in Israel, Denmark, Palo Alto, Hawaii: anyplace except Detroit. The buzz is also on the Huffington Post.

    In contrast, the dinosaurs in Detroit have developed a business model of taking bailouts from the government to produce cars that nobody wants to buy.

    In comparison, Shai Agassi's venture is just a small part of the high tech going on in Israel. For example, Israel is starting to lead in the next generation of non-silicon based solar cells, as reported in the Jerusalem Post. There is also a a new Negev research center to test solar technology.

    On the other hand, more and more of less and less is being researched and developed in this country. It must be a sad time to be a young scientist or engineer in these times with the industrial hollowing out and a nascent economic recession/depression.

    Robert E. Goozner - December 10, 2008

Patent Day

     The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. Today, the USPTO issued 3,517 patents.

    Of the 3,517 patents issued,

13 contained the word "photovoltaic";

   12 contained the phrase "solar cell";

   0 contained the term "biodiesel";

3 contained the word "geothermal"; and

   4 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by Martin R. Roscheisen et al. of Nanosolar, who developed photovolatic devices fabricated from an insulating nanostructured template. See: USP 7,462,774.

Robert E. Goozner - December 9, 2008

Oil Price

As of this morning the price of oil was about $42 per barrel for January delivery. Also, I filled up my Prius with gas this morning and paid $1.71 per gallon. This kind of price level is taking the wind out of alternative energy development, along with the lack of money for investment due to the financial crisis.
If anyone in the government has any sense (which they don't), now is the time to put a surcharge (say 50 cents per gallon) on the price of gasoline and use this money to promote alternative energy.

* * * * *

Publication Day

     The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues publications once a week, on Thursday. On Thursday, the USPTO issued 6,635 publications .

    Of the 6,635 publications,

    44 contained the word "photovoltaic";

    53 contained the phrase "solar cell";

   14 contained the term "biodiesel";

    10 contained the word "geothermal"; and

   13 contained the phrase "wind turbine".

    The featured publication for today is from Mehrdad Moslehi of Soltaix, Inc, who developed three dimensional thin-film solar cells. See: U.S Publication 20080295887.

Robert E. Goozner - December 5, 2008

$1 Per Year

    The Wall Street Journal reported today that the chief executives of the Detroit big three are coming back to Washington to beg for a bailout again. See here. This time they are not coming in their private airplanes.
    Ford chief executive Alan Mulally is now saying that he will take a salary of $1 per year of Ford accepts federal bailout funds. However, since Mullaly has made about $50 million over the last couply of years, it doesn't seem that he will have to give up his country club membership.
    By this, the Detroit executives are trying to invoke the memory of the $1 per year men who served the government under FDR during the New Deal (or was it WWII?).
    The difference is that FDR's $1 per year men were giving service to the U.S. governement for free. On the other hand, the Detroit executives are only willing to give up their excessive salaries and perks until the crisis cools and no one is looking.
    There is a difference between service and being self serving.

Patent Day

     The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. Today, the USPTO issued 3,841 patents.

    Of the 3,841 patents issued,

16 contained the word "photovoltaic";

   11 contained the phrase "solar cell";

   4 contained the term "biodiesel";

4 contained the word "geothermal"; and

   3 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by George Michel Rosen, who developed an apparatus for charging a battery of a vehicle includes at least one photovoltaic cell that is adapted to convert solar insolation into electricity. The position of each photovoltaic cell is varied so that it faces toward a current location of the sun whether the vehicle is stationary or moving whenever the sun is visible.See: USP 7,459,880.

Robert E. Goozner - December 2, 2008

Patent Day

     The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. Today, the USPTO issued 3,839 patents.

    Of the 3,839 patents issued,

19 contained the word "photovoltaic";

   9 contained the phrase "solar cell";

   1 contained the term "biodiesel";

4 contained the word "geothermal"; and

   4 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by Douglas H. Rose et al. of Sunpower Corporation, who developed etching of solar cell materials where a solar cell is fabricated by etching one or more of its layers without substantially etching another layer of the solar cell. See: USP 7,455,787.

Robert E. Goozner - November 25, 2008

Publication Day

     The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues publications once a week, on Thursday. On Thursday, the USPTO issued 6,634 publications .

    Of the 6,634 publications,

    42 contained the word "photovoltaic";

    33 contained the phrase "solar cell";

   7 contained the term "biodiesel";

    8 contained the word "geothermal"; and

   10 contained the phrase "wind turbine".

    The featured publication for today is from Jonathan S. Alden et al., who developed nanowire based transparent conductors suitable for use in solar cells. See: U.S Publication 20080283799.

Robert E. Goozner - November 21, 2008

The Volt to Nowhere

    The managers of the big three automakers are demanding $25 billion from Congress in order to keep afloat for the next few months, with the taxpayers being hit up for more (no one knows how much more) later on.
    One of the excuses being proffered up is that the money is need to retool to produce the Chevy Volt, which is supposed to come out in 2020 at a luxury price of $40K and up.
    However, the Chevy Volt does not exist except for a few mock ups they push onto the stage at PR events. Althought electric motors are known, GM does not have the battery technology. For example, see here.
    On the other hand, Chevy did have a working electric car (the EV1) a few years ago. However, they collected them all and crushed them a few years ago back in the days when GM was acquiring Hummer.
    Now, the LA auto show is going on. Former California State Senator and Los Angeles City Councilman Nate Holden is holding a news conference today, speaking out against American auto manufacturers and in support of mass-production of the electric car. Nate Holden believes that the taxpayers should not bailout the auto manufacturers without The Big Three agreeing to mass-produce the electric car as an incentive.

    Nate Holden states the following points:
    o    In 1990, the State of California enacted a zero-emissions mandate, forcing auto manufacturers who sold their cars in the State of California to require that at least 10% of the automobiles that are sold here have zero-emissions.
    o    In 2002 the Bush administration sided with the automakers to fight the zero-emissions mandate. The Bush administration, General Motors, other U.S. automakers and the oil companies committed sabotage against the American people and the environment. Because of the lawsuit, California will not make any strides in improving our air quality. To continue to build internal combustion engines will result in more photochemical smog and will cause more lung cancer and respiratory disease.
    o    At about that time, General Motors embarked on a program to deceive the public and the lawmakers. They introduced the EV1 as a revolutionary concept car. The EV1 had all the whistles and bells and if mass-produced, could have saved the automobile industry from its financial woes. At the beginning, General Motors and the other auto manufacturers never intended for the electric vehicle to be a successful program, specifically the EV1.
    o    It turned out to be nothing but a hoax when General Motors built 1,100 EV1s and allowed the public to lease and road test them. Without a doubt, the EV1, as a prototype vehicle, met the test acceptance program. In fact, in many circles there are those who are of the opinion that it exceeded the testing program. The consumers who leased the EV1 offered to purchase the EV1 vehicle from General Motors. They knew the EV1 was a zero-emission, cost effective automobile. General Motors said "no" and evoked the terms and conditions of the lease requiring that those vehicles be returned to General Motors and they were subsequently destroyed.
    o    General Motors has had at least ten years notice to develop and mass-produce an electric vehicle and they have failed to do so. They have continuously brainwashed the public and the elected officials, claiming that they were on our side and they are not! Here they are again, demanding that the hard-working taxpayers bail them out. (Them being the automobile manufacturers) They are demanding the bailout funding without any pre-conditions. Shame on them!
    o    Congress should not give auto manufacturers another dime until the commitment is made that they will build the electric vehicle as a top priority. We must stop importing our oil from the Middle East. The mass production of the electric vehicle can be our way of achieving that goal. See here.

    It is foolish to hand the U.S. automakers money which will just be squandered. If there is a bailout, the managment of the U.S. automakers must be kept under very tight leash, in light of their execrable record. Barack Obama was elected, in part, due to the public being very tired of pork barrel politics building bridges to nowhere. Let's not start the new presidency by building a Volt to nowhere.

    Robert E. Goozner - November 19, 2008

Patent Day

    The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. Today, the USPTO issued 3,819 patents.

    Of the 3,819 patents issued,

8 contained the word "photovoltaic";

   10 contained the phrase "solar cell";

   5 contained the term "biodiesel";

7 contained the word "geothermal"; and

   6 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by Lynn Mueller et al. of Free Energy Soutions, who developed a geothermal exchange system incorporating a thermally superconducting medium. See: USP 7,451,612.

Robert E. Goozner - November 18, 2008

Publication Day

     The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues publications once a week, on Thursday. Today, the USPTO issued 6,096 publications .

    Of the 6,096 publications issued today,

    40 contained the word "photovoltaic";

    36 contained the phrase "solar cell";

   9 contained the term "biodiesel";

    11 contained the word "geothermal"; and

   10 contained the phrase "wind turbine".

    The featured publication for today is from Robert Z. Bachrach, who developed a method of achieving fault tolerance for a photovoltaic factory with batch array transfer robots. See: U.S Publication 20080281457.

    In other news, energy plutocrat T. Boone Pickens has thrown in the towel and has put his West Texas wind farm project on hold. See here.

Robert E. Goozner - November 13, 2008

Patent Day

    The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. On Tuesday, the USPTO issued 3,922 patents.

    Of the 3,922 patents issued,

13 contained the word "photovoltaic";

   15 contained the phrase "solar cell";

   3 contained the term "biodiesel";

5 contained the word "geothermal"; and

   3 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by Frank Ho et al. of Emcore, who developed a solar cell having an integral monolithically grown bypass diode. See: USP 7,449,630.

Robert E. Goozner - November 12, 2008

Election Day

Today is election day - so please vote. Homer Simpson voted, as can be seen below.

HOMER SIMPSON VOTES:

Patent Day

    The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. Today, the USPTO issued 3,913 patents.

    Of the 3,913 patents issued,

18 contained the word "photovoltaic";

   13 contained the phrase "solar cell";

   3 contained the term "biodiesel";

1 contained the word "geothermal"; and

   5 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by David Woodhouse et al. of Ford (a U.S. automobile company - that's hopeful), who developed an automobile sunroof including solar panels. See: USP 7,445,275.

Robert E. Goozner - November 4, 2008

Election Day Tomorrow

Tomorrow is election day. So I would like to contrast the stands of Barack Obama and John McCain on energy:

OBAMA ON ENERGY:

McCAIN ON ENERGY:

Well, Drill-Baby-Drill is a slogan that might as well been written by the king of Saudi Arabia. In contrast, Obama at least has a well thought out energy plan which can be found here. You can compare this to the high carbohydrate, er, high hydrocarbon McCain energy plan which can be found here. So look at them and make up you own mind.

Robert E. Goozner - November 3, 2008

Publication Day

     The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues publications once a week, on Thursday. Today, the USPTO issued 7,482 publications .

    Of the 7,482 publications issued today,

    57 contained the word "photovoltaic";

    62 contained the phrase "solar cell";

   12 contained the term "biodiesel";

    7 contained the word "geothermal"; and

   7 contained the phrase "wind turbine".

    The featured publication for today is from Srini Balasubramanian et al., who developed an organic photovoltaic cell using nitrogen compounds. See: U.S Publication 20080264488.

Robert E. Goozner - October 30, 2008

Patent Day

    The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. Today, the USPTO issued 3,875 patents.

    Of the 3,875 patents issued,

22 contained the word "photovoltaic";

   11 contained the phrase "solar cell";

   12 contained the term "biodiesel";

2 contained the word "geothermal"; and

   4 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by Mark M. Meyers of General Electrid for photovoltaic modules for a solar concentrator. See: USP 7,442,871.

Robert E. Goozner - October 28, 2008

New York Times on Google

The New York Times had an interesting article today about Google's green agenda, including Google's investiment in alternative energy startups. However, the article notes that Google’s shares have lost more than half their value in the last year, and this may crimp their investments in alternative energy. The whole article by Miguel Helft can be found here.

On the other hand Google has spread around over $100 million in grants and investments, according to their web site at Google.org.

Robert E. Goozner - October 28, 2008

Solar Energy Breakthrough at Ohio State

    Researchers at Ohio State University have accidentally discovered a new solar cell material capable of absorbing all of the sun's visible light energy. The material is comprised of a hybrid of plastics, molybdenum and titanium. The team discovered it not only fluoresces (as most solar cells do), but also phosphoresces. Electrons in a phosphorescent state remain at a place where they can be "siphoned off" as electricity over 7 million times longer than those generated in a fluorescent state. This combination of materials also utilizes the entire visible spectrum of light energy, translating into a theoretical potential of almost 100% efficiency. Commercial products are still years away, but this foundational work may well pave the way for a truly renewable form of clean, global energy.

    This development was reported by Rick C. Hodgin at TG Daily. Hat tip to Philip A. DuBois about the article.

    Robert E. Goozner - October 27, 2008

Publication Day

     The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues publications once a week, on Thursday. Today, the USPTO issued 7,062 publications .

    Of the 7,062 publications issued today,

    43 contained the word "photovoltaic";

    31 contained the phrase "solar cell";

   29 contained the term "biodiesel";

    6 contained the word "geothermal"; and

   14 contained the phrase "wind turbine".

    The featured publication for today is from Evangelos Arkas et al., who developed a solar energy trap and turbine, with an inlet port and chamber such that solar energy entering the chamber through the inlet port is absorbed and reflected within the chamber means until substantially all the solar energy is absorbed by the chamber.   See: U.S Publication 20080256953.

Robert E. Goozner - October 23, 2008

Going the Distance

    The price of oil is now hovering about $70 a barrel, less than half of the price last July. Now that oil is cheaper the question arises whether alternative energy is economically viable in the face of cheaper oil. This question in light of variations in oil prices has been around since the 1970’s.

    However, oil is still considerably more expensive than it was just a few years ago, when it was selling in the $20-30 range. As a result, the breakpoint (that is, the price level where alternative energy is economically viable) is still much higher than what it once was.

    Additionally, there are additional costs to oil in addition to the $70 per barrel. These costs include the military costs of trying to stabilize the oil producing regions of the world, like the $500 billion for the war in Iraq. Also, as the price of oil falls the ability of petro states (like Iran, Venezuela, Russia and Saudi Arabia) to make trouble in the world is reduced. Indeed, the newspapers have recently reported that Venezuela and Iran have already reached their “breakpoint” where their economies are no longer viable.

    As a result, having the government support alternative energy is just as sensible as having the government support the military – both weaken our enemies – and alternative energy is a great economic weapon. If the price of oil can be driven back to the $20-20 dollar level, the bad guys will have less money for weapons and supporting terrorism, and their will be better hopes for peace in the Middle East and other places in the world (Columbia, Georgia, etc.).

    Also, now the American automobile companies are making noises about going to the Government for a $25 billion bailout. Well, everybody (except me) seems to be expecting a government bailout these days to pay down their incompetence and greed. However, in the case of the car companies (or the car company when General Motor and Chrysler merge to form General Crisis) there should be strings attached to impel the production of high mileage and electric vehicles (real ones, not the dog and pony show Chevy Volt).

    As for me, I rode my bicycle to work today. I started riding to work when oil prices are high and shall continue riding into work now that oil prices are lower. Now that it is getting colder, there are fewer riders on the bike path (too bad, the riding is great if you are properly dressed). But as for me, I am going the distance.

    Robert E. Goozner - October 22, 2008

Patent Day

    The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. Today, the USPTO issued 3,987 patents.

    Of the 3,987 patents issued,

7 contained the word "photovoltaic";

   12 contained the phrase "solar cell";

   1 contained the term "biodiesel";

3 contained the word "geothermal"; and

   2 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by Kimberly Peacock of Helius, Inc for a system and methodology for generating electricity using a chemical heat engine and piezoelectric material.
See: USP 7,439,630.

Robert E. Goozner - October 21, 2008

Publication Day

     The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues publications once a week, on Thursday. On Thursday, the USPTO issued 6,137 publications .

    Of the 6,137 publications issued Thursday,

    44 contained the word "photovoltaic";

    32 contained the phrase "solar cell";

   9 contained the term "biodiesel";

    3 contained the word "geothermal"; and

   4 contained the phrase "wind turbine".

    The featured publication for today is from Micheal H. Gurin, who developed a supercritical flat panel solar collector using ionic liquids or ionic liquid polymers as the working fluid in the system .    See: U.S Publication 20080251065.

Robert E. Goozner - October 16, 2008

Solar Parking Garage Incudes Slots for Plug-in Vehicles

    Trenton, New Jersey has just cut the ribbon on a 12,000-square-foot solar-panel installation atop the 1,699-space garage at 66 Wallenberg Ave. To assist with the $1.6 million project, the state of New Jersey made $659,330 available in the form of rebates. In addition, the company owning the garage accumulates renewable energy credits that can be sold on an open energy market.

    The parking garage also includes six 110-volt stations are available on a first-come, first-serve basis, and afford a commuter the opportunity to park an electric-powered vehicle at the garage, ride a train to work, and have a recharged vehicle waiting when they return.

    For more, see the article by Bill Mooney at NJ.COM.

    Robert E. Goozner - October 15, 2008

Patent Day

    The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. Today, the USPTO issued 3,979 patents.

    Of the 3,979 patents issued,

14 contained the word "photovoltaic";

   16 contained the phrase "solar cell";

   0 contained the term "biodiesel";

4 contained the word "geothermal"; and

   9 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by Paul M. Doherty for a solar air heater featuring  a housing partitioned into essentially isolated sections wherein the sections are in fluid communication with each other through a plurality of channels located within the partitions. See: USP 7,434,577.

Robert E. Goozner - October 14, 2008

Krugman on Energy Policy

Paul Krugman was awarded the Nobel prize today. Krugman is very critical of John McCains's energy policy, as can be seen in this video of Krugman on the Keith Olberman show.

Robert E. Goozner - October 13, 2008

Solar Stocks Still Tanking

Solar stocks are still tracking the general nosedives in stocks in the stock market. For example, Evergreen Solar (ESLR) is down over 10% for today for a stock price of about $3, as can be seen here. Evergreen Solar has been as high as $18.85 within the last year.

Another stock to watch is photovoltaic manufacturing equipment supplier Spire (SPIR), which is down 6% today to about $10, but has been as high as $26.78 in the last year, as can be seen here.

* * * *
Publication Day

     The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues publications once a week, on Thursday. On Thursday, the USPTO issued 5,741 publications (over 2,500 more than last week).

    Of the 5,741 publications issued Thursday,

    50 contained the word "photovoltaic";

    39 contained the phrase "solar cell";

   15 contained the term "biodiesel";

    9 contained the word "geothermal"; and

   13 contained the phrase "wind turbine".

    The featured publication for today is from Tansen Varghese et al. of Emcore Corporation, who developed a metamorphic solar cell mounted on a flexible film.    See: U.S Publication 20080245409.

Robert E. Goozner - October 10, 2008

Solar Stocks Tanking

Solar stocks are tracking the general nosedives in stocks in the stock market. For example, as of noon, First Solar (FSLR) is down over 11%. Here is a good link to watch First Solar (and other solar stocks) in real time.

* * * *

Patent Day

          The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. Today, the USPTO issued 3,936 patents.

    Of the 3,936 patents issued,

18 contained the word "photovoltaic";

   12 contained the phrase "solar cell";

   3 contained the term "biodiesel";

5 contained the word "geothermal"; and

   5 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by Lenard C. Coleirol for a trans-membrane solar energy lighting device adapted and arranged to gather solar energy. See: USP 7,431,470.

Robert E. Goozner - October 7, 2008

Publication Day

     The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues publications once a week, on Thursday. Today, the USPTO issued 8,955 publications (over 2,500 more than last week).

    Of the 8,955 publications issued today,

    62 contained the word "photovoltaic";

    60 contained the phrase "solar cell";

   27 contained the term "biodiesel";

    9 contained the word "geothermal"; and

   12 contained the phrase "wind turbine".

    The featured publication for today is from Sumihiro Ichikawa, who developed a dye sensitized solar cell module.    See: U.S Publication 20080236662.

    The bail-out bill passed by the Senate yesterday provides up to $700 billion to bail out the banking system but includes $100 billion in tax cuts for alternative energy and other breaks.

The bill also provides $17 billion in energy incentives, renews business research credits and delays an alternative minimum tax hike for 24 million households.

We'll have to see if these provisions survive the House vote.

Robert E. Goozner - October 2, 2008

Patent Day

          The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. Yesterday, the USPTO issued 2,404 patents.

    Of the 2,404 patents issued,

10 contained the word "photovoltaic";

   6 contained the phrase "solar cell";

   0 contained the term "biodiesel";

1 contained the word "geothermal"; and

   1 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by Steven Briee et al. for a solar tracking device mounted above a skylight of a building, where an array of mirrors is rotated at a rate of one revolution per day to reflect sunlight through the skylight. See: USP 7,430,077.

Robert E. Goozner - October 1, 2008

Today's Investment Advice

Robert E. Goozner - September 29, 2008

Publication Day

     The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues publications once a week, on Thursday. Today, the USPTO issued 6,371 publications.

    Of the 6,371 publications issued today,

    40 contained the word "photovoltaic";

    39 contained the phrase "solar cell";

   7 contained the term "biodiesel";

    1 contained the word "geothermal"; and

   11 contained the phrase "wind turbine".

    The featured publication for today is from Damoder Reddy, who developed photovoltaic devices having IR and/or UV absorbing nanostructured layers that increase efficiency of solar cells.    See: U.S Publication 20080230120.

Robert E. Goozner - September 25, 2008

BICYCLES IN BERLIN

TRAILS END IN BERLIN

Patent Attorney Office River-Vu

Patent Lawyer View

My law firm, Young & Thompson, moved into nice new offices at the northern edge of Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. Somehow I was given a prestigious (but not corner) office with a view of the Potomac river.

Although you can barely see it, the Alexandria boathouse is at the end of Madison street, and one can see the rowing team practice in the late afternoon.

AACHEN GEOTHERMAL ENERGY

The Goozner Solar Review arises from my long standing interest in all forms of alternative energy. This not only includes solar energy, but all kinds of energy that are non-carbon based. Above, you see me in front of the geothermal project at the University of Aachen (Germany). The geothermal energy is obtained by sinking a shaft about 1km straight into the ground, and exploiting the temperature gradient between the abyss and the surface. This shaft will supply most of the energy used by the University.

LINKS

Solar Decathlon	Department of Energy	Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy	National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
United States Patent And Trademark Office	Gooznews	Young & Thompsom