Roth & Rau sales hit by customer project delays and write downs: loss of ?76 million expected

Monday, 11.7.2011 - 20:24 (PV-Tech)

Equipment sign-off delays due to customers impacted by weak demand and overcapacity within the PV industry have led to significantly lower than expected sales in the third quarter for Roth & Rau. Impairment charges on inventory and adjustments being made to the value of individual receivables due to certain customer creditworthiness changes contributed to EBIT losses for the first nine months of 2011 of ?76 million. One-off items of ?58 million were said to be the prime cause of losses for the current financial year to date. Read more

Staples reaches 30 million kWh production milestone from PV

Monday, 11.7.2011 - 15:40 (Solarserver)

On November 3rd, 2011 SunEdison LLC (Beltsville, Maryland, U.S.) and Staples (Belmont, California, U.S.) announced that solar photovoltaic (PV) plants which SunEdison has installed at Staples facilities across the United States have produced 30 million kWh of electricity. Since initiating a hosting program with Staples in 2005, SunEdison has developed PV installations on 33 Staples sites in the U.S. states of California, Connecticut, Maryland and New Jersey. Read more

Sharp develops solar cell with world?s highest conversion efficiency of 36.9%

Monday, 11.7.2011 - 12:01 (PV-Tech)

After eleven years of research and development, Sharp Corporation has achieved the world?s highest solar cell conversion efficiency of 36.9% using a triple-junction compound solar cell in which the solar cell has a stacked three-layer structure. Measurement of this value, which sets a new record for the world?s highest non-concentrating conversion efficiency, was confirmed at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST). Read more

First Solar starts construction on 10MW (AC) PV farm in Australia

Monday, 11.7.2011 - 22:50 (PV-Tech)

First Solar has begun construction on what will be Australia?s first utility-scale PV project once it reaches completions, Located near Geraldton, the 10MW (AC) Greenough River Solar Farm will be built over a nine-month period, with local civil contractor WBHO Civil providing Phase 1 construction services. Civil work on the project began November 4, with on-site construction for structural supports and above ground electrical work following soon. Read more

Nautilus Solar commissions 1.25MW of rooftop solar systems in Ontario

Monday, 11.7.2011 - 22:05 (PV-Tech)

Nautilus Solar Energy advised that three of its rooftop PV systems in Ontario, totaling 1.25MW, had reached official commercial operation today. The projects are owned by Nautilus? unit, Nautilus Solar Canada Limited Partnership and are supported by the Ontario Power Authority?s (OPA) FiT program, which will see OPA purchase the electricity produced by the systems for a fixed rate over a 20-year period. Read more

Canadian Solar latest PV company to come out against US trade action

Monday, 11.7.2011 - 21:26 (PV-Tech)

The ripple effects of SolarWorld?s trade complaint continue to extend further, this week with Canadian Solar issuing a statement against the petition filed with the US Trade Commission and Department of Commerce. Read more

Tenesol, Morocco government to launch program for PV systems on 26,000 homes in rural Morocco; Solar power for 163,000 people

Monday, 11.7.2011 - 15:57 (Solarserver)

Tenesol, the global solar power provider, is bringing power to more than 163,000 people in Morocco for the first time. The company, in partnership with Morocco?s National Electricity Office (ONE), installed rural solar photovoltaic (PV) electrification systems at more than 26,000 homes in the country?s rural provinces. The 16 year project is scheduled to complete in 2018 at a cost of EUR 25 million. Read more

U.S. EPA, DOE partner to study renewable, solar energy deployment on partially contaminated sites; USD 1 million for projects across the United States

Monday, 11.7.2011 - 15:50 (Solarserver)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA, Wshington) and the U.S. Department of Energy?s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL, Golden Colo.) are evaluating the feasibility of developing renewable energy production on Superfund, brownfields, and former landfill or mining sites. As part of the RE-Powering America?s Land Initiative, EPA is investing approximately USD 1 million for projects across the United States aiming to revitalize abandoned sites while protecting people?s health, the environment and providing economic benefits to local communities, including job creation. Read more

Facebook selects Cogenra Solar for 60 kW PV and solar thermal installation at Menlo Park campus

Monday, 11.7.2011 - 15:29 (Solarserver)

On November 3rd, 2011, Cogenra Solar (Mountain View, California) announced that it has been selected for a 60-kW solar cogeneration project at Facebook's new Menlo Park campus. The solar array, which will be integrated on the roof of the renovated fitness center, is the social media company?s first foray into solar energy at its corporate campus. Read more

Asia Report: China Developer Puts U.S. Solar Plans on Hold

Monday, 11.7.2011 - 15:15 (Renewable Energy World)

In perhaps the first sign of a changing relationship, China's largest solar developer told international reporters on Monday that it was delaying plans to develop $500 million of solar projects in California, Texas and New Jersey. Read more

Cameron urged to intervene personally and safeguard the solar industry

Monday, 11.7.2011 - 14:26 (Solarpowerportal)

In the wake of the Government’s formal FiT consultation, which proposed a slash in the FiT rate of over 50%, the UK solar industry has felt a great sense of injustice, stemmed from a seemingly unnecessary fast-track review which has left companies with just a six-week timeframe to either push ahead or abandon planned projects.   In search of a coherent response, Jeremy Leggett, chairman of Solarcentury, has published an open letter to David Cameron, urging him to step in and reconsider what many believe to be the death knell for the UK solar industry. Read more

U.S. Ex-Im Bank announces USD 103.2 million in export financing for solar deals to India

Monday, 11.7.2011 - 13:33 (Solarserver)

The Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank; Washington) approved USD 103.2 million in financing for two more solar transactions in India in the final months of fiscal year 2011. The approvals brought the total number of Indian solar projects that the Bank has financed in FY 2011 to six and the Bank's total authorizations for these projects to USD 176.4 million. Read more

Ventus Solaris files environmental impact statement for 110 MW PV plant in Chile

Monday, 11.7.2011 - 13:26 (Solarserver)

On November 2nd, 2011 Ventus Solaris S.A. (Santiago, Chile) submitted an environmental impact statement (EIS) with Chile's Department of Environmental Assessment for a 110 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant, to be located in Quillagua, Chile. Ventus Solaris plans to construct the Central Sol del Loa PV plant in three phases: a 20 MW initial phase, a 40 MW second phase and a final 50 MW phase. The company expects approval for the project on January 26th, 2012, and to commission the plant by April 23rd, 2012. Read more

China CITIC Bank to provide at least USD 1.27 billion in credit to ET Solar

Monday, 11.7.2011 - 12:45 (Solarserver)

On November 4th, 2011 ET Solar Group Corporation (Nanjing, China) announced a strategic alliance with the Nanjing Branch of China CITIC Bank (Beijing, China), under which CITIC will provide a credit facility of at least USD 1.27 billion over the next five years. ET Solar will use the credit offered for both general corporate purposes and capital expenditures. The agreement will also covers other commercial and investment banking services that CITIC will provide. Read more

Trina Solar downgrades 3Q 2011 shipment guidance by 25%

Monday, 11.7.2011 - 12:40 (Solarserver)

On November 3rd, 2011 Trina Solar Ltd. (Changzhou, China) announced that it has downgraded its shipment guidance for the third quarter of 2011. The company now estimates solar photovoltaic (PV) module shipments of 372 to 375 MW, a 25% decrease from its previous estimate of 480 to 520 MW. The company has also revised its full year 2011 outlook based on its demand outlook for the second half of 2011, and now expects module shipments of 1.4 GW. Trina's had previously released a guidance for the year between 1.75 GW to 1.8 GW. Read more

Ex-Im Bank to help fund two more Indian projects

Monday, 11.7.2011 - 12:37 (PV-Tech)

The US?s Export-Import Bank has awarded loans totalling US$103.2 million to two Indian companies to help finance planned projects in Gujarat and Rajasthan. The recipients, Dahanu Solar Power and Tatith Energies, will use the funds to pay for panels and engineering services from US companies First Solar, SolarWorld and American Capital Energy. Read more

REC accepts USD 54.7 million for termination of solar wafer contract

Monday, 11.7.2011 - 12:29 (Solarserver)

On November 3rd, 2011 Renewable Energy Corporation ASA (REC, Sandvika, Norway) announced that it has accepted an offer to terminate a long-term wafer contract with an un-named customer, and will receive USD 54.7 million in compensation in the fourth quarter of 2011. REC notes that it entered into a number of long-term take-or-pay wafer sales contracts between 2006 and 2008, most of which were supported by bank guarantees. Read more

China?s project pipeline passes 16GW

Monday, 11.7.2011 - 11:30 (PV-Tech)

Commercial PV capacity in China has now passed the 16GW milestone, according to a new report from Solarbuzz. The China Deal Tracker report also claims that the country is on course to match the US in terms of 2011 installations, with 195 systems, accounting for 1.8GW, scheduled to be grid connected by the year?s end. Read more

Obama affirms concern about China?s clean-energy, solar PV trade, citing "a lot of questionable competitive practices"

Monday, 11.7.2011 - 10:49 (Solarserver)

In response to a question about a trade case that and a coalition of U.S. domestic solar photovoltaic (PV) manufacturers have filed against China, President Barack Obama cited ?questionable competitive practices coming out of China? within the clean energy industries and said his Administration has aggressively countered ?these kinds of dumping activities," the Coalition for American Solar Manufacturing reports in a press release. Read more

Race for Scale: United, Alaska Airlines Launch Commercial Aviation Biofuels Flights

Monday, 11.7.2011 - 15:57 (Renewable Energy World)

In recent weeks, aviation biofuel enthusiasts have noted the commencement of biofuels-powered commercial flights in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Mexico, and asked when the U.S.-developed technology would finally operate on a commercial basis in the U.S. Alaska Airlines stepped up to answer the call in partnership with Dynamic Fuels, only to find that United has teamed up with Solazyme to snatch the prize for first flight. Read more

Wind Energy Markets Gather New Momentum

Monday, 11.7.2011 - 15:00 (Renewable Energy World)

A sound revival after a weak 2010, and renewed momentum for the wind industry in 2011, are the conclusions reached by the World Wind Energy Association (WWEA) in its half-year report. Worldwide wind capacity reached 215,000 MW by mid-2011, out of which 18,405 MW were added in the first six months. This increase represents 15 percent more than in the first half of 2010, when only 16,000 MW were added, WWEA says. Read more

Leybold to supply PECVD tool for thin-film silicon PV research at Next Energy EWE

Monday, 11.7.2011 - 22:34 (PV-Tech)

Next Energy, the independent EWE Research Centre for Energy Technology has asked Leybold Optics to provide its Phoebus lab tool by the beginning of 2012 for Next Energy?s R&D purposes involving thin-film solar cells. As Next Energy is concerned with silicon thin-film technology, its scientists are looking to increase the efficiency of the cells, which they state would then lead to a reduction in the cost of the technology. Read more

Chevron Energy Solutions to develop, build 2.7MW of PV arrays for Jurupa school district

Monday, 11.7.2011 - 21:44 (PV-Tech)

Southern California?s Jurupa Unified School District recently revealed its new partnership with Chevron Energy Solutions, which will see the two entities develop a 2.7MW solar and energy efficiency project that will save the district an estimated US$34 million. In addition to constructing a solar array on parking shade structures across nine of the district?s campuses? the project will also replace 400 air conditioning units and upgrade over 21,000 lighting fixtures. Read more

Daqo New Energy?s CEO wins Emerging Entrepreneur award

Monday, 11.7.2011 - 16:10 (PV-Tech)

Gongda Yao, CEO at Chinese polysilicon manufacturer Daqo New Energy, has won the 2011 Ernst & Young China Entrepreneur of The Year award in the Emerging Entrepreneur category. Read more

EPA to evaluate use of superfund/brownfield sites for renewable energy programs

Monday, 11.7.2011 - 15:53 (PV-Tech)

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the US Department of Energy?s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are evaluating the feasibility of developing renewable energy production on Superfund, brownfields and former landfill or mining sites. Read more

California Energy Commission awards USD 475,000 for energy research projects

Monday, 11.7.2011 - 15:35 (Solarserver)

On November 2nd, 2011, the California Energy Commission (CEC) announced that it has awarded USD 474,157 for innovative research projects. The grants are capped at USD 95,000. The commission has selected five projects that will receive funding from Public Interest Energy Research program's Energy Innovations Small Grant program. The program provides money to small businesses, non-profits, individuals and academic institutions to conduct research that establishes the feasibility of new, innovative energy concepts. Read more

Yingli Green reduces Q3 and 2011 guidance: makes US$40 million inventory provision

Monday, 11.7.2011 - 11:58 (PV-Tech)

Inline with a growing number of PV manufacturers as quarterly results loom, Yingli Green Energy has revised downwards certain third quarter and full-year guidance figures. Though not citing industry specific problems, Yingli Green also advised of undertaking a non-cash inventory provision of approximately USD$40 million in the third quarter. Declining prices and inventory build on the back of weak demand has been responsible for other firms write down values of modules held in stock. Read more

Friends of the Earth threaten legal challenge over FiT cuts

Monday, 11.7.2011 - 11:42 (Solarpowerportal)

The environmental charity, Friends of the Earth, has written to climate change minister Greg Barker warning that unless the Government agrees to amend its proposals by 4pm on Friday, November 11, it will commence court proceedings. Read more