ArrayPower and ShinHa partnership will bring sequenced inverters to Korea

Tuesday, 4.24.2012 - 19:26 (PV-Tech)

Silicon Valley-based power electronics company, ArrayPower?s sequenced inverters are being put through their paces yet again. Field tests conducted by juwi recently, appear to have caused a stir in Korea. Sales representative ShinHa has entered into an agreement with ArrayPower for these inverters that are claimed to have demonstrated higher energy harvest compared to conventional string inverters. ShinHa will provide sales and technical support. Read more

Fraunhofer presents new PolAR process at the International Vacuum Conference

Tuesday, 4.24.2012 - 18:53 (PV-Tech)

Fraunhofer has developed a new method of providing high-area polymer films with an anti-reflective film layer through the utilization of plasma-etching. The development was unveiled at the recent International Vacuum Conference and will be used to help provide solar cells with optimal light conditions. Read more

Sustainable Power Group commissions 593 kW in 2 PV plants at University of Utah roofs

Tuesday, 4.24.2012 - 17:38 (Solarserver)

Sustainable Power Group announced that it has installed and commissioned 593 kW solar photovoltaic (PV) power generation systems on the rooftops of the Natural History Museum of Utah and the HPER East Building at the University of Utah. The PV systems include a 330-kW system at the Natural History Museum and a 263-kW system at HPER East. The combined systems consist of 2,470 Sharp PV panels covering 40,000 square feet of rooftop space. Read more

Washington King County seeks partners to invest in PV modules at county facilities

Tuesday, 4.24.2012 - 17:14 (Solarserver)

On April 19th, 2012, King County (Washington, U.S.) announced a new community solar program, which invites community partners to invest in construction of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels at the county's solar hot spots. "We've set an ambitious, but achievable, goal of meeting half of the energy needs of County government from renewable sources," King County Executive Constantine said. Read more

REC sells 6 MW PV plant to Chorus Group

Tuesday, 4.24.2012 - 15:48 (Solarserver)

On April 24th, 2012 Renewable Energy Systems ASA (REC, Sandvika, Norway) announced that it has sold a 6 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant that it built in Bitterfeld, Germany to investment companies in the Chorus Group (Barnet, U.K.). REC took over the project in September 2011 from former developer Grüne Energien GmbH (Thannhausen, Germany). REC provided project development and financing as well as constructing the plant, which it completed in December 2011, thus qualifying for 2011 feed-in tariff levels. Read more

SunPower, Giulio Barbieri unveil new PV carport for Italian residential market

Tuesday, 4.24.2012 - 15:41 (Solarserver)

On April 23rd, 2012 SunPower Corporation (San Jose, California, U.S.) announced that it has begun work with Giulio Barbieri SpA (Poggio Renatico, Italy) to design and manufacture a new solar photovoltaic (PV) carport for the residential market in Italy. Under the agreement, Giulio Barbieri delivers carports designed to customer specifications. Local SunPower partners then install the system, including an aluminum structure, PV modules and inverters. The carports are currently commercially available. Read more

NanoMarkets announces two additional reports on OPV and encapsulation systems

Tuesday, 4.24.2012 - 12:30 (PV-Tech)

NanoMarkets has announced that it will publish two new in May, following its recent DSC and BIPV glass markets reports. The market research firm will publish ?Opportunities in the Organic Photovoltaics Market 2012? and ?BIPV Encapsulation Markets 2012? next month, which will conclude with eight-year forecasts of the both subjects, the OPV and BIPV encapsulation markets. Read more

2,500 protest retroactive cuts, suspension of feed-in tariffs on Earth Day in Spain

Tuesday, 4.24.2012 - 12:28 (Solarserver)

On April 22nd, 2012 nearly 2,500 persons representing a coalition of 50 Spanish environmental organizations, trade unions and social justice organizations attended a protest calling attention to the nation's "paralysis" of renewable energy development, including the recent suspension of its feed-in tariff system. The event in Madrid was sponsored by organizations including Climate Coalition, Friends of the Earth, Suelo Solar and the World Wildlife Federation. The "parade protest" mentioned retroactive cuts to feed-in tariffs among a number of environmental and social themes and included Spanish traditions of festivals and street theater to mark the occasion of Earth Day. Read more

Hyundai Heavy Industries achieves record 19.7% efficiency with selective-emitter cell

Tuesday, 4.24.2012 - 12:26 (PV-Tech)

Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) has announced the achievement of 19.7% conversion efficiency for its copper-contact solar cells. The record, for a selective-emitter cell, was obtained using standard 156mm commercially available p-type silicon wafers and has been verified by Fraunhofer ISE. Read more

Report: Britain could lead the smart grid revolution

Tuesday, 4.24.2012 - 11:52 (Solarpowerportal)

A new report published by Ernst & Young for the SmartGrid GB group highlights how the introduction of smart grids will revolutionise the way power is generated and used in the UK. By providing consumers with greater understanding and control over the pricing and usage of electricity, smart grids are also expected to make a significant dent in carbon emissions. Read more

Q-Cells resumes production

Tuesday, 4.24.2012 - 8:51 (Solarserver)

On April 23rd, 2012 Q-Sells SE (Bitterfeld-Wolfen, Germany) announced that, despite its filing for insolvency on April 3rd, 2012, it has resumed production of solar photovoltaic (PV) cells at half-capacity, and will continue business operations during the preliminary insolvency proceedings. The company notes that it is producing PV modules in three shifts, and will soon expand to four shifts seven days per week, with a shift from cell production to module production. Concurrently, Preliminary Insolvency Administrator Henning Schorisch is looking for investors, and has engaged the services of Deloitte (New York, New York, U.S.) to this end. Read more

Long Island Power Authority reaches 5,000 rooftop PV plants, unveils details of feed-in tariff

Tuesday, 4.24.2012 - 8:49 (Solarserver)

On April 20th, 2012 the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA, Uniondale, New York, U.S.) announced the installation of Long Island's 5,000th rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) plant and unveiled details of its new pilot feed-in tariff program. LIPA's CLEAN Solar Initiative will support the installation of 50 MW of PV. Unlike the recent program passed in Los Angeles, LIPA's program follows the model of European feed-in tariffs in paying a fixed rate per kWh through 20-year standard contracts. Read more

On the Horizon: Deeper Wind, Faster Solar

Tuesday, 4.24.2012 - 20:15 (Renewable Energy World)

Offshore wind technology is striving to reach new depths while the solar industry is facing a challenge to make rooftop installation easier than ever. Both announcements this week are structured to clear some of the fundamental hurdles facing the wind and the solar industries. Read more

Upsolar to expand its technology division

Tuesday, 4.24.2012 - 19:04 (PV-Tech)

Shanghai-based, solar PV module supplier Upsolar has announced an expansion to its technology division, to offer a suite of testing, auditing and consultation services to local organizations in an effort to strengthen technical support for emerging PV companies. Read more

REC sells completed German 6MW PV plant to Chorus Group investors

Tuesday, 4.24.2012 - 18:36 (PV-Tech)

Scandinavian solar power company REC has sold a German ground mounted 6MW PV plant in Bitterfeld to two Chorus Group investors, including Chorus Cleantech. REC took over the project in 2011 from the plant?s former developer, Grüne Energien, and successfully developed, financed and constructed the project with project financing from the Deutsche Kreditbank (DKB). Construction was finished in December 2011 to ensure the project?s eligibility for the higher 2011 FiT. Read more

Global Solar Energy to sell portable solar business

Tuesday, 4.24.2012 - 18:32 (PV-Tech)

Global Solar Energy has announced that it is to sell its portable solar business, including the Sunlinq and P3 product lines. The company assures that it does not anticipate any disruption in production or service to its portable solar business customers during the sale process. Global Solar insists the purchase will allow it to better position its focus on and grow other key business units serving the BIPV market. Read more

A Jones for Osmosis: New Potential for Power In Rivers' Flow to Sea

Tuesday, 4.24.2012 - 17:40 (Renewable Energy World)

When people talk about an "all of the above" approach to energy they're usually referring to the sources we know ? gas, hydro, nuclear, solar and wind. But a steady stream of emerging alternatives promises to take advantage of natural processes to produce zero-carbon electricity for untold millions. The latest entrant in this sounds-too-good-to-be-true energy sweepstakes: pressure-retarded osmosis, a kind of reverse water desalination that kicks off energy instead of consuming it. Read more

Dow Solar expands Powerhouse Solar PV Shingle market to central Texas and Northern California

Tuesday, 4.24.2012 - 17:30 (Solarserver)

In April 2012, Dow Solar (Midland, Michigan, U.S.) announced that it is now offering the Dow Powerhouse Solar Shingle in San Antonio and Austin. The Powerhouse System includes a custom designed solar photovoltaic (PV) array that fits the homeowner?s goals and complements the home?s style, the company emphasizes. An inverter converts the direct current (DC) into alternating current (AC) to power the home, and a monitoring system delivering real-time solar power production and consumption readouts from any internet connection. Read more

Spanish T-Solar bids in second round of South African competitive solicitation

Tuesday, 4.24.2012 - 17:21 (Solarserver)

T-Solar (Madrid, Spain), a major operator on the international solar-photovoltaic (PV) power market, announced that it has presented a bid in the second round of the South African government's program for developing renewable energies. T-Solar is a member of the Renewable Energy Promotion Consortium in South Africa, whose aim is to promote the "Spanish Renewable Energy" brand in South Africa. Read more

Syncronys to receive US$4.5 million order from Pakistan for 400 solar powered wells

Tuesday, 4.24.2012 - 17:11 (PV-Tech)

Syncronys International has announced it has received an order valued at US$4.5 million to install 400 solar powered well pumps in Pakistan. Read more

Forrest resurrects social housing solar scheme

Tuesday, 4.24.2012 - 12:39 (Solarpowerportal)

Social housing specialist, Forrest, has secured a partnership deal with Dimplex Renewables to deliver a new self-funded solar installation model for the social housing sector. The programme will be spearheaded by Forrest Green, the environmental services division of Forrest. Read more

SunMaxx partners with REEL to offer financing for solar water heating systems

Tuesday, 4.24.2012 - 12:17 (Solarserver)

On April 21st, 2012 SunMaxx Solar (Binghampton, New York, U.S.) announced that it has partnered with Renewable Energy Equipment Leasing LLC (REEL, Marietta, Georgia, U.S.) to offer residential, commercial and municipal financing options for its solar water heating customers in the United States. SunMaxx states that the REEL Advantage Finance Program will allow customers in all 50 U.S. states to finance up to 100% of solar water heating projects. Program products have interest rates as low as 6.95% and products are available to those with FICO credit scores as low as 600. Read more

Financing PV in Australia: Just a Little Bit Different

Tuesday, 4.24.2012 - 11:08 (Renewable Energy World)

PV finance is on everyone's lips at the moment, and despite being perpectualy sunburnt, it's on the lips of Australians, too. Why? Because it hasn't really existed in our market, which has historically been driven by vote-driven, residential-sized rebates. But this is changing rapidly. A recent survey by SolarBusinessSevices reached around 2.5 p Read more

China Seeks to Promote Development of Biofuels Industry Despite Production Difficulties

Tuesday, 4.24.2012 - 15:00 (Renewable Energy World)

China seeks to promote the development of its biofuels industry through a series of supportive measures despite mass production difficulties. A spokesperson for the National Energy Bureau said that the Chinese government has set a goal of utilizing five million tons of ethanol fuel during the "12th Five-Year" period spanning 2011 to 2015, nearly double that set for the prior period (2006-2010). Read more

China Seeks to Develop Biofuels Industry Despite Production Difficulties

Tuesday, 4.24.2012 - 15:00 (Renewable Energy World)

China seeks to promote the development of its biofuels industry through a series of supportive measures despite mass production difficulties. A spokesperson for the National Energy Bureau said that the Chinese government has set a goal of utilizing five million tons of ethanol fuel during the "12th Five-Year" period spanning 2011 to 2015, nearly double that set for the prior period (2006-2010). Read more

Unlocking the Gigawatts of Geothermal Power in Kenya

Tuesday, 4.24.2012 - 15:00 (Renewable Energy World)

Two companies leading in geothermal power exploration in Kenya have signed multimillion deals with development partners giving a major boost to the country's prospects of realizing clean, reliable energy to power the country's development. Read more

eIQ Energy?s energy harvesting technology has been patented

Tuesday, 4.24.2012 - 18:18 (PV-Tech)

The US Patent and Trademark Office has awarded eIQ Energy a patent for the energy harvesting technology used in its DC Parallel Solar System, which connects PV panels in parallel rather than in series. At the beginning of this year, this technology was used the Boots on the Roof solar training program. Read more

Barker launches comprehensive renewables report

Tuesday, 4.24.2012 - 17:18 (Solarpowerportal)

The Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change, Greg Barker, today launched the Renewable Energy Association?s (REA) landmark paper, ?Renewable energy: Made in Britain?, the first to attempt to accurately detail the renewables landscape in Britain. Read more

EPC regulations: a fifth of UK properties excluded from rental market

Tuesday, 4.24.2012 - 13:24 (Solarpowerportal)

Under new energy efficiency regulations to be introduced as early as 2015, a fifth of commercial and residential property will be excluded from the rental and lease market. Read more

Energy Conversion Devices extends auction date

Tuesday, 4.24.2012 - 13:17 (PV-Tech)

Energy Conversion Devices (ECD) has announced that the auction date for the sale of United Solar Ovonics (USO) will be put back to 10:00 a.m. (Eastern Time) on May 8, 2012. The auction was previously set for 10:00 a.m. (Eastern Time) on April 24, 2012 following the company?s entry into Chapter 11 proceedings in the Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Michigan in February 2012. Read more

UK to host third Clean Energy Ministerial

Tuesday, 4.24.2012 - 12:14 (Solarpowerportal)

Ministers from the world?s leading economies will gather in London tomorrow for the first day of the global Clean Energy Ministerial event, held at Lancaster House. Read more

California to allow "Virtual Net Metering"

Tuesday, 4.24.2012 - 12:12 (Solarserver)

On April 19th, 2012 the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) voted to allow a practice whereby multi-tenant and multi-meter properties can install a single renewable energy generation system to serve the needs of both common areas and tenant meters under the state's net metering program. The CPUC states that "Virtual Net Metering" (VNM) will simplify installation on such buildings by avoiding the need to connect individual renewable energy systems to each meter, which it notes is often cost-prohibitive, and sometimes technically impossible. Read more