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<title>Haaze.com / linksoflondonsale / All</title>
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<pubDate>Wed, 16 Feb 2011 08:10:54 +0000</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Multilayered solar cell boosts efficiency]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=multilayered-solar-cell-boosts-efficiency</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=multilayered-solar-cell-boosts-efficiency</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 16 Feb 2011 08:10:54 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>linksoflondonsale</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=multilayered-solar-cell-boosts-efficiency</guid>
<description><![CDATA[A Solar Junction wafer of high-efficiency solar cells. Each individual chip can produce about 20 watts.(Credit:Solar Junction)Solar Junction's solar cell is like a tiny layer cake able to crank out more power per inch than most cells. The 4-year-old company yesterday said it expects to start production of its high-efficiency solar cells by early next year in its home town of San Jose, Calif. It is also awaiting word in the next few months on an $80 million loan from the Department of Energy, which would give it favorable financing to expand its current demonstration plant to produce 250 megawatts worth of cells per year, said co-founder Craig Stauffer.Solar Junction cells are designed to be fitted into concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) solar collectors. Originally used in space, CPV systems concentrate the light hundreds of times using mirrors and lenses onto a small but relatively efficiency solar cell. They are typically mounted on racks to follow the sun in desert areas and are used for installations up to 50 megawatts. The company, which was spun out of Stanford University, last month said that the National Renewable Energy Laboratory certified its cell to operate at 41.4 percent efficiency. For comparison, silicon solar cells are in the range of 15 percent or 20 percent efficient at converting sunlight to electricity.These types of cells, called multijunction cells, achieve those higher conversion rates by using different materials than the traditional silicon cell and multiple semiconductors within a single package. During manufacturing, there are multiple layers of material deposited onto a gallium arsenide substrate, with each layer optimized to convert a different portion of the sunlight's spectrum.&quot;In essence, you have three basic subcell materials that take in some light and pass the rest to the next. They are connected serially inside the device just like battery cells,&quot; Stauffer explained. There could be up to 20 layers of material used on each cell which is usually a square of about five millimeters, or just a fraction of an inch.The main customers for these multijunction cells are CPV solar makers such as Amonix and Concentrix Solar in Germany. But even though this technology has been around for years, it still hasn't become as established or widely used for wholesale electricity production as regular flat solar panels.Multijunction cells are more complex and expensive. But Stauffer said that the costs of CPV systems with those cells are getting more attractive due to efficiency gains and higher levels of concentration. CPV solar collectors can now concentrate light 1,000 times, compared to 500 times in the past year or two, he said. Solar Junction expects to stand out from other multijunction suppliers with better reliability in high temperatures and higher efficiency, which Stauffer projects will go over 50 percent in five years as the company adds more layers to capture different wavelengths of light.Updated at 8:20 a.m. PT with correction to unit conversion.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Sony considering pulling out of iTunes altogether]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=sony-considering-pulling-out-of-itunes-altogether</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=sony-considering-pulling-out-of-itunes-altogether</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 11 Feb 2011 08:10:14 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>linksoflondonsale</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=sony-considering-pulling-out-of-itunes-altogether</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Music Unlimited: The service that will cause Sony to pull out of iTunes(Credit:Stephen Shankland/CNET)It might not be long before Sony turns its back on iTunes, if a new report from Australia's The Age proves to be accurate.According to the publication, Sony is working hard on on getting its Music Unlimited streaming service to catch on with customers. Michael Ephraim, head of Sony Computer Entertainment in Australia, said that as the service is rolled out around the world and it starts to gain popularity, it might be time for Sony to think twice about its partnership with Apple and iTunes.&quot;If we do [get mass take up] then does Sony Music need to provide content to iTunes'' Ephraim asked during his interview with The Age. ''Currently we do. We have to provide it to iTunes as that's the format right now.&quot;He then delivered some fighting words, telling the publication that &quot;publishers are being held to ransom by Apple and they are looking for other delivery systems, and we are waiting to see what the next three to five years will hold.&quot;Sony first announced Music Unlimited back in September. In December, the company launched the offering in the U.K. and Ireland with 6 million songs available to stream. It partnered with Universal, Warner Music Group, and EMI, in addition to delivering Sony Music Entertainment content on the service. It also includes tracks from independent labels.Music Unlimited costs about $6 per month for basic service and about $15 for premium service. Like Pandora, Music Unlimited lets users tailor their listening by indicating whether they like a song or not. However, unlike Pandora's free version, there are no ads in Music Unlimited. Sony's service also allows for an unlimited number of skips.Sony's eventual goal with Music Unlimited is to bring the streaming tracks to a slew of devices. Currently, the service works with the company's line of 2010 HDTVs, Blu-ray players, andPlayStation 3, among other products.Ephraim called Music Unlimited a &quot;new technology&quot; in his interview with The Age. And perhaps most importantly, he told the publication, it gives customers more &quot;freedom,&quot; which stands in stark contrast, he says, to Apple.That sentiment was echoed recently by another Sony executive over a battle between the companies and e-books.Late last month, Apple rejected a Sony application from gaining access to its App Store that would have allowed customers to buy e-books through Sony's Reader Store. Apple said at the time that it requires developers to give customers the option to buy e-books &quot;from within the app,&quot; a claim that Sony took issue with.&quot;It's the opposite of what we wanted to bring to the market,&quot; Sony digital reading division President Steve Haber told The New York Times after the rejection. &quot;We always wanted to bring the content to as many devices as possible, not one device to one store.&quot;However, when it comes to gaming, Sony isn't so willing to share its content with Apple.Later this year, Sony will be launching the PlayStation Suite, an offering that will allow Android-based devices to play older PlayStation games. In his interview with The Age, Ephraim said that PlayStation Suite was another effort on Sony's part to start &quot;opening up.&quot; Ephraim then took the opportunity to fire another shot over Apple's bow.&quot;We're not as closed as Apple is,&quot; Ephraim said in the interview. &quot;It's the first time in the gaming industry it's non-proprietary. With the proliferation of devices [PlayStation Suite] could be an indication of where things are going.&quot;Based on Ephraim's strong words, those &quot;things&quot; seem to be heading toward a full-fledged war between Sony and Apple.Apple did not immediately respond to request for comment.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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