UK looks set for 50% feed-in tariff cuts

Tuesday, 11.1.2011 - 14:13 (PV-Tech)

The UK?s Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has published its consultation document for the comprehensive review of solar feed-in tariffs. After weeks of speculation surrounding the UK government?s support for solar power, the new proposed rates and the timeline within which they will be implemented have finally been outlined. Read more

Electric Vehicle and Lithium-ion Battery Investing For Imbeciles

Tuesday, 11.1.2011 - 14:00 (Renewable Energy World)

In their 1969 bestseller "The Peter Principle" Laurence Peter and Raymond Hull quoted a Latin-American student named Caesare Innocente who lamented, "Professor Peter, I'm afraid that what I want to know is not answered by all my studying. I don't know whether the world is run by smart men who are, how you Americans say, putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it." After watching the events of the last few weeks, I think most of my regular readers would agree that the imbeciles are clearly steering the ship. Read more

France reaches 1.47 GW of installed PV in 2Q 2011

Tuesday, 11.1.2011 - 12:54 (Solarserver)

The Renewable Energy Union - French Group of Solar Photovoltaic Professionals (SER-Soler) has published its quarterly review of the nation's operational solar photovoltaic (PV) plants, reporting that continental France has reached 1.47 GW of grid-tied PV capacity, the seventh-largest PV capacity in the world. 98% of these PV systems are smaller than 36 kW, representing 47% of installed capacity. Another 1.83 GW of PV projects are currently awaiting grid connection, and at the current rate, France is estimated to install 1.3 GW of PV in 2011. Read more

China Sunergy to supply 23 MW of PV modules to SUNfarming for German PV plants

Tuesday, 11.1.2011 - 12:54 (Solarserver)

On October 28th, 2011 China Sunergy Company Ltd. (CSUN, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China) announced that it will supply 23 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) modules to SUNfarming GmbH (Erkner, Germany) in the fourth quarter of 2011. SUNfarming will use the PV modules for commercial and residential ground-mounted and rooftop PV plants, mostly in the Northern and Eastern parts of Germany. More than 18MW of the PV modules will be used in ground-mounted projects. Read more

Power-One inverter sales hold steady in 3Q 2011

Tuesday, 11.1.2011 - 12:52 (Solarserver)

On October 27th, 2011 Power-One Inc. (Camarillo, California, U.S.) released third quarter 2011 financial results, reporting revenues of USD 174 million from its renewable energy division, a 3% decrease from the previous quarter. Overall, Power-One reported total sales of USD 245 million, a 19% operating margin and a net income of 41.4 million. The company futher forecasts revenues between USD 220 and 250 million in the fourth quarter of 2011. Read more

U.K. DECC proposes slashing feed-in tariff levels

Tuesday, 11.1.2011 - 12:51 (Solarserver)

On October 31st, 2011 the U.K. Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) proposed drastically reduced solar photovoltaic (PV) feed-in tariff levels for the nation. The new rates would halve feed-in tariff levels for PV plants up to 50 kW in size and reduce by a third rates for PV plants between 50 kW and 250 kW. The proposal, which is still subject to consultation, also includes a new requirement for energy efficiency. The solar industry has warned that such cuts will destroy the U.K. PV industry, and the proposal was immediately condemned by the opposition Labour Party. Read more

Imec launches project to improve OPV conversion efficiencies, longevity, costs

Tuesday, 11.1.2011 - 12:51 (Solarserver)

On October 28th, 2011, Imec (Leuven, Belgium) announced its has launched a project with 16 partners aiming to develop tandem organic solar photovoltaic (OPV) cells with increased conversion efficiencies, longer lifetimes, and lower production costs. Imec states that the ultimate goal of European FP7 Project X10D is to bring OPV towards introduction into the commercial thin-film PV market. Read more

Suntech CEO appointed Chief Chairman of Asian Photovoltaic Industry Association

Tuesday, 11.1.2011 - 11:09 (PV-Tech)

International Energy Week in Singapore on October 31, 2011, was the platform for a ceremony to appoint the first Chief Chairman of the Asian Photovoltaic Industry Association (APIVA). Dr. Zhengrong Shi, CEO and founder of the world?s largest producer of solar panels Suntech Power Holdings, will hold the post for two years. Read more

Onyx developing ?plug-n-play? solar panel for easy owner installation

Tuesday, 11.1.2011 - 22:54 (PV-Tech)

Onyx Service and Solutions is working its way to making solar power even more available to the public with its Plug-N-Play high efficiency solar panel. Company president Malcolm Burleson advised that Onyx had been focusing its development resources during the past year to bring the 280W panel to fruition. Read more

REC Solar joins forces with GE to distribute company?s WattStation EV charger

Tuesday, 11.1.2011 - 22:30 (PV-Tech)

REC Solar has partnered with GE Energy Industrial Solutions for the distribution of the GE WattStation electric vehicle (EV) charger, which is said to deliver a full charge in four to eight hours instead of the standard 12 to 14 hours. REC will be working to integrate the level 2 EV charger for use with commercial, government and residential customers. Read more

Odersun?s PV modules receive ?Made in Europe? certificate, qualify for Italian solar power tariff

Tuesday, 11.1.2011 - 22:05 (PV-Tech)

Odersun?s thin-film solar cells will now carry the ?Made in Europe? certificate, which was confirmed by the VDE Institute. The certificate allows solar plant operators using Odersun?s modules to participate in a 10% higher feed-in tariff from Italy?s Conto Energia IV. Read more

Survey Says ... 9 in 10 Americans Want More Solar Energy

Tuesday, 11.1.2011 - 19:05 (Renewable Energy World)

In a time of tense political debate ? often focused on the American solar industry ? a new survey may help steer the conversation away from legislators and toward consumers. Read more

First phase of 500MW Moroccan project to begin in 2012

Tuesday, 11.1.2011 - 17:37 (PV-Tech)

Work will begin next year on the first phase of the 500MW Desertec concentrated solar power (CSP) plant in Morocco, according to German newspaper Süddeutschen Zeitung. The initial development stage will cost around ?600 million and add 150MW of capacity to the yet-to-be-named site. Read more

Trina opens Asia-Pacific operating HQ in Singapore

Tuesday, 11.1.2011 - 17:18 (PV-Tech)

Trina Solar has extended its reach in the Asia region with the establishment of an Asia-Pacific operating headquarters in Singapore. This new base will oversee operations in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, India, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Korea, the Middle East and South Africa and will involve administration, sales, project development, R&D, logistics and purchasing operations functions. Read more

The Question Day 30: How Can the U.S. Solar Industry Meet Expectations?

Tuesday, 11.1.2011 - 15:00 (Renewable Energy World)

RenewableEnergyWorld asked solar executives and our social media community to lend their voices and define what three strategies they think will lead to a thriving solar industry. Answers were varied, and many valid opinions were brought to light. Responses will be updated here daily, and feel free to look at previous insights by clicking on the page links below. Read more

E.ON installs solar on almost 600 council homes in Nottingham

Tuesday, 11.1.2011 - 14:30 (Solarpowerportal)

The UK’s second largest electricity generator E.ON yesterday completed installing solar panels on 595 Nottingham City Council homes. The project, located in Aspley, will help save the homes an estimated total of up to £72,000 per year. Read more

LDK Solar subsidiary begins work on 30,000MT poly factory in Inner Mongolia

Tuesday, 11.1.2011 - 14:15 (PV-Tech)

LDK Solar subsidiary LDK Silicon & Chemical Technology has been invited by the City Government of Hohhot, the capital of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, to construct a 30,000MT polysilicon manufacturing facility in the region?s Jinsan Development Zone. The groundbreaking ceremony took place today, and the additional capacity will take LDK Silicon?s total polysilicon production capacity to 55,000MT per annum by the end of 2013. Read more

FiT cuts 2011: what do you think?

Tuesday, 11.1.2011 - 13:00 (Solarpowerportal)

Yesterday’s proposed feed-in tariff cuts have prompted a great amount of solar industry backlash, the majority of which has been overtly negative. However, while much of the industry was hoping to wake up today from a Halloween nightmare, others felt that the cuts were justified, and feel they can be used to create a sustainable industry. Read more

Solar Intermittency: How Big is the Problem?

Tuesday, 11.1.2011 - 13:00 (Renewable Energy World)

Intermittency is one of the major criticisms of solar ? the majority of the energy is delivered when the sun is shining brightly, but virtually none is created at night or in substantial cloud cover. Read more

GE, KGAL invest USD 155 million in Spanish CSP plant

Tuesday, 11.1.2011 - 12:52 (Solarserver)

On October 28th, 2011 GE Energy Financial Services (Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.) and KGAL GmbH & Co. KG (Grünwald, Germany) announced that they will jointly invest EUR 111 million (USD 155 million) in a 50 MW concentrating solar power (CSP) plant in Torre de Miguel Sesmero, Spain. GE and KGAL have agreed to invest structured equity in the Extresol 2 plant, which utilizes a parabolic trough design and molten salt energy storage. Read more

Nanometrics? TSM metrology system installed by ?major solar PV manufacturer?

Tuesday, 11.1.2011 - 12:44 (PV-Tech)

Nanometrics Incorporated, a supplier of metrology systems has announced that a major manufacturer of advanced thin-film solar PV cells has successfully installed the latest generation of the Trajectory Solar Monitor (TSM) metrology system for in-line process monitoring and control of CIGS films. Exact details of the transaction are yet to be disclosed. Read more

Emcore lands contract from ARTS for design and delivery of solar panels to NASA

Tuesday, 11.1.2011 - 2:23 (PV-Tech)

Emcore announced that ASRC Research and Technology Solutions (ARTS) had entered into a contract with the company for the design, manufacturing and delivery of solar panels for NASA?s Ames Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environmental Explorer (LADEE) mission. Thirty-two solar panels will be built by Emcore for the LADEE mission at its Albuquerque, New Mexico facility. Read more

Risks Versus Returns: Measuring Offshore Planning Factors

Tuesday, 11.1.2011 - 14:43 (Renewable Energy World)

Many utility companies literally find themselves in deep water when attempting to estimate the risks and returns of setting up an offshore wind park. Measuring the multitude of different factors that impact the planning, construction, and maintenance appears to be a daunting task. Johannes Ritter explores what's involved and discusses the benefits. Read more

POWERGEN India / Renewable Energy World India / Hydrovision India

Tuesday, 11.1.2011 - 15:10 (Renewable Energy World)

You are invited to submit an abstract to be a potential speaker at POWER-GEN India & Central Asia, Renewable Energy World India or HydroVision India 2012, as this premier three-way co-located conference and exhibition returns to New Delhi in 2012. Read more

Virginia Electricity Policy Needs a Tune-up

Tuesday, 11.1.2011 - 14:31 (Renewable Energy World)

The Virginia electricity utility, Dominion Virginia Power, is proposing to impose excessive and potentially unlawful charges on its customers who install solar systems. Further, Dominion's actions are punitive to those customers who own clean renewable solar systems, actually harm all Virginians, and are the result of a misguided policy. Read more

FiT cuts will render social housing programmes unattractive to investment

Tuesday, 11.1.2011 - 13:37 (Solarpowerportal)

According to Managing Partner of Empower Community Management, Alex Grayson, the proposed changes to the UK feed-in tariff as outlined yesterday by Greg Barker, Minister of Energy and Climate Change, will render the vast majority of the planned social housing programmes highly unattractive to investment. Read more

Obama Administration to investigate DOE loan guarantee process

Tuesday, 11.1.2011 - 12:50 (Solarserver)

On October 28th, 2011, the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama ordered an investigation into the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) loan guarantee process, which will focus on more than 24 renewable energy loan guarantees. Two days later, on October 30th, DOE loan guarantee recipient Beacon Power Corporation (Tyngsboro, Massachusetts, U.S.) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. These announcements come as members of the opposition Republican Party in the U.S. House of Representatives continue an investigation of the program. Read more