Masdar PV to convert manufacturing operations to micromorph technology

Friday, 6.10.2011 - 23:54 (Solarserver)

On June 8th, 2011 Masdar PV GmbH (Ichtershausen, Germany) announced that it will convert its existing solar photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing line to micromorph technology, and that it will expand the annual production capacity to 95 MW at its Ichtershausen plant. The company also stated that it has presented transparent PV modules, designed for façade-integrated PV installations, at the Intersolar Europe exhibition in Munich, June 8th - 10th, 2011. Read more

Advanced Energy unveils 98.7% efficient inverter

Friday, 6.10.2011 - 13:29 (Solarserver)

At the Intersolar Europe trade show in Munich on June 8th, 2011, Advanced Energy Industries Inc. (Fort Collins, Colorado, U.S.) introduced an inverter with 98.7% EU weighted efficiency and 99% peak efficiency. The company states that its Solaron 500E HE inverter's peak efficiency is 0.3 to 0.25% higher than any inverter in its power class. Read more

U.K. DECC releases drastically reduced FIT rates for PV

Friday, 6.10.2011 - 13:25 (Solarserver)

On June 9th, 2011, the U.K. Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) released new feed-in tariff levels for solar photovoltaic (PV) installations above 50 kW, making good on its commitment to slash payments despite protests from the solar industry. The largest cuts are to PV installations above 250 kW. From August 1st, 2011, new PV plants between 250 kW and 5 MW will receive FIT payments of GBP 0.085/kWh (USD 0.139/kWh), which solar industry leaders say will make projects of this size uneconomical. Read more

NFU is ?astonished? at DECC?s feed-in tariff decision

Friday, 6.10.2011 - 11:53 (Solarpowerportal)

The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) has reacted to yesterday’s feed-in tariff announcement with ‘deep disappointment,’ stating that the decision will restrict the UK’s solar industry to a bit-part role in the low carbon economy. Read more

Tata Steel, Dyesol produce world?s largest dye sensitized photovoltaic module

Friday, 6.10.2011 - 10:59 (PV-Tech)

The Tata Steel and Dyesol development partnership has produced the world?s largest dye sensitized photovoltaic module. Manufactured at Tata Steel?s Shotton site in North Wales, the module is over three metres in length and approximately one square metre in area. This unique achievement represents an important step towards the development of large-scale microgeneration capability within building infrastructure. Read more

Enphase Energy Launches 215-Series Microinverter with 25-Year Limited Warranty

Friday, 6.10.2011 - 1:43 (Renewable Energy World)

Enphase Energy today launched its most efficient and powerful technology to date, the 215-Series Microinverter, with a 25-year limited warranty. The first product in the 215-Series, the standalone M215 Microinverter, is immediately available for purchase in North America from Enphase's authorized distributors. In addition to its new microinverter products, Enphase also launched the Engage System?, a patent-pending mechanical and electrical interconnection system for streamlining solar installations. Read more

Adhesives Research launches new bonding technologies for crystalline and thin-film PV modules

Friday, 6.10.2011 - 1:29 (PV-Tech)

Adhesives Research (AR) has introduced new bonding technologies for bus bar, solar cell junction boxes and encapsulation barrier applications in crystalline and thin-film PV modules. The pressure-sensitive adhesive tapes (PSA) are said to present a respectable alternative to more traditional bonding methods with benefits such as ease-of-handling, continuous roll formats and an easy clean up. Read more

SEPA names U.S. utilities with the greatest solar electric capacities added in 2010

Friday, 6.10.2011 - 23:58 (Solarserver)

On July 9th, 2011, the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA, Washington D.C., U.S.) released its fourth annual report ranking the solar electric capacities added by U.S. utilities. Once again, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E, San Francisco, California, U.S.) topped the list for the most new capacity added at 157 MW-AC; however this year saw significant progress from utilities in Florida, New Jersey and Colorado. Read more

Saudi Arabia to Become the Saudi Arabia of Solar Electricity

Friday, 6.10.2011 - 19:43 (Renewable Energy World)

A couple days ago Bloomberg reported the following: "Saudi Arabia plans to generate solar electricity equaling the amount of its energy from crude exports, Oil Minister Ali Al-Naimi said." Wait, what? Read more

AEG launches new three-phase inverters at Intersolar Europe

Friday, 6.10.2011 - 14:18 (Solarserver)

On June 8th, 2011, AEG Power Solutions (Warstein-Belecke, Germany) announced the launch of a new series of three-phase inverters at the Intersolar Europe trade show in Munich. The new three-phase inverters use a transformer-less design and offer an EU efficiency rate exceeding 97% with a maximum input voltage of 1000 V. The inverters are available with power outputs of 10 kVA, 12.5 kVA and 15 kVA. Read more

Intersolar Award winners chosen

Friday, 6.10.2011 - 13:13 (Solarserver)

On June 8th, 2011, juries selected ten companies from 129 entries in three categories as winners of the Intersolar Award at the Intersolar Europe trade show in Munich. In the "Photovoltaics" category, Autarcon GmbH (Kassel, Germany), Belectric Drive GmbH (Kolitzheim, Germany) and Aluminium Féron GmbH & Co. KG (Düren, Germany), were chosen by the jury. Read more

First Solar surpasses 4 GW of modules produced

Friday, 6.10.2011 - 13:07 (Solarserver)

On June 8th, 2011, First Solar Inc. (Tempe, Arizona, U.S.) announced that it has produced 4 GW of solar photovoltaic (PV) modules since beginning commercial operations in 2002. These modules produce in aggregate enough electricity to displace 2.5 million metric tons of CO2 emissions annually. Read more

Redland PV is now available to 3.6 million social housing properties in the UK

Friday, 6.10.2011 - 12:58 (Solarpowerportal)

Redland has been awarded a place on a new framework designed to deliver the benefits of solar power to the UK social housing sector. Under the initiative Redland PV will be available to more than 3.6 million properties, marking a significant step forward in the drive to improve the energy efficiency of the UK’s social housing stock. Read more

Eyelit Solar Edition software is selected by solar panel manufacturer

Friday, 6.10.2011 - 12:19 (PV-Tech)

An unnamed photovoltaic solar panel manufacturer has purchased Eyelit?s Solar Edition manufacturing software, which consists of Eyelit MES, statistical process control (SPC), automation, asset management, and quality management, to support its aggressive PV production ramp-up. Read more

Top US utilities added 561MW of new solar capacity in 2010

Friday, 6.10.2011 - 10:07 (PV-Tech)

According to the Solar Electric Power Association?s (SEPA) most recent report, US-based power utilities are ramping up the use of solar photovoltaics. The 2010 Utility Solar Rankings report identifies the top 10 US utilities that added the most new solar power to their systems last year as well as the top 10 utilities that added the most solar on a watts-per-customer-served basis. Read more

SolarEdge Scores over 15MW of PV Power Optimizer System Orders for the German Market during Intersolar Europe

Friday, 6.10.2011 - 9:19 (Renewable Energy World)

The demand for SolarEdge PV power optimizers in Germany soars with over 15MW of orders placed by the second day of Intersolar Europe tradeshow. Distribution and installation of these systems, maximizing the energy yield of residential and commercial PV sites in Germany, will be carried out by the leading PV integrators Hofbrueckl Solar, EME Energie Management Eberlein GmbH and SolConTec International AG, as part of the intensifying partnership between SolarEdge and these companies. Read more

ADB commits to fund 500MW Bangladesh solar PV project

Friday, 6.10.2011 - 0:32 (PV-Tech)

According to the United News of Bangladesh, top executives at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have agreed to help finance a 500MW solar system, which will be built at locations throughout Bangladesh. The plan has officials proposing the 500MW solar system include solar irrigation pumps, solar rooftop installations in urban areas and mini solar grid plants in rural areas. Read more

Wind Farms Adapt to Forest Conditions

Friday, 6.10.2011 - 15:15 (Renewable Energy World)

As developers look to expand the opportunities available onshore, new generations of turbines with higher towers and longer blades are opening up previously unobtainable sites to development. Here some of the key issues are explored, along with the challenges of an environment that can offer a host of attractive locations. Read more

California's SB X 1-2 Law Walks Renewable Energy Tightrope

Friday, 6.10.2011 - 15:00 (Renewable Energy World)

This law, called the California Renewable Energy Resources Act, obligates all California electricity providers to obtain at least 33% of their energy from renewable resources by the year 2020. This requirement constitutes the most aggressive renewable portfolio standard in the country. Read more

New company secures 100 green jobs in Wales

Friday, 6.10.2011 - 13:13 (Solarpowerportal)

A German company has taken a majority stake in a division of a Wales-based renewable energy firm, securing 100 green jobs. MHH Solartechnik, which is based in Munich, has invested in the part of Dulas supplying solar panels, forming the new company, Dulas MHH. Read more

BREAKING NEWS: Department of Energy Announces $70 million funding to advance technology and reduce costs

Friday, 6.10.2011 - 13:06 (Renewable Energy World)

Alta Rock, Geodynamics and the Bureau of Land Management will be meeting fellow EGS leaders at the 2nd Annual Enhanced Geothermal Systems Conference in San Jose to discuss ways of pushing EGS projects forward in the light of the latest funding announcement. Read more