News of the year 2012

Date: 10.02.2012



Photovoltaics

Aqua America completes 1.5 MW PV plant at water treatment facility

Friday, 2.10.2012 - 18:25 (Solarserver)

On February 8th, 2012 Aqua America Inc. (Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, U.S.) announced that it has completed construction on a 1.5 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant at a water treatment plant in Chester County, Pennsylvania. The plant is the company's fourth PV plant at a water treatment facility it operates. The PV plant at the Pickering water treatment plant in Schuylkill Township is located on 2.6 hectares. The plant will reduce Aqua's grid-tied usage by an estimated 2.2 million kWh annually, providing the plant with USD 250,000 in avoided energy costs in 2012. Read more

Cambridge Scientists develop solar cell capable of significant efficiency improvements

Friday, 2.10.2012 - 17:05 (Solarpowerportal)

Scientists from Cambridge University have developed new solar cells that could increase the maximum efficiency of solar panels by over 25 percent. Read more

SMA appoints Rolf Merte as executive VP of technology development

Friday, 2.10.2012 - 15:56 (PV-Tech)

Effective April 1, 2012, Dr. Rolf Merte has been appointed executive VP of technology development division of the medium power solutions of SMA Solar Technology. He will be responsible for the development of electronic automotive power for high temperature applications. Read more


Thermal Power/Heating

AES Gener planning US$572 million solar farm in northern Chile

Friday, 2.10.2012 - 21:23 (PV-Tech)

According to reports from Bloomberg, AES Gener, a division of AES Corp., is preparing to construct a US$572 million solar farm in northern Chile, which will help bring electricity to copper mines in the Atacama Desert. The company is pursuing a permit to build the farm in Chile?s Antogafasts region where, Bloomberg reports, BHP Billiton and state-owned Codelco, manage copper mines. Read more

Strata Solar, Chint/Astronergy complete 5MW solar plant in North Carolina

Friday, 2.10.2012 - 21:07 (PV-Tech)

Kings Mountain, North Carolina has a new 5MW solar power plant developed by Strata Solar and Chint/Astronergy. The 5MW plant uses 22,000 panels and is said to be one of the state?s largest solar farms to date. The Kings Mountain PV plant will produce enough electricity to power over 600 average homes. Read more

US DOE announced US$12 million funding for SunShot Incubator program

Friday, 2.10.2012 - 20:31 (PV-Tech)

The US DOE has advised of a US$12 million investment in the SunShot Incubator program; funding which will go towards advancements in hardware, reduction of soft costs and the development of pilot manufacturing and production projects in the American solar energy and manufacturing industry. The Incubator program is best known as a launchpad for new start-ups and business units within existing companies to move solar technology development forward at a faster pace. Read more

GeoModel Solar releases new solar maps for South Africa

Friday, 2.10.2012 - 19:58 (PV-Tech)

New solar maps for South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland have been released by GeoModel Solar, showing the direct solar radiation on the African continent. ?Uniqueness of these maps is reflected in their very high spatial resolution of 250 metres. As regards temporal resolution, the underlying solar database represents more than 18 years of historical data (1994 - to present) with a time step of up to 15 minutes,? said Marcel Suri, managing director of GeoModel Solar. Read more

REC?s solar wafer and cell plants in Norway set to be sold off by GoIndustry DoveBid

Friday, 2.10.2012 - 19:41 (PV-Tech)

GoIndustry DoveBid, an asset manager company, has been retained by Renewable Energy Corporation (REC) to handle the disposal of three solar manufacturing plants in Norway. GoIndustry has placed the factories on the global market with a total estimated value of ?50 million. REC initially disclosed that it was closing its 500MW capacity wafer plant in Herøya, its 275MW wafer multi-plant in Glomfjord and its 200MW capacity solar cell plant in Narvik last October. Read more

PTL Solar to launch Solar Academy in Dubai

Friday, 2.10.2012 - 18:30 (Solarserver)

PTL Solar FZ LLC (Dubai, U.A.E.) has announced a collaboration with Solar Energy International (SEI, Carbondale, California, U.S.) and the British University in Dubai (Dubai, U.A.E.) to launch Dubai's first renewable energy training institute. PTL states that the PTL Solar Academy is inspired by the work of U.A.E. Vice President and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, and will offer hands-on training in renewable energy technologies as well as development of local research activities. Read more

First Solar?s Antelope Valley Solar Ranch One loan guarantee in doubt

Friday, 2.10.2012 - 17:24 (PV-Tech)

A US$646 million US DOE loan and loan guarantee for First Solar?s 230MW Antelope Valley Solar Ranch One (AVSR) PV power plant project in northern Los Angeles County, California has hit a snag over an outstanding construction permit issue. The timeframe for initial funding of the loan has been pushed back to February 24, 2012 but if the issue isn?t resolved by that date, First solar said it could have to acquire the project from customer, Exelon for approximately US$75 million. Read more

In Memory of @PVAddict: Heather Andrews

Friday, 2.10.2012 - 15:00 (Renewable Energy World)

Heather Andrews, a.k.a. @PVaddict, 1978-2012 For those who follow me regularly here on Renewable Energy World, this week’s post will be quite personal, so my apologies in advance for straying somewhat from solar marketing and advocacy, though not completely. My friend, solar installer, and solar PV instructor Heather Andrews died on Wedne Read more

DOE loan recipient SolarReserve completes 110MW Tonopah tower

Friday, 2.10.2012 - 13:14 (PV-Tech)

The 110MW Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Plant molten salt tower has been completed, thus marking a major milestone in the construction of what will be the largest CSP power plant in the world. Construction on the plant and the 540-foot tower began in September 2011 and is expected to last 30 months in total. The project was the controversial recipient of a US$737 million US DOE loan guarantee in September. Read more

FiTs consultation response: the solar industry?s comments

Friday, 2.10.2012 - 13:12 (Solarpowerportal)

In the wake of the feed-in tariff announcement made by Government yesterday morning, the reaction from industry has been somewhat mixed. While some view the announced changes as positive moves in the right direction, many others are disappointed, and remain of the opinion that the Department of Energy and Climate Change’s support for solar is just not strong enough. Read more

First Solar cuts output but attempts to safeguard jobs at German plant

Friday, 2.10.2012 - 12:34 (PV-Tech)

Last November First Solar celebrated the production of its one millionth module at its Frankfurt (Oder) plant. This year, the company has announced to reduce production as declining subsidies reduce European demand. Read more

DECC predicts a third of UK solar workers will lose their jobs

Friday, 2.10.2012 - 12:33 (Solarpowerportal)

The Department of Energy and Climate Change has published its Impact Assessment for the announced reforms to the feed-in tariff scheme. Read more

Chromasun completes hybrid solar/natural gas air conditioning system for California hospital

Friday, 2.10.2012 - 11:03 (Solarserver)

On February 8th, 2012 Chromasun Inc. (San Jose, California, U.S.) announced that contractor SunWater Solar (Richmond, California, U.S.) has begun construction on a hybrid solar thermal / natural gas-fired air conditioning system at a medical center in California. The system at the Crow Canyon Medical Center in Danville, California is comprised of 75 Chromasun MCT solar thermal panels with a total of 300 square meters of collector area and a 50-ton absorption chiller. The absorption chiller can run on either solar energy or natural gas, to allow for uninterrupted 24-hour operation. Read more

Concentrating solar power: NREL adds linear Fresnel technology to System Advisor Model system

Friday, 2.10.2012 - 10:57 (Solarserver)

On February 8th, 2012 the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratories (NREL, Golden, Colorado, U.S.) announced that it has included linear Fresnel concentrating solar power (CSP) technology in a modeling program which it operates. NREL's System Advisor Model (SAM) predicts annual energy production, hourly performance and return on investment for utilities, policy-makers and researchers. NREL partnered with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI, Palo Alto, California, U.S.) to develop the new direct-steam generation linear Fresnel model in SAM. Read more

Solar Millennium completes sale of 2.25 GW U.S. project pipeline to solarhybrid

Friday, 2.10.2012 - 10:50 (Solarserver)

Solar Millennium AG (Erlangen, Germany) has announced that it has sold two project holding companies to solarhybrid AG (Brilon, Germany), completing the transfer of its entire 2.25 GW pipeline of solar plants in the United States. The sale also includes a 70% stake in Solar Trust of America LLC (Oakland, California, U.S.). The purchase is subject to the condition that solarhybrid will replace letters of credit by March 31st, 2012, and solarhybrid is additionally responsible for securing financing for the American business. Read more

Concentrating solar power: SolarReserve completes tower for Crescent Dunes CSP plant

Friday, 2.10.2012 - 10:43 (Solarserver)

On February 9th, 2012 SolarReserve (Santa Monica, California, U.S.) announced that it has completed a 165-meter tall solar power tower for its 110 MW Crescent Dunes concentrating solar power (CSP) plant in the U.S. state of Nevada. The company states that the Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Plant will be the nation's first commercial-scale solar plant with fully integrated energy storage. The plant is also the largest CSP plant of its kind in the world, utilizing molten salt as both a receiver and heat storage medium in a solar power tower design. Read more


Biomass/Pellets

There are no news available

 



Wind Energy

While Digging Up 1,235 Acres For His Golf Course, Donald Trump Says Wind Farms Are 'Destroying' Scotland

Friday, 2.10.2012 - 20:31 (Renewable Energy World)

Real estate mogul and former Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has outdone himself this time. Read more


Hydropower

There are no news available

 



Hydrogen/Fuel Cell

There are no news available

 



Geo Thermal/Heat Pump

There are no news available

 



Energy Policy/Climate/CO2

Southern Energy Management installs 1.13 MW PV plant at Pennsylvania Mushroom farm

Friday, 2.10.2012 - 18:19 (Solarserver)

On February 8th, 2012, Southern Energy Management (Morrisville, North Carolina, U.S.) announced that it has installed a 1.13 megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic (PV) array at Marlboro Mushrooms? farm near West Grove, Pennsylvania. This PV plant is the largest moving solar array in Pennsylvania. Read more

Renewables Helped France Avoid Freezing in the Dark

Friday, 2.10.2012 - 18:12 (Renewable Energy World)

In a startling development widely reported across Europe in the English-, French-, and German-language press, France imported electricity to meet peak demand during a brutal cold snap February 7, 2012. And one of the countries France imported electricity from was Germany. Read more

Spain approves suspension of renewable energy subsidies

Friday, 2.10.2012 - 17:19 (PV-Tech)

A petition, sent by 40 representatives of energy and environmental agencies, has fallen on deaf ears. Read more

PV Legal launches study into European renewables usage

Friday, 2.10.2012 - 17:03 (PV-Tech)

PV LEGAL has conducted a two-and-a-half-year initiative investigating the extent of renewable energy up-take in Europe. The study found France, Greece, Germany, the Netherlands and Portugal have all been successful in encouraging access to renewable energy. However, Italy, Spain, Bulgaria and the UK are yet to make satisfactory progress. Read more

Renewables potential in Africa analysed by European Commission?s Joint Research centre

Friday, 2.10.2012 - 16:29 (PV-Tech)

The European Commission?s Joint Research centre has published a report analysing the potential for renewable energy sources in Africa. Read more

Housing Association looks to become one of the first Green Deal providers

Friday, 2.10.2012 - 15:33 (Solarpowerportal)

Alliance Homes, a Somerset-based housing association is looking at developing a legal framework that would see it become one of the first landlords to set up as a Green Deal provider. Read more

U.S. NRC to issue licenses for two new nuclear reactors in the U.S. state of Georgia

Friday, 2.10.2012 - 11:10 (Solarserver)

On February 9th, 2012 the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) announced that it has concluded a hearing and will issue combined licenses (COLs) for the first new nuclear reactors to be built in the United States in decades. A subsidiary of Southern Company (Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.) will build the two Westinghouse AP1000 reactors at Southern's Vogtle nuclear power plant near Augusta, Georgia. According to publication The Hill, nine organizations, including Friends of the Earth, have already stated that they will file suit to challenge the decision. Read more

German energy efficiency pavilion "dasHAUS" visits San Francisco to encourage dialogue on energy saving potentials and sustainable living

Friday, 2.10.2012 - 10:38 (Solarserver)

From February 17th ? 26th, 2012, the German American Chamber of Commerce, Inc., Office for the Western U.S. (GACC), will host the fourth stop of the North America tour of "dasHAUS", an internationally acclaimed exhibition that connects industry professionals in the U.S. and Canada with the latest market-ready renewable energy and energy efficiency solutions from Germany, in San Francisco. Read more


Solar-/Electromobil

There are no news available

 



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