PV coatings on glass: Beneq and Glaston announce first TCO line

Monday, 3.28.2011 - 20:49 (Solarserver)

The first Beneq-Glaston "TFC2000" line for manufacturing TCO coatings on glass for photovoltaics (PV) has been sold to Asia. The total order is approximately EUR 14 million, of which Glaston?s share is over EUR 4 million, Beneq Oy, a supplier of equipment and coating technology for global markets based in Finland, announced in a press release. Read more

Suntech appoints David King as new chief financial officer

Monday, 3.28.2011 - 16:23 (PV-Tech)

Suntech Power Holdings has appointed David King as its new chief financial officer. King will start his new role in April 2011 and succeeds Amy Zhang, who is leaving the company to pursue other opportunities. Read more

Dan Brdar joins Petra Solar as new chief operating officer

Monday, 3.28.2011 - 23:40 (PV-Tech)

A thirty year veteran in technology development, new product introduction and sales leadership, Dan Brdar has been named Petra Solar?s new chief operating officer; a role where he will lead the company?s sales, marketing, operations and engineering divisions. Before joining Petra Solar, Brdar was president, CEO and chairman of the board for FuelCell Energy. Read more

Solarbuzz sees challenging PV module market in 2011 stemming from effects of European incentives

Monday, 3.28.2011 - 23:05 (PV-Tech)

Coming off the strong year that was 2010 in the global solar photovoltaic world, Solarbuzz?s Quarterly report has countered that 2011 may be a rockier road. The research company is estimating that Germany?s first quarter 2011 end-market demand for solar PV has been performing at less than 50% of what it was in the first quarter of 2010 and maintains that even though module manufacturers worldwide have been reducing prices, the market has yet to feel a positive effect. Read more

Apricus Inc. Announces New Manufacturer's Representatives

Monday, 3.28.2011 - 22:47 (Renewable Energy World)

Apricus is pleased to announce the following new manufacturer's representatives: Southwest Sales, Thermal Mechanics, Inc, Thermco and Reid Pacific Company. Read more

JinkoSolar issues USD 46 million in bonds, signs 6 MW supply agreement with Lumos Solar

Monday, 3.28.2011 - 20:53 (Solarserver)

On March 24th, 2011, JinkoSolar Holding Company Ltd. (Shanghai, China) announced that one of its subsidiaries has issued RMB 300 million (USD 46 million) worth of short-term bonds, as the second tranche of a RMB 600 million (USD 91 million) issue. Also on March 24th, 2011 the company announced that it will supply Lumos Solar (Boulder, Colorado, U.S.) with 6 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) modules in the second quarter of 2011. Read more

Pictometry makes aerial imagery solutions available to solar contractors

Monday, 3.28.2011 - 20:09 (Solarserver)

Pictometry Online, a web-based technology offering a vast library of 3-D-like, high resolution aerial images, is now enabling solar contractors to quickly, easily and accurately calculate solar exposure, panel placement, sizing, roof pitch and square footage - information that is essential for positioning panels for maximum sun exposure and energy output. Read more

SunEdison?s 2.2MW University of Maryland Eastern Shore PV system officially opened

Monday, 3.28.2011 - 18:36 (PV-Tech)

The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) has officially opened its new 2.2MW solar farm. Located on university-owned land next to Maryland Route, the SunEdison-built system spans 17 acres and with 7.800 panels it is one of the state?s largest PV developments. Read more

Positive Energy to design and build Capital Renewables? 4.13MW Greek solar park

Monday, 3.28.2011 - 17:47 (PV-Tech)

Positive Energy has won a contract to design, build and operate Capital Renewables? 4.13MW PV park in Greece. Building work on the project, which is located in the prefecture of Argolida, will begin in Q2 and finish by the end of the year. When completed, it will be one of the largest PV developments in southeastern Europe. Read more

Those Interested in the Green Economy / Solar Installation Offered Exceptional Training Opportunity at the American Solar Energy Society's 40th Annual National Conference

Monday, 3.28.2011 - 16:30 (Renewable Energy World)

RALEIGH, N.C. (March 28, 2011) ? The American Solar Energy Society (ASES, www.ases.org) ? the nation's oldest solar association focused on advocacy, adoption and advancement of solar energy ? is offering one of the industry's most comprehensive and affordable training opportunities for installers and others at its annual National Solar Conference (Solar 2011) in Raleigh, N.C., May 17-21. This is the 40th consecutive year ASES has held its important conference, which brings together academics, government agencies, installers, manufacturers, consumers and others invested in solar's future. Read more

NST Paving New Ground in Solar Training with B2B IREC Continuing Education Provider Accreditation

Monday, 3.28.2011 - 16:06 (Renewable Energy World)

National Solar Trainers is the first B2B training organization to gain the IREC Continuing Education Provider Certification. In a unique model to NST, this accreditation will be extended to NST clients and training sessions nationwide. Read more

SunPower T5 tile chosen for TEP rooftop projects

Monday, 3.28.2011 - 15:41 (PV-Tech)

Tucson Electric Power has chosen SunPower?s rooftop solar technology to equip its Bright Roofs programme. The T5 Roof Tile will power 11MW of systems that are being installed over the next three years on leased school and public-building rooftop space in Tucson. Read more

Semiconductor Research Corporation and Masdar Institute host solar PV technology scientists in Abu Dhabi to identify research directions for energy breakthroughs

Monday, 3.28.2011 - 14:02 (Solarserver)

Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) and the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology on March 25th, 2011 announced Abu Dhabi?s first world-class gathering of solar experts and university researchers for a forum on photovoltaics (PV). The March 27th ? 28th event is designed to explore the route for development of cost-effective systems capable of achieving 25 percent energy conversion from solar resources in Abu Dhabi by the year 2020. Read more

IHS iSuppli: Europe continues to dominate solar PV market in 2011

Monday, 3.28.2011 - 13:59 (Solarserver)

Despite brewing trouble for the solar industry in the region, Europe in 2011 will continue to account for the lion?s share of photovoltaic (PV) installations in the world, claiming 68.6 percent of the global total, according to the latest IHS iSuppli research. Comprising nine of the world?s 15 major solar markets, European PV installations this year will amount to 14.3 gigawatts (GW), more than two-thirds of the global level of about 20.9 GW, IHS iSuppli (El Segundo, Calif.) research emphasizes. Read more

SolarWorld receives prospecting rights for lithium on German-Czech border

Monday, 3.28.2011 - 13:56 (Solarserver)

SolarWorld AG is allowed to prospect for lithium in Germany. The Saxon State Minister for Economic Affairs, Sven Morlok, presented the official approval document to the Chairman and CEO of SolarWorld AG, Dr.-Ing. E.h. Frank Asbeck at Altenberg-Zinnwald near the German-Czech border on March 25th, 2011. This means the solar photovoltaic (PV) technology group can now start prospecting in the Eastern part of the Erzgebirge mountains for this raw material, which is mainly used in modern batteries for the storage of solar power. Read more

Fraunhofer Institite for Solar Energy Systems concludes pilot smart grid/CHP project

Monday, 3.28.2011 - 13:53 (Solarserver)

On March 24th, 2011, Fraunhofer ISE (Munich, Germany) announced the conclusion of a pilot project to show how smart metering systems with flexible tariffs for supply and loads can be used to intelligently control load flow in distribution networks. The project used a DEMAX (Decentralized Energy and Grid Management with FleXible Energy Rates) gateway and openMUC software to optimally match energy supply and demand for both thermal and electrical energy. Read more

Vote Solar Initiative releases reports on Colorado permitting process, economic benefits of distributed solar in Nevada

Monday, 3.28.2011 - 13:51 (Solarserver)

On March 24th, 2011, the Vote Solar Initiative (San Francisco, California, U.S.) released two reports on issues relating to solar power development in Western U.S. states. The first was developed with the Clean Energy Project NV (Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.), and explains the expected economic and job creation benefits of developing solar on homes and businesses in the state of Nevada. The second was developed in collaboration with the Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association (CoSEIA, Boulder, Colorado, U.S.), and assesses local permitting practices in the U.S. state of Colorado. Read more

Wagner Solar donates 3% of Sanyo module sales in April to World Vision

Monday, 3.28.2011 - 13:17 (Solarpowerportal)

During the month of April, Wagner Solar UK will donate 3% from all new sales of Sanyo modules during the entire month of April to the relief and development organisation World Vision for Japan-related causes. Read more

New Jersey Needs to Keep its Solar Leadership

Monday, 3.28.2011 - 6:09 (Renewable Energy World)

The state of New Jersey, my adopted home, is known for a lot of things: bad reality TV shows, high taxes and most EPA Superfund sites per square mile, to name a few. Read more

Gigantic Offshore Wind-turbine Testing in Progress

Monday, 3.28.2011 - 5:20 (Renewable Energy World)

In the course of the next five years, the HiPRWind (High Power, High Reliability Offshore Wind Technology) project will lay the foundations for delivery of a complete, fully functional offshore wind-turbine with a generating capacity of 10 ? 20 MW. For comparison, modern wind?turbine capacities lie between 300 kW and 6 MW. Read more

Innovative Geothermal Startup Puts Carbon Dioxide to Good Use

Monday, 3.28.2011 - 6:25 (Renewable Energy World)

Geothermal power holds enormous opportunities to provide affordable, clean energy that avoids greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide (CO2). That's because geothermal technologies rely on heat found under the earth's surface to generate uninterrupted, low-cost renewable energy that is virtually emissions-free. Now, one Utah-based startup is working on an innovative project that could make geothermal power even more beneficial. Read more

POET CEO Jeff Broin to testify at Senate hearing on high gasoline prices

Monday, 3.28.2011 - 22:26 (Renewable Energy World)

POET CEO Jeff Broin will outline how ethanol lowers gas prices by providing competition to foreign oil and how that impact can be even greater with open access to the U.S. fuel market at a Senate committee hearing Wednesday in Washington, D.C. Read more

Constellation Energy signs PPA, REC purchase agreement with U.S. federal government

Monday, 3.28.2011 - 20:56 (Solarserver)

On March 24th, 2011, Constellation Energy Group Inc. (Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.) announced that it has signed a contract with the U.S. federal government which includes a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) and the sale of renewable energy credits (RECs). The Energy Savings Agreement will cover State Department and other federal government facilities, and related to this agreement Constellation Energy plans to construct a USD 50 million solar photovoltaic (PV) plant in New Jersey by mid-2012. Read more

Carbon Markets & Climate Finance Americas - 1 week to go!

Monday, 3.28.2011 - 16:03 (Renewable Energy World)

Time is running out for you to secure your place at Carbon Markets & Climate Finance Americas - with just 1 week to go make sure you register today to benefit from the extensive networking opportunities available and the chance to meet face to face with key players from the carbon market value chain. Read more

Florida's distributed energy industry faces risk of another shut-out as utilities plan for huge windfall.

Monday, 3.28.2011 - 6:23 (Renewable Energy World)

Entering into the 4th week of legislative session, the Florida Senate and House Energy Committees have released their Proposed Committee Bills (PCBs), which in their current form give unprecedented control and freedom to the utility companies to build, own and operate renewable energy facilities at the ratepayers expense while simultaneously excluding small and mid scale independent producers of renewable energy from participating in the market. Read more

Clean Energy Stocks to Fill the Nuclear Gap

Monday, 3.28.2011 - 6:00 (Renewable Energy World)

I'm astounded by the resilience and discipline of the Japanese people in response to the three-pronged earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster, perhaps in large part by my cultural roots in the egocentric United States, where we seem to have forgotten the virtue of self-sacrifice for the greater good. Read more

U.S. Energy Policy: The Fierce Urgency of Never

Monday, 3.28.2011 - 5:07 (Renewable Energy World)

America is yearning for leadership, and energy policy is another area where it is lacking. Democrats argue we must do more to promote and develop alternative fuels. Republicans counter that there is no alternative to oil and gas in the short term and that we need to increase our domestic output to secure our energy supply. Read more