Q-Cells creditors approve continued operations

Thursday, 7.19.2012 - 15:55 (Solarserver)

Q-Cells SE (Bitterfeld-Wolfen, Germany) reports that its creditors have given approval for the company's continued operation while either a structured sale or financial restructuring is pursued. A meeting of company creditors also unanimously confirmed Henning Schorisch in his office as insolvency administrator. In a separate announcement, Q-Cells revealed that two of its modules are the first to survive cyclone-level wind tests carried out at a test center in Australia. Read more

TetraSun creates high-efficiency c-Si cell, completes DOE grant

Thursday, 7.19.2012 - 15:47 (Solarserver)

TetraSun Inc. (Milpitas, California, U.S.) has delivered a solar photovoltaic (PV) cell based on a novel cell concept with a full area efficiency above 20%, as well as completing reliability tests according to IEC 61215. This work completes the requirements of its USD 2.3 million U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) grant through the SunShot PV Incubator program. TetraSun's concept uses a novel surface passivation technology that enables the use of 50 micrometer wide copper electrodes in place of silver metallization. The company states that it has achieved cell Voc values in excess of 700 mV on Czochralski-grown monocrystalline silicon, without using special manufacturing equipment. Read more

York Council to fit 800 homes with solar modules

Thursday, 7.19.2012 - 13:15 (Solarpowerportal)

A new scheme run by City of York Council in partnership with Empower Community and Nationwide Solar will see 800 council-owned properties in York receive solar arrays. Read more

IHS: PV module prices to fall 11% in 2H 2012

Thursday, 7.19.2012 - 9:14 (Solarserver)

IHS iSuppli (El Segundo, California, U.S.) has released a new report which predicts that prices for solar photovoltaic (PV) modules will decline 11% in the second half of 2012, with the market buoyed by renewed demand. The "IHS iSuppli Photovoltaics Cell & Module Production Market Tracker" predicts that average PV module prices will reach EUR 0.57 per watt (USD 0.70 per watt) in December 2012, from EUR 0.64 per watt (USD 0.79 per watt) in June 2012. The firm also forecasts 30.2 GW of global PV demand in 2012, including 7.3 GW from Germany, which it says will help stabilize prices. Read more

Lux Research: Metallization costs for PV cells to fall as silver is replaced

Thursday, 7.19.2012 - 9:03 (Solarserver)

Lux Research (Boston, U.S.) has released a report which finds that emerging technologies including copper metallization, nickel phosphide (Ni2P) and non-contact printing techniques could reduce the cost of metallization for solar photovoltaic (PV) cells up to 50%. "Key Issues and Innovations in Photovoltaic Metallization" finds that a movement in the PV industry to reduce silver use is "inevitable", and that copper pastes are a natural replacement. The report also states that innovation in PV metallization could improve process yields for both crystalline silicon and thin-film PV. Read more

Motech unveils high-power PV modules

Thursday, 7.19.2012 - 8:54 (Solarserver)

Motech Industries Inc.'s (New Taipei City, Taiwan) U.S. subsidiary has unveiled a new series of solar photovoltaic (PV) modules which offer higher power ratings, frame modifications and incorporate PV cells with three bus bar designs. Motech's Plus Series is currently offering 60-cell modules with power ratings of 250 watts and 72-cell modules with power ratings of 300 watts, with 260 watt and 310 watt modules certified and ready for launch later in 2012. All of these modules offer positive power tolerances. Read more

DuPont tackles patent protection in speech at Solarbuzz China PV conference

Thursday, 7.19.2012 - 22:15 (PV-Tech)

This week, during the Solarbuzz China PV conference in Shanghai, Walt Cheng, DuPont?s managing director for greater China, was the featured speaker. During his talk he addressed various topics, but focused on the importance of innovation and the need for intellectual property protection in the continuously competitive PV market. Read more

ET Solar subsidiary?s factory receives inspection certificate from IMQ

Thursday, 7.19.2012 - 21:15 (PV-Tech)

The Italian Institute for the Quality Mark (IMQ) has awarded ET Solar?s subsidiary, ET Solar Industry Limited, a factory inspection certificate. The organization offers factor inspection certificates and attestation services in the alternative energy sector. Read more

Ex-Im Bank authorizes US$57.3M in loans for export of US solar panels, services to India

Thursday, 7.19.2012 - 21:15 (PV-Tech)

The Export-Import Bank of the United States has okayed two loans, totalling US$57.3 million, which will see the exportation of US-made solar panels and ancillary services to Solar Field Energy Two and Mahindra Surya Prakash in India. Read more

Waaree Energies nabs order for 5.75MW turnkey solar project in Maharashtra, India

Thursday, 7.19.2012 - 21:11 (PV-Tech)

Waaree Energies revealed that it had landed a contract to deliver a 5.75MW turnkey thin-film solar PV plant for Shree Saibaba sugar factory in Latur, Maharashtra, India. No details were given as to a timeline for project completion. Read more

Community Energy closes financing, begins construction on 6MW solar project in Pennsylvania

Thursday, 7.19.2012 - 21:03 (PV-Tech)

Community Energy Solar advised that it had not only closed financing its 6MW Keystone Solar Project in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, but that it had also started on its construction through its partner groSolar. Nearly 20,000 Canadian Solar 290W solar modules are being installed on fixed-tilt, ground-mounted aluminum racking provided by Schletter and will be interconnected to the PPUL Electric grid at 12kV with AE inverters and platforms. Read more

Centrosolar completes 1MWp project in Trier, Germany

Thursday, 7.19.2012 - 20:03 (PV-Tech)

Harsh cuts to the German feed-in tariff appear not to have deterred Centrosolar. The company has completed a 1MWp shared project in Trier with the City of Trier, Bürgerservice GmbH and the Trierer Energiegenossenschaft (Trier Energy Cooperative) costing ?1.7 million. All components used to build the system were sourced from Germany. This system consists of over 4,000 Centrosolar panels and represents an important step for the region in its transition to renewable energies. Read more

Time To Consider a Thermal "System Benefits Charge"?

Thursday, 7.19.2012 - 19:32 (Renewable Energy World)

Over the years electricity and, more recently, transportation fuels, have received the lion's share of attention from energy policy makers. Thermal energy, on the other hand, has been largely overlooked by state and federal lawmakers seeking to promote efficiency and renewable energy. Yet heat represents more than one-third of all energy consumed in the U.S., and many states have endorsed ambitious renewable energy goals that simply cannot be met without meaningful attention to thermal energy. For example, many states have endorsed 25 x'25, which proposes that 25% of all energy consumed come from renewable resources. This goal is unlikely to be achieved without thermal energy Read more

WAREE to construct 5.75MW thin-film solar PV plant in Maharashtra, India

Thursday, 7.19.2012 - 19:15 (PV-Tech)

WAAREE is continuing its influence in India with a turnkey 5.75MW thin-film solar PV plant in Latur, Maharashtra. The company will be responsible for manufacturing solar PV modules, design engineering, procurement, construction, operation and maintenance for Shree Saibaba sugar factory. Read more

Intersolar's Solar Battle of the Bands, Round 2: When the Solar Industry Really Comes Together

Thursday, 7.19.2012 - 18:50 (Renewable Energy World)

It may be a ?battle,? but the entire industry is really the winner in ?Solar Battle of the Bands: Round 2,? a new tradition at Intersolar North America. I didn?t think a solar industry event could shine any better than the first Solar Battle of the Bands, but this year?s second edition establishes SBOB as the single solar industry community event t Read more

ET Solar obtains IMQ factory certificate

Thursday, 7.19.2012 - 18:15 (PV-Tech)

ET Solar has obtained the factory inspection certificate issued by the Italian Institute for the Quality Mark (IMQ). IMQ offers factory inspection certification and attestation services in the alternative energy sector. Read more

Lincolnshire schools debut renewable education pack thanks to local solar installer

Thursday, 7.19.2012 - 16:52 (Solarpowerportal)

Lincolnshire solar energy company, Freewatt has introduced an innovative renewable education pack for school children across the county. Read more

Weekly solar installation rates stabilise around 13MW a week

Thursday, 7.19.2012 - 15:41 (Solarpowerportal)

The latest solar installation figures from DECC show that install rates have continued to recover after April 1, with 12,951 installations completed in the week ending July 15. Read more

Solar Acquisitions Doubled to Record $10.8 Billion

Thursday, 7.19.2012 - 15:00 (Renewable Energy World)

The value of acquisitions of solar photovoltaic plants more than doubled to $10.8 billion in 2011 as developers sold projects to longer-term investors, Bloomberg New Energy Finance said. Read more

Senersun to supply SolarNRG with 55 MW of PV modules

Thursday, 7.19.2012 - 12:25 (Solarserver)

Senersun Ltd. (Bordeaux, France) has entered into an agreement to supply 55 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) modules to SolarNRG BV ('S-Gravenzande, the Netherlands) for projects in Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and the Lesser Antilles. SolarNRG serves as the official Senersun distributor in these nations. Read more

SolarCity to install hundreds of PV systems at three U.S. Air Force bases

Thursday, 7.19.2012 - 12:21 (Solarserver)

SolarCity Corporation (San Mateo, California, U.S.) and Lend Lease Corporation Ltd. (Sydney, Australia) have announced the next phase of their SolarStrong project, wherein they will install solar photovoltaic (PV) systems at three U.S. Air Force bases in the U.S. states of California and Colorado. This will include PV plants on more than 850 military residences at Tierra Vista, Los Angeles Air Force Base (AFB) in California, and Peterson AFB and Schriever AFB in Colorado Springs (Colorado, U.S.). SolarCity will engineer, install and maintain the PV plants at all three locations. Read more

The Navy's Green Strike Group Sails on Biofuels Blend: Will It Sail Again?

Thursday, 7.19.2012 - 15:42 (Renewable Energy World)

In Hawaii, the US Navy demonstrated its Green Strike Group as part of the 2012 Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC), the world's largest international maritime warfare exercise that includes 40 surface ships, six submarines, more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel from 22 different nations. Read more

Should the Wind Turbine Industry Head for the Hills?

Thursday, 7.19.2012 - 15:11 (Renewable Energy World)

At dusk outside Limon, an isolated interstate interchange on Colorado's vast eastern frontier, a string of active wind turbines lines the southwest horizon --- their red aviation warning lights almost keeping time with their rotating blades. And more are on the way; the local hotels are packed with summer wind farm construction workers pulling three shifts a day. Read more

Wind Farm Operators Adjust to Noise Responses

Thursday, 7.19.2012 - 15:00 (Renewable Energy World)

Over the past several years, wind farm developers have been facing increasing complaints about wind turbine noise. After many years of successfully placing turbines in proximity to homes in farm and ranch country, where typical setbacks of 800 to 1,200 feet, and noise levels of 50dB or more, were well tolerated, wind energy companies are finding that residents in rural areas in the upper Midwest and Northeast are far more likely than farmers and ranchers to respond negatively to turbine sound of 40dB or even less. For some in areas where nighttime ambient noise levels are low, any audible noise is found to be intrusive, creating a challenging new reality for wind energy Read more

Mprime modules recognized with Class A energy efficiency by INMETRO

Thursday, 7.19.2012 - 22:15 (PV-Tech)

Martifer Solar?s subsidiary, Mprime, advised that its PV modules had been recognized through the Brazilian program of energy efficiency and performance, the National Institute of Metrology, Quality and Technology (INMETRO), as being Class A energy efficient. The modules are manufactured in Portugal and are ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OSHAS 18001 certified. Read more

Amonix Closes 150-MW Las Vegas HCPV Plant

Thursday, 7.19.2012 - 17:11 (Renewable Energy World)

Amonix, the clear market leader in installed high concentrating photovoltaics (HCPV), has shut down its Las Vegas manufacturing operation a little more than a year after its much-hyped opening. Read more

Order Focus: Clenergy to supply 15MW mounting solution to four Chinese plants

Thursday, 7.19.2012 - 17:10 (PV-Tech)

Further to Clenergy?s large-scale ground-mounted PV project being developed by a utility in Dunhuang, the company has announced that it has signed a 15MW contract with an unnamed client towards a project covering four factories located across China. The installations will be in Tianjing Ninghe Modern Industry area Hengshui Economic Development Zone and Haikou National Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone. The company will provide a customized PV-ezRack SolarRoof mounting solution, as previously exhibited on a 40MW solar power station developed in Jiayuguan last month. Read more

Davey Rules Out 25% Reduction for Onshore Wind Subsidy in U.K.

Thursday, 7.19.2012 - 16:44 (Renewable Energy World)

U.K. Energy Secretary Ed Davey ruled out a 25 percent cut in subsidies for onshore wind projects, saying the coalition government is working on the details of a smaller reduction that he hopes will underpin investment in renewables. Read more

Module sales at REC rebound in 2Q12

Thursday, 7.19.2012 - 15:15 (PV-Tech)

Renewable Energy Corporation (REC) reported a 13% increase in sales for the second quarter of 2012. Revenue reached NOK 1,987 million (US$327 million) with an EBITDA of NOK 267 million (US$44 million). Sales improved across polysilicon, silane and modules in the quarter but the company was impacted by impairment charges for the closure of its wafer operations in Norway. REC reported a quarterly loss of NOK 4.1 billion (US$674 million), compared to loss of NOK 0.2 billion in the previous quarter and generated net cash from total operating activities of NOK 0.6 billion. Read more

TetraSun completes US DoE SunShot Initiative PV Incubator for Cz monocrystalline silicon

Thursday, 7.19.2012 - 14:50 (PV-Tech)

TetraSun has disclosed that its monocrystalline Czochralski (Cz) silicon is now production-ready through the successful completion of its SunShot Initiative PV Incubator grant from the US Department of Energy (DoE). Details have not been disclosed. Alongside the DoE grant, since its founding in 2009, TetraSun has raised US$12 million from equity and strategic customer investors. Read more

TetraSun completes US DoE SunShot Initiative PV Incubator for CCz monocrystalline silicon

Thursday, 7.19.2012 - 14:15 (PV-Tech)

TetraSun has disclosed that its monocrystalline Czochralski (CCz) silicon is now production-ready through the successful completion of its SunShot Initiative PV Incubator grant from the US Department of Energy (DoE). Details have not been disclosed. Alongside the DoE grant, since its founding in 2009, TetraSun has raised US$12 million from equity and strategic customer investors. Read more

Enphase Energy enters UK market

Thursday, 7.19.2012 - 12:43 (Solarpowerportal)

Microinverter manufacturer, Enphase Energy, has announced its entrance into the UK solar energy market after appointing a UK country manager and signing up to the British Photovoltaic Association (BPVA).  Read more

Would Gordon Gekko Go Green?

Thursday, 7.19.2012 - 11:21 (Renewable Energy World)

Energy books tend to be either jargon-filled tomes or hand-wringing, end-of-the-world, please-just-shoot-me-now reprimands. So it was a relief to see that Brian Keane avoids both of these worn-out roads in his new book, ?Green is Good: Save Money, Make Money, and Help Your Community Profit from Clean Energy.? Keane expertly tells the clean energy s Read more