IPVEA stands shoulder-to-shoulder with European trade associations over free markets

Thursday, 8.23.2012 - 12:19 (PV-Tech)

A joint initiative of members of the EU solar cell and panel manufacturing industry is requesting the European Commission to investigate whether Chinese competitors dumped PV products at below-market rates on regional markets. The International Photovoltaic Equipment Association (IPVEA) favours an international ?free market PV economy?. The IPVEA has reviewed the statements from like-minded trade associations and has concluded that they generally are also against the imposition of any punitive tariffs. Read more

IPVEA stands shoulder-to-shoulder with European manufacturers against Chinese competitors

Thursday, 8.23.2012 - 12:15 (PV-Tech)

A joint initiative of members of the EU solar cell and panel manufacturing industry is requesting the European Commission to investigate whether Chinese competitors dumped PV products at below-market rates on regional markets. The International Photovoltaic Equipment Association (IPVEA) favours an international ?free market PV economy?. The IPVEA has reviewed the statements from like-minded trade associations and has concluded that they generally are also against the imposition of any punitive tariffs. Read more

GM builds 8.15 MW PV plant on roof of German Opel production facility

Thursday, 8.23.2012 - 9:12 (Solarserver)

General Motors Company (GM, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.) has built an 8.15 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant on the roof of its Opel factory in Rüsselsheim, Germany. Investor Wattner AG (Köln, Germany) partnered with GM to build PV plants over 225,000 square meters on the roofs of three buildings, producing 1.4 MW, 2.2 MW and 3.1 MW respectively. These three join 1.45 MW of PV installed in 2010 on a fourth roof. Read more

Waaree to build 5 MW PV plant in Gujarat

Thursday, 8.23.2012 - 9:09 (Solarserver)

Avatar Solar Inc. (Simi Valley, California, U.S.) has awarded Waaree Energies Pvt Ltd. (Mumbai, India) with a turnkey project order for a 5 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant to be built in the Charanka Solar Park in the Indian state of Gujarat. The Charanka Solar Park includes at least 20 individual solar plants built by different developers, 17 of which were commissioned as of January 2012 for a total capacity of 213 MW. The park is located in Charanka, in Gujarat's Patan district. Read more

Centrotherm Photovoltaics AG to shut down engineering, project management subsidiary in Vienna

Thursday, 8.23.2012 - 9:05 (Solarserver)

Centrotherm Photovoltaics AG (Blaubeuren, Germany) has announced that it will cease operations at subsidiary Centrotherm Power Solutions GmbH (Vienna, Austria), which provided engineering services and project management, as part of its ongoing reorganization. Centrotherm is reviewing various options for actions related to the winding down of the company in accordance with Austrian law. 38 employees will be affected by the decision. Read more

NLP Solar Sales Training Live Webinar September 5th & 6th

Thursday, 8.23.2012 - 21:01 (Renewable Energy World)

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Krannich Solar, SolarEdge enter global distribution agreement

Thursday, 8.23.2012 - 18:15 (PV-Tech)

Germany-based Krannich Solar and SolarEdge Technologies have entered into a distribution agreement relating to SolarEdge?s portfolio of products. SolarEdge is a provider of solar power optimizers and PV monitoring solutions. Read more

Nautilus Solar Energy connects 1.9MW rooftop PV system

Thursday, 8.23.2012 - 17:10 (PV-Tech)

Nautilus Solar Energy, a solar power producer headquartered in New Jersey, US, has started commercial operation of its 1.9MW rooftop PV system in Chino, California, US. Output generated by the system is being sold to Southern California Edison as part of a power purchase agreement. Read more

JinkoSolar reports reduced losses, cost reductions in 2Q 2012

Thursday, 8.23.2012 - 16:07 (Solarserver)

JinkoSolar Holding Company Ltd. (Shanghai, China) has released second quarter 2012 results, reporting a 45% year-over-year fall in revenues to USD 195 million, despite a 19% increase in shipments to 302 MW. The company has significantly reduced its operating losses from the previous quarter, achieving an operating margin of -6.7%, but also reported a net loss of USD 48.9 million during the quarter. JinkoSolar predicts that the worst is over for the company, and expects increased sales in the second half of 2012. Read more

Draker mergers with Solar Power Technologies, closes on USD 8 million in funding

Thursday, 8.23.2012 - 15:52 (Solarserver)

Draker Laboratories Inc. (Burlington, Vermont, U.S.) and Solar Power Technologies Inc. (Austin, Texas, U.S.) have successfully merged, which the companies say creates a global leader in performance management solutions for the commercial and utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) markets. The merger took effect on August 21st, 2012, and the companies are operating under the Draker name. The combined company has also closed a USD 8 million equity investment from Austin Ventures LP (Austin, Texas, U.S.) Harbor Light Capital Partners LLC (Keene, New Hampshire, U.S.), and other existing investors in both companies. Read more

Spanish Siliken workers protest against lay-offs

Thursday, 8.23.2012 - 13:15 (PV-Tech)

Workers from Siliken?s centre in Rafelbunyol, Valencia, Spain, are today protesting after the solar company presented an ERE (Expediente de Regulación de Empleo) ? a Spanish administrative redundancy procedure which employers must comply with ? to 100 employees, the CCOO Industry Federation has revealed. Read more

Solar installations continue to stall post August FiT cuts

Thursday, 8.23.2012 - 12:55 (Solarpowerportal)

The latest solar installation figures released by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) show that the UK solar industry is continuing to suffer from a serious slump in installation rates following the introduction of fresh FiT cuts in August. Read more

Updated: Xcel Energy to retract Solar Rewards incentive in Minnesota

Thursday, 8.23.2012 - 11:53 (PV-Tech)

Xcel Energy, a US electricity and natural gas company, has announced an end to its Solar Rewards scheme. Xcel Energy was seeking approximatelyMW of generation, from systems less than or equal to 500kW; it received approximately three times that amount in applications in about 30 minutes after the program opened at 8a.m. last week. Acceptance of applications ended after an hour. Read more

UK?s greenest bank goes solar

Thursday, 8.23.2012 - 11:47 (Solarpowerportal)

Triodos Bank has earned its place as one of the greenest lenders in the UK after providing record amounts of loans in 2011 for renewable energy projects. As part of its drive towards low carbon business, the bank has also recently commissioned a rooftop solar system at its UK headquarters. Read more

AuSES rebranded as Australian Solar Council

Thursday, 8.23.2012 - 11:21 (Solarserver)

On August 21st, 2012, the Australian Solar Energy Society (AuSES) announced that it has been renamed as the Australian Solar Council to take on the role of the national voice of solar. The new trading name reflects the transformational impact that solar energy is having on energy production in Australia, now and into the future, the council states. Read more

Xcel Energy to retract Solar Rewards incentive in Colorado

Thursday, 8.23.2012 - 11:15 (PV-Tech)

Xcel Energy, a US electricity and natural gas company, has announced an end to its Solar Rewards scheme. Xcel Energy was seeking approximatelyMW of generation, from systems less than or equal to 500kW; it received approximately three times that amount in applications in about 30 minutes after the program opened at 8a.m. MDT last weeks. Acceptance of applications ended after an hour. Read more

Canadian Solar, Mecosun achieve key French certification

Thursday, 8.23.2012 - 11:06 (Solarserver)

French government agency CTSB has awarded Pass'Innovation certification to Canadian Solar Inc. (Guelph, Canada) and partner Mecosun (St Lys, France) for the integration of Canadian Solar's solar photovoltaic (PV) modules with Mecosun's MV? mounting system for industrial and agricultural roofs. The Pass'Innovation certification covers Canadian Solar polycrystalline and monocrystalline PV modules, including the CS6-P and its ELPS modules. The company notes that the certification is aimed at facilitating access to insurance as well as funding from French government authorities. Read more

Solar and the Green Deal

Thursday, 8.23.2012 - 9:47 (Solarpowerportal)

October this year heralds the start of a possible game-changing Government initiative called the Green Deal. The Green Deal will open up the residential improvements market as never before by removing the need for householders to fund the cost of energy efficiency up front through the use of an innovative type of loan secured against the energy meter of a property, rather than the householders themselves, and is based on a principle known as the ?Golden Rule? that ensures the cost of financing the installed measures is less than the energy saved by their installation. Read more

First Solar to Build India Farms as Outages Propel Sun Power

Thursday, 8.23.2012 - 8:55 (Renewable Energy World)

First Solar Inc., the only profitable panel-maker among the 10 biggest in the world, plans to develop solar farms in India as chronic outages drive demand for electricity derived from sun power. Read more

Extend Wind-Power Tax Credit Now, So It Can Eventually Die

Thursday, 8.23.2012 - 15:32 (Renewable Energy World)

Since U.S. President Barack Obama brought it up, repeatedly, last week during his campaign swing through Iowa, wind power has emerged as one of the most clear- cut issues of the political season. Read more

Microbes Make Methane from Waste Wind Power

Thursday, 8.23.2012 - 13:00 (Renewable Energy World)

We've long depended on coal-fired and natural gas power plants to convert chemical fuel into electricity. Now, scientists have found a way to convert electricity into a fuel using excess power from renewables like wind and solar. Read more

Japan Citizens Favor Zero Nuclear in Debate Over Energy Option

Thursday, 8.23.2012 - 19:21 (Renewable Energy World)

Japan's public wants the government to phase out nuclear power according to the results of town hall-like forums to give the public a say in the debate on the nation's energy supply post-Fukushima. Read more

Carbon emissions rise across 97 percent of Local Authorities

Thursday, 8.23.2012 - 17:12 (Solarpowerportal)

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has released the estimated carbon emissions for all Local Authorities (LA) across the UK for 2010. The figures show that only 12 out of 406 LAs managed to curb their carbon emissions in 2010. Read more

DECC launches £16 million low carbon entrepreneur fund

Thursday, 8.23.2012 - 16:29 (Solarpowerportal)

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has announced that the first phase of its £35 million low carbon Energy Entrepreneurs Fund is open to applicants. Read more

Romney Energy Plan Calls for East Coast Drilling to Cut Imports

Thursday, 8.23.2012 - 14:07 (Renewable Energy World)

Mitt Romney would give states control over energy production on federal lands within their borders and allow drilling off the East Coast as part of his plan to reduce crude oil imports. Read more

First Minister opens new renewable skills academy

Thursday, 8.23.2012 - 13:06 (Solarpowerportal)

First Minister Alex Salmond will today officially open a new skills academy designed to support Scotland?s renewable energy sector. The ribbon-cutting ceremony came as part of the Cabinet?s visit to Renfrew, located just outside Glasgow. Read more

NREL: 80% renewable energy by 2050 technically achievable in the U.S.

Thursday, 8.23.2012 - 11:14 (Solarserver)

The U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratories (NREL, Golden, Colorado, U.S.) has released a technical study of the extent to which renewable energy can meet the future electricity demands of the United States, looking at scenarios from 30% to 90% of electricity demand. "Renewable Energy Futures Study" also examines the challenges that high levels of renewable generation pose to the operation of the nation's electricity grid. The report concludes that the technologies available today, along with grid changes, are capable of supplying 80% of electricity demand by 2050, with wind and solar representing half of that amount. Read more

Germany's Ten Point Energy Plan

Thursday, 8.23.2012 - 9:55 (Renewable Energy World)

In office now for about 100 days, Germany?s environment minister, Peter Altmaier, has laid out a 10 point plan for the energy transition. This isn?t a ?master plan,? he says, which looks deep into the future. That?s impossible, he argues, because technologies and other realities are changing so quickly that we can?t make a master plan today that wi Read more