nTact, Holst Centre partner to develop technologies for roll-to-roll manufacturing of OPV, OLED lighting

Friday, 9.23.2011 - 13:39 (Solarserver)

On September 20th, 2011, nTact (Dallas, Texas, U.S.) and Holst Centre (Eindhoven, The Netherlands), announced a joint research effort with Holst Centre partners to develop technologies for patterned deposition of homogeneous film layers on flexible foils. The organizations state that such layers are needed for large-scale manufacturing of flexible OLED lighting and organic photovoltaics (OPV) using roll-to-roll manufacturing processes. Read more

PV manufacturing equipment: SEMI reports PV equipment book-to-bill ratio decline to 0.88 in 2Q 2011

Friday, 9.23.2011 - 13:33 (Solarserver)

On September 21st, 2011, SEMI (San Jose, California, U.S.) reported that the book-to-bill ratio for the solar photovoltaic (PV) equipment industry fell to 0.88 in the second quarter of 2011, the first time that billing has exceeded new orders in six quarters. The organization's "Worldwide Photovoltaic Equipment Market Statistics Report" states that bookings fell 18% from first quarter of 2011 to USD 1.79 billion during the quarter, the lowest level in five quarters. Read more

Magnolia Solar to present update on development of its high-efficiency, thin-film solar cell

Friday, 9.23.2011 - 0:33 (PV-Tech)

Magnolia Solar will be updating the scientific community of its results towards the development of a high-efficiency, thin-film solar cell during the 22nd Space Photovoltaic Research and Technology (SPRAT) Conference in Cleveland, Ohio on September 22. Magnolia was working under the Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) with Kopin Corporation and MicroLink Devices. Dr. Roger Welser, CTO of Magnolia will present the latest technical results in his ?Thin-Film Quantum Well Waveguide Solar Cells,? presentation at the SPRAT conference. Read more

Everphoton?s HCPV module reaches conversion efficiency over 32%

Friday, 9.23.2011 - 0:14 (PV-Tech)

Everphoton Energy has stated that its high concentration photovoltaic (HCPV) Paiwan II module has reached a conversion efficiency of 32.02%, which was confirmed by the Institute of Nuclear Energy Research (INER), the national research unit for the technology of HCPV under the Executive Yuan, Taiwan. Testing on the module was conducted indoors using the Helios 3198 module simulator with controlled factors such as temperature and humidity. Read more

Counting down to UK?s number one solar event

Friday, 9.23.2011 - 17:57 (Solarpowerportal)

With just over four weeks to go, the countdown has begun to the largest gathering of solar professionals the UK has ever seen. From October 26-28, the ICC Birmingham will open its doors to a representative of every sector in the solar industry. Read more

REAL offers tips for avoiding solar panel cowboys

Friday, 9.23.2011 - 17:01 (Solarpowerportal)

With household energy bills on the rise and an increasing awareness about the importance of adopting green technologies, there is currently a huge interest in the residential solar market. And thanks to the government’s PV feed-in tariff scheme homeowners now have the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. Read more

Installed Cost of Solar PV Systems in the U.S. Declined: DOE Lab Report

Friday, 9.23.2011 - 15:00 (Renewable Energy World)

The installed cost of solar photovoltaic (PV) power systems in the United States fell substantially in 2010 and into the first half of 2011, according to a report released on September 15 by DOE's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). The average installed cost of residential and commercial PV systems completed in 2010 fell by roughly 17 percent from 2009, and by an additional 11 percent within the first six months of 2011. Read more

The Question Day 9: How Can the U.S. Solar Industry Meet Expectations?

Friday, 9.23.2011 - 15:00 (Renewable Energy World)

RenewableEnergyWorld asked solar executives and our social media community to lend their voices and define what three strategies they think will lead to a thriving solar industry. Answers were varied, and many valid opinions were brought to light. Responses will be updated here daily, and feel free to look at previous insights by clicking on the page links below. Read more

FiT will create 10,000 renewable jobs by next year, claims Engensa

Friday, 9.23.2011 - 14:39 (Solarpowerportal)

The UK feed-in tariff will create 10,000 jobs in the renewable sector by the start of next year, according to new analysis from Engensa. The residential solar installer also believes that, if the tariff is kept at its current rate, it will give rise to a further 50,000 jobs by 2015. Read more

SunEdison?s 53.5MW multi-site PV project wins over US$200 million funding from Wells Fargo

Friday, 9.23.2011 - 14:23 (PV-Tech)

SunEdison?s 53.5MW multi-site solar PV project in New Mexico looks set for completion by the end of this year, and has been buoyed by the news that it has secured financing of over US$200 millions from financier Wells Fargo. MEMC subsidiary company SunEdison has now activated three of the five power plants that together make up the 53.5MW total, and the remaining two plants are scheduled for completion before year?s end. Read more

Hanwha SolarOne raises US$100 million for continued expansion plans

Friday, 9.23.2011 - 13:52 (PV-Tech)

Vertically integrated module manufacturer Hanwha SolarOne has received a five-year loan led by Standard Chartered Bank and Korea Development Bank worth US$100 million. Hanwha SolarOne has ambitious near-term plans to become a top 5 PV manufacturer. The funds were said to be used for its continued business expansion plans. Read more

PV production technology: Meyer Burger supplies lamination lines to Chinese PV producer ZNShine Solar

Friday, 9.23.2011 - 13:40 (Solarserver)

Meyer Burger (Baar, Switzerland) has won an order to supply ZNShine Solar, a member of the ZNShine Group in China, with new lamination lines for their Chinese PV panel production facilities. 3S Modultec, the technology specialist for innovative lamination systems for photovoltaics (PV) and a member of the Meyer Burger Group, will supply ZNShine Solar with new lamination lines to replace existing laminators currently in use in their Chinese production facilities. Read more

Chinese PV producer Hanwha SolarOne obtains USD 100 Million term loan led by Standard Chartered Bank and Korea Development Bank

Friday, 9.23.2011 - 13:39 (Solarserver)

Hanwha SolarOne Co., Ltd. (Shanghai, China) on September 22nd, 2011 announced it has obtained a five-year loan in an amount of USD100 million, led by Standard Chartered Bank and Korea Development Bank. The agreement provides for loans in USD. Read more

St. Louis Housing Authority installs 617 kW solar PV system

Friday, 9.23.2011 - 13:39 (Solarserver)

In September 2011, the St. Louis Housing Authority (St. Louis, MO) announced that it has completed a 617-kW solar PV project to power its administrative building and four affordable housing complexes. The PV system, which is designed, installed and engineered by Real Goods Solar, is expected to reduce the complexes' common area electricity use by over 75% on average and the authority's electricity use by 15%. Read more

SCHOTT introduces new CSP receivers with greater thermal absorption

Friday, 9.23.2011 - 13:31 (Solarserver)

SCHOTT Solar AG (Mainz, Germany) unveiled a new design for concentrating solar power (CSP) receivers with an increased thermal absorption at the Solarpaces conference in Granada, Spain September 20-23rd, 2011. The company states that new coatings used in its SCHOTT PTR 70 receiver increase its absorption rate to over 95.5%, while reducing the emission level of the heat radiation to under 9.5%. Read more

DOE awards SolarTech USD 2.5 million to develop process innovation platform

Friday, 9.23.2011 - 13:29 (Solarserver)

On September 20th, 2011, SolarTech (San Jose, California, U.S.) announced that it has been awarded USD 2.5 million by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to develop a platform for the standardization of local land use, zoning code ordinances, permitting processes and interconnection rules for distributed solar photovoltaics (PV). The DOE intends to apply SolarTech's "Solar3.0 - A National Platform for Process Innovation to Deliver PV" on the national level, with a goal to achieve a 50% reduction in non-hardware BOS costs across 90% of the U.S. solar market in targeted communities by 2014. Read more

Canadian Solar supplies 5.1MW of modules for Eosol?s La Genetouze, France plant

Friday, 9.23.2011 - 13:22 (PV-Tech)

Continuing the steady relationship with Canadian Solar as module supplier, Eosol Energie Nouvelles has placed an order for 5.1MW of Canadian Solar?s modules for use in its ground-mounted solar plant in La Genetouze, south-west France. Eosol has used the company?s solar modules to equip over 16MW of solar power plants in France to date. Read more

CNPV?s modules receive 2PFG and IEC 61701 certification for ammonia and salt mist resistance

Friday, 9.23.2011 - 12:51 (PV-Tech)

CNPV Solar Power has added to its list of product certifications with the news that it has passed external, independent testing and certification for ammonia and salt mist corrosion resistance to the 2PFG and IEC 61701 standards. The company has already gained TÜV Rheinland certification for similar environmental conditions. Read more

Florida?s largest privately-owned PV plant growing; BlueChip Energy announces expansion of Sorrento Solar Farm up to 120 MW

Friday, 9.23.2011 - 11:01 (Solarserver)

BlueChip Energy, LLC (BCE, Lake Mary, FL), a fully integrated solar energy provider for utility, commercial and residential applications, on September 20th, 2011 announced the planned expansion of Sorrento Solar Farm to 120 megawatts (MW). Already the State of Florida?s largest solar photovoltaic (PV) farm, expansion plans for the project will add an additional 300 acres to the original site, bringing the overall size from 40 MW to 120 MW ? triple the 50 MW of utility-scale solar projects currently in operation and eclipsing the 115 MW of pre-operational projects in the state. Read more

Topaz Solar Farm to miss DOE loan guarantee deadline

Friday, 9.23.2011 - 9:01 (Solarserver)

On September 22nd, 2011, First Solar Inc. (Tempe, Arizona, U.S.) announced that its 550 MW Topaz Solar Farm will not meet a statutory deadline to receive a loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The company further states that it is in "advanced" talks regarding the sale and financing of the solar photovoltaic (PV) plant with potential buyers utilizing a different transaction structure that does not require the backing of a DOE loan guarantee. Read more

POET Closes on DOE Loan for Cellulosic Ethanol Plant

Friday, 9.23.2011 - 22:17 (Renewable Energy World)

The U.S. Department of Energy gave final approval Friday for a $105 million loan guarantee for the construction of POET's Project Liberty, a 25 million-gallon-per-year cellulosic ethanol plant in Emmetsburg, Iowa. Read more

1,000 Households, 10 Schools, 10,000 Individuals: Electrifying Schools and Villages in India

Friday, 9.23.2011 - 17:09 (Renewable Energy World)

In India, according to the World Bank, approximately 400 million people are without access to reliable electricity and an estimated 100,000 villages are without access to the national grid and receive no electricity. In these cases, the use of coal, kerosene, and other "dirty" fuel sources for power, cooking, and lighting provide energy with intermittent quality and reliability, as well as serious health and environmental concerns. Read more

What is Environmentalism, Anyway?

Friday, 9.23.2011 - 16:41 (Renewable Energy World)

One Saturday in August, I took my kids to a wonderful outdoor science center in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire. The center is a place where visitors can learn about animals native to the area. I was impressed that the center uses solar hot water in its bathrooms and explains how it works through an informational sign right at the faucet. I also appreciated that the center has a display about climate change. I like it that visitors who come to learn about animals are also taught about renewable energy and climate change. But it got me thinking further about a topic that we discuss in the newsroom a lot: environmental protection and renewables. For the most part, if you Read more

Indianapolis Airport chooses ET Energy Solutions to develop 10MW-AC PV plant

Friday, 9.23.2011 - 13:27 (Solarserver)

On September 20th, 2011, the Indianapolis Airport Authority (IAA, Indianapolis) announced that it has selected joint venture ET Energy Solutions LLC (Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.) to develop a 10MW-AC solar photovoltaic (PV) plant on Indianapolis International Airport property. ET Energy will finance, design, construct and operate the plant, which will be eligible to participate in a pilot feed-in tariff program through utility Indianapolis Power and Light Company (IPL, Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.). Read more