Isofoton and Indra sign a technology collaboration agreement to develop a high concentration PV tracker

Thursday, 4.12.2012 - 15:42 (Solarserver)

Isofoton SA (Madrid, Spain), a global company with more than thirty years experience and a leading pioneer in solar photovoltaics (PV) , and INDRA (Madrid), a global technology, innovation and talent company, have signed a strategic collaboration agreement to develop a high concentration (HCPV) tracker, monitoring and control systems for CPV installations, and grid connected inverters. Read more

L&T Construction commissions India's largest PV plant at 40 MW

Thursday, 4.12.2012 - 15:39 (Solarserver)

On April 9th, 2012, L&T Construction (Mumbai, India), which is part of Larsen & Toubro, announced that it has commissioned a 40 megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant located at Dhursar Village, Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan, India. The PV plant, which comprises more than 500,000 high output generating thin film technology based solar PV modules and thirteen 3.5 MVA power transformers, is spread across 350 acres. The PV array, owned by Reliance Power Ltd., due to L&T is India?s largest solar PV plant. Read more

University of Tennessee opens 5 MW PV plant

Thursday, 4.12.2012 - 15:33 (Solarserver)

On April 12th, 2012 the U.S. State of Tennessee, the University of Tennessee and the U.S. Department of Energy will officially open a 5 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant in Haywood County, Tennessee, as the largest PV plant in the state. Signal Energy LLC (Chattanooga, Tennessee) built the West Tennessee Solar Farm, using 21,000 PV modules installed on 10 hectares of land. Future plans for the site include an information and welcome center, which will be accessible from Interstate Highway 40. Read more

PV producer Soventix increases workmanship warranty in Canada to 10 years

Thursday, 4.12.2012 - 15:28 (Solarserver)

On April 3rd, 2012, Soventix Canada Inc. (Toronto, Canada) announced that it has extended its material and workmanship warranty from five to 10 years. The announcement was made at the Ontario Feed-In Tariff Forum 2012. The new warranty covers Soventix Canada?s Sovello Project Pro Series and Consumer Pro Series solar photovoltaic (PV) modules as of April 1st, 2012, and demonstrates the company's continuous commitment to product quality and reliability. Read more

Bridge to India estimates 546 MW of PV, CSP commissioned in India to date

Thursday, 4.12.2012 - 15:18 (Solarserver)

In its latest report, Bridge to India (New Delhi, India) estimates that the nation has commissioned 546 MW of solar photovoltaics (PV) and concentrating solar power (CSP) through various programs. The company has published a map showing the breakdown by state and by program. The state of Gujarat leads the nation with 365 MW of PV commissioned, and its Gujarat Solar Policy has been responsible for the largest single portion of solar capacity installed to date. Read more

Enel and Sharp joint venture adds 14.4MW to Italian portfolio

Thursday, 4.12.2012 - 12:29 (PV-Tech)

ESSE, a joint venture between Italian Enel Green Power and Japanese company Sharp, has ended 2012?s Q1 with 14.4MW of capacity added to its portfolio in Italy. Read more

Q-CELLS North American subsidiaries have not filed for insolvency, remain committed to the Canadian and US markets

Thursday, 4.12.2012 - 10:47 (Solarserver)

The independent Q-Cells North American subsidiaries, ?Q-CELLS North America? and ?Q-CELLS Canada Corp,? have not filed for insolvency, unlike their German parent company, Q-Cells SE, and day-to-day business is continuing as usual. Q-CELLS North America and Q-CELLS Canada Corp. are suppliers for solar photovoltaic (PV) solutions in the U.S. and Canada with currently more than 100 MW of projects underway, all of which are on schedule for completion in 2012, the companies report in a press release. Read more

PV producer Talesun announces supply agreement on 1 GW of solar modules with China Merchants

Thursday, 4.12.2012 - 9:52 (Solarserver)

On April 11th, 2012 Talesun Solar Company Ltd. (Changshu, China) announced that it has signed an agreement to supply 1.05 GW of solar photovoltaic (PV) modules to China Merchants New Energy Group Ltd. (Hong Kong, China) over a three year period. Under the agreement Talesun will supply 300 MW of PV modules for domestic Chinese PV plants and 50 MW for international plants on an annual basis. The total value of the deal is estimated at USD 2.4 billion. Read more

Greece, Italy See Solar as Path to Economic Stability

Thursday, 4.12.2012 - 19:38 (Renewable Energy World)

In places like Africa and India, solar energy has long been hailed for its ability to raise standards of living and boost developing economies. For two established members of the European Union, it may have the power to restore international confidence. Read more

Suniva modules used in 5MW West Tennessee Solar Farm

Thursday, 4.12.2012 - 18:46 (PV-Tech)

One of the largest installations in the Southeast US has been completed using US-based Suniva modules. The 5MW solar power plant located in Haywood County, Tennessee was Designed and built by Signal Energy, and managed by the University of Tennessee Research Foundation (UTRF). Read more

Canadian Solar implements EMEA reseller program

Thursday, 4.12.2012 - 17:49 (PV-Tech)

Canadian Solar has established a new reseller program for its products in the EMEA region. The Authorized Reseller Program will allow companies registered with Canadian Solar to offer the company?s solar product range in the region, and will also enable them to avail of further features such as technical product training and professional sales and marketing support. Read more

EPC company warns solar installers over inferior surveys

Thursday, 4.12.2012 - 17:35 (Solarpowerportal)

The National EPC Company (NEPCCo) has warned solar PV installation firms about the risks of obtaining inferior EPCs. Read more

952 MW of PV, solar thermal systems participate in SREC trade in PJM Interconnect markets

Thursday, 4.12.2012 - 15:48 (Solarserver)

In its latest report on solar renewable energy credits, SRECTrade estimates that 952 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems have been installed and certified for SRECs as of March 2012 in several Midwestern and East Coast U.S. states. The company's "SREC Markets Report: March 2012" covers markets served by regional transmission organization PJM Interconnection, including the U.S. states of New Jersey, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Ohio, as well as Washington D.C. New Jersey PV plants comprised the majority of installations by capacity at 671 MW. Read more

Brightsource Will Not Go Public After All

Thursday, 4.12.2012 - 15:31 (Renewable Energy World)

About a year ago, Brightsource, the developer of what could be the largest concentrating solar power plant in the world once it is done, announced its plans to go public. Read more

Concentrating solar power: BrightSource withdraws IPO

Thursday, 4.12.2012 - 14:42 (Solarserver)

Citing "adverse market conditions", on April 11th, 2012 BrightSource Energy Inc. (Oakland, California, U.S.) announced that it has withdrawn its initial public offering (IPO), and will withdraw its registration statement filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. BrightSource is currently constructing the 392 MW Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System, a concentrating solar power (CSP) project. Ivanpah is one of the biggest CSP projects in the world, and one of the first to begin construction among a number of large CSP projects in the U.S. Southwest. Read more

Trina Solar?s F1 racing involvement leads to tree planting

Thursday, 4.12.2012 - 13:52 (PV-Tech)

Most of the modern F1 racing circuits in the ever-expanding season calendar are fairly bland venues, especially when compared to the traditional circuits such as Monza, Spa and of course Monte Carlo. So planting trees at the modern circuits to add some character would seem a good idea! Read more

Canadian Solar launches Authorised Reseller Program

Thursday, 4.12.2012 - 13:11 (Solarpowerportal)

Solar product manufacturer, Canadian Solar has launched a dedicated Authorised Reseller Program focused on Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) in a bid to support new and existing partners. Read more

Solar power pushes UK clean energy investment to a record high

Thursday, 4.12.2012 - 11:18 (Solarpowerportal)

Investments in the UK solar industry rose 10-fold last year, increasing the total amount of UK clean energy sector investment by 23 percent in comparison to 2010. Read more

Pike Research expects cost reductions, residential financing, and new ownership models to drive growth in distributed solar energy generation

Thursday, 4.12.2012 - 10:57 (Solarserver)

In 2010, the solar photovoltaic (PV) market grew at a rate of 72%, illustrating the acceleration of solar PV deployment worldwide. One of the primary drivers for this growth has been financial incentives, typically government-funded ones. According to a recent report from Pike Research, as government-funded solar PV incentives are reduced in some major markets, other factors will become the key drivers for the solar PV market for the foreseeable future, in particular price reductions, new residential financing mechanisms, and third party ownership models. Read more

Vikram Solar commissions 2MW PV plant in Chhattisgarh, India

Thursday, 4.12.2012 - 10:40 (Solarserver)

On April 7th, 2012, Vikram Solar (Kolkata, India) announced that it has commissioned a 2 megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic (PV) grid-connected power plant in Raipur (Chhattisgarh, India). The newly launched PV plant will not only improve the energy consumption levels with its grid extension reaching remote locations, but also provide backup power to people living in the region in the event of a grid failure. Read more

Obama administration to install 3GW on military installations

Thursday, 4.12.2012 - 17:37 (PV-Tech)

US President Barak Obama believes national security lies in energy independence.  Overall, the country?s reliance on foreign oil has fallen since 2005, with net imports of total consumption declining from 57% in 2008 to 45% in 2011 ? claimed by the administration to be the lowest level since 1995. Read more

U.S. Wind Report: Nearly 7 GW Installed in 2011

Thursday, 4.12.2012 - 21:17 (Renewable Energy World)

As the American Wind Energy Association fights for the industry's policy backbone, it used the unveiling of its annual report to highlight growth over the past five years. Read more

Wind Industry Gathers at Crucial Juncture

Thursday, 4.12.2012 - 15:01 (Renewable Energy World)

As Europe works toward its goals of meeting 20 percent of its energy needs with renewables by 2020 and cutting greenhouse gas emissions by over 80 percent by 2050, wind energy will play an increasingly critical role, and the industry continues to set new records despite the global economic woes. However, these same woes are causing many Europe Read more

Five More Winners of the Clean Energy Race

Thursday, 4.12.2012 - 16:20 (Renewable Energy World)

The Pew Charitable Trusts just released the 2011 edition of their report, "Who's Winning the Clean Energy Race?" Read more

Electricity demand in Italy falls by 5.2%

Thursday, 4.12.2012 - 16:04 (PV-Tech)

In March 2012, electricity demand in Italy fell by 5.2% - a total of 27.4 billion kWh, reported Italian grid operator Terna SpA. This is separated into 83.3% in domestic production and the remainder of 16.8% was imported energy. Read more

UK consumers left in the cold as energy bills continue to rise

Thursday, 4.12.2012 - 15:33 (Solarpowerportal)

According to the latest research from YouGov, a large number of UK consumers believe energy suppliers are making large profits at their expense. Read more

Rural Africa Looks Beyond the Grid

Thursday, 4.12.2012 - 15:00 (Renewable Energy World)

In picking South Africa for last year's meet-up, the COP-17 climate change talks prompted some inevitable grumbles. Why was the global climate change industry holding its jamboree in a country that, despite its commitment to renewables, pumps out so much CO2? Read more

CSP firm BrightSource Energy pulls IPO plans

Thursday, 4.12.2012 - 14:08 (PV-Tech)

Spooked by market conditions, CSP firm BrightSource Energy has cancelled plans for a US stock market listing. Noting a claimed strong financial position and committed investors, management said that the failed IPO would not impact its operations or project pipeline. Read more

Italian government to drastically cut renewable energy incentives

Thursday, 4.12.2012 - 14:00 (PV-Tech)

The Italian government has put to rest the speculation surrounding its fifth Conto Energia. However, it appears the speculators were correct in their assumptions. New decrees have been set up to drastically cut the budget for solar incentives. A budget of ?500 million has been proposed for the next two and a half years. The new scheme will come into effect on July 1 or once the ?6 billion annual program cap has been reached. Read more

Volcanic power, coming to a home near you

Thursday, 4.12.2012 - 12:36 (Solarpowerportal)

In news that at first sounds like a belated April fool?s joke, the volcanoes of Iceland could soon be powering your home. Under Government-backed plans, thousands of miles of high-voltage cables could be placed along the ocean floor, carrying low-carbon electricity from Iceland to UK shores. Read more