Schneider Electric to build two PV plants totaling 39 MW in Bulgaria

Wednesday, 3.28.2012 - 15:41 (Solarserver)

On March 27th, 2012 Schneider Electric SA (Rueil Malmaison, France) announced that it has been selected as engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor for the construction, commissioning and operation of two solar photovoltaic (PV) plants totaling 39 MW in Bulgaria. The Letnitsa and Vratsa PV plants will comprise 160,000 PV modules on an area of 80 hectares, and will produce an estimated 47 GWh of electricity annually. Schneider Electric plans to commission the two plants in late June 2012. Read more

China's Inverter Market: Domestic Dominance Amid Pricing Pressure

Wednesday, 3.28.2012 - 15:32 (Renewable Energy World)

Thanks largely to China's national feed-in tariff (FiT) implemented last summer, the domestic market for PV inverters quintupled in 2011 to surpass 2.5 gigawatts (GW) of shipments, some 2.4 GW of actual installations, and $300 million in revenues, says IMS Research. Read more

Brown Liquor and Solar Cells to Provide Sustainable Electricity

Wednesday, 3.28.2012 - 15:00 (Renewable Energy World)

A breakthrough for inexpensive electricity from solar cells, and a massive investment in wind power, will mean a need to store energy in an intelligent way. According to research at Linköping University, published in Science, batteries of biological waste products from pulp mills could provide the solution. Read more

ASYS selects Zeta-200 to verify screen printing process

Wednesday, 3.28.2012 - 12:36 (PV-Tech)

Germany-based ASYS Automation Systems has selected Zeta Instruments? surface analysis system ? Zeta-200 ? to verify its screen printing process for the manufacture of its solar cell. ASYS will use the Zeta-200 optical profiler to qualify its screen printing equipment prior to supplying them to solar customers as well as in the development and qualification of its next-generation screen printing systems. Read more

The Energy Advice Line calls on utility companies to provide better support for small businesses

Wednesday, 3.28.2012 - 12:02 (Solarpowerportal)

The Energy Advice Line has criticised utility firms over engaging in unnecessary battles with small firms over billing errors. Julian Morgan, Managing Director, said ?increasing numbers of firms needed help to get redress for supplier mistakes.? Read more

Suniva supplies modules for 810kW installation at Bonnie Brae

Wednesday, 3.28.2012 - 11:52 (PV-Tech)

Suniva, Georgia-based solar module manufacturer, has announced that it will supply 2,892 of its 280W modules to a solar installation at the Bonnie Brae residential treatment centre for adolescent boys. Torcon Energy Services (TES) will install an 810kW ground-mounted PV system on Bonnie Brae?s campus, after the institution initiated some changes around campus to become more sustainable. Read more

DuPont, Trina sign agreements on PV materials

Wednesday, 3.28.2012 - 10:20 (Solarserver)

On March 26th, 2012 DuPont (Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.) announced that it has signed two cooperation agreements with a subsidiary of Trina Solar Ltd. (Changzhou, China) covering DuPont's supply of materials including Tedlar polyvinyl fluoride films (PVF) and Solamet photovoltaic metallizations. Terms of the agreements were not disclosed. DuPont states that it will work with Changzhou Trina Solar Energy Company Ltd. (Changzhou, China) to advance the efficiency and lifespan of solar photovoltaic (PV) cells and modules, and to lower costs of electricity produced from PV. Read more

Waaree completes 3 MW PV plant in Gujarat

Wednesday, 3.28.2012 - 10:13 (Solarserver)

On March 26th, 2012 Waaree Energies Pvt Ltd. (Mumbai, India) announced that it has built a 3 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant for Abellon Clean Energy Ltd. (Ahmadabad, India) in the Indian state of Gujarat. The company served as engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor for the plant, which is located in Sbarkantha District, Gujarat. Less than a week prior on March 21st, 2012 Waaree announced the completion of a 10 MW PV plant in Una, Gujarat. Read more

San José Group begins construction on 22MW PV plant in Southern Peru

Wednesday, 3.28.2012 - 9:27 (Solarserver)

On March 23rd, 2012 the San José Group SA (Pontevedra, Spain) announced that it has begun construction on a 22 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant in the Tacna region of Southern Peru. At 80,000 PV modules covering an area of 60,000 square meters in Alto de la Alianza near Tacna, Peru, the plant will be far larger than any currently commissioned PV plant in Latin America. The San José Group plans to commission the plant by the end of 2012. Read more

AQT Solar transitions to fully automated WIP Management System by Sapphire Automation

Wednesday, 3.28.2012 - 23:06 (PV-Tech)

AQT Solar advised that its Sunnyvale production facility had transitioned to a fully automated WIP management system, run by Sapphire Automation?s Emerald software platform. AQT noted that it had partnered with Sapphire in order to improve its equipment utilization and planning in order to ramp up its technology development and deployment cycles. Read more

SPI posts record Q4 and year-end financial results

Wednesday, 3.28.2012 - 22:55 (PV-Tech)

Solar Power, Inc. (SPI) finalized its Q4 and full year 2011 financial results with positive results. Net sales for Q4 were US$59 million, up from US$13.1 million in Q4 2010, leading net sales for 2011 to be US$103.1 million, compared with US$35.4 million in net sales for 2010. Gross profit for Q4 amounted to US$8.7 million, up from US$2.1 million in Q4 2010 with gross profit for the year totaled at US$12.8 million, a growth from US$5.3 million in 2010. Read more

SolarReserve receives final approval for two 100MW solar thermal projects in Colorado

Wednesday, 3.28.2012 - 22:40 (PV-Tech)

Colorado?s Saguache County Board of County Commissioners has given SolarReserve final approval for a 1041 permit in order for the company to build two 100MW solar thermal projects on private agricultural land in Center, Colorado. Upon completion, each project will supply around 450,000MWh of electricity per year. Read more

Sierra Club, NRDC file suit against US federal government over development of 663.5MW Calico project

Wednesday, 3.28.2012 - 22:07 (PV-Tech)

Earlier this week, the Sierra Club and the Natural Resources Defence Council (NRDC) filed a lawsuit against the US Bureau of Land Management, the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the US Department of the Interior at federal district court in California to stop construction on the Calico solar project. The suit claims that the government has violated environmental laws by not properly considering the impact of the 663.5MW Calico solar project on the desert tortoise, the golden eagle and other protected wildlife. Read more

PV Crystalox Solar sees 384MW of shipments in 2011, but lower revenue

Wednesday, 3.28.2012 - 21:36 (PV-Tech)

After announcing last October that it was halting polysilicon production at its German facility and cutting wafer jobs in the UK, it is perhaps no surprise that according to StockMarketWire, PV Crystalox Solar has posted some rather dreary numbers for 2011.  Group revenue was ?210.4 million, 17% lower than 2010, due to what the company stated was the effect of lower average selling prices. EBIT, before exceptional items, was ?4.1 million, a 1.9% margin. The company did note that shipment volumes of 384MW were reached in 2011, compared to 378MW in 2010. Read more

Solar industry is driving boom in silver market, says new report

Wednesday, 3.28.2012 - 18:37 (PV-Tech)

New technological applications, largely from the solar industry, are creating a ?high and stable? requirement for silver says a new report by Merchant Research & Consulting. Increases in the manufacture of products such as semiconductors and cable sheaths, which contain small amounts of silver, has meant the precious metal is in high demand and driven investment into its procurement. Read more

Ibereolica plans 360MW solar power plant in Atacama Desert

Wednesday, 3.28.2012 - 18:36 (PV-Tech)

Ibereolica has announced that it has plans to build a 360MW solar power plant in the Atacama Desert in Chile, according to the Wall Street Journal. The Spanish company will invest US$2.6 billion in what will become the largest solar park in Chile to-date. Read more

Solar Made Easy launches new lead generation service

Wednesday, 3.28.2012 - 18:28 (Solarpowerportal)

Solar Made Easy is a new lead generation service designed to benefit both installers. The new sales lead generation website hopes to demystify solar energy for both installers and consumers alike. Solar Made Easy will supply independent advice to consumers about domestic solar panel installation in order to help them make an informed buying decision. Read more

Solar sector benefits from the introduction of innovative new websites

Wednesday, 3.28.2012 - 18:28 (Solarpowerportal)

Two new websites designed to help solar installers in the UK have been launched recently. Solar Made Easy has launched a new lead generation service to benefit both installers and consumers. GreenDeal.net has also launched a new website that is designed to connect the UK?s most highly skilled solar PV and heat pump installers with manufacturers of the world?s leading energy products. Read more

Ikea connects 16th PV system at Portland store

Wednesday, 3.28.2012 - 17:41 (PV-Tech)

Ikea connected a PV system at its store in Portland, Oregon, to the grid, the company has announced. The company contracted REC Solar to develop the system and install 2,072 PV panels on 62,500 square feet of roof surface. The system is owned and operated by Ikea and Portland is the 16th US branch of the Swedish company that has a rooftop PV system. Read more

Germany's Official 2011 Solar PV Stats: Where Growth Is Happening

Wednesday, 3.28.2012 - 17:40 (Renewable Energy World)

Germany's Federal Network Agency, Bundesnetzagentur (BNetzA) has weighed in with an official region-by-region tally of solar PV installations during 2011, but says the real story is in the differences of growth by system size. Read more

REC launches solar professional program

Wednesday, 3.28.2012 - 17:15 (PV-Tech)

Solar cell manufacturer REC has launched the REC solar professional certification program. As part of the program, registered PV installers receive benefits like two years of extended warranties if they comply with the program?s standards. Read more

More Evidence of a Distributed Solar Sweet Spot

Wednesday, 3.28.2012 - 16:00 (Renewable Energy World)

If the cost of electricity was the only factor in energy discussions, we'd probably have a lot more coal and a lot less renewable energy.  But the truth is that renewable energy can compete on cost and distributed renewable energy has a lot more value beyond just electricity, as illustrated in one facet of this brief examination by the Read more

Absolute Solar and Wind set to expand its Scottish operations

Wednesday, 3.28.2012 - 15:41 (Solarpowerportal)

Glasgow-based Absolute Solar and Wind is expanding its footprint in the north of Scotland by opening new premises in Inverness and Aberdeen. Read more

Schott Solar and Environ partnership to build one of Greece?s largest PV plants

Wednesday, 3.28.2012 - 15:22 (PV-Tech)

German solar company Schott solar are in the process of installing a 17MW PV project with their Greek EPC partner Environ. The joint venture has already connected 10MW to the grid and has plans for further installations, totalling 7MW, across Greece. The project, one of the largest in Greece, is being financed by major European and Greek banks. Read more

Faithful+Gould selected to join EnviroMission solar tower project

Wednesday, 3.28.2012 - 13:38 (Solarserver)

On March 26th, 2012, Faithful+Gould, an international project management consultancy, announced that it has been selected by EnviroMission Ltd. to join the international project and cost management services team to deliver solar tower power station operation in La Paz County, Arizona. Faithful+Gould's Phoenix office will provide consultant services from the conceptual design phase through to construction and operation of a 200 megawatt (MW) grid connected solar thermal tower power plant in Arizona. Read more

Eduardo Fernandez Camacho receives research prize for concentrating solar power work

Wednesday, 3.28.2012 - 13:13 (Solarserver)

On March 26th, 2012, the University of Seville, the Social Council and the Focus-Abengoa Foundation have awarded the 9th ?Javier Benjumea Puigcerver? Research Prize to Eduardo Fernández Camacho for his applied research on the increase in performance of solar-thermal plants through predictive control. Read more

India's Solar Excitement: Proceed with Caution

Wednesday, 3.28.2012 - 13:00 (Renewable Energy World)

It's a beautiful sunny day in Los Angeles, Calif., yet the Hollywood hills are practically invisible due to a hazy fog that rolls in and out of the area. For some visiting Hong Kong, the peak of summer is mistaken for the rainy season. These conditions aren't due to unusual weather patterns, but air pollution. And in many cases, clean air initiatives have been enforced to help reduce the smog that so many residents despise. But imagine pollution so heavy that it becomes a critical life-threatening environment. Read more

Schneider Electric given the go-ahead to build two new solar plants in Bulgaria

Wednesday, 3.28.2012 - 12:00 (PV-Tech)

The global energy management specialist Schneider Electric has announced that it has been selected as an EPC (Engineering, Procurement, Construction) for two PV plants in Bulgaria. The company will manage construction, network connections and general operations for the two solar power facilities scheduled to start production in June 2012. Read more

Upsolar and Plan-net Solar?s first phase of 1.2MW Slovenia system complete

Wednesday, 3.28.2012 - 11:49 (PV-Tech)

The first phase of a 1.2MW rooftop PV system in Slovenia has been completed. 783kW has so far been installed by Plan-net Solar with 230Wp polycrystalline modules from Upsolar. The entire system is due to be completed in the second quarter of 2012. Read more

The Power of the Dammed: How Small Hydro Could Rescue America's Dumb Dams

Wednesday, 3.28.2012 - 17:02 (Renewable Energy World)

When early 20th century engineers designed America's dams, they only imagined a few key uses like boat navigation, capturing water for crops, or creating a great place to catch bass. Nary a thought was given to how desperately future generations might need all the clean hydropower that dams are capable of producing. In fact, of the 80,000 dams in the country, only three percent currently create electricity. Read more

Latin America Report: Geothermal Gaining Steam in Chile

Wednesday, 3.28.2012 - 17:39 (Renewable Energy World)

Enel Green Power announced this week that it has been awarded three more geothermal exploration concessions in Chile, moving it closer to opening up one of the world's most abundant geothermal resources. Read more

Simplified CRC could save UK businesses £330m by 2030

Wednesday, 3.28.2012 - 17:49 (Solarpowerportal)

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has released new proposals to simplify the Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme (CRC). The alterations are expected to save UK businesses millions of pounds in administrative costs. Read more

New generation of SunPower Maxeon PV cells in commercial production

Wednesday, 3.28.2012 - 15:34 (Solarserver)

On March 27th, 2012 SunPower Corporation (San Jose, California, U.S.) announced that its third generation Maxeon solar photovoltaic (PV) cell, which offers conversion efficiencies up to 24%, is now in commercial production. The Maxeon is a back contact PV cell which offers a low reverse-bias breakdown voltage, which SunPower says provides improved performance in shady and dusty conditions. The new cells are currently being integrated into PV modules offering efficiencies greater than 20%, which the company says will be available in limited quantities in 2012. Read more

No domestic RHI until 2013

Wednesday, 3.28.2012 - 12:03 (Solarpowerportal)

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has revealed that it will launch a second phase to the Renewable Heat Premium Payment (RHPP) scheme, while delaying the rollout of the domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) until 2013. Read more

U.S. EPA issues first national limits on carbon emissions from power plants

Wednesday, 3.28.2012 - 10:29 (Solarserver)

On March 27th, 2012 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a 450 kg/MWh limit for carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions for new fossil-fuel fired power plants. If finalized, this will be the first limit on greenhouse gases from electricity generation in the nation at the federal level. The EPA states that new combined-cycle natural gas generation and coal-fired generation with carbon capture and storage should be able to meet these limits easily. The proposal will now enter a public comment period, after which it will be finalized. Read more

Government says Germany to continue growth of renewable energy industries; FiT deal brokered

Wednesday, 3.28.2012 - 9:36 (Solarserver)

On March 27th, 2012, the promotion agency of the German government issued a statement declaring that despite pending reductions to the nation's feed-in tariff (FiT) for solar photovoltaic (PV) generation, Germany's progress on renewable energy will continue. The statement came a day after Reuters reported that the Germany's ruling center-right coalition has reached a compromise with the nation's upper house to lessen the severity of PV FiT cuts. Read more

University helps predict the impact of electric vehicles

Wednesday, 3.28.2012 - 11:28 (Solarpowerportal)

Northumbria University has developed a formula to help predict the impact electric vehicles (EV) will have on the national grid. The new formula was developed as a collaborative effort between the University and the Charge your Car project, a Government programme that is overseeing the rollout of over 1,000 electric car charging points across the North East. Read more