SMA America Opens State-of-the-Art Educational Facility

Wednesday, 2.16.2011 - 19:40 (Renewable Energy World)

SMA America has enhanced its SMA Solar Academy educational initiative with a new state-of-the-art facility that supports current and prospective solar industry professionals. Located at SMA America's corporate headquarters in Rocklin, the SMA Solar Academy is outfitted with the latest high-tech teaching tools and demonstration inverters to complement its comprehensive range of courses on photovoltaics and SMA products. The new Solar Academy hosted its first seminar last month. Read more

2010 Showed the Strengths, Weaknesses of the PV Inverter Industry

Wednesday, 2.16.2011 - 18:23 (Renewable Energy World)

In an industry that relies so intrinsically on the sun, seasonal variations in demand are expected; generally the first quarter of the year is the quietest as the core markets in Europe remain restricted by the winter snow. However, the first quarter of 2010 was remarkably different for PV inverters, with shipments surging almost 200% vs. the same period in 2009. In contrast, suppliers are now reporting that the seasonal lull of 1Q has returned in 2011. Read more

Plans revealed for UK?s first commercial PV centre of excellence

Wednesday, 2.16.2011 - 12:33 (Solarpowerportal)

The UK’s first commercial solar photovoltaics centre of excellence is set to open in Nottingham. Established by IPSol Energy, the 8000ft2 facility based at Nottingham’s Easter Park will provide global manufacturers and installers of solar PV modules with independent strategy advice and validation of their products. Read more

DuPont MCM, Holst Centre team up for printed electronics, including organic PV

Wednesday, 2.16.2011 - 2:34 (PV-Tech)

DuPont Microcircuit Materials (MCM) and Holst Centre have formed a partnership to focus on advancing the technology of printed electronics, specifically in the areas of printed structures on flexible substrates, which are used in a variety of markets including flexible display, RFID, lighting, biomedical and organic photovoltaics (OPV). Read more

New Lux Research report examines solar power electronics market

Wednesday, 2.16.2011 - 23:59 (PV-Tech)

Lux Research?s new report, ?Shorting Out the Myths of Solar Power Electronics: What Fits and What Fails,? has examined the power electronics options that are becoming increasingly available to solar installers and project developers in order to help establish what technologies actually offer the best performance and lowest cost in the residential, commercial and utility solar divisions. Read more

First Solar collaborates with Arizona Public Service for 17MW PV project in Gila Bend

Wednesday, 2.16.2011 - 23:07 (PV-Tech)

Arizona Public Service (APS) is expanding upon its AZ Sun program with the development of a new 17MW PV facility in Gila Bend, Arizona. With the Paloma Solar Plant, APS?s AZ Sun program will have committed 83MW of solar capacity out of the 100MW it aims to finance and own upon the program?s completion, which is intended for sometime in 2014. First Solar was contracted by APS to design and build the Paloma Solar Plant and expects to have it online by September. Read more

The Solar Foundation to present at Solar Leadership Summit

Wednesday, 2.16.2011 - 21:35 (Renewable Energy World)

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Sunsense Solar Recognized for Excellence in Residential Solar

Wednesday, 2.16.2011 - 20:10 (Renewable Energy World)

Sunsense Solar, an installer of high quality solar power systems, today announced that it has won the prestigious SunPower 'Intelegant Award for Excellence' in residential solar-electric power system installation. The company received the award for its installation of a 3.15-kilowatt SunPower solar system on Green Builder Media's VISION House Aspen. Read more

HyperSolar unveils new micro-concentrator module prototype

Wednesday, 2.16.2011 - 18:06 (PV-Tech)

HyperSolar has finished work on the prototype of its new thin micro-concentrator module. The commercial version of the concentrator, which is set to be both smaller and more efficient than the prototype, will be released once the photonic and optical characteristics of the test module are validated. Read more

150 MW is the Optimal Plant Size New Report Finds

Wednesday, 2.16.2011 - 16:40 (Renewable Energy World)

150 MW is the ideal plant size, according to the new Concentrated Solar Power Parabolic Trough: Cost & Performance Report. The new report looks at how the development of larger than 50MW CSP plants in the US (from 100 to 280 MW) has revealed cost saving benefits. When increasing plant capacity, the relatively lower cost of components will contribute to a lower Levelized Energy Cost (LCOE). Read more

We Support Solar urges Chris Huhne to deal with ?chaos? caused by FiT review

Wednesday, 2.16.2011 - 15:17 (Solarpowerportal)

In response to the UK Government’s recent decision to launch a fast-track feed-in tariff review, We Support Solar has composed an open letter to send to Energy Secretary Chris Huhne. The letter urges Huhne to act quickly to repair the damage done to the fledgling UK PV sector by his Commons Written Statement and press release sent out on February 7th. Read more

38 Degrees launches FiT protection campaign

Wednesday, 2.16.2011 - 11:36 (Solarpowerportal)

Fighting back against the Government’s decision to review the UK’s solar feed-in tariff, 38 Degrees, the organisation that brings people together to take action current issues, has launched the ‘Protect the Feed-in Tariff from Cuts’ campaign. Read more

MP Tim Yeo supports Solarwatt?s entrance into the UK

Wednesday, 2.16.2011 - 11:15 (Solarpowerportal)

Marking its entrance into the UK solar market, German solar photovoltaics manufacturer Solarwatt yesterday held an afternoon reception at the House of Commons, attended by the company’s UK partners as well as several members of parliament.  Read more

Tim Yeo supports Solarwatt?s entrance into the UK

Wednesday, 2.16.2011 - 11:15 (Solarpowerportal)

Marking its entrance into the UK solar market, German solar photovoltaics manufacturer Solarwatt yesterday held an afternoon reception at the House of Commons, attended by the company’s UK partners as well as several members of parliament.  Read more

Alteris Renewables Recognized for Excellence in Commercial Solar

Wednesday, 2.16.2011 - 7:45 (Renewable Energy World)

The top renewable energy integrator in the Northeast, Alteris Renewables, Inc., received an Intelegant Award for commercial solar installation from SunPower Corp, a leading manufacturer of the world's highest efficiency solar cells and systems. Given annually to one SunPower dealer on the basis of aesthetic design, quality, and performance, the award honored the 73.2kW SunPower solar array on the Hartford, CT headquarters of insurance giant Aetna. Read more

News feature: NREL confirms 41.4%-efficient Solar Junction CPV cell; firm on DOE loan shortlist

Wednesday, 2.16.2011 - 4:05 (PV-Tech)

The U.S. Department of Energy?s National Renewable Energy Laboratory has confirmed that CPV cell supplier Solar Junction has achieved conversion efficiencies of 41.4% on a multijunction cell sampled from the company?s demonstration production line. The early-stage firm also revealed it is one of asmall group of candidates?and the only concentrator PV cell company?that have been chosen for ?post-selection due diligence? to receive a DOE loan guarantee, which would help support expansion plans for a 250MW factory at its base of operations in San Jose. Jeff Allen, director of business development, revealed additional details about the latest news in an email interview with PV-Tech. Read more

Scatec Solar to construct 6MW solar plant at site of former Italian mine

Wednesday, 2.16.2011 - 2:15 (PV-Tech)

Scatec Solar has signed on with Fotowatio Renewable Ventures and Italgen to build a 6.16MWp solar project in a former quarry close to Guiglia, Italy. The solar installation should be connected to the grid by this fall and generate over 7.5 million kWh yearly. The companies did not release the financial terms for their agreement nor any information about the 26,000 modules or BOS that will be used for the installation. Read more

TerniEnergia expects to complete 18.3MW of Italian solar power plants by end of March

Wednesday, 2.16.2011 - 1:52 (PV-Tech)

TerniEnergia is working on sixteen industrial-sized PV plants, which combined will produce 18.3MW of solar electricity. The plants are located in the Umbria, Marche, Piemonte, Molise, Lazio and Puglia regions of Italy and are expected to be completed by March 31. Last year, TerniEnergia notes that it completed 76 PV plants for an installed power of 77.2MW. Read more

Green Source and Parabel sell 7.4MW portfolio of solar power systems in Czech Republic

Wednesday, 2.16.2011 - 0:10 (PV-Tech)

Green Source and Parabel recently sold their 7.4MW portfolio of solar systems in the Czech Republic; a project that was developed under their join subsidiary Vireo Czech and newly connected to the grid. The project portfolio was sold, for an undisclosed amount, to Enercap Power Fund I. Vireo Czech oversaw the management and construction of the PV system. Read more

Rolf Adam from Cisco ? speaker at Smart Grid session in Sofia

Wednesday, 2.16.2011 - 12:30 (Renewable Energy World)

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Geothermal Turning Up the Heat at Los Humeros

Wednesday, 2.16.2011 - 6:50 (Renewable Energy World)

Geothermal power is a highly reliable source of baseload, renewable power. This is a feature that utilities, looking to increase their share of renewables in the energy mix while maintaining secure supply, will no doubt find attractive. Read more

OCI secures US$950 million polysilicon supply deal with Yingli

Wednesday, 2.16.2011 - 18:14 (PV-Tech)

A polysilicon supply contract has been signed between OCI and Yingli Green Energy to the tune of US$950 million. The contract will commence in January 2012 and is expected to continue through to the end of 2018. Read more