Agfa Materials and Nano-C Inc. share insights into Material Innovations in Organic Photovoltaics

Wednesday, 7.20.2011 - 22:36 (Renewable Energy World)

Leading up to Organic Photovoltaics 2011, taking place September 20-21 in Philadelphia, PA, Dr. Frank Louwet of AGFA MATERIALS from Belgium and Dr. Henning Richter of NANO-C INC. of the US shared some of their insights into the latest materials innovations. The organizations with the potential to realize the commercial potential of organic photovoltaic technology, including Plextronics, Dyesol, Konarka, NREL and many others will gather at this year's conference to lead a candid and comprehensive discussion of the opportunities and challenges affecting the OPV industry. Read more

Chinese authorities extend review of Meyer Burger's takeover of Roth & Rau

Wednesday, 7.20.2011 - 21:18 (Solarserver)

On July 18th, 2011, Meyer Burger Technology Ltd. (Baar, Switzerland) announced that anti-trust authorities in the Chinese Ministry of Commerce will extend the process of reviewing the company's acquisition of Roth & Rau AG (Hohenstein-Ernstthal, Germany). Anti-trust approval by Chinese authorities is the last step to complete Meyer Burger's acquisition of Roth & Rau through a public tender offer. Read more

Alexander & Baldwin, KIUC to build 6MW PV plant in Hawaii

Wednesday, 7.20.2011 - 21:13 (Solarserver)

On July 18th, 2011, Alexander & Baldwin Inc. (A&B, Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.) and Kaua'i Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC, Lihue, Hawaii, U.S.) jointly announced plans to build a 6MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant on the south shore of the island of Kaua'i, Hawaii. The project will include a battery energy storage system installed by KIUC at the point of connection to the grid. A subsidiary of A&B will develop the plant and sell the electricity it generates to KIUC under a fixed-rate, 20-year power purchase agreement. Read more

Webinar - CSP and PV: Balancing Competition and Opportunity

Wednesday, 7.20.2011 - 13:13 (Renewable Energy World)

CSP Today has announced that registration is now open for the Free Webinar: "CSP and PV: Balancing Competition and Opportunity" which will compare the prospects for Concentrated Solar Thermal Power with those for traditional Photovoltaics and the implications of co-existence. This interactive event will be held on Thursday, 28th July at 16:00 Central European Time (CET) and it is open to the whole solar community. Read more

U.S. Export-Import Bank loans USD 25.2 million to support U.S. thin film PV exports to India

Wednesday, 7.20.2011 - 12:17 (Solarserver)

On July 18th, 2011, the Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im Bank) of the United States announced that it will supply USD 25.2 million in long-term loans to support solar photovoltaic (PV) exports from First Solar Inc. (Tempe, Arizona, U.S.) and Abound Solar Inc. (Loveland, Colorado, U.S.) to Indian companies. Ex-Im Bank Chairman and President Fred Hochberg announced the loans during a business development mission in India, where he attended a U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue headed by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Read more

Applied Nanotech signs licensing agreement with YHCC for its solar ink and paste technology

Wednesday, 7.20.2011 - 23:49 (PV-Tech)

Applied Nanotech Holdings and Chinese company YHCC signed a licensing agreement for Applied Nanotech?s solar ink and paste technology. The announcement is the first license agreement between the two companies after they entered into a strategic relationship in February. Read more

Pyron Solar expands technical management team with new CTO and chief engineer

Wednesday, 7.20.2011 - 23:23 (PV-Tech)

Duncan Earl and Joe Bentley have officially joined the Pyron Solar technical management team as CTO and chief engineer, respectively. The company advised that as it prepares to launch its technology into commercialization, Earl and Bentley?s presence and past experience will help launch the company into its next dimension. Read more

REgeneration Finance announces development of 3.26MW PV system at Arizona school district

Wednesday, 7.20.2011 - 22:30 (PV-Tech)

The Buckeye Elementary School District in Buckeye, Arizona saw the initiation of a 3.26MW solar PV installation earlier this month thanks to a PPA deal with Regeneration Finance. Construction at the district?s seven project sites, which include six schools and one district office, is being performed by GV Enterprises, CORE Construction and solar consultant Natural Power & Energy. Inverters for the project will be provided by locally operated Power-One. Read more

Gruppo Clavijo completes 33MW solar project in the south of France

Wednesday, 7.20.2011 - 21:59 (PV-Tech)

Spanish-based Gruppo Clavijo has commissioned a fixed structure, 33MW PV solar farm in Curbans, France. Installed on just over 321 acres of land in the south of France region, the ?80 million investment is expected to supply 30,000 residents with energy. Read more

SunMaxx Solar Participates in Intersolar 2011

Wednesday, 7.20.2011 - 21:34 (Renewable Energy World)

Intersolar San Francisco a wealth of ideas, information and discussion. Read more

CPS to add 400MW of electricity from solar

Wednesday, 7.20.2011 - 21:07 (Solarserver)

On July 18th, 2011, the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA, Washington D.C., U.S.) praised a statement by CPS Energy's (San Antonio, Texas, U.S.) that it will seek up to 400MW of electricity from solar sources, rather than the 50MW it solicited earlier in 2011. SEPA states that CPS Energy's decision was driven by the low prices that the utility received in response to its earlier solicitation. Read more

Wagner Solar extends module distribution contract with ET Solar

Wednesday, 7.20.2011 - 18:07 (PV-Tech)

Wagner Solar UK has signed an agreement to distribute 4.2MW of ET Solar modules in the second half of 2011. Read more

4 Major U.S. Projects Get Federal Approval

Wednesday, 7.20.2011 - 17:58 (Renewable Energy World)

U..S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar recently announced the approval of four new projects on public lands, the launch of environmental reviews on three others, and the next step in a comprehensive environmental analysis to identify 'solar energy zones' on public lands in six western states. Read more

ET Solar signs 4.2MW deal with Wagner Solar

Wednesday, 7.20.2011 - 17:12 (Solarpowerportal)

Under a new solar module supply deal, Wagner Solar UK will distribute 4.2MW of ET Solar modules during the second half of 2011. Wagner has been procuring PV modules from ET Solar for more than a year. Read more

Kyocera, SJC launch solar powered shelter in Japan

Wednesday, 7.20.2011 - 16:50 (PV-Tech)

Japan and cutting-edge technology have long gone hand in hand and therefore it is no surprise that Kyocera?s latest solar innovation, the Eco-Shell, is being launched in the Land of the Rising Sun. Read more

LDK?s audit committee chairman resigns; shares hit lowest mark so far this year

Wednesday, 7.20.2011 - 15:04 (PV-Tech)

LDK Solar?s audit committee chairman, Louis Tung-jung Hsieh, resigned his post yesterday for personal reasons, it has been revealed. Mr. Hsieh will be replaced by independent director Maurice Wai-fung Ngai, while Bing Xiang will step into the role of acting chairman of the audit committee of the LDK board in preparation for Mr. Ngai?s assumption of the chairman role. LDK Solar?s shares have sunk by close to 7% following news of the resignation. Read more

Solar Companies Getting Beat Up by Falling Prices

Wednesday, 7.20.2011 - 15:02 (Renewable Energy World)

Many public solar companies will soon be reporting their second-quarter earnings, and they will likely have some painful stories to tell. Read more

Solar Companies Getting Beaten Up by Falling Prices

Wednesday, 7.20.2011 - 15:02 (Renewable Energy World)

Many public solar companies will soon be reporting their second-quarter earnings, and they will likely have some painful stories to tell. Read more

Beyond Capacity: Why Italy Changed Its PV Strategy

Wednesday, 7.20.2011 - 15:00 (Renewable Energy World)

Reducing costs is essential to achieving broad acceptance of solar energy and lessening dependence on fossil fuels. However, the latest episode in Italy's PV incentives drama has proven that grid parity alone is not enough to drive widespread adoption. Read more

Order Focus: LDK Solar to supply juwi with 15MW of modules

Wednesday, 7.20.2011 - 14:29 (PV-Tech)

LDK Solar has signed a 15MW multicrystalline module supply agreement with juwi Solar. The contract will see LDK deliver the modules to juwi between August and November 2011, to be used in one of juwi?s PV installations. juwi also has the option of requesting the delivery of a further 15MW of modules within this time period. Read more

Another 4.89MW solar project beats the FiT cuts

Wednesday, 7.20.2011 - 14:04 (Solarpowerportal)

Overcoming the constraints of the fast-track review once more, Lark Energy has this week completed its second large-scale solar park in the UK. Following the successful commissioning of the 4.89MWp Hawton solar farm, the1MWp project at Marston, near Grantham in Lincolnshire, is now generating solar energy for... Read more

MCG Management Capital buys Q-Cells? 12MW Zerbst II solar system

Wednesday, 7.20.2011 - 13:29 (PV-Tech)

Q-Cells SE has sold its recently-completed 12MW Zerbst II solar power plant to the Berlin investment group MCG Management Capital. The system, which is situated on the site of a former military air base, took just six weeks to complete and makes up one-fifth of a huge 46MW solar park. Read more

Phoenix Solar to build 24MW of French PV plants

Wednesday, 7.20.2011 - 12:05 (Solarserver)

On July 19th, 2011 Phoenix Solar AG (Sulzemoos, Germany) announced that it has been commissioned by Akuo Energy (Paris, France) to provide engineering, procurement and contracting (EPC) services for the construction of two 12MW solar photovoltaic (PV) power plants in France. Work on the two plants, which will be located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, is scheduled to begin during the summer of 2011. The companies plan to complete the plants by the end of 2011 and commission them in 2012. Read more

SJC, Kyocera develop multi-purpose solar power shelter

Wednesday, 7.20.2011 - 11:50 (Solarserver)

On July 19th, 2011 Sekisui Jushi Corporation (SJC, Osaka, Japan) and Kyocera Corporation (Kyoto, Japan) announced the development of a multi-purpose shelter which uses solar photovoltaic (PV) modules for a roofing system and LEDs for lighting. The Eco-Shell will go on sale from July 20th, 2011, exclusively in the Japanese market, targeting municipalities and private companies. Read more

Munich Re, KKR team up to buy 49% equity stake in Grupo T-Solar

Wednesday, 7.20.2011 - 0:02 (PV-Tech)

Insurance group Munich Re, through its asset management division MEAG, and investment firm Kohlberg, Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR), partnered up to buy a 49% equity stake in the existing operating assets of Grupo T-Solar, which holds a total capex to date for the assets of ?1.073 million. In the acquisition, MEAG and KKR obtained 34 PV plants located in Spain and 8 PV plants located in Italy, which were stated to hold a collective installed capacity of 168MW and a generation capacity of more than 250GWh per year. Read more

Get the Hot Stories on Biomass Conversion from Those Who Know

Wednesday, 7.20.2011 - 22:20 (Renewable Energy World)

As a premier forum for international technology exchange, tcbiomass2011 is all about getting experts together, sharing experiences and advancing solutions for thermochemical bioenergy production. We have a terrific slate of plenary presenters from government and industry who will describe the value proposition for bioenergy technologies. Foremost experts in the fields of gasification, pretreatment, pyrolysis, and upgrading provide a program that will present the latest research and deployment results which are turning concepts into reality. Read more

POET to show how cellulosic ethanol technology can expand quickly after commercialization

Wednesday, 7.20.2011 - 16:34 (Renewable Energy World)

Even as POET takes its first cellulosic ethanol plant to commercial scale, the company has its eyes on the bigger picture of what this new industry can mean for the United States and how POET will play a role in fulfilling that potential. Read more

Putting Damaged Land To Good Use

Wednesday, 7.20.2011 - 17:42 (Renewable Energy World)

I was reading an article recently about mountaintop removal (MTR) coal mining and got to thinking: How many square miles have been cleared in Kentucky for MTR? And, if we covered that space with photovoltaic (PV) solar panels, how much electricity in kilowatt-hours (kWh) would be produced? Would it be enough to match the electricity consumed in Kentucky each year? Read more

REC ASA reports losses, second quarter of declining revenues in 2Q 2011

Wednesday, 7.20.2011 - 21:26 (Solarserver)

On July 19th, 2011, Renewable Energy Corporation ASA (REC, Sandvika, Norway) issued its second quarter 2011 financial and operational results, reporting a 17% sequential decrease in revenues to USD 617 million, its second quarter of falling revenues. The company managed to maintain a strong EBITDA margin of 26% due to 1.18 billion in impairment of Norwegian assets, however, the company reported a USD 1.14 billion loss before tax from continuing operations. Read more

Green Stock Experts: Too Soon to Call a Bottom

Wednesday, 7.20.2011 - 17:06 (Renewable Energy World)

Last month, I wrote that I'm again finding clean energy stocks that I think are bargains, and listed 10. I was not ready to call a bottom for clean energy, and in fact said I expected the market to get worse before it gets better, so investors should keep some money on the sidelines to wait for more opportunities to emerge. Read more

Hawaii's first National Green Building Standards GOLD home

Wednesday, 7.20.2011 - 13:09 (Renewable Energy World)

www.mokuluawoodworking.com and www.RevoluSun.com and www.ArchipelegoHawaii.com ? The greenest home in Hawaii, designed by Archipelago Hawaii and built by Mokulua Woodworking Ltd., is open to the public on July 30 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 45-610 Huinawai Place in Kaneohe. Visitors to the open house can learn firsthand about the many green design and construction options implemented during this project that includes a custom photovoltaic system designed and installed by RevoluSun. This home has been awarded the National Green Building Standards GOLD level by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) a first for any home in Hawaii. Mokulua Woodworking partnered with Read more

Pike Research: USD 122 billion to be invested in energy storage over next decade

Wednesday, 7.20.2011 - 11:53 (Solarserver)

On July 18th, Pike Research LLC (Boulder, Colorado, U.S.) announced the release of a new report which estimates that global investments in energy storage will total USD 122 billion between 2011 and 2021. "Energy Storage on the Grid" concludes that pumped hydro and flow batteries will represent the largest revenue opportunities over this time period. The report also mentions lithium ion batteries, sodium sulphur batteries and compressed air storage as "key" technologies that will be utilized. Read more