Solectria?s inverters used in 1.65MW PV array at Utah?s Salt Palace Convention Center

Wednesday, 2.8.2012 - 20:24 (PV-Tech)

The Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, has a new 1.65MW PV array on its rooftop, which is powered in part by Solectria Renewables? SmartGrid inverters. The project is said to be the largest rooftop installation in Utah, with Bella Energy acting as its engineering, procurement and construction manager. Solectria?s SGI500 and 300 commercial and utility-scale inverters were chosen for the project, which is expected to generate around 2.4MWH of solar energy per year. Read more

Analyst concerns mount as inaccurate cost data emerges from DECC

Wednesday, 2.8.2012 - 19:03 (Solarpowerportal)

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has published a report outlining the projected costs of solar photovoltaics in a bid to work out how to set the future feed-in tariff rates. The Solar PV Cost Update, which was compiled by Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB), was put together in just four days, prompting fears that Government is yet again working with inaccurate cost data. Read more

Bosch delays work on Malaysian PV factory

Wednesday, 2.8.2012 - 17:37 (PV-Tech)

According to German publication Frankfurter Allegemeine Wirtschaft, Bosch has delayed plans to build its ?520 million integrated solar module manufacturing plant in Penang, Malaysia. Construction was due to commence at the end of last year, with completion scheduled for 2013. Bosch has attributed this to the current market of overcapacity, falling module prices and government subsidy cuts. Read more

Construction postponed on Bosch?s ?520 million PV plant in Penang, Malaysia

Wednesday, 2.8.2012 - 17:37 (PV-Tech)

According to German publication Frankfurter Allegemeine Wirtschaft, Bosch has delayed plans to build its ?520 million integrated solar module manufacturing plant in Penang, Malaysia. Construction was due to commence at the end of last year, with completion scheduled for 2013. Bosch has attributed this to the current market of overcapacity, falling module prices and government subsidy cuts. Read more

Iowa Considering Feed-in Tariffs

Wednesday, 2.8.2012 - 15:00 (Renewable Energy World)

Senators in the heartland state of Iowa have introduced a modest feed-in tariff bill into the state legislature. The move is the first serious effort to introduce a system of feed-in tariffs anywhere in the US during the current legislative session. Read more

IMS Research: Record 26GW of PV inverters shipped in 2011

Wednesday, 2.8.2012 - 12:54 (PV-Tech)

Preliminary figures from IMS Research indicate that PV inverter shipments reached a new record high in 2011. According to the market research firm, shipments grew by more than 10% and exceeded 26GW for the first time. IMS Research?s preliminary Q4?11 report, projects inverter shipments grew by up to 15% in 2011, with more than 8GW shipped in the last quarter of the year. Read more

Utah?s 1.65MW array to use Solectria?s PV inverters

Wednesday, 2.8.2012 - 12:23 (PV-Tech)

Utah?s largest PV rooftop installation at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City is to be equipped with Solectria Renewables? SGI 300 and SGI 500 commercial and utility-scale inverters. The 1.65MW array ? said to be the largest convention centre installation in North America ? was constructed by Bella Energy, a national commercial solar EPC company based in Louisville, Colorado. Read more

Order Focus: centrotherm SiTec wins Saudi Arabian polysilicon plant contract

Wednesday, 2.8.2012 - 12:04 (PV-Tech)

IDEA Polysilicon Company has selected centrotherm SiTec to provide basic engineering and the technology concepts for its first 10,000MT capacity polysilicon plant to be built in the city of Yanbu, Saudi Arabia. Actual construction timelines were not disclosed. Read more

IDEA Polysilicon Company selects centrotherm as the provider for basic engineering and technology concept for large-scale polysilicon project in Saudi Arabia

Wednesday, 2.8.2012 - 11:51 (Solarserver)

centrotherm SiTec GmbH, a 100% subsidiary of centrotherm photovoltaics AG (Blaubeuren, Germany), has signed a contract for the basic engineering and the technology concept for a polysilicon factory with IDEA Polysilicon Company (IPC) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the company reports. The factory with an annual capacity of 10,000 tonnes will be situated in the Saudi Arabian city of Yanbu. Read more

OPDE completed 51 MW PV projects in Spain, Italy in 2011

Wednesday, 2.8.2012 - 11:40 (Solarserver)

On February 6th, 2012, OPDE (Fustiñana, Spain) announced that it developed and connected 51 megawatts (MW) in 11 solar photovoltaic (PV) farms in Spain and Italy in 2011. Thus last year the company reached half of the installed capacity volume of the five previous years, when it developed and connected 101.5 MW. Read more

Growth in photovoltaics brings new opportunities for the solar industy; PV Energy World Special Exhibit at Intersolar Europe 2012 showcases innovative solutions for the power supply of the future

Wednesday, 2.8.2012 - 11:18 (Solarserver)

2011 was a record year both for Intersolar Europe and the international solar industry, with the expansion of newly-installed photovoltaic capacity reaching a new high. With 18 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) of solar power generated during the year, 2011 saw photovoltaics conquer a larger share of the German energy production market than hydropower for the first time. The increasing market share occupied by solar power highlights the opportunities that could be enjoyed by the technology in future energy supply. In order to exploit these opportunities effectively, the solar industry is working at full steam to create new solutions, such as grid integration and energy storage Read more

Vivint Solar teams up with Clean Power Finance to offer U.S. consumers affordable solar financing

Wednesday, 2.8.2012 - 22:49 (Solarserver)

On February 7th, 2012 Vivint Solar (Provo, Utah, U.S.) announced that it is teaming up with Clean Power Finance (San Francisco, California, U.S.) to bring more affordable financing options to homeowners interested in clean energy. Read more

Powerway to supply and install 80 MW PV mounting structure products for West Holding Group?s solar power plant in Japan

Wednesday, 2.8.2012 - 22:43 (Solarserver)

Powerway Renewable Energy Company Ltd. (Foshan City, China) on February 7th, 2012 announced that it has entered into a strategic alliance with West Holding Group, Japan. West Holding Group will invest in PV power plants in Japan, while Powerway will support West Holding in designing and constructing the PV power plants, using Powerway?s "PowerScrew" foundations, as well as Powerway?s mounting Structure products. The said PV power plants will each be equipped with 2 MW PV capacity, and scattering all over Japan, contributing to the local electricity power supply, filling the gap that nuclear power supply has left. Read more

UniSource Energy launches program to sell solar energy blocks to Arizona customers

Wednesday, 2.8.2012 - 22:38 (Solarserver)

On February 6th, 2012, UniSource Energy Services (Tucson, Arizona, U.S.) announced that it has unveiled a new program that allows electric customers to buy solar energy directly from two recently completed solar photovoltaic (PV) generating systems in Mohave County, Ariz. Read more

Intersolar Europe 2012 readies for second installment of PV Energy World exhibition

Wednesday, 2.8.2012 - 21:31 (PV-Tech)

During Intersolar Europe?s June 13 through 15 exhibition at the New Munich Trade Fair Centre, the second edition of the PV Energy World Special Exhibition will be featured. The exhibit will present the latest developments in technology and political conditions of the solar industry with an aim to discuss the necessary elements to further the industry. The program first launched at Intersolar Europe 2011 and building upon its initial success is scheduled to make a return this year, focusing on electricity storage and grid integration. Read more

Intersolar Europe 2012 readies for second installment of PV Energy World exhibit

Wednesday, 2.8.2012 - 21:31 (PV-Tech)

During Intersolar Europe?s June 13 through 15 exhibition at the New Munich Trade Fair Centre, the second edition of the PV Energy World Special Exhibition will be featured. The exhibit will present the latest developments in technology and political conditions of the solar industry with an aim to discuss the necessary elements to further the industry. The program first launched at Intersolar Europe 2011 and building upon its initial success is scheduled to make a return this year, focusing on electricity storage and grid integration. Read more

Martifer Solar debuts MPrime with new offices in Munich to expand business in Germany

Wednesday, 2.8.2012 - 21:10 (PV-Tech)

MPrime, the distribution arm of Martifer Solar, has expanded its parent company?s business in Germany with the opening of new Munich offices. The company advised that working out of Germany will allow it to better serve the worldwide, and especially the German, PV sector. Read more

Aqua America completes 1.5MW solar array at water treatment facility in Pennsylvania

Wednesday, 2.8.2012 - 20:46 (PV-Tech)

Aqua America has finished its fourth solar array at one of its own water treatment facilities in Pennsylvania, this time completing a 1.5MW solar farm at its Pickering water treatment plant in Schuylkill Township, Chester County. Constructed across 6.5 acres, the solar array will help power the company?s largest water treatment facility and reduce the company?s grid-tied usage by 2.2 million kW annually. Read more

California saw record number in January for homeowners, business who turned to solar for electricity

Wednesday, 2.8.2012 - 20:10 (PV-Tech)

California?s Vote Solar Initiative advised that January saw a record amount of homes and business in the state going solar. According to the initiative, January saw 42.4MW of behind-the-meter solar installed, which is the largest amount in the history of the California Solar Initiative program. Additionally, 49.5MW of incentive applications were received, and while that number doesn?t mark a record, it is said to be higher than normal. Read more

Westmill Solar farm set to open community share issue

Wednesday, 2.8.2012 - 17:25 (Solarpowerportal)

The Westmill Solar Cooperative, which manages the Westmill Solar Farm, a 5MW solar park covering 30 acres of land across Westmill Farm, will be launching a share issue in the coming weeks. Read more

IHS iSuppli: Solar PV inverter shipments, revenues fall in 2011

Wednesday, 2.8.2012 - 16:12 (Solarserver)

On February 8th, 2012 IHS iSuppli (El Segundo, California, U.S.) announced the release of a new report which estimates that shipments of solar photovoltaic (PV) inverters declined 1% in 2011 to 23.4 GW, as total industry revenues fell 15% to USD 6.1 billion. The "IHS iSuppli PV Inverter Market Tracker" report estimates that prices fell 14% during 2011. The report also estimates that shipments will grow 5% during 2012 to 24.5 GW, but that revenues will fall another 3%, with revenues recovering in the following years. Read more

Australian Government re-opens Solar Flagships program

Wednesday, 2.8.2012 - 16:04 (Solarserver)

On February 7th, 2012 the Australian Government announced that it will re-open the Solar Flagships Program to four short-listed applicants. Among these four are the developers of the Moree Solar Farm solar photovoltaic (PV) project, which has undergone major changes after initial approval. The government also extended the deadline for developers to reach financial close on the 250 MW Solar Dawn concentrating solar power (CSP)/natural gas hybrid project. Solar Dawn is the only one of the proposed projects to use CSP technology. Read more

Assessing the Risks in Solar Project Development

Wednesday, 2.8.2012 - 15:28 (Renewable Energy World)

Over the next four years, 5.7 GW of utility-scale solar PV projects is expected to be built in the U.S. and another 1.3 GW in Canada for a total of 7 GW. Both amounts represent a significantly larger volume than what has been installed to date and is expected to be the dominating type of solar installation for that period of time. Yet, 7 GW only represent a fraction of the total capacity of large-scale solar PV projects initiated and under development in the same period, illustrating that solar project development still is a high-risk undertaking. Read more

Arava Power gets green light to develop 8MW solar park in Negev Desert, Israel

Wednesday, 2.8.2012 - 14:00 (PV-Tech)

Last year, the Israeli Ministry of Interior approved a plan for an 8MW solar PV plant to be built adjacent to the Bedouin community of Tarabin in the Abu Basma region of the north west of the Negev Desert, which has finally been given the go ahead. This will be a joint project between the Tarabin tribe and Arava Power Company, costing approximately US$30 million. The plant will cover 15 hectares of privately owned agricultural land. Read more

Fitch to rate Topaz Solar Farms? USD 700 million senior notes BBB-

Wednesday, 2.8.2012 - 11:45 (Solarserver)

On February 6th, 2012, Fitch Ratings (New York, U.S.) announced that it expects to assign a BBB- rating to Topaz Solar Farms LLC?s USD 700 million series A senior secured notes. The rating outlook due to the agency is stable. On January 31st, 2012 MidAmerican Renewables LLC (Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.) announced that it has completed the acquisition of the 550 MW Topaz Solar Farm from First Solar Inc. (Tempe, Arizona, U.S.) for an undisclosed sum. Read more

New Energy Technologies names J. Patrick Thompson to board of advisors

Wednesday, 2.8.2012 - 22:17 (Solarserver)

On February 6th, 2012, New Energy Technologies Inc. (Columbia, Maryland, U.S.) announced that it has appointed J. Patrick Thompson to the company?s board of advisors. Thompson?s appointment underscores New Energy?s commitment to commercialize its novel "SolarWindow" technology for introduction to industry, including the solar, plastics and film, glass, and solar-glass segments. Read more

Kevin Suhr joins AlsoEnergy to lead field service

Wednesday, 2.8.2012 - 20:56 (PV-Tech)

In order to keep abreast with customer demands in multiple countries, AlsoEnergy has recruited Kevin Suhr to its team as the leader for field service. Suhr joins AlsoEnergy after serving at Bella Energy where he was lead data monitoring, troubleshooting and service technician; a role where he installed and maintained data monitoring systems for various applications. Read more

A Shining Star of Bipartisan Cleantech Support

Wednesday, 2.8.2012 - 15:55 (Renewable Energy World)

Amid all the negative publicity that Solyndra’s failure has brought to the Administration’s cleantech efforts, one cleantech program has received broad bipartisan support: DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-e).  In 2012, ARPA-e will receive $275 million, a 53 percent increase from the prior year with Read more

Powerway to supply West Holding?s 80MW project pipeline in Japan

Wednesday, 2.8.2012 - 15:42 (PV-Tech)

Chinese Powerway Renewable Energy and Japanese West Holding have partnered to construct a 2MW capacity installation in Japan to fill the nuclear gap. West Holding will provide the investment and Powerway will design and construct the plant using its PowerScrew foundations and mounting structure products. Read more

BP: Too Big to Fail?

Wednesday, 2.8.2012 - 15:00 (Renewable Energy World)

BP issued its Energy Outlook for 2030, and the coverage and commentary it generated suggests it's an authoritative voice on medium-term energy trends, and as such will have some influence on policy and investment decisions. Leaving aside that one of the world's major fossil fuel incumbents cannot realistically be an impartial arbiter, there was something to like whether your view leans toward the inevitability of renewable energy or necessity of fossil fuels. Read more

Eco-Nomics joins BASE London advisory board

Wednesday, 2.8.2012 - 13:25 (Solarpowerportal)

Energy efficiency specialist Eco-Nomics has been invited to join the advisory board of BASE London – the annual event that addresses London’s low-carbon objectives. Read more

Green at heart: Ed Davey reveals a passion for energy efficiency

Wednesday, 2.8.2012 - 12:01 (Solarpowerportal)

During his first announcement as the new Energy and Climate Change Secretary; Ed Davey this morning launched a new offensive on cutting energy waste. Following in his... Read more