Satcon launches PV inverter performance management with EDGE adaptive control architecture

Monday, 11.21.2011 - 20:34 (Solarserver)

On November 17th, 2011, Satcon Technology Corp. (Boston, Massachusetts) announced that it launched EDGETM Adaptive Control Architecture (ACA) for Satcon inverter solutions worldwide. EDGE ACA enables instant voltage stabilization, frequency control, dynamic grid support, and secures the continuous operation of the PV plant in the event of dynamic ground faults, achieving the performance guidelines set forth by the German Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW 2008 Grid Connection Standard). Read more

3U Holding to build first PV power plant in Lower Saxony, Germany

Monday, 11.21.2011 - 18:01 (PV-Tech)

New entrant to the PV project business, 3U Holding said it will build its first PV power plant in Adelebsen, Lower Saxony. Unlike typical projects, 3U Holding will use acquired derelict industrial area of approximately 26 hectares with buildings that will house rooftop arrays of mainly Canadian Solar modules as well as a ground-mounted array as a second phase development. The Rooftop part of the project is expected to be completed before the end of 2011. The total investment is expected to be in the range of ?25 million. Read more

Hoku to be primary distributor of Tianwei?s solar modules in North American market

Monday, 11.21.2011 - 15:36 (PV-Tech)

Majority owned by China-based Tianwei New Energy, Hoku Corporation is to become the primary distributor of its modules in the rapidly growing North American market. Read more

Kaneka Corp licenses solar cell heat insulator patents to Q-Cells

Monday, 11.21.2011 - 14:07 (PV-Tech)

Kaneka Corporation has signed a licensing agreement with Q-Cells for two patents related to a heat insulator spacer for solar cell based modules. The patents, EP 1009037 and US6300555 cover European and US patents owned by Kaneka. Read more

China Sunergy reports flat revenue growth, losses in 3Q 2011

Monday, 11.21.2011 - 12:05 (Solarserver)

On November 17th, 2011 China Sunergy Company Ltd. (Nanjing, China) announced financial results for the third quarter of 2011, reporting relatively flat quarter-to-quarter revenue growth to USD 146 million, an operating margin of -26% and a net loss of USD 21.3 million. China Sunergy states that these results reflect "anemic" market demand, solar photovoltaic (PV) cost declines and inventory write-downs. The company expects further losses in the fourth quarter of 2011, with shipments falling to between 95 MW to 110 MW from 116 MW during the third quarter. Read more

Trina Solar makes US$31.5 million loss on higher than guided module shipments

Monday, 11.21.2011 - 23:45 (PV-Tech)

Significant price declines coupled to difficult project financing conditions especially for large-scale PV projects in Europe, were key reasons behind Trina Solar reporting a net loss of US$31.5 million in the third quarter. Though module shipments reached 370MW in the quarter, slightly higher than previous guidance of 360MW at the high range figure, shipments declined 6.6% sequentially. Net revenues were US$481.9 million, a decrease of 16.8% sequentially and 5.2% year-over-year. Read more

SPG Solar sees activation of pair of PV power systems in Napa, San Diego

Monday, 11.21.2011 - 22:43 (PV-Tech)

SPG Solar has finalized a new set of solar systems in California. The company, working with Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA) installed a 1MW ground and rooftop solar system at Napa Valley Unified School District?s American Canyon High School and additionally installed a 620kW PV and 54kW solar thermal hot water system at Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU) in San Diego. Read more

Long Island Power Authority, BP Solar commission 32MW PV system at Brookhaven National Lab

Monday, 11.21.2011 - 22:13 (PV-Tech)

The US Department of Energy?s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory is home to a newly completed 32MW solar array in New York known as the Long Island Solar Farm (LISF).  Representatives from Long Island Power Authority (LIPA), BP Solar International and Brookhaven National Lab were flanked by government and environmental leaders as they celebrated the official completion and commissioning of the system. Read more

KB Home expands solar-powered home construction initiative across Southern California communities

Monday, 11.21.2011 - 21:48 (PV-Tech)

KB Home advised that it would be taking its solar initiative and implementing it across all 28 of its communities in Southern California after receiving positive results from its SunPower solar power systems. The new standard feature is expected to save homeowners US$2,000 annually on energy costs. Read more

NRG Energy buys commercial/industrial PV project developer Solar Power Partners

Monday, 11.21.2011 - 21:33 (PV-Tech)

NRG Energy announced its acquisition of commercial and industrial distributed solar project developer Solar Power Partners.  NRG will now have access to 30MW of distributed solar projects in operation or under construction as well as development rights to Solar Power Partner?s development projects in California, Hawaii, Arizona, Connecticut, New Mexico, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ontario and Puerto Rico. Read more

Report: CPIA group to file complaint against US solar manufacturers for alleged ?dumping? practices

Monday, 11.21.2011 - 21:16 (PV-Tech)

Just a handful of days after the US Department of Commerce and the International Trade Commission agreed to open an investigation into SolarWorld?s claims that China is dumping solar panels in the US far below US costs, the China Photovoltaic Industry Alliance (CPIA) is launching its own counteroffensive with the claim that the US is dumping polysilicon at below cost prices in China. Read more

SMA Canada to unveil microinverter at Solar Canada trade show

Monday, 11.21.2011 - 20:37 (Solarserver)

On November 17th, 2011 SMA Canada (Toronto, Canada) announced that it will unveil its new microinverter at the Solar Canada 2011 trade show, on December 5th - 6th, 2011 in Toronto. The company will release the Sunny Boy 240 microinverter, which it says offers high reliability and performance, in 2012. SMA will also display its Sunny Boy HF-US line of high-frequency inverters to accompany residential solar photovoltaic (PV) installations. Read more

DOE provides USD 7 million to reduce non-hardware costs of solar energy systems

Monday, 11.21.2011 - 20:29 (Solarserver)

On November 15th, 2011, U.S. Department of Energy announced up to USD 7 million as part of its SunShot Initiative to reduce the non-hardware costs of residential and commercial solar energy installations. The funding, which is available through the SunShot Incubator Program, will support the development of tools and approaches that reduce non-hardware, or "soft" costs, such as installation, permitting, interconnection, and inspection. Read more

Germany vs. the UK: are we headed for disaster?

Monday, 11.21.2011 - 18:24 (Solarpowerportal)

Here in the UK we’ve managed to install a total more than 100,000 individual solar installations in just 19 months. However, with drastic feed-in tariff cuts on the horizon and a Government that doesn’t seem to understand, is the UK solar industry destined to fail? Read more

FiT cuts threaten ?thousands of jobs? in Scottish solar sector

Monday, 11.21.2011 - 16:43 (Solarpowerportal)

The Scottish solar industry is bracing itself for the loss of “thousands of jobs”, if the proposed 50 percent slash to the FiT rate proceeds. The industry has over 140 companies currently listed as suppliers of solar PV, estimated to be worth £50 million to the Scottish economy. Read more

Solar PV Leads Small Town into Solar Big Leagues

Monday, 11.21.2011 - 15:44 (Renewable Energy World)

After only three years of development, a small town in Florida has moved into the ranks of the solar big leagues worldwide. The municipal utility serving Gainesville, Florida expects that by year end 2011 the town will have installed 7.3 MW of solar photovoltaic (solar PV) systems. Read more

Indian solar projects miss deadline

Monday, 11.21.2011 - 15:29 (Solarserver)

Bridge to India has released an analysis which states that a number of solar photovoltaic (PV) and concentrating solar power (CSP) projects supported by the Indian government have failed to meet deadlines and are scheduled to lose their deposits, but that the government has taken no action. 16 projects in India totaling 84 MW were chosen for migration from other incentive programs to the nation's Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM), however only two projects totaling 4 MW were completed by an October 15th, 2011 deadline. Read more

Yingli Solar and CIT announce strategic financing relationship

Monday, 11.21.2011 - 15:16 (PV-Tech)

Yingli Solar and a US-based bank holding company, CIT with more than US$34 billion in financing and leasing assets have started a strategic financing relationship, enabling business customers of Yingli Green Energy?s U.S. subsidiary, Yingli Americas to obtain funds for PV installations in the US. Read more

Yingli Solar and CIT Announce Strategic Financing Relationship

Monday, 11.21.2011 - 15:16 (PV-Tech)

Yingli Solar and a US-based bank holding company, CIT with more than US$34 billion in financing and leasing assets have started a strategic financing relationship, enabling business customers of Yingli Green Energy?s U.S. subsidiary, Yingli Americas to obtain funds for PV installations in the US. Read more

Asia Report: Solar Dispute Is Just Part of the Friction

Monday, 11.21.2011 - 14:25 (Renewable Energy World)

While some members of America's Congress call for the resignation of U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu over the failed loan to Solyndra, the embattled head of the nation's loan program pointed directly at the level of subsidies provided to Chinese solar panel manufacturers as the reason America needs to support a clean energy race. Read more

Value of US PV market set to fall in 2012

Monday, 11.21.2011 - 13:40 (PV-Tech)

The weak demand that has blighted the solar industry for much of 2011 is likely continue into the new year, according to a new report on the US market from ClearSky Advisors. Despite a growth in installed capacity, overcapacity in the supply chain will continue to affect module prices, with ClearSky forecasting these to fall for at least the first half of 2012. Read more

Solarvalue funds run-out in few months

Monday, 11.21.2011 - 13:19 (PV-Tech)

A meeting of investors in UMG-silicon start-up, Solarvalue failed to provide a resolution to liquidate the company due to the lack of shareholders to allow management to formally gain approval to close-down the company. Read more

Solarvalue funds run out in few months

Monday, 11.21.2011 - 13:19 (PV-Tech)

A meeting of investors in UMG-silicon start-up, Solarvalue failed to provide a resolution to liquidate the company due to the lack of shareholders to allow management to formally gain approval to close down the company. Read more

BP Solar commissions 32 MW PV plant in New York

Monday, 11.21.2011 - 12:18 (Solarserver)

On November 18th, 2011 the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA, Uniondale, New York, U.S.) and BP Solar International Inc. (San Francisco, California, U.S.) celebrated the commissioning of the Long Island Solar Farm Project, a 32 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant at Brookhaven National Laboratories in Upton in the U.S. state of New York. The plant is currently the third-largest operational PV plant in the United States and the largest in the Eastern United States. The commissioning ceremony for the 164,000 module array was attended by representatives of a host of organizations, including plant owners BP Solar International Inc. (San Francsico, California, U.S.) and MetLife Inc. Read more

World Bank to provide USD 297 million in loans for Moroccan CSP project

Monday, 11.21.2011 - 12:15 (Solarserver)

On November 17th, 2011 the World Bank approved USD 297 million in loans to the nation of Morocco to support one of the first large-scale concentrating solar power (CSP) projects in North Africa. Through the loans, the World Bank will co-finance the development and construction of the 160 MW Ouarzazate Project Phase 1 parabolic trough plant through a partnership between the Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (MASEN, Rabat, Morocco) and a private partner. Read more

Boris Johnson warns Government not to ?slowly suffocate? solar industry

Monday, 11.21.2011 - 12:00 (Solarpowerportal)

Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, has urged the chancellor to “send the right signals to the market” by keeping the FiT rate at its current level. Read more

Bank Sarasin's sustainability study on the solar industry: Just a few German solar companies will survive the market shakeout

Monday, 11.21.2011 - 10:53 (Solarserver)

Over the coming months, surplus capacity and falling prices will trigger a shakeout in which only the fittest and best-positioned companies, such as First Solar, Solarworld and Suntech Power, will survive. This is the conclusion of the latest sustainability study "Solar industry: Survival of the fittest in a fiercely competitive marketplace", in which Bank Sarasin performs a fitness test on the leading listed photovoltaic (PV) cell and module producers. However, the shakeout will ultimately have a positive impact on the industry as a whole by improving overall growth prospects. New sales markets and additional applications for solar energy will encourage newly installed PV Read more

Waste Management Invests in Fulcrum, Provides $70 Million Debt for First Commercial Project

Monday, 11.21.2011 - 15:22 (Renewable Energy World)

In Texas, Waste Management announced that it has closed an equity investment in Fulcrum BioEnergy. In connection with this investment, WM agreed to a secured loan facility that provides for WM's funding of up to $70 million for Fulcrum's proposed Sierra BioFuels plant upon the satisfaction of certain conditions. Read more

Leading Global Brands Sign Up for New WindMade Label

Monday, 11.21.2011 - 20:30 (Renewable Energy World)

Announcing their commitment at a New York City event to become certified under the new WindMade? consumer label, several major companies?including some of the world's most familiar commercial names?have procured or pledged to procure at least 25 percent of their electricity consumption from wind energy. Read more

TenneT Unable to Complete German Offshore Transmission Project Under Current Regulations, Requests Extension

Monday, 11.21.2011 - 17:35 (Renewable Energy World)

Maybe transmission operator TenneT should have thought twice about acquiring the northern German high-voltage grid from E.ON and accepting responsibility to build underwater links to offshore wind farms in the North Sea. The Dutch-German company has taken on a huge project that it now says it can't manage as planned. Read more

Sungevity expands internationally by partnering with Zonline

Monday, 11.21.2011 - 20:48 (Solarserver)

Sungevity Inc. (Oakland, California, U.S.) will become the first U.S.-based solar leasing company to expand internationally by taking an equity stake in Zonline BV io (Amsterdam, The Netherlands), effective November 25th, 2011. Through this partnership Sungevity will provide Zonline with software tools, including solar design services, and provide online price quotes for Zonline customers through its iQuote system. Read more

Warm Front Scheme set to help this winter

Monday, 11.21.2011 - 14:07 (Solarpowerportal)

The Energy and Climate Change Minister, Greg Barker, is today reminding pensioners and those on lower incomes to take advantage of the Warm Front grant scheme, in order to keep their homes warm this winter. Read more

Republicans grill Secretary Chu on Solyndra loan, loan guarantee process at U.S. congressional hearing

Monday, 11.21.2011 - 12:12 (Solarserver)

On November 17th, 2011 U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu testified before the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee regarding the issuance of a USD 535 million federal loan guarantee to Solyndra Inc. (Fremont, California, U.S.). The five-hour hearing featured extensive questioning by politicians from the opposition Republican Party on multiple aspects of the approval process for the loan guarantee. The appearance of the secretary follows the release of 186,000 pages of documents to the committee, which has used Solyndra's bankruptcy to question the loan guarantee process. Read more