Maryland government, University of Maryland to collaborate on SRECs for a 17.4 MW PV project

Thursday, 12.20.2012 - 20:22 (Solarserver)

The Maryland Department of General Services (DGS) and the University System of Maryland (USM) will manage solar renewable energy certificates (SRECs) purchased from the 17.4 megawatt (MW) photovoltaic (PV) project located at Mount St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg, Maryland. DGS and USM are responsible for purchasing electricity and SRECs from 10.67 MW and 5.33 MW of the project, respectively, according to a letter released by the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) to Maryland solar industry stakeholders. Read more

Kohl installs 2.4 MW PV plant at e-commerce center in Maryland

Thursday, 12.20.2012 - 20:20 (Solarserver)

On December 18th, 2012, Kohl's Department Stores (Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, U.S.) announced that it has activated a 2.4 megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic (PV) plant at its million-square-foot e-commerce fulfillment center (EFC) in Edgewood, Maryland. The EFC project includes an 8,360 PV panel rooftop solar array that will generate more than 3 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity annually. The plant will provide more than 40% of the facility's energy. Read more

Can the Ontario FIT Program Sustain the Industry that has been Built Around it?

Thursday, 12.20.2012 - 18:48 (Renewable Energy World)

When we launched the first Ontario Feed-in Tariff Forum in October 2010, the focus was on how to build an industry that could support the massive amount of project activity expected while meeting domestic content rules. Today, while some of the players have changed, the market is in place and the new question is: Can the program sustain the industr Read more

Order Focus: centrotherm wins follow-on solar cell line key equipment deal with CECEP

Thursday, 12.20.2012 - 18:45 (PV-Tech)

Having previously supplied PECVD and diffusion furnaces to China-based PV module manufacturer, CECEP Solar Energy Technology in 2010, as it ramped its first production lines, centrotherm photovoltaics has received a major follow-on order. Read more

City of Palo Alto's feed-in tariff to be open to any project size

Thursday, 12.20.2012 - 9:55 (Solarserver)

On December 17th, 2012 the Palo Alto City Council approved changes to Palo Alto CLEAN (Clean Local Energy Accessible Now), the municipal program to purchase electricity generated by solar photovoltaic (PV) systems located in CPAU?s service territory, which coincides with the city boundaries. Palo Alto's "feed-in tariff" changes are including raising the price, lowering the amount of capacity to be accepted and removing the minimum project size. Read more

SEIA honors City of Napoleon, Ohio, for solar energy development

Thursday, 12.20.2012 - 21:11 (Solarserver)

On December 18th, 2012, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) announced that it has recognized the City of Napoleon (Ohio, U.S.) and Mayor Ronald Behm as American Solar Champions. Napoleon, a city of less than 10,000 people, hosts two major solar photovoltaic (PV) installations and a growing solar manufacturing facility. The city is a hub for solar energy and job creation across the Buckeye State, SEIA states. Read more

SMA Solar finally enters China?s PV market

Thursday, 12.20.2012 - 19:04 (PV-Tech)

SMA Solar has entered the fast growing Chinese market by acquiring a majority stake in China-based start-up Jiangsu Zeversolar New Energy. Read more

Record year for utility-scale solar

Thursday, 12.20.2012 - 16:53 (PV-Tech)

The global installed capacity of utility-scale solar topped 8.5GW this month, making 2012 a record year, data reveals. Read more

PV supply chain braces for UK large-scale demand surge

Thursday, 12.20.2012 - 16:11 (Solarpowerportal)

The upcoming change in RO rates in April will lead to a potential Q1?13 revenue windfall for suppliers of solar and balance-of-systems (BoS) components in the UK market. Read more

Real Goods Solar secures over 5MW of solar projects

Thursday, 12.20.2012 - 15:41 (PV-Tech)

Real Goods Solar has reported that it has secured over 5MW in solar power projects across Arizona and California in key education, municipal and commercial market segments. Read more

Beijing Delivers Tough Solar Energy Medicine

Thursday, 12.20.2012 - 15:27 (Renewable Energy World)

A new report in today's China Daily is providing the clearest indication yet that Beijing is delivering some tough medicine to many of the nation's smaller solar panel and polysilicon makers by letting them go backrupt to return the struggling sector to health. Up until now, much of the talk in China has focused on rescuing the money-bleeding secto Read more

Solar Fred's Top 5 Solar Marketing Wishes for 2013: Stand Out and Educate

Thursday, 12.20.2012 - 13:00 (Renewable Energy World)

Welcome to Solar Fred's annual solar marketing wish list, 2013 edition. If you missed my previous years' wishes and still want to make them come true, bless your solar marketing heart. See 2010 here, 2011 here, and 2012 here. This year?s theme, ?Stand out and educate,? is familiar to anyone who?s received an email from me, since it?s a quote in my Read more

Suntech solar PV modules pass Blowing Sand Test

Thursday, 12.20.2012 - 12:16 (Solarserver)

Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. (Wuxi, China) on December 18th, 2012, announced that its solar photovoltaic (PV) modules have passed the Blowing Sand Test based on DIN EN 60068-2-68 LC2 by SGS, a world leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company. The SGS test result confirms that Suntech's PV modules are suitable for solar installations in desert regions. Read more

Concentrating solar power: BrightSource's Ivanpah CSP project reaches three-quarters completion mark

Thursday, 12.20.2012 - 12:07 (Solarserver)

The world?s largest concentrating solar power (CSP) project is more than 75% complete, BrightSource Energy Inc. (Oakland, California, U.S.) announced on December 18th, 2012. The construction team continues to push ahead with heliostat assemblies, regularly completing over 500 heliostats each day. Read more

Solar PV accounts for 99% of all FiT installs

Thursday, 12.20.2012 - 11:58 (Solarpowerportal)

Solar PV installations accounted for 99% of all feed-in tariff-registered installs in the UK this year, according to regulator Ofgem?s annual FiT report. Read more

Solarbuzz: PV supply chain prepares for Q1'13 demand rally in the U.K.

Thursday, 12.20.2012 - 10:11 (Solarserver)

Suppliers of solar photovoltaic (PV) modules and balance-of-systems (BOS) components are preparing for a potential Q1?13 revenue windfall in the U.K. market, according to NPD Solarbuzz (Santa Clara, Calif.). The windfall will be stimulated by anticipated downward revisions to Renewable Obligation Certificate (ROC) levels beginning in April 2013, according to the NPD Solarbuzz ?UK PV Market Entry Guide: New Revenue Opportunities report. Read more

SDG&E signs PPAs for 40 MW of PV with Tallbear Solar, Gestamp

Thursday, 12.20.2012 - 9:59 (Solarserver)

San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) on December 17th, 2012 announced that it has completed two new long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) in Imperial Valley totaling 40 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy with diverse business enterprise (DBE) participation. Read more

Flux Power unveils 24V mobile lithium storage solution for PV, wind energy applications

Thursday, 12.20.2012 - 21:05 (Solarserver)

On December 17th, 2012, Flux Power Holdings Inc. (Escondido, California, U.S.) announced that it has launched a 24V, portable lithium storage solution. The modular packaging, real time monitoring, and rapid recharging capability make it an ideal solution for environments that require mobile or versatile energy solutions, but demand larger capacity output, the company states. Read more

The 2012 Geothermal Industry: Success, Expansion, and Familiar Frustration

Thursday, 12.20.2012 - 6:01 (Renewable Energy World)

After several painfully slow years for geothermal developments, industry advocates will be glad to hear that 2012 turned out to be one of those most successful years in the past decade, according to Karl Gawell, executive director of the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA). With more than 100 megawatts (MW) of capacity brought online and plenty of burgeoning international markets, the geothermal industry has reason to celebrate ? despite some nagging ongoing barriers to development. Read more

Flanders PV capacity reaches 2.04GW

Thursday, 12.20.2012 - 15:50 (PV-Tech)

The Belgian region of Flanders has installed a total of 346MW this year, according to figures published by the Flemish energy regulator VREG. Read more

Ontario Clean-Energy Subsidies Break Rules, WTO Panel Says

Thursday, 12.20.2012 - 15:48 (Renewable Energy World)

Ontario's subsidies for clean-energy producers that use local technology were ruled in breach of World Trade Organization regulations, supporting complaints by the European Union and Japan against Canada. Read more

One Man's Mission to Recreating Tornados to Produce Electricity

Thursday, 12.20.2012 - 14:00 (Renewable Energy World)

Fossil fuel power plants generate ample waste heat that can be used to make more electricity. Here is a novel idea to do just that: creating a huge vortex of warm air to cause a change in pressure at the bottom in order to drive a turbine-generator. Read more

One Man's Mission to Recreating Tornadoes to Produce Electricity

Thursday, 12.20.2012 - 14:00 (Renewable Energy World)

Fossil fuel power plants generate ample waste heat that can be used to make more electricity. Here is a novel idea to do just that: creating a huge vortex of warm air to cause a change in pressure at the bottom in order to drive a turbine-generator. Read more

One Man's Mission to Recreate Tornadoes to Produce Electricity

Thursday, 12.20.2012 - 14:00 (Renewable Energy World)

Fossil fuel power plants generate ample waste heat that can be used to make more electricity. Here is a novel idea to do just that: creating a huge vortex of warm air to cause a change in pressure at the bottom in order to drive a turbine-generator. Read more

Work begins on two South African PV projects totalling 33MW

Thursday, 12.20.2012 - 13:51 (PV-Tech)

Work is underway on two ground-mounted PV projects totalling 33MW being brought forward under South Africa?s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Procurement Programme. Read more

South Africa: Work underway on AE-AMD projects; BYD wins 110MW PV order

Thursday, 12.20.2012 - 13:51 (PV-Tech)

Work is underway on two ground-mounted PV projects totalling 33MW being brought forward under South Africa?s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Procurement Programme. Read more

Frost & Sullivan: Renewable Energy M & A's gaining pace; market shows a significant trend toward more deals, mostly of lower value

Thursday, 12.20.2012 - 12:12 (Solarserver)

The North American renewable energy sector is experiencing intense merger and acquisition (M&A) activity, Frost & Sullivan (Mountain View, California, U.S.) announced. As visionaries strove to identify appropriate targets and valuation metrics, the number of deals grew by two-thirds year-on-year in 2011, although the total deal value decreased by one-third, from UAD 48.8 billion in 2010 to USD 33.4 billion in 2011. Read more