Will Chinese Solar Module Tariffs Restore Balance to the Industry?

Friday, 5.18.2012 - 21:55 (Renewable Energy World)

In the quest to "level the playing field," the 31 percent anti-dumping tariff announced Thursday was a good start, said SolarWorld President Gordon Brinser, but even more is needed to bring the industry back into balance. Read more

Heraeus begins construction on new manufacturing facility in Taiwan

Friday, 5.18.2012 - 15:03 (Solarserver)

On May 15th, 2012, Heraeus (West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, U.S.), a developer and manufacturer of silver metallization pastes for the photovoltaic (PV) industry, announced that it has begun construction on a new manufacturing site in Taiwan. The new facility will complement the company's current sales and technical services functions. It will provide local production, sales and technical services, the company states. Read more

Conergy reports fall in sales, losses in 1Q 2012, will build 2.2 MW of PV plants in Germany

Friday, 5.18.2012 - 14:54 (Solarserver)

Conergy AG (Hamburg, Germany) has released financial results for the first quarter of 2012, reporting a more than 40% year-over year decline in sales to EUR 98 million (USD 124 million), a -12% operating margin, and a net loss of EUR 15 million (USD 19 million). Conergy states that an estimated 40% decline in solar photovoltaic (PV) prices has affected its revenues, but that key financial indicators improved during the quarter. The company has also announced that it has secured a tender to build two PV plants totaling 2.2 MW, which will use 100% Conergy components. Read more

Satcon to supply Prism Platforms for 30 MW PV plant in Puerto Rico

Friday, 5.18.2012 - 14:47 (Solarserver)

On May 16th, 2012 Satcon Technology Corp. (Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.) announced that it has been chosen by Western Wind Energy Corp. (Vancouver, Canada) and Lord Electric Co. (San Juan, Puerto Rico, U.S.) to supply its Prism Platforms for a 30 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant in Puerto Rico. Satcon will supply 20 1.5 MW Prism Platforms for the Yabucoa Solar Project in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico. Commissioning of the plant is planned for March 2013. Read more

SunPower to install 5.5 MW PV systems at district schools in Arizona

Friday, 5.18.2012 - 14:44 (Solarserver)

On May 15th, 2012, SunPower Corp. (San Jose, California, U.S.) announced that it will install 5.5 megawatts (MW) of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems at 11 Scottsdale (Arizona) Unified School District schools. The PV systems are expected to reduce the district's electricity costs by USD 25 million over the next 25 years. Read more

Heraeus announces construction of production site in Taiwan

Friday, 5.18.2012 - 13:48 (PV-Tech)

German-based manufacturer of metallization pastes Heraeus is constructing a new manufacturing site in Taiwan, the company has announced. The production site is expected to commence operation in the last quarter of 2012 and is intended to meet the demand of the Taiwanese market with local production and technical services. Heraeus produces silver pastes for polycrystalline solar cells. Read more

Suntech responses to preliminary decision on antidumping tariffs for PV cells from China: Duties are not justified by fact

Friday, 5.18.2012 - 11:22 (Solarserver)

On May 17th, 2012 Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. (Wuxi, China), the world's largest producer of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, offered following statement regarding the U.S. Department of Commerce's preliminary decision to impose antidumping duties (AD) of 31.22% on Suntech's crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells imported from China. "These duties do not reflect the reality of a highly-competitive global solar industry. Suntech has consistently maintained a positive gross margin as revenues are higher than our cost of production", reads the statement. "We will work closely with the Department of Commerce prior to their final decision to demonstrate why these duties are Read more

DoC announces preliminary anti-dumping margins against Chinese manufacturers

Friday, 5.18.2012 - 11:16 (PV-Tech)

On May 17, 2012, the Department of Commerce (Commerce) has announced its affirmative preliminary determination in the antidumping duty (AD) investigation of imports of crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells from the People?s Republic of China. Brought forward by SolarWorld last October, the DoC has determined that Chinese producers/exporters sold solar cells in the United States at dumping margins ranging from 31.14% to 249.96% citing this as ?less than fair value?. Read more

U.S. DOC proposes 31% duties against major Chinese PV exporters

Friday, 5.18.2012 - 8:59 (Solarserver)

On May 17th, 2012 the U.S. Department of Commerce issued a preliminary determination in its anti-dumping investigation regarding imports of solar photovoltaic (PV) cells and modules from China, proposing duties between 31.14% and 31.22% for most manufacturers. SolarWorld Industries Americas (Hillsboro, Oregon, U.S.), which initiated the investigation, has stated that the preliminary ruling could restore competition. The ruling was sharply criticized by the Coalition for Affordable Solar Energy (CASE), which represents companies in other portions of the U.S. PV value chain, including PV equipment manufacturers, polysilicon producers and project developers. Read more

Dominion Virginia Power proposes new rate to promote solar electricity use

Friday, 5.18.2012 - 22:00 (PV-Tech)

Dominion Virginia Power filed a petition with the Virginia State Corporate Commission (SCC) today asking for permission to buy solar-generated electricity from residential and small commercial customers at US$0.15/kWh for a five-year demonstration period. The power company aims to encourage solar electricity through a proposed new rate that includes a premium, so that customers are more likely to install solar panels and sell the electricity to the company. Read more

3MW solar project in Connecticut gets final green light from zoning board

Friday, 5.18.2012 - 21:08 (PV-Tech)

The proposed 3MW, US$20 million Ponterril solar project has received its final needed approval from the zoning board of appeals. The project will be developed across 22 acres of what used to be the Pittsfield Family YMCA?s recreation camp overlooking Pontoosuc Lake. The Berkshire Eagle advised that electricity produced by the project would be sold and transported to Western Massachusetts Electric Company (WMECO) as part of the power gird on North Street. The report confirmed that project officials want to begin work on the project this year, but actual construction timelines will depend on WMECO since it needs to advise what it would cost CTC Electric to make upgrades to Read more

Solar Gard completes second assessment of its environmental impact from related to its products

Friday, 5.18.2012 - 20:53 (PV-Tech)

Solar Gard has finished its second Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), which examines the environmental impact of a product from production to disposal . The latest EPD covers 14 more solar control architectural window films, bringing the company?s total number of carbon negative window films to 46. Read more

PV Crystalox to receive ?90 million cash settlement over terminated wafer supply deal

Friday, 5.18.2012 - 20:34 (PV-Tech)

PV Crystalox Solar advised that it had reached a cash settlement over a terminated wafer supply deal that amounts to ?90 million. The funds will be recognized as income in the first half of this year and, according to proactiveinvestors, the news saw the company?s value more than double. Read more

Suffolk set to benefit from 25MW solar park

Friday, 5.18.2012 - 17:23 (Solarpowerportal)

Hampshire-based Hive Energy has begun consulting on proposals to install a 25MW solar park in Suffolk. The proposed solar park will span 160 acres of farmland in the village of Hacheston and produce enough energy to supply 25,000 homes a year with carbon-free energy. Read more

UK solar partnership completes 11,000th installation

Friday, 5.18.2012 - 16:22 (Solarpowerportal)

UK-based solar module manufacturer Romag and renewable energy installer House Choice have celebrated the 11,000th PV installation completed as part of their three-year partnership. Read more

NLP Solar Sales Training Live Webinar May 30th & 31st

Friday, 5.18.2012 - 16:01 (Renewable Energy World)

Read more

Clean Currents, SolarCity create new PV service for Washington, D.C., and Maryland

Friday, 5.18.2012 - 14:59 (Solarserver)

On May 15th, 2012, Clean Currents (Rockville, Maryland, U.S.) announced that it has teamed up with SolarCity (Jessup, Maryland, U.S.) to offer a new clean energy purchasing program for homeowners in Maryland and Washington, D.C. The new program will allow homeowners to pay for electricity from solar panels at a discount to utility rates on a single, consolidated electric bill. Under the new program, homeowners sign a fixed-price power purchase agreement (PPA) with Clean Currents and get a free solar panel installation on their roofs from SolarCity. Read more

First Solar announces plans to open office in the United Arab Emirates

Friday, 5.18.2012 - 14:31 (PV-Tech)

First Solar has announced plans to open an office in the United Arab Emirates, according to Bloomberg reports, in order to meet the demand for solar energy in the Middle East. The company is currently negotiating with potential partners about contracts and a possible production plant in the UAE, as First Solar?s technical development manager Karim Asali commented. Read more

Extremadura authority signs agreement for non-subsidized 400MW PV project

Friday, 5.18.2012 - 12:14 (PV-Tech)

The regional authority of the Spanish region of Extremadura has singed an agreement to fast-track permit the developemnt of a 400MW solar park in Calzadilla de los Barros, Spain, developed by SAG Solarstrom and Valsolar, it has been announced. The region will back the construction of the ?450 million PV plant, which will be the third project in the region and at least the fifth project in Spain that does not rely on subsidies. SAG and Valsolar expect to commence construction of the plant in 2014 and complete the project 2015. Read more

GT Advanced Technologies receives US$8 million order from UTECH Solar

Friday, 5.18.2012 - 11:00 (PV-Tech)

GT Advanced Technologies will supply UTECH Solar with US$8 million worth of silicon growth technology and casting furnaces, the company has announced. GT received an order from UTECH Solar for its DSS450 MonoCast silicon growth technology and another one for its DSS450HP casting furnaces. UTECH will commence the production of MonoCast wafers as well as increase production with additional DSS450HP multicrystalline casting furnaces to meet the increasing demand. Read more

U.K. DECC to delay solar PV feed-in tariff cuts

Friday, 5.18.2012 - 8:56 (Solarserver)

In a move applauded by solar advocates, on May 17th, 2012 U.K. Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Ed Davey confirmed that the nation's Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) will delay the next round of reductions to its feed-in tariff (FIT) for solar photovoltaics (PV). The Solar Trade Association (STA, London, U.K.), which had called for such a delay, notes that PV sales have been slow in April and May 2012 following the introduction of new energy efficiency requirements as well as larger problems in the British economy. The FIT was scheduled for its next reduction in July 2012, but the U.K. government has not stated when the new reduction will occur. Read more

Applied Materials reports fall in quarterly EES revenues, strong quarter overall

Friday, 5.18.2012 - 8:45 (Solarserver)

On May 17th, 2012 Applied Materials Inc. (Santa Clara, California, U.S.) released results for its most recent financial quarter, reporting a 62% decrease in sales in its Energy and Environmental Solutions (EES) division to USD 79 million, and an operating margin of -80%. The company's second quarter of fiscal year (FY) 2012 ended on March 31st, 2012. Applied Materials attributes these losses to excess manufacturing capacity in the PV industry, but also notes that new EES orders increased to USD 62 million during the quarter. On May 9th, 2012 the company approved a plan to restructure its Precision Wafering System (PWS) solar business, including transferring functions to Asia, Read more

The Forest's Treasure: A Profitable Solution to Woody Waste

Friday, 5.18.2012 - 15:19 (Renewable Energy World)

When forests are logged, managed or selectively trimmed so they'll be less susceptible to raging fires, there are usually huge piles of stumps, branches and other wood debris left laying on the ground. Now a group of researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle is developing a portable technology to turn these waste piles into treasure troves by converting them into biochar?charcoal made from plant material that can be burned for energy or applied to soils, where it helps plants grow. Read more

49.9-MW Hudson Ranch I Geothermal Plant Unveiled in California

Friday, 5.18.2012 - 22:04 (Renewable Energy World)

EnergySource hosted the unveiling of its 49.9 Hudson Ranch I geothermal plant, now renamed John L. Featherstone Plant ? a geothermal innovator in the Salton Sea area, today in Imperial Valley, California. Commissioned on March 9th, it is the first geothermal plant to go online in the Salton Sea area in 20 years. Recognizing the area's huge potential capacity of reportedly up to two gigawatts, EnergySource expects to start drilling for its 49.9 Hudson Ranch II project this summer and hopes to start construction in 2013. Read more

Japanese PV Energy Association finds total shipments grew 5.8% for fiscal 2011

Friday, 5.18.2012 - 22:20 (PV-Tech)

The Japanese Photovoltaic Energy Association (JPEA) announced figures for Q4 and fiscal 2011, finding that total quarterly shipments fell 23% to 554.2MW from Q3, while shipments of PV cells and modules increased by a small percentage point during Q4. Domestic and import sales of thin-film also took a hit, falling by 68% while import of PV materials for the period went up 3%. Monocrystalline products increased 16% while multicrystalline products dropped 13%. Read more

Apple to Power 3 Data Centers with 100 Percent Renewable Energy

Friday, 5.18.2012 - 18:47 (Renewable Energy World)

Greenpeace advocates gathered outside of Apple's Cupertino headquarters early this week dressed as iPhones and iPods, declaring their outrage about the company's lack of clean energy use. They projected social media messages from supporters on the side of the building: Read more

Energy efficiency: What Are the Laggards Thinking?

Friday, 5.18.2012 - 16:12 (Renewable Energy World)

Why do some states avoid creating policies that encourage consumers and businesses to save energy? What’s the psychology of the laggards? A new report by the American Council for an Energy Efficiency Economy sheds some insight as it examines the states that consistently fall behind in the organization’s annual energy efficien Read more

Energy Efficiency: What Are the Laggards Thinking?

Friday, 5.18.2012 - 16:12 (Renewable Energy World)

Why do some states avoid creating policies that encourage consumers and businesses to save energy? What’s the psychology of the laggards? A new report by the American Council for an Energy Efficiency Economy sheds some insight as it examines the states that consistently fall behind in the organization’s annual energy efficien Read more

U.S. Senate committee holds hearing on Clean Energy Standard

Friday, 5.18.2012 - 15:14 (Solarserver)

On May 17th, 2012 the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on a bill to require U.S. utilities to purchase or generate an increasing amount of their electricity from low-carbon energy sources. The Clean Energy Standard Act of 2012 would create a policy similar to a renewable portfolio standard (RPS) for the nation, but including nuclear power and lower-carbon fossil fuel generation. The mechanism to do so would be a credit system based on the amount of CO2 released by various types of electricity generation. Read more

Poll on national clean energy standard: U.S. residents would pay USD 162 per year more for clean energy

Friday, 5.18.2012 - 15:08 (Solarserver)

An Average U.S. citizen is willing to pay USD 162 per year in higher electricity bills, representing a 13% increase, in support of a national clean energy standard (NCES) that requires 80% clean energy by 2035, according to a survey conducted by Nature Climate Change. Read more

Which? report: time is running out to rescue the Green Deal

Friday, 5.18.2012 - 14:00 (Solarpowerportal)

On the back of concerns that Government?s flagship policy will not live up to consumer expectations, Which? has today called for big changes to be made to the Green Deal. Read more

Bloomberg New Energy Finance: PV already cheaper than retail power in many nations

Friday, 5.18.2012 - 11:36 (Solarserver)

On May 16th, 2012 Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF, New York, New York, U.S.) released a white paper which compares the cost of solar photovoltaic (PV) generation and conventional generation, finding that PV is competitive with daytime retail power prices in a number of nations. "Reconsidering the Economics of Photovoltaic Power" examines the implications of a 75% decline in PV prices in the last three years, as well as the metrics used to measure PV against other generation technologies. The report also notes the importance of accurate assessment of costs, particularly in decisions around appropriate policies for PV. Read more

Climate change policies will halve the impact of fossil fuel price shocks

Friday, 5.18.2012 - 11:22 (Solarpowerportal)

Ed Davey, the Energy Secretary, has revealed that Britain?s climate change policies could help halve the negative impact of spikes in global oil, gas and coal prices in the UK by 2050. Read more

Climate change policies will half the impact of fossil fuel price shocks

Friday, 5.18.2012 - 11:22 (Solarpowerportal)

Ed Davey, the Energy Secretary, has revealed that Britain?s climate change policies could help half the negative impact of spikes in global oil, gas and coal prices in the UK by 2050. Read more