NTPC signs PPA with MP Tradeco for 50 MW plant in Madhya Pradesh

Friday, 12.30.2011 - 13:19 (Solarserver)

On December 28th, 2011 state utility MP Tradeco (Bhopal, India) signed a power purchase agreement with NTPC Ltd. (New Delhi, India) for the output of a 50 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant to be built in Rajgarh, Madhya Pradesh, India. NTPC expects to commission the Rajgarh Solar plant by 2013. The power produced by the plant will be bundled with unallocated power from coal-fired power plants to be built by NTPC. Read more

U.S. Treasury Grant Program to expire

Friday, 12.30.2011 - 13:07 (Solarserver)

The section 1603 cash grant program for renewable energy generation will expire on December 31st, 2011, as a final deal on taxation brokered between the opposition Republican Party and U.S. President Barack Obama did not contain an extension of the program. For nearly three years the program, also known as the Treasury Grant Program (TGP), has supported a vast number of solar photovoltaic (PV) and concentrating solar power (CSP) projects across the United States. The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA, Washington D.C., U.S.) has repeatedly described the TGP as the most important policy for the U.S. solar industry. Read more

University of Illinois develops new method for etching arrays in GaAs

Friday, 12.30.2011 - 13:04 (Solarserver)

Researchers at the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, U.S.) have developed a new method of chemically etching patterned arrays in gallium arsenide (GaAs), with applications including solar photovoltaic (PV) cells. The researchers have optimized the chemical solution and reaction conditions of the metal-assisted chemical etching (MacEtch) process, combining it with a "soft lithography" process, which they say allows them to etch high-aspect-ratio structures into GaAs. Read more

Three law firms to investigate SunPower over Tenesol deal

Friday, 12.30.2011 - 13:01 (Solarserver)

On December 28th, 2011 three law firms announced that they are investigating SunPower Corporation (San Jose, California, U.S.) over the sale of its shares to parent company Total SA (Courbevoie, France), concurrent with SunPower's acquisition of Tenesol SA (La Tour De Salvagny, France) from Total. The firm of Power Taylor LLP is working with Briscoe Law Firm PLLC, while Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC are launching a separate investigation. Both investigations will examine whether or not SunPower's officers breached their obligations to company shareholders in the sale of shares. Read more

SunWater Solar installs two solar thermal systems on low-income housing in San Francisco

Friday, 12.30.2011 - 13:19 (Solarserver)

On December 28th, 2011 SunWater Solar Inc. (Richmond, California, U.S.) announced that it has commissioned two new solar thermal systems at affordable housing buildings in San Francisco, California. The two systems are comprised of 40 and 24 Schüco CTE 220 CH 2 solar collectors respectively, for a combined collector area of 161 square meters and capacity of 120 kWth. The two installations earned a total of USD 85,900 in California Solar Initiative-Thermal (CSI-Thermal) rebates. Read more

JA Solar to supply 19 MW of PV modules for Solarhybrid's Allstedt PV plant

Friday, 12.30.2011 - 13:09 (Solarserver)

On December 29th, 2011 JA Solar Holdings Company Ltd. (Shanghai, China) announced that it has entered into an agreement to supply 19 MW of high-efficiency solar photovoltaic (PV) modules for Solarhybrid AG's (Brilon, Germany) Allstedt 1 PV plant in Halle, Germany. JA Solar is the exclusive PV module supplier to the project, which is located on a former military airfield in Germany. Read more

U.S. Federal Court Issues Injunction Against California Low Carbon Fuel Standard

Friday, 12.30.2011 - 14:25 (Renewable Energy World)

Over the past several months, the Digest and other media noted that California was importing ethanol from Brazil, a 6000 mile, diesel-churning tanker haul. Now, before the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard was put into place, California would have sourced its ethanol needs from, say, Nebraska, some 1,200 miles to the east. Read more

U.S. Wind Tower Manufacturers File Trade Complaint

Friday, 12.30.2011 - 0:04 (Renewable Energy World)

Heightened trade tensions between American and Chinese manufacturers spilled into the wind industry Thursday as a U.S. coalition filed petitions that seek stiff tariffs on towers coming into the U.S. market. Read more

Renewable Energy Recap: Tunisia

Friday, 12.30.2011 - 15:00 (Renewable Energy World)

Developers, manufacturers, investors and other renewable energy industry stakeholders need to know where the next big market is going to be so that they can adjust their business decisions accordingly. Read more

Renewable Energy Recap: Spain

Friday, 12.30.2011 - 15:00 (Renewable Energy World)

Developers, manufacturers, investors and other renewable energy industry stakeholders need to know where the next big market is going to be so that they can adjust their business decisions accordingly. Read more