San Francisco Bay Area credit union unveils two new loan programs for PV installations

Friday, 8.26.2011 - 17:20 (Solarserver)

On August 22nd, 2011, Technology Credit Union (TCU, San Jose, California, U.S.), announced two new loan programs to provide low-cost financing for residential solar photovoltaic (PV) customers. The credit union states that its Solar $mart loans complement its work with the Bay Area Climate Collaborative (San Jose, California, U.S.) on SunShares, a group purchase program for residents of California's San Francisco Bay Area. Read more

Japan Approves National Feed-in Tariff

Friday, 8.26.2011 - 17:00 (Renewable Energy World)

Japan positioned itself as the next large growth market for renewable energy Friday as the upper chamber of parliament approved legislation that will create a national feed-in tariff. Read more

Gehrlicher Ecoluz to build 403 kW PV plant on football stadium in Brazil

Friday, 8.26.2011 - 9:29 (Solarserver)

On August 25th, 2011, Gehrlicher Solar AG (Neustadt B. Coburg, Germany) announced that joint venture Gehrlicher Ecoluz Solar do Brasil S.A. has been awarded a contract to build 403 kW of solar photovoltaic (PV) generation on a football stadium in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil. Gehrlicher states that the contract by Companhia de Eletricidade do Estado da Bahia (Coelba, Salvador da Bahia, Brazil) is the first contract for a PV facility on a football stadium in Latin America. The project will utilize both thin film and crystalline silicon PV modules. Read more

Foster Wheeler to supply steam generators for two Spanish CSP plants

Friday, 8.26.2011 - 17:22 (Solarserver)

On August 24th, 2011, Foster Wheeler AG (Zug, Switzerland) announced that a subsidiary has been awarded contracts to supply steam generator systems for two concentrating solar power (CSP) plants in Spain. The company will supply steam generating components for the 50 MW Olivenza Solar Thermal Power Plant in Olivenza, Spain, and the 50 MW La Africana Solar Thermal Power Plant in Fuente Palmera, Spain. Read more

Rough Patch for Owners of Solar Stocks

Friday, 8.26.2011 - 16:18 (Renewable Energy World)

This sector defines investment risk. Not only has Evergreen Solar, Inc. [ESLR] filed for bankruptcy, investors in another high visibility solar developer have been saddled with a 72 percent loss over the last week. Read more

Hanwha Group forms exclusive partnership with Hamburger SV

Friday, 8.26.2011 - 16:07 (PV-Tech)

Hanwha Group has signed an exclusive partnership with Hamburger SV. Under the terms of the two-year exclusive partnership, Hanwha will carry out a wide range of advertising campaigns in Hamburg?s Imtech Arena and was also granted naming rights for the club?s pre-season tournament, the Hanwha Solar Cup. Read more

Bolton Wanderers sign one-year partnership with Hanwha Group

Friday, 8.26.2011 - 11:31 (Solarpowerportal)

Adding to the list of UK footballs clubs to gather solar support, Bolton Wanderers have signed a one-year partnership with Hanwha Group. The agreement will grant Hanwha billboard and video advertising space during home games at Bolton’s Reebok Stadium. Read more

Kakodkar to lead all Indian solar projects

Friday, 8.26.2011 - 11:22 (PV-Tech)

According to The Hindu Business Line, the role of chairman for India?s National Solar Energy Company is to be filled by Dr Anil Kakodkar, former chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission. Read more

Brazilian football stadium installs 403kWp solar array

Friday, 8.26.2011 - 9:58 (PV-Tech)

On September 9, 2009 the Estádio de Pituaçu in Salvador, achieved a notable first as it played host to its first international, a 2010 World Cup qualifier between Brazil and Chile. Nearly two years later it is set to achieve another first by becoming the first football stadium in Latin America to install solar panels. Read more

Hanwha SolarOne reports falling revenues, margins, net loss in 2Q 2011

Friday, 8.26.2011 - 8:30 (Solarserver)

On August 24th, 2011, Hanwha SolarOne Company, Ltd. (Shanghai, China) reported unaudited financial results for the second quarter of 2011, reporting an 18% sequential decrease in revenues to USD 277 million, decreased shipments, a negative operating margin, and a net loss of USD 10 million. The company's shipments decreased 17% quarter-to-quarter to 206 MW, and its operating margin fell during the quarter from 11.6% to -1.8%, another casualty of industry-wide collapses in PV prices. Despite these difficulties, Hanwha SolarOne is continuing a major manufacturing capacity expansion. Read more

PV Equipment manufacturing: GT Advanced Technologies acquires Confluence Solar

Friday, 8.26.2011 - 8:22 (Solarserver)

On August 24th, 2011, GT Advanced Technologies, Inc. (Merrimack, New Hampshire, U.S.) announced that it has purchased Confluence Solar Inc. (Hazelwood, Missouri, U.S.) for USD 60 million in cash and USD 20 million payable upon the achievement of certain financial and technical milestones. Confluence Solar has developed a continuous-feed Czochralski (CCz) growth technology, which GT states enables the production of high efficiency monocrystalline solar ingots. Read more

DOI approves transmission to connect 250 MW California PV plant to grid

Friday, 8.26.2011 - 8:11 (Solarserver)

On August 25th, 2011, the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) approved a transmission line on public lands that will connect the 250 MW Imperial Solar Energy Center West plant to the electricity grid in Southern California. The 230 kV transmission line will be located above-ground and will carry electricity five miles to the existing Imperial Valley Substation. The project will be located on 26 hectares of public land. Read more

REC to continue shutdown of Norwegian manufacturing plants through end of 2011

Friday, 8.26.2011 - 1:18 (PV-Tech)

According to a report by Bloomberg, Renewable Energy Corporation (REC), advised that it was extending the shutdown of its production plants in Norway until the end of 2011. The company is going through what many other European solar companies have encountered: a lower demand for wafers and cells, which has yet to regain its foothold. Read more

Daqo New Energy to more than double polysilicon capacity to 9,000MT

Friday, 8.26.2011 - 19:36 (PV-Tech)

China-based Daqo New Energy has switched production technologies to increase its yield of trichlorosilane (TCS) in response to growing demand. Daqo will adopt hydrochlorination technology for the conversion of silicon tetrachloride (STC) into TCS at its Wanzhou polysilicon manufacturing facility, which will grow its polysilicon output from 4,300MT to 9,000MT per annum. Read more

Recent Surge in Green M&A Deals

Friday, 8.26.2011 - 15:06 (Renewable Energy World)

Merger and acquistion (M&A) activity within the renewable energy sector surged to an increase of over 70 percent throughout 2010 on the 260 deals completed in 2009. According to KPMG's annual review of M&A deals in the sector, this trend has continued in 2011, with a record 141 renewable deals totaling $11.2 billion in value announced in the first quarter of 2011. Iberdrola's pending 20 percent stake bid for Iberdrola Renovables SA is the biggest deal of the year at ?2.6 billion ($3.74 billion), followed by Electricité de France SA's ?1.5 billion ($2.16 billion) bid for EDF Energies Nouvelles SA (50 percent stake). Read more

The Silent Energy [R]evolution 20 Years in the Making

Friday, 8.26.2011 - 15:00 (Renewable Energy World)

The bright future for renewable energy that has long been predicted is already under way. Analysis of the global power plant market shows that since the late 1990s, capacities of wind and solar installations have grown faster than any other power plant technology across the world - with about 430,000 MW total installed capacity between 2000 and 2010. Read more