California Feed-in Tariff for Poor Communities Passes Assembly

Friday, 6.1.2012 - 15:45 (Renewable Energy World)

A bill to create feed-in tariffs for the poor and the disadvantaged passed the California Assembly on 30 May 2012. Read more

CPUC announces new FiT pricing mechanism

Friday, 6.1.2012 - 12:22 (PV-Tech)

The California Public Utilities Commission has released details of its new pricing mechanism for its feed-in tariff. The pricing mechanism, Renewable Market Adjusting Tariff (Re-MAT) is based on the weighted average contract price of California?s three public utilities? as a result of the auction held in November 2011. The FiT applies to base load, peaking as-available and non-peaking as available. Read more

Samsung, Pattern reach agreement with Six Nations to build 250 MW PV, wind project in Ontario

Friday, 6.1.2012 - 9:17 (Solarserver)

On May 29th, 2012 Samsung Renewable Energy Inc. (Mississauga, Canada) and Pattern Energy Group LP (Dallas, Texas, U.S.) announced an agreement with a first nations group to build a 100 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) and 150 MW wind plant in Haldimand County in the Canadian province of Ontario. Under the terms of the agreement, Six Nations of the Grand River may choose an equity holding or royalty for each of the projects which will comprise the Grand River Renewable Energy Park, a portion of which will be located on Six Nations land. Samsung and Pattern Energy are currently seeking the technical studies and approvals necessary to begin construction, which they expect in the fall Read more

d.light design launches affordable solar lantern for rural markets

Friday, 6.1.2012 - 21:52 (Solarserver)

d.light design (Palo Alto, California, U.S.) has launched the d.light S1, which due to the producer is the world's most affordable quality solar lantern. This new product has a retail price of USD 8. The d.light S1 provides four hours of bright light from one full day of solar charging. The d.light S1 is extremely durable and able to withstand rugged weather conditions and high impact. Read more

ET Solar Group connects two rooftop solar projects to the grid in Italy

Friday, 6.1.2012 - 19:08 (PV-Tech)

ET Solar Group has completed and connected two rooftop PV project to the grid in Italy. Combined the projects hold a total installed capacity of over 2.3MW. The first installation, a 1.83MW system in Sardinia, consists of 3 rooftop solar systems, which were connected to the grid in April. The second project, a 0.48MW system in Aprilia, Latina, was also connected to the grid that same month. The projects were developed, designed, built and invested in by ET Solar and CECEP Solar Energy Technology. Read more

How Short-Term Shipment Delays Could Impact US Solar Market

Friday, 6.1.2012 - 18:55 (Renewable Energy World)

Two weeks after a trade ruling deepened the rift in an increasingly divided industry, analysts and CEOs alike are still working to assess how the newly imposed trade tariffs will impact shipments, projects and pricing. Read more

Yingli partners with US Soccer Federation for PASS program

Friday, 6.1.2012 - 18:37 (PV-Tech)

Yingli Green Energy Holding?s recently announced that through its partnership with the US Soccer Federation, it has formed the Powering Advancement with Solar and Soccer (PASS) program. The initiative aims to combine the financial and educational benefits of a solar power system donation with the active lifestyle benefits of soccer. Read more

Transform Solar to cut PV module production at Idaho plant

Friday, 6.1.2012 - 18:25 (PV-Tech)

Transform Solar, a JV established in 2010 between Origin Energy and Micron Technology, advised that it will no longer be manufacturing its Sliver PV modules in Idaho. The company decided to take this route after a review of the global oversupply of PV capacity and the resulting difficult market conditions. Operations and workforce in Idaho will be progressively cut over the next three months. Read more

NLP Solar Sales Training Live Webinar June 13th & 14th

Friday, 6.1.2012 - 18:01 (Renewable Energy World)

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Solea, OSP and Solar Provider launch new JV for utility-scale solar farms in North America

Friday, 6.1.2012 - 17:52 (PV-Tech)

It was recently announced that Solea AG, Ontario Solar Provider (OSP) and Solar Provider Group have formed Solea SP, a JV with a focus on utility-scale ground mounted solar farms in North America. Head-quartered in Toronto, Canada, with a satellite office in San Francisco, Solea SP advised that additions to its management team will be released in the following weeks. Read more

Solar accounted for% of Spain?s electricity demand in May

Friday, 6.1.2012 - 17:13 (PV-Tech)

The Spanish grid operator Red Eléctrica de España has revealed that energy generated from the Country?s solar PV capacity accounted for% of Spain?s total electricity demand during the month of May. Read more

The Sunset and Dawn of a Solar Era: Jeff Wolfe Steps Down at groSolar

Friday, 6.1.2012 - 16:00 (Renewable Energy World)

Recently, it was announced that Jeff Wolfe, co-founder and CEO of groSolar, was stepping down as the company’s CEO, but would remain an active member of groSolar’s board, as well as continue his work as Chair of the PV Division of SEIA. Today, June 1st, is his last day. If you’ve never met Jeff, or at least heard of him…wh Read more

GCL-Poly teams with state-owned Phono Solar to develop PV power plants in China

Friday, 6.1.2012 - 15:27 (PV-Tech)

Having recently teamed with Suntech, state-owned firm, Phono Solar has signed a new agreement with GCL-Poly to build PV power plants in China. GCL-Poly already has plans to move downstream, having partnered with Winsun New Energy and Shunfeng Photovoltaic for projects in both China and Europe. Read more

Komax Solar to reduce headcount due to difficult market environment

Friday, 6.1.2012 - 15:24 (PV-Tech)

As PV module manufacturers continue to tackle overcapacity and contain losses due to ASP erosion by limiting capital expenditures, PV equipment supplier, Komax Solar, a division of Komax Group said it would cut approximately 70 jobs from its current level of 285. Other cost-cutting measures had already been underway. Read more

Zep Solar and Westinghouse Solar settle patent spat out of court

Friday, 6.1.2012 - 15:16 (PV-Tech)

A long-running patent dispute regarding innovative module mounting system technology between Zep Solar and Westinghouse Solar has been settled, though specific terms of the global settlement were said to remain confidential. Read more

Wrexham?s PV street prepares for solar-powered Jubilee street party

Friday, 6.1.2012 - 13:37 (Solarpowerportal)

Wrexham Council?s ambitious solar scheme saw 3,000 homes across the county receive solar arrays, in what was one of the largest solar social housing outfits in Europe. Read more

Yingli and US Soccer kick off PASS programme with 5kW solar system

Friday, 6.1.2012 - 13:07 (PV-Tech)

Yingli Green Energy?s success continues with the formation of the company?s US nationwide Powering Advancement with Solar and Soccer (PASS) programme. The initiative combines the financial and educational benefits of a solar power system donation with the active lifestyle benefits of soccer. Read more

Ernst & Young names United States, India most attractive nations for solar; U.S. leads solar PV and CSP rankings

Friday, 6.1.2012 - 12:24 (Solarserver)

Ernst & Young Global Ltd. (London, U.K.) has released the May 2012 version of its renewable energy "Country Attractiveness Indices", noting that investment in renewables fell to the lowest level in three years in the first quarter of 2012. Despite this trend, the report notes significant funding deals in the solar sector. The United States came in first in both solar photovoltaic (PV) and concentrating solar power (CSP) rankings, with India and Germany tied for second in PV, and Spain in second place for CSP. Ernst & Young notes that the gap between developed and emerging markets is shrinking. Read more

Iowa creates PV, solar thermal tax credit

Friday, 6.1.2012 - 12:17 (Solarserver)

The U.S. state of Iowa has passed legislation to create tax credits for solar photovoltaic (PV), solar thermal and geothermal systems. The legislation, which has been signed by Iowa Governor Terry Branstad (R), will provide homeowners with up to USD 3,000 and businesses with up to USD 15,000 for the installation of these systems. Bill sponsor Iowa State Senator Rob Hogg (D) states that the individual cap matches half of the existing federal solar tax credit, and the credits have an aggregate cap of USD 1.5 million annually. Senate File 2342 passed the Iowa Senate 45-1 and the Iowa House 82-14. Read more

Vivint Solar to offer residential solar power purchase agreements in Hawaii

Friday, 6.1.2012 - 12:15 (Solarserver)

On May 30th, 2012 Vivint Solar (Provo, Utah, U.S.) announced that its residential solar power purchase agreement (PPA) is now available to customers in Hawaii. Vivint notes that it offers this service, including designing, installing and maintaining a solar photovoltaic (PV) system on customer homes, at no up-front cost to consumers. The company also manages all aspects of customer relations in-house. Read more

Samsung selects Sundog to spearhead drive into UK solar PV market

Friday, 6.1.2012 - 10:56 (Solarpowerportal)

South Korean electronics giant Samsung has announced that it has partnered with Cumbrian-based Sundog Energy to spearhead the company?s push into the UK solar market. The distribution arm of Sundog Energy, Sundog Wholesale will be the first to stock Samsung?s black-framed 250W panels in the UK. Read more

PV equipment manufacturing: Komax Solar to lay off 70 workers

Friday, 6.1.2012 - 9:09 (Solarserver)

On May 31st, 2012 Komax Holding AG (Dierikon, Switzerland) announced that its Solar division will reduce staff by 70 employees, as part of an ongoing restructuring to adapt to reduced demand. The majority of the 285 workers that Komax Solar employed at the beginning of 2012 are located outside Switzerland. The company states that solar will remain an attractive market in the longer term, and that despite the layoffs its product range is being further developed and marketing efforts continue. Read more

CASM legal team leads wind industry against Chinese manufacturers

Friday, 6.1.2012 - 17:19 (PV-Tech)

With victory in site for the Coalition for American Solar Manufacturers (CASM) following the US Department of Commerce?s preliminary determination against Chinese manufacturers, the American wind industry jumped on the band wagon last December and filed a complaint against its Chinese counterparts with the DoC. Read more

California passes bill to assure that cap-and-trade funds go to clean energy

Friday, 6.1.2012 - 21:56 (Solarserver)

On May 29th, 2012, the California State Assembly has passed the AB 1532 bill, which was introduced by Speaker John A. Pérez (D-Los Angeles). The bill seeks to provide a comprehensive framework for how the revenues generated from California's first-in-the-nation carbon cap and trade system, which will auction off carbon credits to California's businesses, will be allocated. Read more

Energy Innovation: Snails and Griddies

Friday, 6.1.2012 - 19:23 (Renewable Energy World)

Ask most people to describe vanguard energy technology, and they’ll name LED lights, certain forms of solar energy and new electric storage methods. But how about this — generating energy from a living body? The Journal of the American Chemical Society is reporting a “real-life scientific tail of the first electr Read more

Clean Edge: U.S. renewable energy generation on the rise; California, Oregon and Massachusetts are leading the rankings

Friday, 6.1.2012 - 15:29 (Solarserver)

On May 30th, 2012 Clean Edge (Portland, Oregon, U.S.) released its third annual ranking of renewable energy and energy efficiency progress among U.S. states examining technology, policy and capital invested. California, Oregon and Massachusetts led the 2012 "State Clean Energy Index", followed by Washington and Colorado. The report measures diverse factors including total electricity produced by clean energy sources, venture and patent activity, and state incentives. Read more

Sen. Bingaman: 'The Only Losers in the Clean Energy Race Will Be Those Who Do Not Compete'

Friday, 6.1.2012 - 15:00 (Renewable Energy World)

Representing several months' coordination on the part of representatives from U.S. and foreign geothermal companies, government officials, and many experts and individuals in the geothermal community the GEA's International Geothermal Showcase in Washington, DC on May 23 was concrete indication of the rising interest in facilitating the use of geothermal energy on every continent except Antarctica. A common theme of the day was that countries around the world are open for business and many governments are taking competitive strides in developing framework for successful geothermal ventures. Read more

Merkel Shakes Up Energiewende

Friday, 6.1.2012 - 15:00 (Renewable Energy World)

Germany’s chancellor Angela Merkel shook up Germany's energy revolution by firing her environment minister, Norbert Röttgen, who was a stalwart proponent of the shift to renewables as Germany phases out nuclear power. Ostensibly, her sacking of Röttgen, who was considered a close ally and possible future chancellor, had nothing to Read more

California Energy Commission to make buildings 25% more energy efficient

Friday, 6.1.2012 - 14:20 (PV-Tech)

Effective January 1, 2014, the California Energy Commission has approved energy efficiency standards that would make new homes and commercial buildings 25% more efficient, reduce energy costs and save consumers money. Read more