In recent years, solar energy has become a field of intensive research efforts around the world. But in the race to master what will surely become one of the most important technologies of the 21st century, who is taking the lead?

According to a survey by respected solar industry analysts Solarbuzz, China was the world's leading producer of photovoltaic (PV) products in 2009, accounting for 39 percent of global output. This was up from 32 percent in 2008 and Solarbuzz expects China's share to continue growing.

The technology of manufacturing PV products is difficult to master, especially the production of PV silicon, which is a particularly hi-tech process. There was a time when Chinese manufacturers imported most of their PV silicon, due to a lack of expertise in the field. But now the tables have turned.

Qiao Ming is director of Investor Relations at Yingli Green Energy, China's second largest PV producer and fifth largest in the world.

"[Producing PV silicon] is a very difficult process," she told ChinAfrica, "We recruited a very experienced team who helped us implement this technology. We adopted the technology a little differently from the traditional method. With this new method we have a much higher conversion efficiency and much lower consumption of electricity during manufacturing."

Qiao says that China's recent rise up the ranks of PV-producing countries can be put down to a transition in solar energy research and development. The emphasis has been shifted from state institutions to the private sector and, according to Qiao, this has resulted in greater efficiency as competition drives progress.

Yingli, an official sponsor of the South Africa World Cup, is also looking to expand its role in Africa. Qiao explains that solar power is especially suitable for Africa because it can be applied either on-grid or off-grid. In particular, off-grid solar power is an attractive technological solution for those living in isolated, rural areas not connected to the infrastructure of the main energy grid.

Research and development on PV technology is taking off in China as the sector strives to consolidate its position in the global industry.

At the Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology (QIBEBT), a joint research project was launched in April with the Department of Nano Materials Engineering at Pusan, Korea. The project aims to develop new PV polymers and advanced flexible plastic solar cells.

Dr. Renqiang Yang from QIBEBT says that the technology of flexible plastic solar cells is "mainly still in the research phase" in laboratories around the world, but if mastered the technology has a number of big advantages over conventional solar cells.

Yang explains that the flexibility, thinness and lightness of flexible plastic solar cells make them much more convenient for use and when the method is perfected it will reduce the cost of large-scale production.

"We hope this joint project will promote Korean and Chinese researchers to work closely together to gain great achievements through their complementary and compensatory research interests in what is a novel technology: plastic solar cells," he told ChinAfrica. "We will publish our results together in high-level journals."

Tech Bytes

➲ "Hero" is not a word normally associated with rats, but that's changing in Mozambique. There are million of landmines across the country, jeopardizing the safety of locals, but now a new, cutting-edge mine detector has been developed to ease the situation: giant African pouched rats. Too light to activate landmines and resistant to tropical diseases, the rodents are born and trained in Tanzania by APOPO, a Belgian technology research NGO. At work in Mozambique, they run back and forth along a rope held by trainers walking in safe lanes, stopping when they detect the scent of TNT from mines underground. Over a thousand families were able to return to their homes in 2009 thanks to APOPO's "HeroRATs."

➲ According to a team of Tunisian and American scientists, embedding two types of nano-sensors in buildings will detect flaws that can bring down a structure during an earthquake. Micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) and carbon nanotube sensors check internal temperature and moisture and track the formation of cracks in concrete, respectively. Their cheap cost (around $5 to $10) gives developing countries access to a monitoring system for bridges and buildings they might not otherwise be able to afford.

➲Hydropower Africa 2010, a conference to be held August 16-20 in Johannesburg, South Africa, will feature workshops on the challenges facing small hydropower plants, their investment potential and innovative funding solutions for those interested in the energy technology. Two days will be devoted to trips to pumping-storage schemes and small and micro hydropower plants in the area. For more information, visit http://www.spintelligent-events.com/hydropower2010/en/.