DayStar Technologies undertakes second reverse stock split

Tuesday, 4.10.2012 - 18:30 (PV-Tech)

Seriously struggling ?development stage? CIGS thin film firm, DayStar Technologies has conducted its second reverse stock split since trading on the NASDAQ since 2007. The 1-for-7 reverse stock split of its common stock is designed to bolster its share value. DayStar had previously undertaken a reverse stock split in 2010. Read more

Half of "free" PV installers leave UK business after FIT cuts

Tuesday, 4.10.2012 - 17:11 (Solarserver)

On April 5th, 2012, A Shade Greener Ltd. (Sheffield, U.K.) announced the results of a study which finds that of 40 UK installers providing "free" solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, 20 have left the market following cuts to the nation's feed-in tariff (FiT). Of the remaining 20, eight announced that they will continue to provide "free" PV systems at the lower rate, with half of those changing their offer or adding restrictions. The report notes that in addition to a reduction by half to rates for residential PV systems 4kW and smaller, the government has set an even lower rate of GBP 0.168/kWh (USD 0.267/kWh) for companies who own multiple solar installations. Read more

US Energy Department to offer US$9 million to 50 small businesses

Tuesday, 4.10.2012 - 16:57 (PV-Tech)

The US Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy has announced it will offer up to US$9 million to small businesses through the department?s Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs. This initiative has been established to enable 50 enterprises to advance their energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies. Read more

U.S. CIGS PV producer DayStar Technologies announces reverse stock split

Tuesday, 4.10.2012 - 16:49 (Solarserver)

On April 5th, 2012, DayStar Technologies Inc. (Santa Clara, California, U.S.), a developer of solar photovoltaic (PV) products based on Copper indium gallium (di)selenide (CIGS) thin-film deposition technology, announced that its stockholders approved a 1-for-7 reverse stock split of its common stock. The reverse stock split will be effective on April 5th, 2012. Read more

Kyocera to build 70 MW PV plant in southern Japan

Tuesday, 4.10.2012 - 16:26 (Solarserver)

On April 10th, 2012 Kyocera Corporation (Kyoto, Japan), IHI Corporation (Tokyo, Japan) and Mizuho Corporate Bank Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan) announced that they have reached an agreement to construct a 70 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant in Kagoshima City in southern Japan. The companies plan build the PV plant on a 127 hectare site in Kagoshima City, Kagoshima Prefecture, beginning construction in July 2012. Total estimated cost of the plant will be JPY 25 billion (USD 309 million). Read more

Slovakian industry regulator to investigate 1,200 PV plants over fraud allegations

Tuesday, 4.10.2012 - 14:19 (PV-Tech)

The Regulatory Office for Network Industries (ÚRSO) has restarted inspection of Slovakian power plants after receiving information on small and large-scale fraud and unfair practice from several sources. It is alleged the misdemeanors took place during construction and installation of Slovakian power plants. Read more

California Imperial County approves 600 MW of PV plants

Tuesday, 4.10.2012 - 12:54 (Solarserver)

On April 4th, 2012 the Board of Supervisors in Imperial County, California approved three large solar photovoltaic (PV) plants totaling 600 MW, the Mount Signal, Calexico I and Calexico II plants. Each plant has a capacity of 200 MW. A coalition of environmental groups including Natural Resources Defense Council have also expressed support for the plants. Several of these organizations including NRDC filed suit on March 27th, 2012 to stop the Calico concentrating solar power project. Read more

PV manufacturing: Beneq publishes results for its nAERO TCO coating technology, announces high coating growth rate and level of yield

Tuesday, 4.10.2012 - 11:58 (Solarserver)

Beneq Oy (Vantaa, Finland) has published results of the performance of thin-film solar photovoltaic (PV) cells manufactured with TCO glass produced with its nAERO technology. The company states that this proves that the technology is an affordable, practical option for PV cell manufacturers. Researchers from Helmholz-Zentrum (Berlin, Germany) measured the results, which were published at the 10th GPD China Conference in Shanghai, China on March 31st, 2012. Read more

Zentric withdraws from EPC agreement to build a 20 megawatt PV plant in Arizona

Tuesday, 4.10.2012 - 11:43 (Solarserver)

On April 6th, 2012, Zentric Inc. (Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.) announced that its Zentric (HK) Ltd. subsidiary has withdrawn from the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) agreement, dated January 7th, 2012, with Matinee Energy Inc. to build a 20 megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic (PV) plant in Benson, Arizona. Read more

Kyocera, IHI and Mizuho combine powers to construct 70MW Japanese power plant

Tuesday, 4.10.2012 - 11:23 (PV-Tech)

Three Japanese companies, Kyocera, IHI and Mizuho Corporate Bank have announced plans to construct a 70MW PV plant in Kagoshima, in the South of Japan. Read more

California Imperial county approves 600 MW of PV plants

Tuesday, 4.10.2012 - 9:24 (Solarserver)

On April 4th, 2012 the Board of Supervisors in Imperial County, California approved three large solar photovoltaic (PV) plants totaling 600 MW, the Mount Signal, Calexico I and Calexico II plants. Each plant has a capacity of 200 MW. A coalition of environmental groups including Natural Resources Defense Council have also expressed support for the plants. Several of these organizations including NRDC filed suit on March 27th, 2012 to stop the Calico concentrating solar power project. Read more

LDK Solar delays fourth quarter financial results and conference call

Tuesday, 4.10.2012 - 22:37 (PV-Tech)

The need for management to finalize inventory write-downs and a range of impairment charges for its fourth quarter 2011 financial results have forced LDK Solar to delay its earnings release to the end of April. The company had originally planned to release results on April 12, now pushed back to April 30. LDK is the last of the major PV manufacturers to report fourth quarter and full year results for 2011. Read more

Grant Program Supported up to 75,000 Wind and Solar Jobs: Congress Killed It Anyway

Tuesday, 4.10.2012 - 19:23 (Renewable Energy World)

A federal grant program created to boost renewable energy development during the height of the economic crisis supported 75,000 jobs and more than $25 billion in economic activity, according to a new analysis from the Department of Energy. Read more

Solare Datensysteme sales up 118%

Tuesday, 4.10.2012 - 17:59 (PV-Tech)

Specialist PV system monitoring firm, Solare Datensysteme said that sales had reached almost ?7 million in the first quarter of 2012, a 118% increase over the same quarter in 2011. The company guided sales in the second quarter of 2012 would be inline with the first quarter. The increase in sales was said to be due to sales success in a wider number of countries, including Canada and the US. Read more

Bloomberg and NYSE Euronext?s new clean energy indices include dedicated solar index

Tuesday, 4.10.2012 - 17:44 (PV-Tech)

In a joint venture, NYSE Euronext and research company Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) have developed three new sector indices covering solar and wind energy as well as energy smart technologies (EST). Each index is produced using the different global stock market values of 70?200 industry companies, and a minimum threshold exposure to applicable renewable energy sectors is also calculated. Read more

Trident Solar offers new warranty on inkjet print head technology

Tuesday, 4.10.2012 - 17:13 (PV-Tech)

Touting its solar specific design of its inkjet print heads, Trident Solar has introduced a new 1-year warranty program on its ?256Jet-S? inkjet technology, claiming longevity, 25-times greater that alternative inkjet print heads and over 100-times greater than lithographic screen technology. Read more

Centrosolar T-Series PV modules available in Canada

Tuesday, 4.10.2012 - 17:03 (Solarserver)

On April 2nd, 2012, Centrosolar Canada (Markham, Canada) announced that its new T-Series solar photovoltaic (PV) modules are available to the Canadian market. T-Series modules are engineered in Europe and manufactured in Ontario. The T-Series includes both monocrystalline and polycrystalline versions with ratings up to 255 and 300 watts, and the modules are designed to withstand intense weather conditions. Read more

California City of Industry commissions 2 MW of carport PV systems

Tuesday, 4.10.2012 - 16:55 (Solarserver)

n April 6th, 2012, Oltmans Construction Co. (Whittier, California, U.S.) announced that the Metrolink Public Transportation Station has inaugurated a 2 megawatt (MW) Solar PV Carports and Electrical Vehicle (EV) Charging Stations Project in Industry, California. The PV plants in the industrial suburb of Los Angeles were constructed by Oltmans Construction. Read more

San Mateo County passes measure to fund solar projects and energy efficiency on 15 schools at USD 165 million

Tuesday, 4.10.2012 - 16:43 (Solarserver)

San Mateo County (California, U.S.) has passed a measure that will provide USD 165 million to fund solar projects, energy efficiency and other construction projects on 15 schools. Under the plan, the Sequoia Union High School District shall be authorized to issue and sell bonds of up to USD 165,000,000 in to provide financing for the specific school facilities projects. Read more

Tenaska closes financing for Imperial Solar Energy Center South

Tuesday, 4.10.2012 - 16:33 (Solarserver)

On April 9th, 2012 Tenaska Inc. (Omaha, Nebraska) announced that it has closed financing for a 130 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant under construction in California's Imperial Valley. Nine banks provided debt financing for the Imperial Solar Energy Center South, led by the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan) and Union Bank N.A. (San Francisco, California, U.S.). Engineering, procurement and construction contractor First Solar Inc. (Tempe, Arizona, U.S.) began construction on the plant in December 2011 and expects to commission it during 2014. Read more

OPEL arranges US$5,000,000 revolving credit facility

Tuesday, 4.10.2012 - 16:27 (PV-Tech)

Solar tracker systems supplier OPEL Technologies has announced it has entered into a credit agreement for a revolving credit facility of up to US$5,000,000 with TCA Global Credit Master Fund on an ?as needed basis?. This will involve an initial withdrawl of US$850,000. This credit arrangement will replace the line of credit with Silicon Valley Bank acquired in November 2011. Read more

Gehrlicher Solar signs agreement for 250MW Spanish PV plant

Tuesday, 4.10.2012 - 16:26 (PV-Tech)

The prime minister of the Spanish region of Extremadura, Jose Antonio Monagas and Gehrlicher Solar Spain?s CEO Guillermo Barea, have signed an agreement for the construction of a 250MW PV plant in the Extremadura region. Read more

Solar Industry Sees More VC Deals, But Total Investment is Down

Tuesday, 4.10.2012 - 16:16 (Renewable Energy World)

Over the past year, the solar industry has seen the number of venture capital (VC) deals grow to record levels while the overall investment in dollars has been cut in half. Read more

Vermont Raises Solar and Small Wind Tariffs

Tuesday, 4.10.2012 - 15:00 (Renewable Energy World)

New tariffs for solar photovoltaics (solar PV) and small wind turbines were introduced March 23, 2012 in Vermont's SPEED (Sustainably Priced Energy Enterprise Development) program. Read more

Thailand Joins the Solar Fast Lane

Tuesday, 4.10.2012 - 15:00 (Renewable Energy World)

Economic renewable energy development typically requires that countries exploit their natural renewable resources with subsidies reducing in line with technology costs and market maturity. Thailand has adopted such an approach to renewable development and while its biomass has the greatest renewable generation potential, the rapid growth of solar development could conceivably see solar challenge wind power as the kingdom's second most important renewable resource by the next decade. Read more

Ikea connects 17th PV installation in New Jersey

Tuesday, 4.10.2012 - 14:21 (PV-Tech)

Ikea continues to make its stores more sustainable. The company has connected a 1,063kW PV system at its store in Paramus, New Jersey to the grid. The system is 132,000 square feet in size and utilizes 4,620 PV panels. This is Ikea?s 17th solar power installation in the US. Ikea does not have any PPAs but operates every store?s system itself. Just like with former projects, REC Solar was responsible for the design, development and installation of the system. Read more

Mercom Capital: VC solar funding activity at record levels

Tuesday, 4.10.2012 - 12:41 (PV-Tech)

Big funding deals maybe a thing of the past but overall VC funding deals remain at record levels, according to the latest quarterly report of solar VC funding activity by Mercom Capital Group. Citing a slow start to 2012, VC funding in the first quarter of 2012 reached only US$329 million the lowest dollar amount recorded since Q4 2010. However, 34 deals were reported, suggesting VC?s are taking a lower risk approach to the sector, according to the report authors. Read more

Cogenra Solar installs 241kW roof-top system at Californian winery

Tuesday, 4.10.2012 - 12:39 (PV-Tech)

Cogenra Solar and SunWater Solar have installed the largest roof-top PV system in the US on the roof of Kendall-Jackson?s Kittyhawk winery in Windsor, California. The 241kW installation uses 96 solar modules in a hybrid thermal and PV system. Read more

SolarWorld supplies National Solar Power?s 700MW Florida projects

Tuesday, 4.10.2012 - 12:22 (PV-Tech)

National Solar Power has entered an agreement with solar manufacturer SolarWorld, in which SolarWorld will supply National Solar Power with several millions of solar panels for the company?s projects in Florida. The aim is to build projects totaling 700MW. Read more

Solar shakeout: Italian module manufacturer closes doors

Tuesday, 4.10.2012 - 12:01 (PV-Tech)

A subsidiary of MX Group, Solarday has gone into liquidation, according to a brief statement on its website. The company had opened it module assembly plant in Mezzago, Brianza, Italy in 2006 and had employed over 100 people, claiming it had achieved turnover in 2009 of over ?60 million. MX Group had acquired a majority ownership of Solarday in 2011. Read more

Petrobras and CPFL Energia announce construction of Brazilian PV projects

Tuesday, 4.10.2012 - 12:01 (PV-Tech)

Brazilian company CPFL Energia and Petrobras have both announced the construction of PV projects in Brazil. Petrobras has recently received approval to commence construction of a US$11.4 million pilot project in Rio Grande de Norte. The company will first build a 10kW project to be grid connected in 2014 and later a 1.1MW solar park. Read more

M3 Solar sponsors the National Fruit Show

Tuesday, 4.10.2012 - 11:37 (Solarpowerportal)

The National Fruit Show has announced that M3 Solar will be sponsoring the Marden Fruit Show Society Annual General Meeting on March 28. As the prize sponsor M3 Solar will be offering the winner either a 4kW domestic solar array or £10,000 towards the cost of a 50kW system. Read more

Gehrlicher Solar to build 250 MW PV plant in Spain without subsidies

Tuesday, 4.10.2012 - 9:21 (Solarserver)

Gehrlicher Solar AG (Neustadt B. Coburg, Germany) has signed an agreement with the government of Extremadura, Spain, to build a 250 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) project in the region. Gehrlicher Solar plans to develop the plant without the support of feed-in tariffs, starting construction in 2013 and completing the plant by 2015. On January 27th, 2012 Spain's ruling Popular Party suspended the nation's feed-in tariff, pending a re-design. Read more

Cenergy completes 586kW solar project for Hughson Nut facility in California

Tuesday, 4.10.2012 - 0:07 (PV-Tech)

Cenergy Power announced the completion of a 586kW solar project for Hughson Nut in Hughson, California, which will produce more than 970,000kWh of energy per year. Cenergy Power will additionally provide 10 years of scheduled operations and maintenance for the system, including touch-free panel cleanings, preventative maintenance and repair and overall system warranties. Read more

Pickens Plans 377-MW Texas Wind Farm

Tuesday, 4.10.2012 - 16:41 (Renewable Energy World)

Mesa Power Group LLC, the Dallas-based renewable energy company billionaire T. Boone Pickens created in 2007, is co-developing the 377 MW Stephens Bor-Lynn wind farm with Wind Tex Energy LP. Read more

Event preview: EWEA 2012

Tuesday, 4.10.2012 - 16:01 (Renewable Energy World)

Renewable Energy World staff will be out in full force at next week’s EWEA 2012 conference and exhibition (16-19 April). “The whole wind energy sector under one roof” is how Gamesa describes EWEA 2012, and indeed wind industry professionals working in Europe and around the globe will be there. More than 10,000 visitors, and exhibi Read more

Buying Lime and Finavera (11 Clean Energy Stocks for 2012)

Tuesday, 4.10.2012 - 15:00 (Renewable Energy World)

March was a volatile month for clean energy, with many of my picks reporting earnings. My 11 picks were down 4 percent on average since my last update (March 1st to April 5th), compared to a 9 percent decline in the Powershares Wilderhill Clean Energy Index (PBW), while the broad Russell 2000 index was flat. The hedged portfolio (see the original article for details) lost 5 percent. Read more

Greg Barker: Britain should increase carbon targets

Tuesday, 4.10.2012 - 14:00 (Solarpowerportal)

Energy and Climate Change Minister, Greg Barker, this morning told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme listeners that Britain should increase its carbon emissions target to 30 percent ? as long as the rest of Europe follows suit. Read more

Zentric withdraws from EPC agreement with Matinee Energy

Tuesday, 4.10.2012 - 13:23 (PV-Tech)

Zentric has announced that is has withdrawn from an EPC agreement with Matinee Energy. The agreement, dated January 7, 2012, was for the provision of EPC services for a 20MW solar power plant in Benson, Arizona. Read more

PV engineering, procurement and construction company Premier Power reports fall in 4Q, full year 2011 revenues, record backlog

Tuesday, 4.10.2012 - 12:27 (Solarserver)

On April 5th, 2012 Premier Power Renewable Energy Inc. (El Dorado Hills, U.S.) released results for the fourth quarter and full year 2011, reporting a 66% year-over-year decrease in revenues to USD 15.5 million and an operating margin of -3.2% in the fourth quarter of 2011. Over the full year 2011, the company reported a 19% decrease in revenues to USD 70.2 million and a -8.0% operating margin. The company also estimates its project backlog at USD 54 million, a 125% increase over its 2010 backlog. Read more

Connecticut approves bidding programs for renewable energy generation

Tuesday, 4.10.2012 - 11:53 (Solarserver)

On April 4th, 2012 the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) in the U.S. state of Connecticut approved two competitive solicitation programs for renewable energy generation for utilities Connecticut Light and Power (CL&P, Berlin, Connecticut, U.S.) and the United Illuminating Company (UI, New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.). Under the zero-emissions (ZREC) and low-emissions (LREC) programs, CLP and UI will award 15-year contracts at a set rate to the lowest qualified bidders providing in-state generation. Read more