PV plants in Massachusetts: New Bedford launches program to install 10 MW

Tuesday, 10.25.2011 - 20:14 (Solarserver)

On October 21st, 2011, the City of New Bedford in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, launched a program to install 10 MW of rooftop and ground-mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) plants at multiple sites in the City by 2013. BlueWave Capital LLC (Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.) and Consolidated Edison Solutions Inc. (Valhalla, New York, U.S.) will develop the PV plants. Alteris Renewables Inc. (Wilton, Connecticut, U.S.) will design and construct a 4 MW ground-mounted PV system as the initial plant in the program. Read more

Conergy builds 5MW rooftop plant for Italian exhibition centre

Tuesday, 10.25.2011 - 17:15 (PV-Tech)

A 44,000 square metre exhibition district in the centre of the manufacturing heartland of northern and central Italy will profit from a Conergy installation. Read more

ALBASOLAR, REC provide solar modules for the largest PV plant in Austria: 2 MW, 1900 m above sea level

Tuesday, 10.25.2011 - 13:43 (Solarserver)

Albasolar GmbH (Berlin) a company dedicated exclusively to the distribution of solar photovoltaic (PV) material in collaboration with REC Solar Spain provides modules for the largest solar project in Austria, which will also be the highest in Europe. The power plant has an output of 2 megawatts (MW) and will be located in the Niedere Tauern massif in the state of Steiermark, very near to the wind power plant built on the same peak. Read more

Building integrated photovoltaics: United Solar, Marcegaglia open roofing factory in Taranto, Italy

Tuesday, 10.25.2011 - 13:22 (Solarserver)

On October 24th, 2011, United Solar Ovonics (UniSolar, Auburn Hills, Michigan, U.S.) announced that its partner Marcegaglia SpA (Gazoldo Degli Ippoliti, Italy) has opened a new solar photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing facility in Taranto, Italy. The new PV factory combines UniSolar amorphous silicon thin-film PV laminates with Marcegaglia metal products to produce insulated building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV), metal roofing panels. Read more

CIGS PV manufacturer MiaSole claims 13% module efficiencies in volume production

Tuesday, 10.25.2011 - 21:43 (PV-Tech)

MiaSole is claiming that its CIGS thin-film solar technology has reached 13% efficiency in volume production at its Silicon Valley facility. The company noted that this is a 30% improvement since the beginning of the year. Read more

CIGS PV manufacturer claims 13% module efficiencies in volume production

Tuesday, 10.25.2011 - 21:43 (PV-Tech)

MiaSole is claiming that its CIGS thin-film solar technology has reached 13% efficiency in volume production at its Silicon Valley facility. The company noted that this is a 30% improvement since the beginning of the year. Read more

First Solar's CEO Leaves Abruptly Amid Tough Times For Solar Industry

Tuesday, 10.25.2011 - 21:39 (Renewable Energy World)

What's going on at First Solar? The company, a pillar of the solar industry, on Tuesday announced what seemed an abrupt departure of its CEO, Robert Gillette, and the return of its former chief executive, Mike Ahearn, during a time when the company and the rest of the industry are dealing with a market marked by an oversupply of solar panels and plummeting prices. Read more

Gillette out as First Solar CEO; Ahearn takes reins as interim chief executive officer

Tuesday, 10.25.2011 - 21:28 (PV-Tech)

First Solar?s board of directors advised that effective immediately, Rob Gillette was no longer serving as the company?s CEO. No specific details to the sudden announcement of Gillette?s departure were released, but the company did inform that former First Solar CEO, company founder and current chairman Mike Ahearn had stepped in as interim chief executive officer. Read more

San Ramon Valley Unified School District joins SunPower to dedicate 3.3-Megawatt, Five-Site Solar Project; more than USD20 million in cost savings expected over next 25 years

Tuesday, 10.25.2011 - 20:15 (Solarserver)

On October 24th, 2011, San Ramon Valley Unified School District and SunPower Corp. (San Jose, Calif.), dedicated SunPower solar power systems at five schools, totaling 3.3-megawatts of solar capacity. The systems will generate more than two-thirds of the schools' energy demands, significantly reducing each school's electricity bill. Read more

SolarEdge closes USD 37 million funding to support growth in PV power optimization, monitoring solutions

Tuesday, 10.25.2011 - 20:13 (Solarserver)

SolarEdge Technologies Inc. (Hod Hasharon, Israel), provider of end-to-end solar photovoltaic (PV) power optimization and PV monitoring solutions, on October 14th, 2011 announced today that it has closed a USD37 million round of funding led by Norwest Venture Partners (NVP). Read more

ESTEC 2011: Solar thermal bounces back

Tuesday, 10.25.2011 - 20:13 (Solarserver)

ESTEC 2011, the largest European solar thermal conference, started on October 21st, 2011 in Marseille, France. With over 300 participants coming from more than 30 countries, ESTEC confirmed its position as the premier solar thermal event in Europe. Read more

Martifer Solar installskWp off-grid system in Turkmenistan

Tuesday, 10.25.2011 - 18:16 (PV-Tech)

Martifer Solar has installed akWp off-grid system in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, with enhanced Martifer PV modules, SMA inverters and Sonnenschein batteries Read more

Solar Project Aims to Becomes Largest in West Africa

Tuesday, 10.25.2011 - 17:14 (Renewable Energy World)

An American-based investment group has secured a power purchase agreement with the Namibian government to build a 500-megawatt photovoltaic power plant near the capital of Windhoek. Read more

Hanas installs US$346 million ISCC trough solar plant in China

Tuesday, 10.25.2011 - 16:42 (PV-Tech)

Hanas New Energy Group (Hanas) is investing approximately US$346 million into the production of an integrated solar combined cycle (ISCC) trough solar power plant in Gaoshawo town, Ningxia, China. The construction, in collaboration with North China Power Engineering and Siemans, started on October 12, 2011 and is due to be operational in October 2013, with a capacity of 92.5MW. Read more

Hampshire County Council plans major solar PV programme

Tuesday, 10.25.2011 - 15:13 (Solarpowerportal)

Members of Hampshire County Council’s Cabinet met yesterday to talk through plans for a major solar photovoltaic project which is expected to be up-and-running by the end of March 2012. Read more

Business as usual: JinkoSolar gives measured response to SolarWorld petition

Tuesday, 10.25.2011 - 13:52 (PV-Tech)

JinkoSolar Holding has provided a calm and unruffled response to the SolarWorld/CASM petition news, stating that the company intends to carry on its manufacturing practices as normal while the US International Trade Commission (ITC) and the US Department of Commerce (DOC) decide how to respond to the allegations of unfair trading practices on the part of Chinese cell and module manufacturers. Read more

JinkoSolar shareholders file class action lawsuit after fluoride leak at manufacturing facility in Haining, China

Tuesday, 10.25.2011 - 13:27 (Solarserver)

On October 21st, 2011, a law firm in Pennsylvania announced that it has filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of investors who purchased shares in JinkoSolar Holding Company Ltd. (Shanghai, China). The suit by the Law Offices of Howard G. Smith (Bensalem, Pennsylvania) is based on the loss of share values after a fluoride leak from JinkoSolar's manufacturing facility in Haining, China, which led to an angry protest and temporary shutdown of the facility. Read more

Chinese PV producer Trina Solar responds to trade petition filed in the United States, rejects allegations

Tuesday, 10.25.2011 - 12:48 (Solarserver)

On October 19th, 2011, a trade petition was filed in Washington, DC alleging the unfair importation of crystalline silicon PV cells and modules from China. Trina Solar (Changzhou), among other Chinese suppliers, was identified as an exporter of these products to the United States market. Trina Solar believes the allegations made by the U.S. petitioners will eventually prove to be unfounded and that Trina Solar's transactions with its United States customers were made in accordance with international trade practices, the company reports in a press release. Read more

Gehrlicher Solar plans 200 - 400 MW of PV projects in Murcia, Spain

Tuesday, 10.25.2011 - 12:38 (Solarserver)

Gehrlicher Solar AG (Neustadt B. Coburg, Germany) has announced that it is planning solar photovoltaic (PV) projects in the Murcia region of Spain with a total capacity of between 200 MW and 400 MW. Gehrlicher Solar Founder and CEO Klaus Gehrlicher unveiled these plans in a meeting on October 20th, 2011, with Ramón Luis Valcárcel, president of the Murcia Community. Read more

FiT cuts 2011: Barker prepares important solar industry speech

Tuesday, 10.25.2011 - 12:30 (Solarpowerportal)

With the Comprehensive Feed-in Tariff Review expected any day now, I was interested to see the UK’s Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change discussing the future of solar power on Twitter last weekend. Preparing for his keynote speech at the upcoming Solar Power UK Conference, Greg Barker was apparently trying... Read more

Meyer Burger cuts wire saw equipment production: reiterates 2011 revenue guidance

Tuesday, 10.25.2011 - 12:27 (PV-Tech)

Responding to capacity expansion push-outs and cancellations at solar wafer manufacturing customers, Meyer Burger Technology has set in motion temporary adjustments to equipment production at its subsidiary, MB Wafertec. However, Meyer Burger reiterated that its 2011 net sales and earnings remained on target. Read more

Hyundai Heavy to drop plans for US$700 million Arizona plant, says Maeil

Tuesday, 10.25.2011 - 12:07 (PV-Tech)

Signed off in August 2010, HHI?s US$700 million project to build two 175MW capacity solar plants is rumoured to being dropped due to economic downturn. Other corporations, such as LG and Samsung, are also showing signs of making a sharp exit from the solar power sector. Read more

SPI: Utility Executives Speak Up on Solar's Future

Tuesday, 10.25.2011 - 10:00 (Renewable Energy World)

DALLAS – The year is 2031. An electric utility company becomes the first utility in U.S. history to receive its primary form of generation from solar power. This was the scenario presented by Julia Hamm, president and CEO of the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA), during a Solar Power International session on Oct. 19. But what would need to happen in order for this fictitious scenario to become a reality? The obvious answer lies in government subsidies, which are now looking grim in the aftermath of Solyndra’s bankruptcy. Beyond the hopes of tax grants and a national renewable standard, what can the power industry do to see solar implemented into utilities’ Read more

Prospects for China Wind Turbine Manufacturers Remain Gloomy

Tuesday, 10.25.2011 - 19:34 (Renewable Energy World)

Growth among China's wind turbine manufacturers has slowed since the beginning of 2011 due to several factors, including more stringent regulatory approval for wind power programs and reduced quality control. Most manufacturers recorded significant declines in their financial results for the first half. Read more

Chilean Minister of Energy seeks investment in renewables, says no to nuclear development

Tuesday, 10.25.2011 - 20:15 (Solarserver)

During a visit to Europe, the Chilean Ministry of Energy has made moves to define the future of the nation's energy production, calling for assistance with the development of renewable energy industries and stating that Chile will not develop new nuclear power projects under the current government. On October 14th, 2011, Energy Minister Rodrigo Álvarez met with Spanish renewable energy businesses to encourage them to invest in Chile's growing renewable energy sector. In a meeting with the French employer's union (MEDEF) three days later, the Minister stated that nuclear power poses too great of risks for a nations with seismic activity such as Chile to develop this source Read more

Parliamentary committee urges clear-cut energy security strategy

Tuesday, 10.25.2011 - 19:13 (Solarpowerportal)

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) should adopt a clear-cut energy security strategy while striking the right balance between climate goals and security, the Energy and Climate Change committee in the Commons urged in its 8th report. Read more

Can Renewable Energy Survive in the U.S.?

Tuesday, 10.25.2011 - 19:01 (Renewable Energy World)

For renewable energy in the U.S., the question of survival and growth is still unanswered. After all, the Department of Energy has been funding renewable energy research and development since its inception some 34 years ago from the consolidation of the Federal Energy Administration, the Federal Power Commission and the Energy Research and Development Administration, which was tasked to manage the nuclear weapon, naval reactor and energy development programs. Read more

Renewables could meet up to 90% UK energy by 2030

Tuesday, 10.25.2011 - 15:12 (Solarpowerportal)

Between 60-90% of the nation’s energy needs could be met from renewables by 2030 according to the ‘Positive Energy: how renewable electricity can transform the UK by 2030’ report, published today by WWF-UK. This figure is enough to decarbonise the power sector entirely without relying on nuclear power. Read more

U.K. Department of Energy & Climate Change propose new credit levels for PV, renewables in the U.K.

Tuesday, 10.25.2011 - 13:00 (Solarserver)

On October 20th, 2011, the U.K. Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) put forth a proposal for new support levels for renewable energy generation under the nation's Renewables Obligation (RO), retaining a level of two Renewables Obligation Certificates (ROCs) for solar photovoltaic (PV) generation. The U.K.'s Solar Trade Association (STA) criticized this RO Banding Review as not meeting the needs of the solar industry. The STA had asked for a level of three to four ROCs under an emergency review to secure key U.K. solar manufacturing opportunities. Read more

SOLON sells PV plants with a combined capacity of 4.6 MW in Italy

Tuesday, 10.25.2011 - 12:43 (Solarserver)

The solar technology company SOLON (Berlin, Germany) has sold a solar power plant with a capacity of 1.5 megawatts (MW) in the northern Italian province of Udine to EAM Solar AS. The Norwegian investment company has also committed to buy a power plant with a capacity of 3.1 MW located just 10 km away, SOLON reports in a press release. The two power plants are expected to generate a combined annual capacity of approx. 7,070 megawatt hours of solar electricity, which is enough to power more than 1,885 homes and save approx. 5,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions every year. Read more

Pike Research releases report on short-term power markets in North America, effects of renewable

Tuesday, 10.25.2011 - 12:33 (Solarserver)

On October 20th, 2011, Pike Research (Boulder, Colorado) released a report that examines the market dynamics and opportunities associated with short-term energy trading and ancillary services in North America. Read more