Concentrating photovoltaics in Italy: OPEL, LIMEN to build two 1 MW HCPV plants in Sicily

Monday, 8.1.2011 - 17:43 (Solarserver)

On July 27th, 2011, OPEL Solar International Inc. (Toronto, Canada) announced that it has signed an agreement to supply two 1 MW high concentrating solar photovoltaic (HCPV) plants, to be installed in Sicily. OPEL will begin delivery of its Mk-I systems in late 2011, and the company states that it will work closely with LIMEN SA (Geneva, Switzerland) for the preparation, construction and commissioning of the plants. Read more

Photovoltaic manufacturing equipment provider Spire expands its Advanced Technology Center Lab

Monday, 8.1.2011 - 17:42 (Solarserver)

On July 28th, 2011, Spire Corporation (Bedford, Massachusetts, U.S.) announced that it has begun expansion of its Advanced Technology Center (ATC) Lab at its corporate headquarters in Bedford, Massachusetts. The company is adding new equipment to the ATC lab for customer evaluation and factory training, including a new Spi-Assembler 8000, an electroluminescence crack detection system, a Spi-EL Tester, and a Spi-Sun Simulator 4600A. Read more

Ferro sees weaker gross profits because of reduced solar-cell paste demand

Monday, 8.1.2011 - 23:50 (PV-Tech)

Materials supplier Ferro reported net sales of $594 million for the three-month period ended June 30, an increase of 9% from a year ago, with net income reaching $20 million, well up from $8 million in the prior-year quarter. But declines in gross profit and a drop in income from the company?s electronic materials segment, which includes its solar cell conductive ink and paste business, were attributed to what Ferro called ?reduced customer demand resulting from excess inventory of completed solar power modules.? Read more

Soon-to-be-completed 600KW PV system said to be largest commercial rooftop array on Maui

Monday, 8.1.2011 - 23:25 (PV-Tech)

A pizza restaurant, tattoo parlor, gift shop, fish market, and storage facility will be among those businesses getting much of their power supply from a 600KW rooftop solar PV array under construction in Honokowai, Maui, Hawaii. The array, said to be the largest commercial system on the island, will generate up to 2880KWh daily for the AAAAA Rent-A-Space center. Read more

RTR Group acquires 78MW of Italian solar PV power plants from Terna

Monday, 8.1.2011 - 21:19 (PV-Tech)

Italian solar power generator RTR Group has acquired 10 photovoltaic plants from Terna, the operator and principal owner of Italy?s high-voltage grid. The acquisition will add up to 78MW to RTR?s installed capacity, bringing the total to 241MW. The largest plants in the new portfolio, which are under construction, are located in Emilia Romagna (Alfonsine), Lazio (Lanuvio), and Puglia (Troia and Deliceto). Read more

Innergex closes CAN$117 million project financing for 27MW (AC) Stardale PV project in Ontario

Monday, 8.1.2011 - 20:56 (PV-Tech)

Innergex Renewable Energy has closed the CAN$117.3 million nonrecourse project financing for its Stardale solar project in East-Hawkesbury, Ontario, Canada. The company said the financing consists of a total facility of CAN$117.3 million (including a CAN$5.6 million facility for the issuance of a letter of credit) to fund the construction costs of the project. The 27MW (AC) project is under construction and should be completed in Q1 2012. Read more

Gerhlicher Solar commissions 5 MW U.K. PV plant

Monday, 8.1.2011 - 17:43 (Solarserver)

Gehrlicher Solar AG (Dornach near Munich, Germany) has announced that its U.K. subsidiary has completed a 5 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant in Plymouth, England in collaboration with developer Carlton Power Ltd. (Middlesbrough, U.K.). The companies commissioned the plant, which occupies 14 hectares as part of the Langage Energy Park, on July 15th, 2011. The plant is one of a number that has been completed before cuts to the nation's feed-in tariff take effect in August 2011. Read more

BKS Energy complete Isle of Wight solar farm

Monday, 8.1.2011 - 16:35 (Solarpowerportal)

BKS Energy successfully completed the 320kW solar farm just days ahead of the feed-in tariff alterations. Working together with the Isle of Wight Planning department and Scottish and Southern Electric, the company was able to finalise the project despite the uncertainty caused by the Fast-Track Review. Read more

Tata BP Solar commissions 1MW PV power plant in India

Monday, 8.1.2011 - 16:24 (PV-Tech)

A 1MW PV power plant, using 4,400, 230 Watt crystalline silicon modules has been installed and commissioned by Tata BP Solar India, which is administered by IREDA under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) in Maharashtra. Tata BP was the EPC contractor and plans to provide maintenance for the plant for the first 10 years. The PV plant is said to be owned and developed by Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana Ltd (BASSKL), Arvindnagar, Osmanabad in Maharashtra. Read more

Are the Declines in Solar and Wind Stocks Structural or Cyclical?

Monday, 8.1.2011 - 15:44 (Renewable Energy World)

Last week, I asked three green money managers if they thought cleantech stocks, especially solar and wind sectors, were near a bottom. While they did tell me about eight cleantech value stocks, they were not ready to call the bottom. Read more

Solar Frontier?s 900MW CIS thin film plant reaches commercial operational status

Monday, 8.1.2011 - 15:31 (PV-Tech)

Despite reports that Solar Frontier?s 900MW, CIS thin film production plant in Miyazaki, Japan has reached full capacity the company has said nothing of the sort. What Solar Frontier has said is that all production lines are now commercially operational having started its production ramp earlier this year. The Kunitomi Plant was said to be ?on track to reach its targeted annual capacity of 900MW as average module output continues to increase, without giving a timeline. The Kunitomi Plant is said to be Japan?s largest solar module production facility, as well as the largest CIS factory in the world. Read more

China?s NDRC sets improved pricing for solar projects

Monday, 8.1.2011 - 13:52 (PV-Tech)

The National Development and Reform Commission in China, has set new feed-in tariffs for both open and non-competitive PV project tenders that are above those previously accepted in the last bidding process. According to reports, electricity grid operators will pay solar developers 1.15 yuan (US$0.18 cents) per kilowatt-hour on projects approved before July 1, 2011 or be completed by the end of 2011. Pricing of at 1 yuan per kilowatt-hour will be paid on projects approved after July 1st. Read more

PV manufacturing: All production lines operational at Solar Frontier's Kunitomi plant

Monday, 8.1.2011 - 13:43 (Solarserver)

On July 29th, 2011, Solar Frontier K.K. (Tokyo, Japan) announced that all production lines at its Kunitomi manufacturing facility in Miyazaki, Japan have reached commercial operation. The Kunitomi plant produces Solar Frontier's copper indium selenium (CIS) solar photovoltaic (PV) modules, and the company says that the factory is on track to reach a targeted annual capacity of 900 MW. Read more

Phoenix Solar Singapore extends reach to India; Two contracts of one MWp PV capacity each in Tamil Nadu and Gujarat states

Monday, 8.1.2011 - 13:42 (Solarserver)

Phoenix Solar Pte Ltd in Singapore, the Asia Pacific subsidiary of Germany-based Phoenix Solar AG, has signed two further contracts in the region, totaling two megawatts peak power (MWp). India?s photovoltaic (PV) market grew by 57 percent to reach approximately 69 MWp in 2010 and the government plans 20 gigawatts of installed photovoltaic capacity by 2022. Read more

Phoenix Solar adds two 1MW PV project contracts in India using thin film technologies

Monday, 8.1.2011 - 12:04 (PV-Tech)

Phoenix Solar has secured two new contracts of one MWp each in Tamil Nadu and Gujarat states, India. The projects were signed with Phoenix Solar Pte Ltd in Singapore, its Asia Pacific subsidiary. Both PV projects will use thin film technologies. Both projects are scheduled to be connected to the grid by 31 December, 2011. Read more

Canadian Solar reaches India in 33MW PV module supply deal for 2011

Monday, 8.1.2011 - 11:28 (PV-Tech)

An India-based solar engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) company, Cirus Solar Systems has secured a 33MW PV module supply deal with Canadian Solar for several key projects that has already seen module shipments starting. The supply deal will last through the fourth quarter of this year. Canadian Solar said that the PV modules would be used in projects undertaken by Cirus Solar Systems for ?of two prominent Indian conglomerates,? without disclosing their identities. Read more

The Path to a Sustainable 'Total Biomass' Advanced Ethanol Industry

Monday, 8.1.2011 - 18:27 (Renewable Energy World)

Demand in the U.S. ethanol market has stagnated at approximately 12 billion gallons a year. This ethanol demand is being met by corn ethanol without exceeding the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) for corn ethanol. Read more

How to Improve Wind Energy Reliability with Cable Standards

Monday, 8.1.2011 - 15:00 (Renewable Energy World)

When it comes to advancing technologies for alternative energy, there are many issues to consider. Those that impact the system's efficiency, reliability and life-cycle cost should be at the top of the priority list. For example, it's important to be sure that the cables specified for the wind farm align with the standards of the larger grid. To specify anything less is short-term thinking that could result in lost revenue due to downtime, expensive repairs and negative publicity. Read more

Two Bills May Lower Hurdles for U.S. Geothermal Industry

Monday, 8.1.2011 - 14:55 (Renewable Energy World)

In a bitter, divided Washington, good ideas sometimes have to wait in line. And they wait. And they wait. Read more

Republicans in U.S. House push legislation to allow more pollution from power plants

Monday, 8.1.2011 - 17:42 (Solarserver)

On July 29th, 2011 the majority Republican Party in the U.S. House of Representatives extended a legislative session to complete 2012 budget bills, including last-minute amendments to the bills to reduce the environmental protection authority of the federal government and its ability to regulate emissions from power plants. While H.R. 2584, the Interior and Environment Appropriations bill, begins by cutting the budget of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency by 18%, the bill now includes 38 "riders". These include an amendment to prevent the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from limiting carbon pollution from power plants and other stationary sources. Read more

Hemlock Semiconductor sold out of polysilicon on an ongoing basis

Monday, 8.1.2011 - 14:07 (Solarserver)

Dow Corning Corporation has announced that its subsidiary Hemlock Semiconductor Group is selling all of the polysilicon it produces, and remains sold-out "for the foreseeable future". The company made this statement in a release on financial results for the second quarter of 2011 on July 28th, 2011. In the report Dow Corning also noted pressure on its profits from rising raw materials and energy prices. Read more

Atlantic Green Power, Invenergy to develop second New Jersey PV project, up to 10 MW

Monday, 8.1.2011 - 13:40 (Solarserver)

On July 28th, 2011, Atlantic Green Power Holding Company (Pleasantville, New Jersey, U.S.) announced that a subsidiary has entered into a project agreement with Invenergy LLC (Chicago, Illinois, U.S.) to develop up to 10 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) plants in southern New Jersey. This deal follows on the April 26th, 2011, arrangement between the two companies to develop up to 18 MW of PV, also in Southern New Jersey. Read more

Constellation Energy completes 4.4 MW PV plant at Denver Airport

Monday, 8.1.2011 - 13:39 (Solarserver)

On July 28th, 2011, Constellation Energy Group Inc. (Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.) announced the completion of a 4.4 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant at the Denver International Airport (DIA) in Denver, Colorado, United States. Constellation Energy built, owns and maintains the plant, and sells the electricity it generates to DIA through a 20-year contract. This is the third large PV project at the airport, which now total more than 8 MW. Read more