GE to supply PV modules, electrical components for largest PV plant in the U.S. Midwest

Friday, 1.20.2012 - 21:35 (Solarserver)

On January 18th, 2012 General Electric Company (GE, Schenectady, New York, U.S.) announced an agreement to supply 23 MW of its cadmium telluride solar photovoltaic (PV) modules to Invenergy LLC (Chicago, Illinois, U.S.) for a solar photovoltaic (PV) plant under development in the U.S. state of Illinois. The Grand Ridge Solar plant will be larger than any currently operational PV plant in the U.S. Midwest region. The plant will use GE electrical components, and will be adjacent to a 210 MW wind plant comprised of GE turbines. Read more

SunPower breaks ground on 13.8 MW PV plant at U.S. military facility in California

Friday, 1.20.2012 - 21:34 (Solarserver)

On January 18th, 2012 SunPower Corporation (San Jose, California, U.S.) announced that it has broken ground on a 13.8 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant at the Naval Air Weapons Station (NAWS) China Lake in Southern California. The plant will use the SunPower Oasis Power Plant product, a modular solar power block which includes SunPower's T0 Tracker and E20 series PV modules. The plant is financed through a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with NAWS China Lake. Read more

Indian government okays import of low-priced Chinese solar cells

Friday, 1.20.2012 - 18:55 (PV-Tech)

Panchabuta has reported that the Indian government has made it clear that it has no objections to imports of low-priced Chinese solar cells, so long as they meet predetermined quality standards. The news has made ripples in the domestic manufacturer?s community, which are in the midst of combatting the cheaper Chinese imports as well as US manufactures who are dealing with the World Trade Organisation over the dumping claims of solar cells and panels. Read more

Asia Solar Cell Producers Rising Amid Pricing War

Friday, 1.20.2012 - 18:02 (Renewable Energy World)

Europe may be the big end-market for solar PV demand (at least for now), but from a manufacturing standpoint Asian firms are beginning to dominate. Read more

Timminco raises bankruptcy funds via a ?stalking horse bid?

Friday, 1.20.2012 - 16:32 (PV-Tech)

Insolvent silicon metal producer, Timminco has successfully raised US$4.25 million to continue operating while it undertakes restructuring via the Ontario Superior Court. The commitment for ?debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing was raised from a company called QSI Partners Ltd, though searches on its identity have note yet proved successful. The deal means that Timminco can continue to purchase silicon metal from its joint venture operations with Dow Corning, Quebec Silicon and ship product as planned. Read more

Organic thin film start-up, Eight19 prepping for volume production

Friday, 1.20.2012 - 16:03 (PV-Tech)

UK-based organic thin film start-up, Eight19 has installed roll-to-roll printing equipment at its Cambridge, UK headquarters as a preliminary move towards volume production, as reported by PV-Tech?s sister-site, Solar Power Portal UK. Thought to be the largest of its kind in Europe, the bespoke facility includes a multi-station roll-to-roll fabrication machine which is designed to manufacture solar substrates. Eight19 expects to have the first of its commercial printed plastic solar modules available in 2013. Read more

Concentrating Photovoltaics: It's Make It or Break It Time

Friday, 1.20.2012 - 15:34 (Renewable Energy World)

The concentrated photovoltaics (CPV) industry tenaciously pushed through these last four years, and now has 33 megawatts (MW) in the ground, with 60 more expected by mid-year 2012 and about 700 MW more in the pipeline. Read more

GTM Research: Polysilicon price collapse could lead to USD 0.70/watt c-Si PV modules in 2012

Friday, 1.20.2012 - 12:27 (Solarserver)

On January 19th, 2012 Greentech Media Research (Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.) announced the publication of a new report which states that polysilicon spot prices hit a record low of under USD 30 per kilogram in December 2011, and will go even lower in 2012. "Polysilicon 2012-2016: Supply, Demand & Implications for the Global PV Industry" explains that these price declines played a minor role in solar photovoltaic (PV) module price collapses during 2011. However, GTM Research states that a sustained fall in polysilicon prices will lead to even lower crystalline silicon PV module prices in 2012, possibly as low as USD 0.70/watt. Read more

CPUC forbids extra charge for SDG&E solar customers

Friday, 1.20.2012 - 21:33 (Solarserver)

On January 18th, 2012 the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) issued a ruling that San Diego Gas & Electric Company (SDG&E, San Diego, California, U.S.) cannot impose an additional charge on its customers who install solar photovoltaic (PV) systems and feed electricity back into the grid. SDG&E proposed the "Network Use Charge" on October 3rd, 2011, coupled with another fee for all residential customers. A number of organizations filed protests against the charges, including the CPUC's Division of Ratepayer Advocates, the Utility Consumers Action Network (UCAN, San Diego, California, U.S.), and the Vote Solar Initiative (San Diego, California, U.S.). Read more

Board for NADB , BECC approve certification of 6.1MW solar plant in Tucson, Arizona

Friday, 1.20.2012 - 19:15 (PV-Tech)

The North American Development Bank?s (NADB) board of directors and the Border Environment Cooperation Commission (BECC) have approved the certification and financing of a 6.1MW solar plant, which will provide power to Tucson Electric Power Company (TEP)  in Arizona. Read more

Mage Solar opens logistics centre near London

Friday, 1.20.2012 - 18:38 (PV-Tech)

Mage Solar revealed that it had opened a logistics centre in Dagenham, located near London, in order to better serve the British solar market. The company looks to the new site to deliver its PV system components to its installation partners at a more efficient speed. Mage Solar has had a sales team in the United Kingdom since the beginning of 2011 and noted that it continues to expand its network of installation partners. Read more

REC Solar, KIUC begin development of 12MW solar project in Kauai

Friday, 1.20.2012 - 18:30 (PV-Tech)

REC Solar and KIUC recently held a kick-off meeting with Homestead Community Development Corporation (HCDC) in order to initiate the next steps of the 12MW solar project the companies will be installing on Hawaiian Homelands in Anahola on the northeast side of Kauai. REC Solar won the contract for the project in December, marking it as the second utility-scale project the company has developed for KIUC. Read more

ET Solar to supply 6MW of PV modules to LARIVIERE

Friday, 1.20.2012 - 17:01 (PV-Tech)

ET Solar Group has announced it has entered into a 6MW PV module supply agreement with LARIVIERE, a distributor of roofing products in France. Read more

Excecutive changes at Nanosolar

Friday, 1.20.2012 - 15:24 (PV-Tech)

Interim Nanosolar CEO, Geoff Tate has been replaced and returns to retirement, less than 2 years after taking the job, according to a statement from the CIGS thin film start-up. Nanosolar said that another recent management addition, Ms Eugenia Corrales takes over the CEO position. Corrales was said to have been recruited by Tate and had managed all Operations, as well as Engineering, Purchasing and Planning functions. Read more

India makes 20-fold jump in capacity but misses targets

Friday, 1.20.2012 - 13:27 (PV-Tech)

Bloomberg New Energy Finance has reported that Indian solar power capacity has expanded 20-fold in the part year, to at least 356MW. However, this is only a third of the country?s targeted level. Bloomberg is placing the blame on infrastructure, financing and weather- related delays. Read more

10 Ways to Share Your Solar Blog and Generate Brand Awareness

Friday, 1.20.2012 - 13:00 (Renewable Energy World)

One reason why solar companies don’t blog regularly — or at all — is that they believe that it can be a lot of effort for a small audience that may just happen upon the post. Wrong, wrong, wrong, in so many ways, wrong. People don't happen upon blogs accidentally. Most often, you have to go to where your customers a Read more

Mage Solar opens new logistics centre in Dagenham

Friday, 1.20.2012 - 12:56 (Solarpowerportal)

Germany-based solar photovoltaics manufacturer, Mage Solar has partnered with logistics company Kuehne +Nagel for the opening of new a warehouse and dispatch centre in Dagenham. The logistics centre will substantially cut down the lead-time Mage Solar’s British installation partners currently experience. Read more

German solar PV FiT henceforth to be adjusted monthly; Energy Minister rejects cap

Friday, 1.20.2012 - 12:17 (Solarserver)

Germany's Federal Minister of Energy and Environment, Norbert Röttgen, intends to accelerate the degression of feed-in tariffs for solar PV systems based on the Renewable Energy Act (EEG). Henceforth FiTs should be adjusted or cut every month, but at least quarterly, in order to limit PV installations. Additional FiT reductions to the maximum of 24 percent per year are not provided. Read more

U.K. DECC issues new solar PV FIT rates to become effective from April 2012

Friday, 1.20.2012 - 12:10 (Solarserver)

On January 19th, 2012 the U.K. Department of Energy and Climate Change presented a proposal for feed-in tariff (FIT) rates for solar photovoltaic (PV) plants with an eligibility date on or after March 3rd, 2012. The new FIT rates are the same as the rates imposed under the cuts implemented on December 12th, 2011. The DECC notes that the issuing of these rates gives more certainty to the British solar industry. The agency also states it has not given up its appeal against a High Court ruling which requires that it restore earlier, higher FIT rates until March 2012. Read more

Abu Dhabi Environment Agency completes 22 solar PV powered desalination plants

Friday, 1.20.2012 - 12:00 (Solarserver)

On January 18th, 2012 the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.) announced the completion of 22 solar desalination plants, each of which can produce roughly 25,000 liters per day of clean water from brackish sources. The units are comprised of 300 square meter solar photovoltaic (PV) arrays which generate 35 kW of electricity to power a pump that pulls groundwater from a well. A reverse osmosis system uses pressure to separate clean water from brackish water through a semi-permeable membrane. A subsurface irrigation system then pumps the clean water to a pond, with the brine pumped into a separate evaporation pond. Read more

Influential Women in Cleantech: Top 10 Women of BioFuels

Friday, 1.20.2012 - 12:13 (Renewable Energy World)

As the founder of the Bay Area networking group, Women In Cleantech & Sustainability, I am keenly interested in learning about who the media thinks as being the most influential women in the field. However, it feels like every top ten list for women in Cleantech always lists the same lovely ladies. This is not to say that the women are not Read more

Yingli Green Energy receives carbon footprint lifecycle assessment from TÜV Rheinland

Friday, 1.20.2012 - 19:41 (PV-Tech)

TÜV Rheinland has confirmed that Yingli Green Energy?s multicrystalline and monocrystalline PV modules have completed the carbon footprint lifecycle assessment according to international carbon footprint standard PAS 2050:2011. The companies advised that Yingli is the first company in the global PV sector to obtain Product Carbon Footprint Verification from TÜV Rheinland, which maintains that the carbon dioxide emitted during Yingli?s manufacturing phase is significantly less than that, which would be released during a 25-year usage phase. Read more

Three Jokers in the Energy Deck

Friday, 1.20.2012 - 18:49 (Renewable Energy World)

This is the era of Big Oil. Could the next be the era of Big Efficiency? A new report by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy suggests the possibility. Re-invented with today’s smart energy technologies, energy efficiency could displace 40 to 60 percent of our total energy needs by the year 2050, according to The Long-Te Read more

German energy minister rejects cap but agrees to monthly FiT cuts

Friday, 1.20.2012 - 16:21 (PV-Tech)

Following meetings between the German government and solar industry representatives yesterday, Germany?s Federal Minister of Energy and Environment, Norbert Röttgen, has announced his intention to accelerate the degression of feed-in tariffs. The Renewable Energy Act will need to be rewritten in order to incorporate the changes. Both the government and the solar industry were said to have agreed that FiTs should be cut every month, rather than the current six months, to avoid the last minute rush that, in 2011, created a record level of 7.5GW capacity. Read more

Industry body calls for Green Deal delay

Friday, 1.20.2012 - 16:18 (Solarpowerportal)

The Property and Energy Professionals Association (PEPA), a trade body representing business engaged in the provision of Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) and Display Energy Certificates (DECs), has urged Government to reconsider its plans to fully introduce the Green Deal in October this year. Read more

UK subsidies for nuclear power challenged in EU courts

Friday, 1.20.2012 - 12:38 (Solarpowerportal)

Anti-nuclear pressure group, Energy Fair, has submitted a formal complaint to the European Commission about subsidises afforded to nuclear power. Read more