DTN News: Boeing Wins DARPA Vulture II Program

DTN News: Boeing Wins DARPA Vulture II Program

Source: DTN News / Boeing

(NSI News Source Info) ST. LOUIS, - September 17, 2010: The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] on Sept. 14 signed an agreement with the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop and fly the SolarEagle unmanned aircraft for the Vulture II demonstration program. Under the terms of the $89 million contract, SolarEagle will make its first demonstration flight in 2014. "SolarEagle is a uniquely configured, large unmanned aircraft designed to eventually remain on station at stratospheric altitudes for at least five years," said Pat O'Neil, Boeing Phantom Works program manager for Vulture II. "That's a daunting task, but Boeing has a highly reliable solar-electric design that will meet the challenge in order to perform persistent communications, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions from altitudes above 60,000 feet." Under the Vulture II agreement, Boeing will develop a full-scale flight demonstrator, including maturation of the critical power system and structures technologies. Key suppliers for the program include Versa Power Systems and QinetiQ. During testing, the SolarEagle demonstrator will remain in the upper atmosphere for 30 days, harvesting solar energy during the day that will be stored in fuel cells and used to provide power through the night. The aircraft will have highly efficient electric motors and propellers and a high-aspect-ratio, 400-foot wing for increased solar power and aerodynamic performance. SolarEagle is one of Phantom Works' rapid prototyping efforts, which also include Phantom Ray, a fighter-sized, unmanned, advanced technology demonstrator scheduled to make its first flight in early 2011, and the hydrogen-powered Phantom Eye demonstrator, a High Altitude Long Endurance aircraft designed to stay aloft for up to four days, also scheduled to make its first flight in 2011. A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is one of the world's largest defense, space and security businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world’s largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is a $34 billion business with 68,000 employees worldwide.

Boeing Related News - (Click on date for link)

*Sep. 16, 2010 Boeing to Increase 737 Production Rate Previously announced increase to 35 per month to be extended to 38 per month in second quarter 2013 *Sep. 16, 2010 Boeing Wins DARPA Vulture II Program *Sep. 15, 2010 Boeing Projects Requirement for More Than One Million Pilots and Maintenance Personnel Over Next 20 Years Changes needed in training methodologies to engage next generation *Sep. 15, 2010 Boeing Response to Public Reports Regarding the WTO's Interim Decision in DS 353 *Sep. 15, 2010 Boeing and Space Adventures to Offer Commercial Spaceflight Opportunities *Sep. 15, 2010 Boeing Releases Statement in Advance of WTO Interim Decision *Sep. 14, 2010 NASA Awards Boeing $1.24B Extension to International Space Station Sustainment Contract

DTN News: Boeing Completes Key Construction Milestone At Southern California Solar Facility

DTN News: Boeing Completes Key Construction Milestone At Southern California Solar Facility

Source: DTN News / Boeing

(NSI News Source Info) SEAL BEACH, Calif., - June 25, 2010: The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] yesterday June 24, announced it has installed 23 high-concentration photovoltaic solar power panels at a 100-kilowatt power facility being built by Boeing on the campus of California State University, Northridge. The solar panels feature the new XR700 solar technology supplied by Spectrolab, a wholly owned Boeing subsidiary. The technology brings down the cost of electricity by concentrating more sunlight on fewer cells to produce the same amount of electricity. "This milestone is the result of a strong partnership between Boeing, the university, suppliers and other stakeholders to meet a growing energy need," said Jeff Frericks, director, Boeing Energy Solutions. Each 18-by-8 foot solar panel can produce approximately 3.5 kilowatts of electricity, or enough energy to power an average-sized home. Boeing will install a total of 33 panels to provide power for the university and the local community. The power facility is on track to begin operating in July. "This collaboration with Boeing is crucial because it allows us to provide peak energy -- green energy -- to help the university and the state meet renewable portfolio standards," said Tom Brown, executive director of facilities for California State University, Northridge. As businesses seek to become more energy-efficient, Boeing is applying its knowledge and skills in cybersecurity and large-scale systems integration to provide valuable and affordable energy assurance solutions. A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is one of the world's largest defense, space and security businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world's largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is a $34 billion business with 68,000 employees worldwide. Contact: Derrell Carter

Boeing Phantom Works

Office: 314-234-1362

Mobile: 314-365-4402

derrell.carter@boeing.com

DTN News: China TODAY August 31, 2009 ~ China Launches Solar Power Project

DTN News: China TODAY August 31, 2009 ~ China Launches Solar Power Project

*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media

(NSI News Source Info) BEIJING, China - August 31, 2009: China has begun construction of a 500-megawatt solar power plant in the country's central Hubei province, officials said. The plant is being built in the provincial capital of Wuhan at a cost of $450 million. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, center, holds a solar panel with movie actor Jet Li, right, during a visit to launch a solar-power road lamp project in a village in Guiyang, China Saturday Aug. 22, 2009. The project is a joint venture between Greenway Solar-Tech Co. Ltd. Of China and the Evergreen Solar Inc. of the US, said Ding Kongxian, chief executive officer of the US firm, Saturday. The construction of the plant will be completed in the next three years. A worker controls the production line of the silicon chips which used for making photoelectric board product at the plant of Tianwei Yingli Green Energy Resources Co. , Ltd on August 24, 2009 in Baoding, China. China's top economic planning agency will soon submit a draft support plan of the country's new energy industry to the State Council for approval, a plan that would focus on nuclear power and renewable energy as wind and solar power, according to an official of the National Bureau of Energy. The Evergreen Solar Inc., a Nasdaq-listed company, makes products such as solar cells, panels and systems.

DTN News: Boeing Subsidiary Spectrolab Achieves World Record Solar Cell Efficiency

DTN News: Boeing Subsidiary Spectrolab Achieves World Record Solar Cell Efficiency *Source: DTN News / Boeing (NSI News Source Info) SYLMAR, Calif., - August 27, 2009: Spectrolab Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA], today announced that a solar cell it manufactured has set a new world record for terrestrial concentrator solar cell efficiency. The cell can convert 41.6 percent of concentrated sunlight into electricity. The U.S. Department of Energy National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo., independently tested the efficiency of the Spectrolab cell in June, validating that it surpassed the previous record of 41.1 percent held by the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany. High-efficiency solar cells in concentrator systems require fewer cells to produce the same electrical output as conventional solar cells. They enable energy producers to generate more electrical power from typical industrial solar panels and pass on lower costs to homeowners, businesses and other end users. "This latest record asserts Spectrolab's leadership position in high efficiency multijunction solar cells and brings the industry one step closer to achieving affordable solar electricity," said David Lillington, president of Spectrolab. "This cell is an advanced version of our lattice-matched cell technology that will be incorporated quickly and successfully into our production line. This milestone underscores our emphasis on realizing the highest efficiency cells in high-volume production." Produced in February 2008, the new Spectrolab cell is an advanced version of the lattice-matched triple-junction technology already produced in high volumes for space and terrestrial applications at Spectrolab, which pioneered the technology more than a decade ago. The new cell incorporates multiple improvements in wafer processing to reduce metal grid shadowing and series resistance, raising the cell's overall efficiency for conversion of sunlight to electricity. "Over the past decade, Spectrolab's efforts developing terrestrial solar cell efficiency have achieved an average improvement of approximately one percentage point per year, and we expect to continue that pace," added Lillington. Spectrolab is the world's leading supplier of multi-junction photovoltaic solar cells, solar panels, searchlights and solar simulators and recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. Spectrolab products have powered satellites since 1958 and have contributed to the on-orbit success of numerous commercial, national security and civil space missions. Spectrolab's technological advancements have driven space solar cell efficiencies to more than 28 percent. Today, Spectrolab cells power 60 percent of all satellites orbiting the Earth, as well as the International Space Station. Spectrolab has made significant investments to meet the increasing demand of the terrestrial concentrator photovoltaic industry and expects to have an annual capacity of 300 megawatts when those investments are realized in 2010. A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world's largest space and defense businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world's largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $32 billion business with 70,000 employees worldwide.