LTi REEnergy unveils utility-scale PV inverters

Thursday, 3.1.2012 - 21:16 (Solarserver)

On February 20th, 2012, LTi REEnergy (Unna, Germany), a global supplier of photovoltaic (PV) inverters, announced that it has formed a partnership with Ampt LLC (Fort Collins, Colorado, U.S.), which delivers power conversion electronics and information technology. Under the partnership, the companies will offer utility-scale inverters to improve system performance while lowering system cost. Read more

UK smart home energy management device market could top £2 billion

Thursday, 3.1.2012 - 19:27 (Solarpowerportal)

A recent study by IMS research has revealed that over the next five years, more than £2.4 billion will be spent in the UK on a range of smart home energy management devices, including smart meters themselves and advanced in-home devices that can ‘talk’ to them. Read more

ACT Aurora teams with ISC Konstanz on inline solar cell production measurement

Thursday, 3.1.2012 - 15:55 (PV-Tech)

As part of its commercialization path and development of future applications, ACT Aurora Control Technologies has started a joint research project with the International Solar Energy Research Center Konstanz on inline solar cell production measurement, based on its ACT Aurora?s ?Decima? system. Read more

MetLife, Longsol purchase 30 MW Webberville PV plant

Thursday, 3.1.2012 - 15:24 (Solarserver)

MetLife Inc. (New York, New York, U.S.) and Longsol Holdings US LLC (Houston, Texas, U.S.) have announced the purchase of the 30MW Webberville solar photovoltaic (PV) plant from SunEdison LLC (Beltsville, Maryland, U.S.) for an undisclosed sum. The plant was commissioned in December 2011 as the largest PV plant in the U.S. state of Texas. The transaction was completed during the same month. Read more

Konarka advances Power Plastic solar cell with 9% certification

Thursday, 3.1.2012 - 12:34 (Solarserver)

On February 28th, 2012, Konarka Technologies Inc. (Lowell, Mass.), developer of Konarka Power Plastic, announced that that its next generation organic solar photovoltaic (OPV) cells have been certified by Newport Corp. as demonstrating 9% single-junction efficiency. The recent advances are based upon Konarka?s inverted cell architecture, the company?s intellectual property protected under issued patents. Read more

LS Power secures financing for 127 MW PV plant in Arizona

Thursday, 3.1.2012 - 9:41 (Solarserver)

On February 29th, 2012 LS Power Group (New York, New York, U.S.) announced that it has completed financing and authorized construction of the Arlington Valley Solar Energy (AVSE) II Project, a 127 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant in the U.S. state of Arizona. LS Power expects to begin construction on the AVSE II plant in March 2011, with commissioning scheduled for 2013. Financing for the USD 550 million project was structured in two tranches, with long-term institutional financing led by Prudential Capital Group (Chicago, Illinois, U.S.) and shorter-term bank financing led by Banco Santander SA (Santander, Spain). Read more

Q-Cells approves bond moratorium

Thursday, 3.1.2012 - 9:36 (Solarserver)

On February 27th, 2011 Q-Cells SE (Bitterfeld-Wolfen, Germany) announced the approval of a bond moratorium which it says is an important milestone for the successful restructuring of the company. At a creditor's meeting the same day, bondholders approved a delay in the maturation of EUR 492 million (USD 658 million) convertible bond from February 28th, 2012 until April 30th, 2012. Read more

Borrego Solar installs 3.4-MW PV system at Edwards Air Force Base

Thursday, 3.1.2012 - 21:23 (Solarserver)

On February 28th, 2012, Borrego Solar Systems Inc. (El Cajon, California, U.S.), a designer, installer and financier of grid-tied government solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, announced that it has completed a 3.4 megawatt (MW) solar power installation at Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California. Read more

350 employees at work on California Valley Solar Ranch

Thursday, 3.1.2012 - 21:09 (Solarserver)

On February 20th, 2012, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) reported that about 350 skilled workers, including electricians, carpenters and iron workers, are currently working to construct the 250-megawatt (MW) California Valley Solar Ranch (CVSR) in San Luis Obispo County, California. Read more

Why Solar Flagships' Peril Won't Derail PV in Australia

Thursday, 3.1.2012 - 20:59 (Renewable Energy World)

When Australia's Solar Flagships program was first announced in May 2009, the program was met with much fanfare, heralded as the path to proving solar photovoltaics' (PV) viability in the Australian market. Initially the program had a total budget of approximately A$1.5 billion and a goal of installing 1 gigawatt (GW) of solar electricity, split equally between PV and concentrated solar thermal (CSP). Read more

Swiss joint-venture 4.3MWp Spanish plant is now online

Thursday, 3.1.2012 - 18:54 (PV-Tech)

The joint venture between Innotech Solar, Jendra Power and Energie Wasser Bern has been completed. The 4.3MWp solar power installation is located near the Andalusian municipalities of Atarfe and Moclin, Spain. Covering 62,000m2 across several greenhouses, it is estimated to be able to supply around 2,500 households with electricity each year. Read more

SolarCity raises US$81 million to realize expansion plans

Thursday, 3.1.2012 - 18:10 (PV-Tech)

SolarCity has raised US$81 million in equity financing to fund its expansion of sales, marketing and operations, technology development and potential acquisitions. The round was co-led by Silver Lake Kraftwerk and Valor Equity Partners and included investments from Nicholas J. Pritzker, partner at Tao Ventures and senior development advisor for Hyatt Hotels and Shea Ventures, an affiliate of SolarCity partner Shea Homes. SolarCity chairman Elon Musk and existing SolarCity investor DBL Investors also participated. Read more

Abound Solar Halts Thin-film Production

Thursday, 3.1.2012 - 18:04 (Renewable Energy World)

Abound Solar, once heralded as an emerging player in American solar manufacturing because of its aggressive plans for growth and its strong Department of Energy backing, took a major step backward this week when it announced it was shutting down production of its first generation thin film modules and that it was temporarily laying off 180 employees from its Colorado facility. Read more

Australian subsidies for solar hot-water cut

Thursday, 3.1.2012 - 17:31 (PV-Tech)

The Australian Secretary for Climate Change, Mark Dreyfus, announced on Tuesday that solar hot-water rebates would no longer apply under the Renewable Energy Bonus Scheme. The Clean Energy Council and various industry representatives expressed disbelief and surprise at this decision. Read more

Financing complete for LS Power?s 127MW Arlington Valley Solar project

Thursday, 3.1.2012 - 16:20 (PV-Tech)

The 127MW Arlington Valley Solar Energy II Project is now underway. LS Power has announced it has completed financing and authorized the construction of the US$550 million installation. It is to be build on more than 1,100 acres of land and operational in 2013. Read more

Scheuten Solar to suspend payments to creditors

Thursday, 3.1.2012 - 15:13 (Solarserver)

On February 29th, 2012 Scheuten Solar Systems BV (Venlo, The Netherlands) filed for suspension of payment for "certain solar entities", as declared in a notice on its website. The company estimates that the oversupply of solar photovoltaic (PV) modules in the European market during the last 12 to 18 months has led to price reductions of more than 50%, which it says has led to "tremendous pressure" on margins. Read more

German solar industry unites to fight FiT cuts

Thursday, 3.1.2012 - 14:14 (PV-Tech)

At 1pm local time Monday March 5, thousands, including employees from around 50 solar companies, will converge in Berlin at the Brandeburger Tor to protest against harsh cuts to the proposed feed-in tariff legislation. They are united under the banner of the country?s Federal Solar Industry Association BSW-Solar: ?No clear-cutting for the backing of solar energy ? only more solar electricity can bring the energy turnaround?. Read more

Neo Solar Power?s NeoMono cell has conversion efficiency reaching 18.5% using ?quasi-mono? wafers

Thursday, 3.1.2012 - 13:07 (PV-Tech)

Neo Solar Power is launching a new ?quasi-mono? based solar cell, said to have a conversion efficiency reaching 18.5%, and an average efficiency over 18%. This is the first product NSP has produced using ?quasi-mono? wafers, which is set for rapid adoption across the industry as PV manufacturers focus on efficiency of cells and modules rather than capacity expansions. Read more

Britain?s lights to stay on thanks to 1.6GW of solar a year

Thursday, 3.1.2012 - 13:07 (Solarpowerportal)

A new white paper published by Bloomberg New Energy Finance has predicted that Government’s renewable energy policies for Britain will ensure that the country will not suffer an electricity crisis. Read more

Neo Solar Power?s NeoMono cell has conversion efficiency reaching 18.5% using quasi-mono wafers

Thursday, 3.1.2012 - 13:06 (PV-Tech)

Neo Solar Power is launching a new quasi-mono-based solar cell, said to have a conversion efficiency reaching 18.5% and an average efficiency over 18%. This is the first product NSP has produced using quasi-mono wafers, which is set for rapid adoption across the industry as PV manufacturers focus on efficiency of cells and modules rather than capacity expansions. Read more

Solar shakeout: Scheuten Solar in financial woes as it can?t pay creditors

Thursday, 3.1.2012 - 12:49 (PV-Tech)

Scheuten Solar has officially filed notice that it is suspending payments as it is unable to serve its creditors. The Netherlands based module manufacturer and BIPV specialist said in a statement on its website that its margins had been under tremendous pressure over the last 18-months due to the dramatic oversupply of standard PV modules in the European market, putting the company into financial difficulties. Read more

U.S. PV producer Abound Solar to cease current module production, lay off 180 employees

Thursday, 3.1.2012 - 12:41 (Solarserver)

On February 28th, 2012 Abound Solar Inc. (Loveland, Colorado, U.S.) announced that it will end its current production of cadmium telluride thin-film solar photovoltaic (PV) modules, including temporarily laying off 180 employees. The company states that this change will allow it to accelerate the manufacturing process and equipment changes necessary to begin production of a new line of its "AB2" 85-watt PV modules, which offer 12.5% conversion efficiency. Abound Solar expects to resume production by the end of 2012. Read more

SunEdison sells 30MW Webberville solar plant to MetLife and Longsol Holdings

Thursday, 3.1.2012 - 0:52 (PV-Tech)

MetLife and Longsol Holdings US advised that they had mutually bought SunEdison?s 30MW Webberville, Texas solar project, for an undisclosed amount, in December 2011. The project was activated in December 2011 and is said to be the largest active solar plant in Texas. Constructed by RES Americas, who will also operate and maintain the project for the next five years, the solar farm is anticipated to produce over 1.4 billion kWh of electricity over 25 years. Read more

DOE SunShot study examines potential for solar over the next several decades

Thursday, 3.1.2012 - 0:17 (PV-Tech)

The SunShot Vision Study, a report by the US Department of Energy?s SunShot Initiative, has taken a look at the potential solar technologies have, over the next several decades, to provide a large share of electricity demand in the US. Looking at a scenario where the cost of solar technologies decreases by 75% between 2010 and 2020 and focusing on PV and CSP, the study reports on the pathways, barriers and implications that the actual achievement of the SunShot Initiative price reduction targets would have on market penetration levels. Read more

Tianwei New Energy secures US$10 million loan for Hoku?s polysilicon plant operating expenses

Thursday, 3.1.2012 - 16:55 (PV-Tech)

Major investor in Hoku?s polysilicon plant, Tianwei New Energy has secured a further US$10 million in loans from the New York branch of China Merchants Bank to support operating and capital expenses as the plant nears production start-up. Read more

What's Good for the Lease is Good for the Lender

Thursday, 3.1.2012 - 15:00 (Renewable Energy World)

Trying to identify the Next Big Thing in renewable energy investment? You could do a lot worse than stake a claim at the point where two trends ? growing ones that may have escaped your notice ? meet. Read more

Maturation of the Sustainable Industries: How it Parallels the Dotcom Boom, Bust?and Rebirth

Thursday, 3.1.2012 - 15:00 (Renewable Energy World)

During the internet boom in the late 1990's and early 2000's, new companies sprang up seemingly overnight and the words "new economy" became a common turn of phrase in touting the business environment born of this innovative climate. These "new economy" companies didn't have substantial revenue, much less profits, however, so new metrics like "eyeballs" and "page views" were devised to justify the outrageous size of their estimated valuations. Read more

Better Renewables Risk Management Solutions Emerge

Thursday, 3.1.2012 - 15:00 (Renewable Energy World)

Global economic woes have taken their toll, but investment in renewable projects is still strong and since 2010 has surpassed investment in new fossil fuel plants. Read more

China opens renewable energy policy center

Thursday, 3.1.2012 - 12:34 (Solarserver)

On February 23rd, 2012 Chinese and international officials held a ceremony to formally open a new center in Beijing dedicated to advancing renewable energy strategy and policies in the nation. The Government of Denmark supported the creation of the China Renewable Energy Center (CNREC) through the Sino-Danish Renewable Energy Development Program. Opening ceremonies included officials from China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), National Energy Administration (NEA), Ministry of Finance, and Ministry of Science and Technology, as well as Danish energy and trade officials. Read more

Australia closes Renewable Energy Bonus Scheme

Thursday, 3.1.2012 - 12:33 (Solarserver)

On February 28th, 2012 the Australian Government announced the closure of the nation's Renewable Energy Bonus Scheme, which subsidizes solar water heating systems. Australia's Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency Mark Dreyfus stated that the program will close on June 30th, 2012. However, systems must be purchased or ordered on or before February 28th, 2012 to be eligible for rebates. Read more