Satcon introduces H-Type "smart" PV inverters

Monday, 7.16.2012 - 18:03 (Solarserver)

Satcon Technology Corporation (Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.) has introduced new power electronics solution offering improved system monitoring, diagnostics and remote control functionality, which it says is a response to demand from utilities in the U.S. state of Hawaii for increased inverter control. Satcon has already sold more than 7 MW of its PowerGate Plus H-Type "smart" inverters, which include the company's EDGE Adaptive Control Architecture, to utilities in the state. The inverters are available in 100 kw, 135 kW, and 250 kW versions with both standard and Tropical Environment packages. Read more

Thin film research project receives ?10m EU grant

Monday, 7.16.2012 - 16:48 (PV-Tech)

A coalition of thirteen different organizations has secured an EU-funded ?10 million research grant for the development of low cost thin film technologies. Read more

Agua Caliente PV plant in in Yuma County, Arizona reaches 200 MW capacity milestone

Monday, 7.16.2012 - 15:52 (Solarserver)

On July 16th, 2012 NRG Energy Inc. (Princeton, New Jersey, U.S.), MidAmerican Solar (Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.) and First Solar Inc. (Tempe, Arizona, U.S.) announced that they have commissioned 200 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity at their Agua Caliente plant. The companies describe Agua Caliente as the largest operational PV plant in the world, and the plant will have a capacity of 290 MW-AC when completed. Agua Caliente is located in Yuma County in the U.S. state of Arizona and comprised of First Solar thin-film cadmium telluride PV modules. Read more

IMS Research: China's PV market is set to boom as government raises 2015 installation target to 21GW

Monday, 7.16.2012 - 15:52 (Solarserver)

Solar photovoltaic (PV) installations in China are set to reach over 4 gigawatts (GW) in the second half of the 2012, according to a new report from IMS Research (Wellingborough, U.K., recently acquired by IHS Inc.). The latest version of China?s Five-Year-Plan for the PV industry reveals that China?s regulatory and planning body, NDRC, has lifted its installation target from 15 GW to 21 GW by 2015. This positive guideline will further stimulate the rapid growth of China?s PV market from 2012 to 2015, according to IMS Research?s new quarterly report on PV supply and demand in China. Read more

Thin film research project receives ?10 million EU grant

Monday, 7.16.2012 - 15:37 (Solarpowerportal)

A coalition of organisations, including Nottingham University, has secured an EU-funded ?10 million research grant for the development of low cost thin film technologies. Read more

CASM hopes latest US import figures support Chinese solar module import demise

Monday, 7.16.2012 - 14:05 (PV-Tech)

According to the US Department of Commerce?s latest release of the ?U.S. Imports of Merchandise? database, solar-based products from China declined around 45% in May, compared to the same month a year ago. The Coalition for American Solar Manufacturing (CASM) claimed that this decline represented a positive impact of the recent anti-subsidy duties and anti-dumping duties applied to Chinese solar cells as users have therefore become concerned over the risks and uncertainties as well as cost issues of using Chinese modules for installations in the US. Read more

Kyocera opens new warehouse in New Jersey

Monday, 7.16.2012 - 13:15 (PV-Tech)

Kyocera has opened a new warehouse for its solar products in the US, the company has announced. The warehouse is located in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and the company chose this location, in collaboration with logistics provider NFI, to support its distribution centres in Scottsdale and in San Diego, Arizona. The building that functions as Kyocera?s new warehouse has a 1.3MW PV rooftop array, equipped with 6,100 Kyocera PV modules, which was installed in 2010. Read more

Imec displays 20.04% efficient c-Si PV cell at ISNA

Monday, 7.16.2012 - 12:03 (Solarserver)

Imec (Leuven, Belgium) unveiled a 20.04% efficient, large-area crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar photovoltaic (PV) cell at the Intersolar North America 2012 trade show in San Francisco (California, U.S.), which it says can be produced using low-cost manufacturing processes. Imec used a passivated emitter and rear cell (PERC) process to create the PV cell, which it says maximizes the conversion efficiency while maintaining cost-effective device concepts and processing. The 125 mm x 125 mm Cz p-type PV cell utilizes a homogeneous emitter and silver-single screen-printed front-side contacts, as well as adapted aluminum back-side metalization. Read more

U.S. imports of Chinese PV increase sequentially, fall year-over-year

Monday, 7.16.2012 - 8:56 (Solarserver)

U.S. imports of Chinese solar photovoltaic (PV) cells and modules increased 76% sequentially to USD 124.1 million in May 2012, while falling 45% over May 2011. These declining shipments follow U.S. Department of Commerce (DoC) rulings establishing preliminary anti-dumping and countervailing duties totaling 35% for most Chinese PV imports. Chinese imports have been declining year-over-year for several months, but the USD 1.21 billion imported in the first five months of 2012 is still 22% greater than the USD 993 million imported in the first five months of 2011. Read more

UK to benefit from new £5 million SUPERSOLAR Hub

Monday, 7.16.2012 - 18:33 (Solarpowerportal)

A consortium of UK universities led by Loughborough University, have announced the formation of a SUPERSOLAR Hub to drive research, training and industry partnerships in the burgeoning UK solar energy sector. Read more

Chin increases PV installation target from 15GW to 21GW by 2015

Monday, 7.16.2012 - 18:11 (PV-Tech)

The Chinese National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has increased the country?s target of installed solar energy from 15GW to 21GW by 2015, it has been reported. According to an IMS Research report, China?s installations will exceed 4GW in the second half of 2012. The increase will further stimulate the domestic PV market at a time when the European market is expected to decrease. IMS Research reports that China?s capacity of c-Si modules will reach 32.6GE in Q1 ?12, even though the full year forecast for global installations is only 30.6GW. Read more

China increases PV installation target from 15GW to 21GW by 2015

Monday, 7.16.2012 - 18:11 (PV-Tech)

The Chinese National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has increased the country?s target of installed solar energy from 15GW to 21GW by 2015, it has been reported. According to an IMS Research report, China?s installations will exceed 4GW in the second half of 2012. The increase will further stimulate the domestic PV market at a time when the European market is expected to decrease. IMS Research reports that China?s capacity of c-Si modules will reach 32.6GE in Q1 ?12, even though the full year forecast for global installations is only 30.6GW. Read more

SEIA releases statement on solar industry sustainability practices

Monday, 7.16.2012 - 18:11 (Solarserver)

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has issued a statement in response to Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition (SVTC) releasing its 2012 Solar Scorecard. "Ensuring a globally sustainable solar supply chain is one of our industry?s top priorities. Supporting this mission, SEIA has taken proactive steps to promote environmental and social responsibility within the industry," SEIA President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Rhone Resch said. Read more

Welspun Says Nation Set to Double Solar Target: Corporate India

Monday, 7.16.2012 - 18:05 (Renewable Energy World)

Welspun Energy Ltd., India's biggest developer of solar projects, said the nation will surpass its sun-powered generation target by two-fold over the next decade amid shortages of coal and natural gas. Read more

ReneSola to ship 100 MW of Virtus PV modules to Greece, updates 2012 guidance

Monday, 7.16.2012 - 17:59 (Solarserver)

ReneSola Ltd. (Jiashan, China) has agreed to supply 100 MW of its high-efficiency Virtus modules to Big Solar SA (Aspropyrgos, Greece) over the next 12 months. ReneSola has also revised its full year 2012 shipment guidance, estimating total wafer and module shipments to be near 1 GW for the first half of 2012. In the full year 2012, the company has increased its shipment guidance to between 2.2 GW and 2.4 GW. Read more

Single PV technology roadmap to evolve as important catalyst to end profitless prosperity

Monday, 7.16.2012 - 17:15 (PV-Tech)

Desperate times call for desperate measures, according to the latest PV industry analysis from NPD Solarbuzz. According to the market research firm, tier 1 PV manufacturers are set to align on one technology roadmap in 2013 and beyond to combat overcapacity and support aggressive cost reductions. Read more

Video: SolarBuzz Sees Strong Growth in China, Rest of Asia

Monday, 7.16.2012 - 17:02 (Renewable Energy World)

China continues to dominate the solar landscape. Only now, they're looking to do so as a domestic market leader. Read more

Mercom Capital: VC, other solar industry funding improves in 2Q 2012

Monday, 7.16.2012 - 11:57 (Solarserver)

Mercom Capital Group LLC (Austin, Texas, U.S.) has released its "Q2 2012 Solar Funding and Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) Report", showing a recovery in most types of funding over the first quarter of 2012. While venture capital (VC) funding improved modestly to USD 376 million and debt funding increased to USD 2.31 billion, large-scale solar project funding fell slightly to USD 1.38 billion. M&A activity slowed, with a paltry USD 325 million reported in the six M&A transactions reported of the 14 identified. Read more

Italy to enact fifth Conto Energia, including registration system for PV plants

Monday, 7.16.2012 - 9:09 (Solarserver)

On July 12th, 2012 Italy's grid operator announced that the value of annual incentives under the nation's feed-in tariff had reached EUR 6 billion (USD 7.3 billion), the trigger for enacting the fifth Conto Energia. The new law will now take effect on August 27th, 2012. The fifth Conto Energia includes a registration system for PV plants larger than 12 kW, and will reduce solar incentives to EUR 200 million (USD 245 million) annually for systems in the registry. Read more

ET Solar unveils AC PV module at Intersolar North America

Monday, 7.16.2012 - 9:01 (Solarserver)

ET Solar Group Corp. (Nanjing, China) launched a microinverter-enabled AC solar photovoltaic (PV) module at the Intersolar North America trade show on July 10th, 2012 in San Francisco. The company's AC module incorporates Pantheon II microinverters by Solarbridge Technologies Inc. (Austin, Texas, U.S.), which it claims reduces system design and installation costs up to 50%. The modules supply up to 238 watt-AC output. Read more

Oil company PT Pertamina, PT LEN Industri to build PV factory in Indonesia

Monday, 7.16.2012 - 15:52 (Solarserver)

State-owned oil company PT Pertamina (Jakarta, Indonesia) and PT Len Industri (Persero, Bandung, Indonesia) have signed a memorandum of understanding to build a joint venture integrated solar photovoltaic (PV) factory in Indonesia. Pertamina notes that while Indonesia produces PV modules and systems, PV cells are imported at a high price. The collaboration is intended to support an increase in PV generation in the nation, which it estimates at 18 MW or 0.05% of total generation at present. Read more

Asia Report: The Dawn of Japan's Offshore Wind Era

Monday, 7.16.2012 - 19:35 (Renewable Energy World)

While solar is currently making the biggest renewable waves in Japan, the country is also moving quickly toward offshore wind, with the recent announcement that an offshore wind demonstration project would begin producing electricity by January. Read more

NRG, MidAmerican and First Solar complete 200MW of 290MW Agua Caliente project

Monday, 7.16.2012 - 19:15 (PV-Tech)

Two thirds of the 290MW Agua Caliente PV project have been completed and connected to the grid, it has been announced. The PV project, which is owned by NRG Energy and MidAmerican Solar and equipped with First Solar thin-film panels, has begun generating 200MW of energy. Agua Caliente is the biggest PV project to date, financed with a loan guarantee from the US Department of Energy and it is estimated to be completed in 2014. Read more

California Energy Commission awards USD 1.2 million for energy research including PV research

Monday, 7.16.2012 - 18:06 (Solarserver)

The California Energy Commission (CEC) has awarded about USD 1.2 million for 10 energy research projects. The funding is part of CEC's Public Interest Research Project (PIER) program. The Commission's PIER program supports public interest research and development that helps improve the quality of life in California by bringing environmentally safe, reliable, and affordable energy services and products to the marketplace. Funds will be paid out to grantees upon receipt of invoices. Read more

Could the U.S. Cut Household Electricity Use by Two-Thirds?

Monday, 7.16.2012 - 17:26 (Renewable Energy World)

Your mind-blowing chart of the day, courtesy of Arne Jungjohann at the Heinrich Böll Foundation.  To be fair, there's little need for air conditioning in Germany compared to the United States, but air conditioning only accounts for about 20% of U.S. household electricity consumption.  Leaving it out make it 9,200 kWh vs. 3,100 kWh.   Source for U.S Read more

Etrion?s performance exceeds forecast

Monday, 7.16.2012 - 13:56 (PV-Tech)

Etrion?s Italian PV projects have exceeded the forecasted performance, the company has announced. The company has 60MW of PV plants in operation in Italy and in June 2012 the energy production was 9% above forecast and over 30% more than during the same time period in 2011. In the first half of 2012, Etrion generated over 57 million kWh of energy, which is approximately 42 million, kWh more than in the first half of 2011. The company is expecting a 15% increase in the total production in 2012 compared to 2011. Read more

Early Green Deal Assessor course hailed a success

Monday, 7.16.2012 - 13:31 (Solarpowerportal)

One of the first Green Deal Assessor courses to be undertaken has been completed. The City & Guilds 6066 course was hosted by PPL Training and saw a range of different candidates attend ? from solar installers to plumbers. Read more

Libra Energy strengthens European presence with Omnik distribution deal

Monday, 7.16.2012 - 13:12 (Solarpowerportal)

Dutch solar distributor, Libra Energy, has secured a distribution deal with Chinese Inverter manufacturer, Omnik. Read more