Photowatt Ontario commissions 500kW rooftop system on municipal building in Kitchener, Ontario

Wednesday, 6.29.2011 - 23:39 (PV-Tech)

Photowatt Ontario, a subsidiary of ATS Automation Tooling Systems (ATS) was joined by government and community officials as it held a ceremony to officially commission its 500kW rooftop PV system on the City of Kitchener?s new consolidated maintenance facility. Covering over 70,000 square feet, the project uses 2,660 solar modules. Read more

Q-Cells markets CIGS thin film modules in North America

Wednesday, 6.29.2011 - 17:52 (PV-Tech)

With the US solar market expected to double in 2011, Q-Cells will offer its CIGS thin-film module series, dubbed Q.Smart, in North America. The company officially entered the US market a year ago as part of a new business strategy to broaden its geographical market base and further build out its project development portfolio under the Q-Cells International banner. Read more

7MW PV plant at U.S. federal government center in Colorado nears completion

Wednesday, 6.29.2011 - 14:54 (Solarserver)

On July 27th, 2011, SolarWorld AG (Bonn, Germany) announced that a 7MW solar photovoltaic (PV) project at the Denver Federal Center (DFC) in Lakewood, Colorado, U.S., for which it supplied PV modules, is nearing completion. E Light Wind and Solar Inc./Centerre (Colorado, U.S.) is building the plant for the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), an independent agency of the U.S. federal government. This will be the GSA's largest PV project. Read more

BIPV: Suntech Just-Roof approved by French CEIAB; Products will be eligible for the nation's highest FIT rates

Wednesday, 6.29.2011 - 14:46 (Solarserver)

On June 27th, 2011, Suntech Power Holdings Company Ltd. (Wuxi, China) announced that its Just-Roof building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) product has been approved by French authority CEIAB for use in residential buildings. As French feed-in tariff (FITs) rates in the nation are higher for BIPV, end-customers who install Just-Roof PV products will be eligible for the nation's highest FIT rates. Read more

SMA America releases Sunny Boy high frequency PV inverters

Wednesday, 6.29.2011 - 12:47 (Solarserver)

On June 28th, 2011, SMA America (Rocklin, California, U.S.) announced that it is now shipping products from a new line of high frequency inverters for residential solar photovoltaic (PV) applications. The three inverters in the Sunny Boy HF-US line are certified to UL standards, and offer CEC-weighted efficiencies of 96.5% for the 2500HF-US and 3000HF-US, and 97% for the 2000HF-US. Read more

4JET wins Deutscher Gründerpreis Award

Wednesday, 6.29.2011 - 12:44 (PV-Tech)

German laser system supplier 4JET has won the Deutscher Gründerpreis Award 2011. The award, sponsored by Porsche, German magazine Stern, ZDF Television and the Sparkasse Banking Group, was presented to 4JET for not just its exceptional financial growth over the past 12 months but also for creating a business model that promises further growth in the years ahead. Read more

Report: Locals raise ruckus about First Solar?s AV Solar Ranch One project

Wednesday, 6.29.2011 - 23:44 (PV-Tech)

First Solar?s AV Solar Ranch One project has come up against some last-minute concerns voiced by local residents, according to a report on Greentech Media. Plans to begin construction of the Antelope Valley, CA, solar plant in early July could be pushed back if townspeople of nearby Fairmont file an injunction to delay the effort. Read more

Order Focus: QSolar lands US$3.25M order for 2.5MW of its PV modules to Oregon?s Rendata project

Wednesday, 6.29.2011 - 23:20 (PV-Tech)

QSolar revealed that its Spraytek 79 solar PV modules had been selected for use in Oregon?s Rendata project. The US$3.25 million order will see QSolar deliver 2.5MW of its PV modules to the project once it receives Underwriters Laboratories (UL) certification, which is expected to occur during 2011?s fourth quarter. Once UL certification has been achieved, the company plans to supply modules for two sample houses followed by volume deliveries, which are anticipated to begin in early 2012. Read more

SolarWorld sells its shares in South Korean JV module plant, focuses on German and US production

Wednesday, 6.29.2011 - 22:51 (PV-Tech)

SolarWorld advised that with the sale of its shares in the South Korea joint venture module plant, the company would be focusing on expanding and improving its module production sites in Germany and the US. Financial details regarding the sale of its shares were not released, but the company advised that its Saxony, California and Oregon production facilities are undergoing expansion in order to meet growing demands. Combined, the three plants are expected to have a total production capacity of more than 1GW by the end of the year. Read more

Florida Power & Light closes first round of solar PV installation rebate applications

Wednesday, 6.29.2011 - 22:11 (PV-Tech)

Upon receiving 310 customer applications, worth around US$5.6 million in rebates, Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) has closed its 2011 solar PV rebate program application. The pilot program was approved by the Florida Public Service Commission and designed to help FPL customers diminish the cost of installing their own solar projects at their home or business while also decreasing energy consumption and peak demand. Read more

RenewableEnergyWorld Headed to Intersolar in July

Wednesday, 6.29.2011 - 21:53 (Renewable Energy World)

RenewableEnergyWorld is excited to announce that we are returning to Intersolar North America this year from July 12-14th in San Francisco, Calif. Industry leaders and experts are scheduled to meet and discuss hot topics in the industry today. The show is officially set to open with an exciting high-profile keynote with addresses by Ramamoorthy Ramesh, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Katharina Reiche, Parliamentary State Secretary, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Germany and Prof. Dr. Eicke R. Weber, Director, Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, Germany. This keynote will take place during the opening session Read more

Seven Communities Waiting for the Sun in Southeastern U.S.

Wednesday, 6.29.2011 - 21:14 (Renewable Energy World)

Despite its abundant sunshine and vast open spaces, the Southeastern United States has not been much of a player in the solar energy industry's global surge. Read more

Why Solar-Gas Partnerships Are Worth Exploring

Wednesday, 6.29.2011 - 20:31 (Renewable Energy World)

OK. I’ll admit it. I’m torn on this one. Idealism has its merits. Practicality, on the other hand, can be a bitter pill. But a bitter pill that allows you to grow in fits and starts — rather than the preferred leaps and bounds — is better than no pill at all. Maybe this is the fork-in-the-road facing many supporters of the solar industry. They see the future, and it’s filled with clean energy, powered by abundant sunshine, and maintained around the clock by innovative storage systems. They live, however, in the present, and solar still has its skeptics — namely big utilities that like to have things run like clockwork in ways in which Read more

New IHS EER study: US solar market to surpass 42 GW by 2025; PV to account for 80% of additional capacity

Wednesday, 6.29.2011 - 18:58 (Solarserver)

The US solar marketplace, driven by a mix of policy mechanisms, technologies, and development strategies, is projected to grow at a robust pace, IHS Emerging Energy Research (Cambridge, Massachusetts) on June 29th, 2011 announced in a press release. The market research company expects the US solar industry to surpass 42 gigawatts (GW) of total installations by the end of 2025, building on the currently installed 2.8 GW base. Read more

KYOCERA Brings Modern Solar Energy Solution to an Historic New Jersey Property

Wednesday, 6.29.2011 - 18:39 (Renewable Energy World)

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. ? June 27, 2011 ? Kyocera Solar, Inc., NJ Solar Power, LLC and Solar Power Partners, Inc. announced today the completion of a 1.16 Megawatt (MW) solar energy system at The Masonic Home of New Jersey. The completed installation will be inaugurated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony this summer. Read more

IKEA connects latest rooftop array to grid

Wednesday, 6.29.2011 - 18:02 (PV-Tech)

IKEA has connected the 573kW solar array at its West Sacramento store to the Californian electricity grid. The 65,000-square foot rooftop array was installed by Gloria Solar and it will generate nearly 800,000 kWh of electricity a year. Read more

Gerhard Steinebrunner joins Antaris Solar?s senior management team

Wednesday, 6.29.2011 - 17:10 (PV-Tech)

The Antaris Solar Group has appointed Gerhard Steinebrunner to its senior management team. Steinebrunner joins company founder Michael Goede and Thomas Perr on the expanded team, which is looking to strengthen the company?s presence in both the German and worldwide markets. Read more

Fonroche Energie secures ?52-million credit line with banking syndicate

Wednesday, 6.29.2011 - 16:19 (PV-Tech)

Leading French renewable energy producer Fonroche Energie has secured a ?52-million credit line with a banking syndicate led by Credit Agricole. This finance will help Fonroche to increase its green portfolio, an expansion plan highlighted by the construction of 20MW of solar greenhouses in France. Read more

IREC Releases U.S. Solar Market Trends Report for 2010

Wednesday, 6.29.2011 - 16:09 (Renewable Energy World)

Thanks to strong consumer demand and financial incentives at the federal and local levels, the U.S. solar market is booming. The Interstate Renewable Energy Council released today the Solar Market Trends report for 2010. Read more

Deutsche Bank?s 7.56MW solar project officially unveiled

Wednesday, 6.29.2011 - 15:34 (PV-Tech)

Deutsche Bank?s 7.56MW solar park in the southeast Italian commune of Torre Santa Susanna has been officially opened. Torre Santa Susanna is one of the largest tracking solar systems in Europe and is powered by 32,202 Sanyo?s HIT solar modules fitted on Ideematec safetrack technology. Read more

UK industrial PV plant goes live; Westcott Solar Park shows potential for solar power in Britain

Wednesday, 6.29.2011 - 14:41 (Solarserver)

A new era for clean energy has dawned in the UK, with the first phase of Westcott Solar Park being switched on, PV project developer Ownergy Plc (London) emphasizes in a press release. Sited on the runway of a former Battle of Britain airfield, the solar photovoltaic (PV) project has been developed by property company Rockspring to provide power to the Westcott Venture Park. Read more

IKEA commissions 573kW PV plant at California store; powers up Solar in West Sacramento

Wednesday, 6.29.2011 - 14:32 (Solarserver)

IKEA, on June 28th, 2011 officially plugged-in the solar photovoltaic (PV) system installed at its store in West Sacramento, California. The 65,000-square-foot PV array, a 573-kW system, consists of approximately 2,548 panels. IKEA West Sacramento?s program will produce approximately 795,500 kWh of clean electricity annually ? the equivalent of reducing 630 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), eliminating the emissions of 109 cars or powering 69 homes yearly, the company announced. Read more

Intersolar EU: Commerzbank analyst, Ben Lynch provides market and pricing snapshot

Wednesday, 6.29.2011 - 13:52 (PV-Tech)

With a meeting schedule to rival ours at Intersolar Europe, 2011 PV-Tech grabbed Commerzbank analyst, Ben Lynch off the show floor to get his insight on current market dynamics and component pricing trends within the PV industry. Read more

AET's 1000 volt solar PV inverter solution receives UL 1741 certification

Wednesday, 6.29.2011 - 12:36 (Solarserver)

On June 27th, 2011, American Electric Technologies Inc. (AET, Houston, Texas, U.S.) announced that its 1MW 1000 volt Integrated Solar Inversion Station (ISIS) has received UL 1741-2010 certification from TÜV Rheinland AG (Cologne, Germany). The company states that 1000 volt designs allow utility-scale photovoltaic (PV) project developers to realize lower costs and higher efficiencies, and thus achieve higher returns on investment. Read more

Special service spots suitable solar sites

Wednesday, 6.29.2011 - 12:36 (Solarpowerportal)

While many are interested in doing their bit for the environment by considering solar power, it’s not always easy to work out whether the chosen site is a suitable one. GeoInformation Group’s solar mapping service enables installers, energy companies, housing associations and local authorities to identify those properties that are south facing, have a roof capable of accommodating a solar panel array and are free from nearby obstructions. Read more

PV on conversion real estates: Wildflecken solar power plant on former military grounds is connected to the German grid

Wednesday, 6.29.2011 - 12:30 (Solarserver)

BELECTRIC Solarkraftwerke GmbH is demonstrating sustainable development of conversion real estate with the official commissioning of the Wildflecken solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant on June 24th, 2011. "This brings the grounds' military history - the army was present here until 1998 - to a close. The site is now designated for sustainable and innovative use," said Alfred Schrenk, mayor of Wildflecken. Read more

Oregon legislature guts state's solar tax credit

Wednesday, 6.29.2011 - 12:21 (Solarserver)

On June 24th, 2011, the Senate in the U.S. state of Oregon passed a bill 26-1 which largely dismantles the state's solar tax credits, including the business energy tax credit (BETC). House Bill 3672, which cuts more than a dozen other state tax credits, has already passed the Oregon House of Representatives 57-2 and will now go to Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber for approval. Read more

Order Focus: GCL places US$193-million order with Meyer Burger

Wednesday, 6.29.2011 - 12:06 (PV-Tech)

Jiangsu GCL Silicon Material Technology Development has placed an order totalling CHF160 million (US$193 million) for Meyer Burger?s wire saws and wafer inspection systems. The equipment, produced by MB Wafertec and Hennecke, will be used to help GCL meet rising demand for its high-grade multi-crystalline solar wafers. Read more

Germany to Substantially Increase Geothermal Feed-in Tariffs

Wednesday, 6.29.2011 - 15:00 (Renewable Energy World)

Germany wants to do for geothermal energy what it has done for wind, solar photovoltaics, and biogas by raising its payment for geothermally-generated electricity in 2012. Read more

Google: Delaying Clean Energy Transition "Only 5 Years Could Leave Trillions on the Table"

Wednesday, 6.29.2011 - 15:38 (Renewable Energy World)

Google, a leader of innovation in the digital economy, says that without a private and public focus on innovation in renewables, storage and electric vehicles, the cost of delaying the clean energy economy could be in the trillions of dollars to the U.S. Read more

Is Romania Getting Serious?

Wednesday, 6.29.2011 - 15:22 (Renewable Energy World)

In Romania, investors in renewable energy sources (RES) may theoretically choose between European Union or national subsidy programs. Read more

Google releases study of clean energy innovation benefits

Wednesday, 6.29.2011 - 13:32 (Solarserver)

Google.org (Mountain View, California, U.S.) has released a study of potential results of investing in clean energy innovation on the U.S. economy and energy system, contrasting benefits with a business as usual approach. "The Impact of Clean Energy Innovation" states that aggressive support of innovation and strong policy support for clean energy could grow the U.S. economy by USD 244 billion per year, and create over 1.9 million new net jobs while reducing total greenhouse gas emissions by 21% by 2030. Read more

Viewpoint: Shaking off Safety Concerns

Wednesday, 6.29.2011 - 11:58 (Renewable Energy World)

The tragic natural disasters that unfolded in Japan in March, and in particular their impact on cooling systems at the Fukushima-Diiachi nuclear installation, have prompted considerable soul-searching by the world's energy policy makers as they wrestle with the challenges of security of energy supply and climate change. Read more

Tianwei New Energy wins module supply contract for CGN?s Qinghai plant

Wednesday, 6.29.2011 - 11:16 (PV-Tech)

Tianwei New Energy has won the right to supply modules to CGN Solar Energy Development?s new Xitieshan solar project. Read more