Kyocera achieves 8.3% degradation on 20-year installation

Monday, 9.10.2012 - 23:15 (PV-Tech)

Kyocera has released, what the company deems to be, conclusive evidence that its solar modules show only 8.3% degradation after 20 years. The Atomic Energy and Alternative Energies Commission (CEA) used a sample from Kyocera?s 945W roof installation in the small village of Lhuis, Lyon, France, to test under laboratory conditions. The results demonstrate that the modules were still performing at 91.7% of their original maximum power output. Read more

Sparx plans 8 MW PV plant in Japan

Monday, 9.10.2012 - 21:00 (Solarserver)

On September 6th, 2012, SPARX Group Co. Ltd. announced that it will build an 8 megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. SPARX entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Ashikitamachi Town and Coretech Co. Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan) to build the Ashikitamachi Mega Solar Plant. Read more

Feed-in Tariffs Do More for Wind at Less Cost to Ratepayers than RPS Says German Agency

Monday, 9.10.2012 - 15:08 (Renewable Energy World)

In a recent report, the German Renewable Energy Agency says that across Europe countries using feed-in tariffs develop more wind energy and pay less for it than countries using quota systems. Read more

Feed-in Tariffs Do More for Wind at Less Cost to Ratepayers than RPS, Says German Agency

Monday, 9.10.2012 - 15:08 (Renewable Energy World)

In a recent report, the German Renewable Energy Agency says that across Europe countries using feed-in tariffs develop more wind energy and pay less for it than countries using quota systems. Read more

Sunways supplies PV equipment for Ecolar home

Monday, 9.10.2012 - 13:15 (PV-Tech)

As the premium sponsor of the Konstanz University of Applied Sciences (HTWG) team at the international Solar Decathlon Europe 2012 architectural competition, German PV equipment manufacturer Sunways has supplied anthracite-coloured design solar cells and solar inverters for the team?s Ecolar plus-energy home. Read more

SPI 2012: SunPower raises bar on module performance and product warranties

Monday, 9.10.2012 - 13:08 (PV-Tech)

Although not the first to offer linear module performance warranties, SunPower would seem to have raised the bar on combining warranties for both power and product to a 25-year term. The company is also simplifying the warranty documentation to provide clearer and greater transparency. The warranties will also apply to residential, commercial and utility-scale customers since July 1, 2012. Read more

China Technology Development Group enters into cooperation framework agreements for 2.12 GW of PV projects

Monday, 9.10.2012 - 9:23 (Solarserver)

China Technology Development Group Corporation (CTDC, Hong Kong, China) has announced that it has entered into four cooperation framework agreements involving 2.12 GW of solar photovoltaic (PV) projects in the next three years. These include a 973 MW cooperation framework agreement with GCL-Poly Energy Holdings Ltd. (Hong Kong, China). China Merchants New Energy Holdings Ltd. (Hong Kong, China) is a party to all four agreements. Read more

SPI 2012: Unirac provides mounting solution for solar installation at Haiti?s Mirebalais Hospital

Monday, 9.10.2012 - 21:15 (PV-Tech)

Unirac was faced with a unique position to be part of a well-publicized humanitarian effort at Haiti?s Mirebalais Hospital. The company recently provided Sullivan & McLaughlin with a customized flat roof RapidRac G10 PV mounting solution to optimize a 400kW solar installation, which sits on the rooftop of the soon to be opened hospital. Read more

PV production technology: CIGS to reach efficiency of polycrystalline silicon solar panels; solar power LCOE now between four and eight euro cents

Monday, 9.10.2012 - 21:14 (Solarserver)

The high-tech engineering firm Manz (Reutlingen, Germany) has achieved a technological breakthrough: its integrated production line for CIGS thin-film solar panels, the Manz CIGSfab, can be used to manufacture solar panels that in the future will supply power costing between four euro cents (Spain) and eight euro cents (Germany) per kilowatt hour (Levelized Cost of Energy, LCOE), depending on the location, the company reports. This means the cost of solar power is now at a similar cost level as electricity from fossil power plants and is significantly less expensive than electricity from offshore wind parks. Read more

SPI 2012: Soligent, Clean Power Finance strike new partnership deal

Monday, 9.10.2012 - 21:13 (PV-Tech)

Clean Power Finance and Soligent announced a new partnership, which will see Clean Power Finance?s products offered to Soligent?s network of solar contractors. The companies look to the agreement as being able to help Soligent offer its solar contractors, what they consider to be, the best payment terms in the industry while cutting the cost and time of sales and financing paperwork. Read more

Customized PV systems for residential rooftop installations: Centrosolar unveils Centropack online

Monday, 9.10.2012 - 21:05 (Solarserver)

On September 10th, 2012, Centrosolar America Inc. (Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S.) announced that it has released latest version of Centro-Pack.com, an online portal that supports its popular CentroPack 'all in one', customized and fully integrated photovoltaic (PV) system for residential rooftop solar installations. The company demonstrates this online portal at Solar Power International (SPI) exhibition in Orlando, Florida, U.S. Read more

California surpasses milestone and produces over 1,000MW of solar energy

Monday, 9.10.2012 - 21:03 (PV-Tech)

California?s Independent System Operator (ISO) confirmed that in recent weeks the state has reached and surpassed a major milestone ? twice. Over 1,000MW of solar power were generated across the state setting new US records. ISO noted that the state?s recent heat wave helped propel California?s solar production. Read more

Solar power provides 8.4% of Italian electricity demand in August, report shows

Monday, 9.10.2012 - 19:15 (PV-Tech)

According to a monthly report from Italian grid operator Terna SpA, solar power provided 8.4% of total Italian electricity demand in August. It also revealed that electricity generated from PV during that month grew by 49.2%, from 1,501 GWh in August 2011 to 2,240 GWh in August 2012. Read more

Michael Eavis christens Bristol?s first free electric vehicle charging station

Monday, 9.10.2012 - 17:16 (Solarpowerportal)

Solarsense has joined up yet again with Glastonbury festival founder Michael Eavis, after installing an array at his Glastonbury farm, to unveil Bristol?s first free community charging station for electric vehicles. Read more

CTDC signs cooperation agreements for 2.1GW PV projects

Monday, 9.10.2012 - 17:04 (PV-Tech)

China Technology Development Group Corporation (CTDC), a Hong Kong-based provider of solar energy products, has signed a number of cooperation framework agreements with several PV companies. The agreements relate to the development of 2.1GW worth of PV projects in the next three years. Read more

GTM, SEIA: U.S. solar market more than doubles to 742 MW in 2Q 2012

Monday, 9.10.2012 - 15:36 (Solarserver)

GTM Research (Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.) and Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA, Washington D.C., U.S.) have released a report which estimates that the U.S. solar market grew 116% year-over-year in the second quarter of 2012 to reach a total of 742 MW. "U.S. Solar Market Insight: 2nd Quarter 2012" notes that this growth was led by 477 MW of utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) installations, with eight states installing more than 10 MW of utility-scale PV. The report also predicts that another 2 GW of PV will be installed by the end of 2012, citing the 3.4 GW of utility-scale PV projects under construction. Read more

First Solar to provide PV modules for 25 MW-AC PV project in Rajasthan

Monday, 9.10.2012 - 15:24 (Solarserver)

First Solar Inc. (Tempe, Arizona, U.S.) has concluded an agreement to provide its thin film cadmium telluride solar photovoltaic (PV) modules to Green Infra Ltd. (New Delhi, India) for a 25 MW-AC PV plant in the Indian state of Rajasthan. The project will participate in the first phase, second batch of the nation's Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM). Green Infra has also awarded a contract to Juwi Solar Inc. (Boulder, Colorado, U.S.) for engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services for the plant. Read more

Solar Thermal Competition Heats Up in China

Monday, 9.10.2012 - 15:00 (Renewable Energy World)

China's "Big Four" solar thermal firms, with their vast distribution networks, are racing ahead of a fast-consolidating market. Read more

California Community Solar Bill Dies

Monday, 9.10.2012 - 15:00 (Renewable Energy World)

Senate Bill 843, a piece of legislation that would have extended the benefits of renewable energy to millions of Californians, died last Friday in the state's Assembly Committee on Utilities and Commerce.   Currently, 75% of households cannot install residential solar (and other renewable energy) systems for one reason or another.   One of the most Read more

S.A.G. Solarstrom connects 7 PV projects in Italy

Monday, 9.10.2012 - 14:15 (PV-Tech)

S.A.G. Solarstrom, a Germany-based developer of photovoltaic plants, has announced that in the month of August it successfully connected seven PV rooftop projects in Italy, generating a total output of 3.6MWp. Read more

Report: Utility-scale PV installations keep US market booming in Q2 2012

Monday, 9.10.2012 - 14:11 (PV-Tech)

A new report from GTM Research and the US-based Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) could set the tone on the eve of largest solar industry event in the US, Solar Power International, 2012. After detailing the US PV market was booing in the first quarter of the year, the latest report shows that installations reached 742MW in the second quarter, up 45% over the prior quarter, a116% increase over the period a year ago. The quarter was dominated by utility-scale project installs which accounted for 447MW. Full-year forecast for PV installations was said to 3.2GW, up 71% of record levels set in 2011. Read more

STA: Proposed 25 percent cut to RO solar is ?too big and too soon?

Monday, 9.10.2012 - 14:07 (Solarpowerportal)

The Solar Trade Association (STA) has hit back at the Department of Energy and Climate Change?s (DECC) proposed slashing of support for solar under the Renewable Obligation (RO) from 2 ROCs down to just 1.5 ROCs. Read more

Q2 Report Shows US Solar Market Booming, Utility-scale Projects Leading

Monday, 9.10.2012 - 12:00 (Renewable Energy World)

Solar panel installations in the United States more than doubled in the second quarter of this year, and it's is on track to increase 71 percent in 2012 from the previous year, according to a report released by GTM Research today. Read more

SunPower signs PPA with PG&E for 100 MW PV plant in Southern California; construction on Henrietta Solar Project scheduled for 2015

Monday, 9.10.2012 - 9:47 (Solarserver)

Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E, San Francisco, California, U.S.) has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with SunPower Corporation (San Jose, California, U.S.) for electricity to be produced by a 100 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant in Southern California. The contract must still go before the California Public Utilities Commission for approval. SunPower expects to begin construction on Henrietta Solar Project in 2015, and begin commercial operation by late 2016. Read more

French PV producer Senersun to supply Solar-Bau with 23 MW of modules for EPC, distribution in Poland

Monday, 9.10.2012 - 9:40 (Solarserver)

Senersun Ltd. (Bordeaux, France) has entered into an agreement to supply Solar-Bau (Görlitz, Germany) with 23 MW worth of solar photovoltaic (PV) modules for distribution in Poland. Solar-Bau plans to both use the modules for its engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) work as well as to resell the modules on a retail basis. Under the agreement, Senersun will become Solar-Bau's official partner in the nation. "We started to work with Senersun for two reasons; not only we knew they were implementing what we believe is currently the most stringent QC program in the solar industry, but they also offered to support us on marketing grounds, which we saw as a real proof Read more

Ernst & Young: United States still the best place to invest in solar

Monday, 9.10.2012 - 9:18 (Solarserver)

Ernst & Young has released its Renewable Energy Attractiveness Index for the second quarter of 2012. The report finds that while China is maintaining its top position among all renewables, the United States retain first place for both solar photovoltaics (PV) and concentrating solar power (CSP). Ernst & Young also finds that while new investment in the sector is up 24% from the first quarter of 2012 to USD 59.6 billion, mergers and acquisitions have fallen 50% to roughly USD 10 billion. The report also decreased the "all renewables index" (ARI) score of the United States by 1.5 points, to share second place with Germany. Read more

Advanced Biofuels Pioneer Terrabon Files for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy: One-off or Trend?

Monday, 9.10.2012 - 15:34 (Renewable Energy World)

In Texas, Terrabon filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection; the company's operations will cease and a trustee will be tasked with liquidating the company's assets for the benefit of creditors. Read more

Mainstream Renewable Power secures ?60 million in finance

Monday, 9.10.2012 - 18:15 (PV-Tech)

Mainstream Renewable Power, a developer of renewable energy projects with a strong focus on solar and wind power, has announced that it has secured an investment of ?60 million from Macquarie Group after a rigorous nine month due diligence process. The transaction is subject to conditions including approval from Mainstream Renewable Power?s shareholders. Read more

Mainstream Secures Loan for Offshore Wind Farms, Expansion Plans

Monday, 9.10.2012 - 15:24 (Renewable Energy World)

Mainstream Renewable Power Ltd. signed a 60 million-euro ($77 million) loan agreement with Macquarie Group Ltd. as the Irish clean energy company develops offshore wind farms and makes plans to expand overseas. Read more

Brazil Explores Hydropower Options

Monday, 9.10.2012 - 15:00 (Renewable Energy World)

José da Costa Carvalho Neto has been tapped by Brazil's president Dilma Vana Rousseff to run Eletrobras, one of the top 10 publicly-traded electric companies in the world. His task is to make Eletrobras the largest clean energy company system in the world by 2020. Marla Barnes and Michael Grossman recently sat down with Carvalho Neto in his office in Rio de Janeiro to learn more about this company and its ambitions for the future. Read more

E.ON Climate & Renewables expands US solar division with global solar headquarters in San Francisco

Monday, 9.10.2012 - 22:15 (PV-Tech)

E.ON Climate & Renewables is heading to bigger pastures. The company advised that it is expanding its US solar operations and moving its global solar headquarters to San Francisco, California?s Financial District. EC&R expects for its relocation to be completed in October. Read more

SPI 2012: Isofotón opens Ohio manufacturing facility

Monday, 9.10.2012 - 22:15 (PV-Tech)

Spain?s Isofotón has opened its new 50MW manufacturing facility in Napoleon, Ohio. Production is slated to begin in November, with the company noting that the facility has been designed to be able to expand to up to 300MW in capacity. The company received US$15 million in financing for the Ohio plant. Read more

Barclays: 1/3 of UK farmers to turn to renewables over next

Monday, 9.10.2012 - 20:54 (Solarserver)

On September 4th, 2012, Barclays (London, England, U.K.) reported that one third of the farmers in United Kingdom plan to invest in renewables energy within the next two years. According to a new research from Barclays, the vast majority of farmers (82%) is concerned about rising energy costs. Over one quarter (27%) of farmers sees rising costs as the single biggest threat to their business in the next five years, and one in ten (10%) worried about price volatility. Read more

SPI 2012: Enphase Energy offers cash rewards for installers

Monday, 9.10.2012 - 17:15 (PV-Tech)

A new initiative is being launched by micro-inverter pioneer, Enphase Energy to boost the use of its technology in commercial PV projects at SPI 2012. The new program includes cash rewards for installers undertaking commercial-scale PV projects. Read more

PV Still Facing a Bumpy Ride: Working in a Low-incentive World

Monday, 9.10.2012 - 15:00 (Renewable Energy World)

To encourage the continuation of necessary incentives as well as utility participation, the PV industry has promised a consistent (and significant) reduction in module prices along with "grid" parity with conventional energy sources. The PV industry has also promised to do this without subsidies ? and it may have to keep its promises. Read more

House of Lords to investigate how EU energy decarbonisation and economic growth can work together

Monday, 9.10.2012 - 13:35 (Solarpowerportal)

The House of Lords Agriculture, Fisheries, Environment and Energy EU Sub-Committee has launched a new inquiry into EU energy: decarbonising and boosting growth. Read more