Canadian Solar modules score top PTC ratings

Friday, 6.15.2012 - 16:52 (PV-Tech)

Canadian Solar PV modules have scored top ranks in the PTC (PVUSA Test Condition) ratings. More than 9,000 modules have been rated as part of the California Energy Commission?s Solar Electric Incentive program. Canadian Solar modules are among the best modules in the efficiency ratings, with the CS6P-P module line scoring an average 91% in PTC efficiency ratings. Read more

Conergy and Ensunt build 50MW PV plant in Pakistan

Friday, 6.15.2012 - 11:27 (PV-Tech)

Conergy is collaborating with Ensunt for the construction of a 50MW PV project in Pakistan, the company has announced. The PV plant for the DACC Power Generation Company (DPGCL) will be the largest solar power plant in Pakistan. The project is located in Bahawalpur and is co-owned by DPGCL and the Pakistani government. Conergy will plan, design and engineer the project as well as providing the components while Ensunt is responsible for the construction of the plant. Read more

AE and SGEG to collaborate on inverter development for Asian markets

Friday, 6.15.2012 - 9:24 (Solarserver)

On June 13th, 2012 Advanced Energy Industries Inc. (AE, Fort Collins, Colorado, U.S.) announced that it has expanded a strategic alliance with Shanghai Guangdian Electric Group (SGEG, Shanghai, China) to collaborate on the development of inverters. The partnership will combine SGEG's power electronics design and manufacturing methodology with AE's product testing experience and control software. SGEG will market the inverters produced through this partnership to Asian customers. Read more

DuPont Apollo to supply 22.75 MW of PV modules for plants in Thailand

Friday, 6.15.2012 - 8:41 (Solarserver)

On June 13th, 2012 DuPont Apollo Ltd. (Hong Kong, China) announced that it has signed two contracts to supply a total of 22.75 MW of its amorphous silicon (a-Si) thin-film solar photovoltaic (PV) modules for two PV plants in Thailand. The plants will be owned by Smart Green Energy Company Ltd. (Sathon, Thailand) and Infinite Green Comany Ltd. (Bangkok, Thailand), and located in Chaiyaphum Province and Saraburi Province. DuPont states that the plants will help the nation meet its goal of 25% electricity generation from renewables under its 10-Year Alternative Energy Development Plan. Read more

SCHOTT licenses PERC technology to the SCHMID Group

Friday, 6.15.2012 - 8:32 (Solarserver)

On June 13th, 2012 SCHOTT Solar AG (Mainz, Germany) licensed its technique for manufacturing passivated emitter and rear contact (PERC) solar photovoltaic (PV) cells to the SCHMID Group (Freudenstadt, Germany), which will allow SCHMID to offer production equipment for PERC cells. SCHOTT states that PERC technology allows manufacturers to achieve PV cell conversion efficiencies over 20%. The licensing agreement was signed at the Intersolar Europe trade show in Munich. Read more

bSolar to build 730kW ground-mounted solar project in Japan using bifacial PV cells

Friday, 6.15.2012 - 22:00 (PV-Tech)

bSolar, through its strategic partner and Japanese distributor TSBM, has won a contract to construct a 730kW ground-mounted solar project in Nasukarasuyama city, Tochigi, Japan. The project is expected to go online in December and will feature bSolar?s disruptive bifacial PV cells. Read more

Report: Kronos Solar considers building 25MW solar farm in Cornwall

Friday, 6.15.2012 - 21:51 (PV-Tech)

A report from BBC News has advised that German company Kronos Solar is considering developing a 25MW solar farm on Lower Wheatley Farm, north of Launceston in Cornwall. The project would be constructed across 120-acres and would be the largest solar farm in the county. The report points out that local authority notes that Kronos is one of various firms currently pondering over constructing a solar farm in the area between 20-30MW. Read more

NLP Solar Sales Training Live Webinar June 27th & 28th

Friday, 6.15.2012 - 21:01 (Renewable Energy World)

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Clean Power Finance receives two grants under DOE?s SunShot Initiative

Friday, 6.15.2012 - 20:35 (PV-Tech)

Clean Power Finance revealed that the Department of Energy (DOE), as part of its SunShot Initiative, awarded the company two grants that will help the company build software platforms that cut the ?soft costs? of solar in order to make it more competitive with traditional grid power. The first US$500,000 grant will see Clean Power Finance build an online marketplace for O&M services on installed PV systems. Read more

Solar Winter Output Assessment: Measuring Snow-related Losses

Friday, 6.15.2012 - 18:39 (Renewable Energy World)

Historically, PV modules installed in snowy climates have been part of small, off-grid arrays mounted at very steep tilt angles. This is done both to shed snow quickly and to maximise winter output. Unfortunately, this concedes too much annual energy to be a good design strategy for larger contemporary systems. Read more

Waxman welcomes new recruit to its renewables division

Friday, 6.15.2012 - 17:08 (Solarpowerportal)

Solar PV distributor, the Waxman Group, has announced the appointment of James Shakespeare as Business Development Manager within the company?s renewables division. Read more

Solar Power Technologies supplies Clarity system for 12.5-MW New Jersey PV plant

Friday, 6.15.2012 - 16:36 (Solarserver)

On June 11th, 2012, Solar Power Technologies (Austin, Texas, U.S.) announced that its Clarity monitoring system has been installed at Lincoln Renewable Energy's 12.5 megawatt (MW) Oak Solar plant in New Jersey. The Clarity monitoring system was installed along with Solar Power's associated Intelligent Array management tools at the Oak Solar project, located in Fairfield Township in Cumberland, New Jersey. Read more

Canadian Solar launches partner program for EPCs and installers in the EMEA region

Friday, 6.15.2012 - 16:31 (Solarserver)

On June 11th, 2012, Canadian Solar Inc. (Ontario, Canada) announced that it has launched a partner program for engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) companies and photovoltaic (PV) installers in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region. Read more

Energy Minister: community schemes central to solar?s future

Friday, 6.15.2012 - 15:38 (Solarpowerportal)

Greg Barker, the Minister for Energy and Climate Change, has spoke of his desire to see more community-funded solar projects across the country after visiting one of the first schools in the UK to generate its own electricity from a community-funded solar project. Read more

Two Years In, SunShot Steadfast In Its Solar Mission

Friday, 6.15.2012 - 15:00 (Renewable Energy World)

Ramamoorthy Ramesh is a man in a hurry. As the director of the Department of Energy's SunShot Initiative, he hears the clock ticking as the program inches toward its mission to slash the installed costs of solar 75 percent by the end of the decade. Read more

LDK Solar and Solarif unveil complete insurance package for solar PV systems

Friday, 6.15.2012 - 13:40 (Solarpowerportal)

Solar photovoltaic manufacturer LDK Solar has partnered with Solarif, to become the first companies to offer customers a full insurance package at the system level. Read more

Intersolar EU: Leclanché and Talesun launch HS 3200 energy storage solution

Friday, 6.15.2012 - 13:21 (PV-Tech)

Leclanché and Talesun are showcasing a new energy storage product range at Intersolar Europe, the companies have announced. The two companies signed a cooperation agreement four months ago and are presenting the results of this collaboration. The newly developed HS-series offers a high-end storage solution featuring an HS 3200 battery, designed to increase PV system efficiency. Read more

Intersolar EU: Chinese Aikosolar acquires Scheuten Solar

Friday, 6.15.2012 - 12:29 (PV-Tech)

Scheuten Solar has been sold to Chinese investor Aikosolar and the company is celebrating its ?comeback? at Intersolar Europe. Aikosolar, a solar cell manufacturer and also owner of Powerway Renewable Energy, has taken over Scheuten?s essential components. The combination of Scheuten Solar?s product portfolio, 10 years of experience and Aikosolar?s financial strength as well as Powerway Renewable Energy?s EPC experience propose a positive outlook for the future, company representatives stated. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. Read more

Intersolar EU: Heliatek develops thin-film for tinted glass windows

Friday, 6.15.2012 - 11:03 (PV-Tech)

Heliatek?s solar films could be used in tinted windows to generate energy, the company has announced. The company is collaborating with different manufacturers of building materials to integrate its solar films into building materials. The transparent solar films might be used in between the sheets of double glazed windows, creating a tinted window look while generating energy. Read more

Intersolar EU: LDK Solar and Solarif launch complete insurance for PV systems

Friday, 6.15.2012 - 10:51 (PV-Tech)

LDK Solar and partner Solarif are introducing insurance for PV systems, the company has announced. LDK Solar Secure offers customers a full insurance package, including ?all risk insurance?, a warranty and inherent defect insurance. The all risk insurance is for all components of the PV systems while the LDK Solar power and product warranty offers cover for the PV modules. Read more

bSolar bifacial PV cells now available, on display at Intersolar Europe

Friday, 6.15.2012 - 9:26 (Solarserver)

bSolar Ltd. (Jerusalem, Israel) has announced the commercial availability of its high-efficiency bifacial crystalline silicon solar photovoltaic (PV) cells, which are currently on display at the Intersolar Europe trade show in Munich through June 15th, 2012. bSolar claims that the cells, which use both the front and rear sides to collect sunlight, provide 10-30% greater kWh per kW in standard applications and 50% in vertical installations. The company estimates that this provides an equivalent cell efficiency of 21%-24% in standard applications, translating to a total module power of 280-325 watts for a 60-cell module. Read more

Manz presents new wet chemical wafer processing station at Intersolar Europe

Friday, 6.15.2012 - 9:17 (Solarserver)

Manz AG (Reutlingen, Germany) has presented a new wet chemical silicon wafer processing system at the Intersolar Europe trade show in Munich, July 13th-15th, 2012. Manz' new IPSG CEI 4800 (inline removal of phosphate silicate glass and chemical edge isolation) chemically removes the highly-doped layer from the back and edges of a silicon wafer and isolates the emitter from the back. As a second step, the tool removes a remaining layer of phosphor silicate glass on the top of the wafer. Read more

SPI Solar acquires 39 MW of PV projects in Hawaii

Friday, 6.15.2012 - 9:12 (Solarserver)

On June 13th, 2012 SPI Solar (Roseville, California, U.S.) announced that it has acquired the rights from Solar Hub Utilities LLC to co-develop and build 68 solar photovoltaic (PV) plants in Hawaii totaling 29 MW-DC. SPI plans to begin construction of the first of these plants within the third quarter of 2012. Additionally, SPI will pursue 10 MW of PV projects currently in the Hawaiian Public Utility Commission's reserve queue. The company notes that almost all of the projects within the portfolio will be eligible for Tier 2 of Hawaii's feed-in tariff. Read more

2012 Intersolar Award Winners announced

Friday, 6.15.2012 - 8:43 (Solarserver)

10 companies have been chosen for the three categories of the 2012 Intersolar Award, presented on June 13th, 2012 during the Intersolar Europe trade show in Munich. This year's top winners were MBJ Services GmbH (Hamburg, Germany), Soltigua - Laterizi Gambettola SRL (Gambettola, Italy) and Isra Surface Vision GmbH (Darmstadt, Germany), in the categories of Photovoltaics, Solar Thermal Technologies and PV Production Technologies. Read more

Turbine Testing: Setting Standards for Smaller Devices

Friday, 6.15.2012 - 18:25 (Renewable Energy World)

A global surge in small and medium-sized wind turbines is setting challenges for testing and will require new standards and certification in the UK and elsewhere. Read more

Three Things Goldman Sachs' $40B Greentech Investment Means, and Two It Doesn't

Friday, 6.15.2012 - 17:03 (Renewable Energy World)

More than any other investment bank, Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) is famed for its skill at picking good investments. Last week, the bank announced it would invest another $40 billion in green technologies over the next 10 years (or an average of $4 billion a year.) While this is a drop from the $4.8 billion invested in 2011, the last time Goldman Sachs made a commitment to green tech was 2005. The $1 billion pledged then ended up as $4 billion in direct investments of Goldman's own money, and another $24 billion of financing arranged by the bank. Read more

Recurrent Energy sells 100MW of Canadian PV projects

Friday, 6.15.2012 - 15:07 (PV-Tech)

Recurrent Energy will sell approximately 100MW of its 200MW Canadian portfolio to the Mitsubishi Corporation and Osaka Gas, the company has announced. The projects, located in Ontario, will be made available to the Ontario Power Authority and the acquisition is supposed to go through as soon as the projects are completed and commence commercial production. Mitsubishi and Osaka Gas will be equal investors, while Recurrent Energy will remain a minor stakeholder. Read more

Green Machine: Saint-Gobain's NOVA Innovation Competition Taps North American Startups

Friday, 6.15.2012 - 15:00 (Renewable Energy World)

Saint-Gobain, the world?s largest building materials company, has partnered with the U.S. Green Building Council ? Northern California Chapter (USGBC-NCC) to co-present the company?s NOVA Innovation Competition. The competition rewards startup greentech and cleantech businesses around the world offering innovations in sustainable products, advanced Read more

EU forced to compromise on first legally-binding energy efficiency target

Friday, 6.15.2012 - 12:15 (Solarpowerportal)

The European Union has agreed on a legally-binding energy efficiency target after protracted negotiations. The new directive requires all 27 EU member states to collectively reduce their energy consumption by a minimum of 17 percent by 2020. Read more

Unconquered Sun exclusively installs and distributes Sustainable Energy?s ProFab system in Ontario.

Friday, 6.15.2012 - 11:44 (PV-Tech)

PV module manufacturer Unconquered Sun and Sustainable Energy Technologies have entered an agreement, the companies have announced. Under the agreement, Unconquered Sun will exclusively distribute and install Sustainable Energy?s ProFab PV systems as well as supervise marketing, sale and the installation of the ProFab systems in the Canadian regions of Windsor and Essex County. Read more

Unconquered Sun installs and distributes Sustainable Energy?s system in Ontario

Friday, 6.15.2012 - 11:44 (PV-Tech)

PV module manufacturer Unconquered Sun and Sustainable Energy Technologies have entered an agreement, the companies have announced. Under the agreement, Unconquered Sun will exclusively distribute and install Sustainable Energy?s ProFab PV systems as well as supervise marketing, sale and the installation of the ProFab systems in the Canadian regions of Windsor and Essex County. Read more