Order Focus: BP Solar using solar cells from JA Solar

Wednesday, 10.6.2010 - 19:15 (PV-Tech)

Once a leading in-house solar module manufacturer, BP Solar has further solidified its out-sourced manufacturing strategy with awarding JA Solar a mono-crystalline and multi-crystalline cell supply contract exceeding 185MW. The new supply deal will see 100MW of cells being shipped to BP beginning in the first quarter of 2011. Read more

GaAs solar cell from Spire sets 42.3% conversion efficiency record

Wednesday, 10.6.2010 - 18:06 (PV-Tech)

Verified by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Spire Semiconductor, a wholly owned subsidiary of Spire Corporation has fabricated the most efficient  triple junction, gallium arsenide (GaAs) cell with a efficiency of 42.3% at 406 suns AM1.5D, 25C (42.2% at 500 suns). The 0.97cm(2) cell was developed as part of a NREL incubator subcontract. Read more

London housing association begins to benefit from generous feed-in tariff

Wednesday, 10.6.2010 - 15:51 (Solarpowerportal)

London Housing Association tenants of the Brentfield Estate near the North Circular in Brent have reportedly seen a £120 saving per property on their electricity bills following the installation of solar photovoltaics roof... Read more

Upsolar, Enphase Energy partner to produce AC-enabled solar module product

Wednesday, 10.6.2010 - 15:15 (PV-Tech)

Upsolar has formed a partnership with Enphase Energy for the incorporation of Upsolar's current and future generation photovoltaic modules into Enphase junction boxes compatible with Enphase microinverters, resulting in the AC-enabled solar module product, ACE. Read more

Making history: U.S. Department of Interior okays first-ever solar power plants on public lands

Wednesday, 10.6.2010 - 23:56 (PV-Tech)

In an historic move, the U.S. Department of the Interior has approved the construction and operation of what will be the first large-scale solar power plants ever sited on public lands. The two projects, both located in Southern California, are the Chevron Lucerne Valley Solar Project (proposed by Chevron Energy Solutions), which will consist of 45MW of PV modules on 422 acres of public lands in San Bernardino county; and the 709MW Imperial Valley Solar Project (proposed by Tessera Solar), which will deploy Stirling Energy System's SunCatcher concentrated solar power (CSP) technology on 6360 acres of public lands in Imperial County. Read more

UK asset management group to raise £40m for small-scale solar projects

Wednesday, 10.6.2010 - 18:22 (Solarpowerportal)

According to recent media reports, a UK-based asset management group is planning to raise £40 million from wealthy individuals in order to pay for a tax-sheltered venture capital trust that will invest in small-scale British solar power projects. Read more

Birmingham City is to install solar power on 10,000 council houses

Wednesday, 10.6.2010 - 14:41 (Solarpowerportal)

Birmingham City Council has announced its plans to install photovoltaic solar panels on 10,000 council houses. According to reports in the Guardian, the council agreed last week to set the ball rolling on the £100m project. Read more

Project Focus: Former Ohio strip-mining site to host 49.9MW solar power plant

Wednesday, 10.6.2010 - 1:55 (PV-Tech)

Once the agreement is finalized and the governmental incentives approved, a former strip-mining site next to a nature conservancy in southeastern Ohio will host what will be one of the largest solar PV power plants in North America. American Electric Power has signed a memorandum of understanding with New Harvest Ventures and Agile Energy for a 20-year power purchase agreement for the electricity generated by the 49.9MW Turning Point Solar project. In a related deal, Spanish solar manufacturers Prius Energy and Isofoton will set up factories in the region and supply components for the array. Read more