Advanced Energy posts record quarterly PV inverter sales

Tuesday, 10.30.2012 - 16:06 (PV-Tech)

Utility-scale PV inverter specialist Advanced Energy Industries (AE) has reported record sales of US$60.7 million in Q3 2012, fuelled by growing demand from the North American large-scale commercial and utility markets. Read more

Is the Unthinkable Possible: Feed-in Tariffs for Coal and Nuclear?

Tuesday, 10.30.2012 - 16:01 (Renewable Energy World)

Environmentalists have long advocated feed-in tariffs as a public policy mechanism to spur massive development of renewable energy. However, as a policy mechanism, feed-in tariffs are technology neutral. They can be used to pay for fossil-fired generation as well as nuclear power. Read more

SunPower completes 25 MW-AC PV plant in California

Tuesday, 10.30.2012 - 15:26 (Solarserver)

SunPower Corporation (San Jose, California, U.S.) has completed the 25 MW-AC McHenry Solar Plant in California's Central Valley. The plant is based on its modular Oasis Power Plant product, and uses SunPower solar photovoltaic (PV) modules comprising its high-efficiency Maxeon cells. The company designed and built the plant in Modesto, California for K Road Power Holdings LLC (New York, New York, U.S.), and is now providing operations and maintenance services. K Road will sell the electricity generated by the plant to Modesto Irrigation District (MID, Modesto, California, U.S.) under a 25-year power purchase agreement. Read more

Power-One?s PV inverter market share rising

Tuesday, 10.30.2012 - 15:20 (PV-Tech)

Power-One?s global market share has gone from 11% at the end of 2011 to 13% at the end of the third quarter of 2012, according to market research firm IHS. Read more

PV market research: Module prices continue to slide, IHS iSuppli views signs of recovery on the horizon

Tuesday, 10.30.2012 - 14:17 (Solarserver)

Overcapacity, a decline in pricing as well as slowing growth in key worldwide markets will serve to keep the global market for solar photovoltaic (PV) modules depressed for the rest of the year, market researchers from IHS iSuppli (El Segundo, Calif.) announced. A recovery is not expected in the second half of 2013, according to the new IHS iSuppli PV Integrated market tracker report. Read more

WTO to rule against Ontario in FiT dispute

Tuesday, 10.30.2012 - 13:41 (PV-Tech)

The World Trade Organization (WTO) will next month rule that the Canadian province of Ontario?s feed-in tariff violates WTO non-discrimination policy, according to a leaked document. Read more

PROINSO supplies 7.6 MW of inverters for PV plants in Greece

Tuesday, 10.30.2012 - 9:23 (Solarserver)

On October 26th, 2012, PROINSO (Fustiñana, Spain) announced that it has supplied solar photovoltaic (PV) inverters for 7.6 MW of PV plants in northern Greece. The company supplied 432 three-phase inverters for four new solar PV plants, including the 3-MW Xanthi plant; 3-MW Kavala project, the 1-MW Drama power plant, and the 0.56-MW Kastoria project. Read more

Showa Shell and Solar Frontier plan 2MW expansion atop Kunitomi thin-film plant

Tuesday, 10.30.2012 - 18:55 (PV-Tech)

Showa Shell Sekiyu has announced plans to develop a 2MW PV plant on the rooftop of Solar Frontier?s Kunitomi manufacturing facility in southern Japan. The facility already generates solar power and with the additional 2MW capacity, the Kunitomi plant will have a total PV capacity of 7.3MW. Read more

Abound Solar Under Criminal Investigation by Colorado DA

Tuesday, 10.30.2012 - 18:22 (Renewable Energy World)

In a re-election bid mired with questions about Benghazi, President Barack Obama can now officially add another hot-button issue to his plate: the recent bankruptcy of solar company Abound Solar, which has been called "Colorado's own Solyndra." A criminal investigation is now officially underway, headed up by the Weld County District Attorney's Office in Colorado, for what it calls "possible securities fraud, consumer fraud and financial misrepresentation." Read more

Mitsui Fudosan plans 23MW PV plant in Japan

Tuesday, 10.30.2012 - 17:12 (PV-Tech)

Japanese property developer Mitsui Fudosan has unveiled plans to develop a 23MW solar power plant in Tomakomai city, Hokkaido in northern Japan. Read more

Etrion appoints Tom Dinwoodie to its board

Tuesday, 10.30.2012 - 15:52 (PV-Tech)

Solar power producer Etrion has appointed former PowerLight Corporation Chairman Tom Dinwoodie to its board. Read more

Chilean PV, CSP to become competitive with conventional generation by 2020

Tuesday, 10.30.2012 - 15:34 (Solarserver)

Central Energía has published the findings of an assessment by Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF, New York, New York, U.S.), which finds that solar technologies will be cost-competitive with fossil fuels, large hydro and other forms of conventional generation by 2020. National Resources Defense Council (Washington D.C., U.S.) commissioned BNEF to conduct the report, with data provided by Valgesta Energía SA (Santiago, Chile). The report looks at a variety of "non-conventional renewable energy" (NCRE) sources, noting that a switch to these sources will require policy changes. Read more

Solarcentury?s 7.6MW solar extension gains planning permission

Tuesday, 10.30.2012 - 15:22 (Solarpowerportal)

Solarcentury has been given planning permission for a 7.6MW extension on an existing 700kWp ground-mounted array in Illminster, Somerset. Read more

Martifer Solar to build its first PV plant in Ukraine at MW

Tuesday, 10.30.2012 - 15:01 (Solarserver)

On October 25th, 2012, Martifer Solar, a subsidiary of Martifer SGPS (Oliveira de Frades, Portugal), announced that it has signed an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract with Green Agro Service LLC for a megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant in Ukraine. This will be the company's first solar project in Ukraine. The PV plant, located in Porogi in the Vinnytsia region, will produce 5.37 gigawatt hours (GWh) per year and will prevent the emission of 5,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere each year, Martifer Solar reports. Read more

The Question Day 20: What is the Most Difficult Issue Facing the Solar Industry?

Tuesday, 10.30.2012 - 15:00 (Renewable Energy World)

It's been a year of both continued expansion and mounting challenges for the global solar industry. RenewableEnergyWorld asked solar industry executives to share their thoughts and insights on one burning question: Read more

Poland Renewables Bill to Forge New Solar Market as EU Cuts Back

Tuesday, 10.30.2012 - 14:00 (Renewable Energy World)

Poland is set to approve renewable energy laws that may spur a 100-fold increase in solar power capacity next year, just as the rest of Europe scales back. Read more

Panasonic plans squeeze on PV production

Tuesday, 10.30.2012 - 13:10 (PV-Tech)

A planned restructuring of Panasonic may see its production of solar panels, small lithium batteries and other products curtailed in response to low demand and low profitability, according to reports. Read more

Ecofusion to supply Henley Town Council 179 solar panels

Tuesday, 10.30.2012 - 13:02 (Solarpowerportal)

Henley Town Council has announced the installation of 179 black-framed panels at a cost of £68,013. The project needs to be completed by 1 November 2012 to qualify for the government?s feed-in tariff. Read more

A Road Trip To SunPower and First Solar's Giant Solar Farms in California

Tuesday, 10.30.2012 - 12:22 (Renewable Energy World)

Most people who drive up and down on Highway 101 through California would never think of making a one-hour detour through the oak-dotted hills, canyons and ranches to visit the Carrizo Plain, a beautiful swath of land that is ringed by mountains and, in the spring, blooms with wildflowers. Yet, soon this region will be host to what will be among the largest solar power plants in the country. Read more

Germany, Algeria plan North Africa's first solar power tower CSP plant

Tuesday, 10.30.2012 - 9:42 (Solarserver)

The German Aerospace Center (DLR, Köln, Germany) has announced that the first solar power tower concentrating solar power (CSP) plant in North Africa will be built in Boughezoul, Algeria, though a collaboration between Algeria and Germany. The hybrid plant will incorporate both CSP and natural gas generation, including 7 MW of solar power, and will be able to function on solar power alone. DLR will supply technology that it has developed for the project, which will serve primarily as a pilot and research facility. Read more

Tenaska starts construction of Imperial Solar Energy Center South PV project

Tuesday, 10.30.2012 - 9:36 (Solarserver)

Tenaska Inc. (Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.) and San Diego Gas & Electric Company (SDG&E, San Diego, California, U.S.) have held a ceremony to mark the installation of the first solar photovoltaic (PV) module at the 130 MW Imperial Solar Energy Center South, located in Southern California's Imperial Valley. The Tenaska PV plant will be one of the first projects in Imperial Valley to utilize the recently completed Sunrise Powerlink transmission project to send electricity to San Diego. SDG&E has contracted with Tenaska to buy the electricity from the plant, as well as another 140 MW from another PV plant in the Imperial Valley. Read more

Linuo launches Solarsafe warranty

Tuesday, 10.30.2012 - 8:15 (PV-Tech)

Linuo Power has announced the launch of Solarsafe ? an insurance agreement supplying customers with a 25-year irrevocable warranty and promise of transferable beneficiary. This warranty for solar modules has been supplied by AON-COFCO. Read more

Swiss energy provider to launch residential rooftop leasing programme

Tuesday, 10.30.2012 - 19:02 (PV-Tech)

Swiss energy provider Energie de Sion-Région (ESR) has launched a residential rooftop leasing programme for PV installations in the Swiss canton of Valais. Read more

Swiss energy provider to launch residential rooftop leasing program

Tuesday, 10.30.2012 - 19:02 (PV-Tech)

Swiss energy provider Energie de Sion-Région (ESR) has launched a residential rooftop leasing program for PV installations in the Swiss canton of Valais. Read more

Zero-Energy Building Uses Living Algae for Power and Shade

Tuesday, 10.30.2012 - 17:34 (Renewable Energy World)

For years, algae has been the great green hope for the biofuel industry. Now, it's finding a place in sustainable architecture; in Germany, microalgae will power and shade the BIQ house, a zero-energy building featuring the world's first bioreactor facade. Read more

South Africa ups 2020 renewable energy capacity target by 3.2GW

Tuesday, 10.30.2012 - 16:02 (PV-Tech)

South Africa?s Minister of Energy Dipuo Peters has confirmed that South Africa will procure an additional 3.2GW of renewable energy capacity by 2020 under its Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Programme (REIPPP), according to media reports. Read more

Calls to Cut Australia's 20 Percent Renewable Energy Target Rejected

Tuesday, 10.30.2012 - 15:18 (Renewable Energy World)

An independent body set up to consider Australia's official target of generating 20 percent of its energy needs by 2020 from renewable sources has rejected calls from incumbent utilities and heavy industry to scale back the target. Read more

Can Germany Do the Energy Transition Alone?

Tuesday, 10.30.2012 - 14:36 (Renewable Energy World)

No, and it?s not trying to, either. Under EU direction, all of Europe is undergoing an energy revolution, if at different speeds. The impact of energy policies does not stop at borders?Chernobyl drove that point home. And Germany is by no means trailblazing on its own while everyone else watches idly from the sidelines. The German energy system is Read more

Sandia co-hosts international workshop on PV integration

Tuesday, 10.30.2012 - 13:36 (PV-Tech)

Sandia National Laboratories, the Electric Power Research Institute and European Distributed Energies Research Laboratories are organising a workshop looking at the experience of utilities in integrating high levels of electricity from PV on to the grid. Read more

Hitachi confirms £700 million UK Horizon Nuclear Power purchase

Tuesday, 10.30.2012 - 13:32 (Solarpowerportal)

Hitachi has announced that it will be developing up to six new nuclear plants in the UK after purchasing the Horizon Nuclear Power venture from RWE and E.ON in a deal worth £697 million. Read more

Spain's National Renewable Energy Centre signs deal with the government of Coahuila (Mexico), to investigate renewables

Tuesday, 10.30.2012 - 12:05 (Solarserver)

In October 2012 Spain's National Renewable Energy Centre (CENER) announced that it has signed a cooperation agreement with the Government of Coahuila de Zaragoza (Mexico). Under the terms of the agreement, CENER will advise the Government of Coahuila de Zaragoza in the use of renewable energy as focal point for social and economic development of the state. Read more

Chinese Lightway Green New Energy Company to begin work on 62.8 MW of U.S. PV projects

Tuesday, 10.30.2012 - 11:57 (Solarserver)

Lightway Green New Energy Company Ltd. (Gaobeidian, China) has announced that it has executed 62.8 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) projects in six U.S. states through its U.S. project development subsidiary. Lightway Solar America Project Development LLC (LWSA PD, Iselin, New Jersey, U.S.) will begin construction upon the projects, with 21 MW scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2012 and 42 MW to be built in 2013. Lightway has partnered with 11 different companies to develop the projects, which range from 250 kW to 4.8 MW in size. Read more