German researchers to present new technologies for cost-efficient solar cell production at EU PVSEC

Tuesday, 9.18.2012 - 16:37 (Solarserver)

The competition in the solar photovoltaics (PV) market is fierce. When it comes to price, Asian manufacturers are frequently ahead of the competition by a nose. Now, Fraunhofer researchers are designing new coating processes and thin layer systems that, if used, could help to reduce the price of solar cells significantly ? and give the competitive edge back to German manufacturers, too. Scientists will unveil a few of these new processes at the EU PVSEC trade show, the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films (IST, Braunschweig, Germany) announces. Read more

Suntech Reducing Solar Cell Production Capacity

Tuesday, 9.18.2012 - 15:33 (Renewable Energy World)

Suntech Power Holdings Co., the world's largest solar-panel manufacturer, rose the most in almost a week after temporarily reducing production capacity to lower costs amid a global oversupply. Read more

BPVA launches the world?s first renewable loyalty card

Tuesday, 9.18.2012 - 15:07 (Solarpowerportal)

The British Photovoltaic Association (BPVA) has launched the first ever loyalty reward programme for the renewable energy industry. Read more

EU PVSEC: NSP touts Black19+ solar cell with 19.4% conversion efficiency

Tuesday, 9.18.2012 - 14:15 (PV-Tech)

In keeping with recent years, Taiwan-based solar cell manufacturer, Neo Solar Power (NSP) is launching several new cells that follow a different path to high-efficiency while claiming to be the low-cost option. Being showcased at EU PVSEC in Frankfurt next week is NSP?s polycrystalline ?Super18? solar cell and its mono-crystalline ?Black19+? with a maximum efficiency of 19.4%, all accomplished without the use of selective emitters or rear-side passivation technologies. Read more

Roth & Rau, InnoLas develop technology to increase PV cell efficiencies by up to 1%

Tuesday, 9.18.2012 - 8:39 (Solarserver)

Roth & Rau AG (Hohenstein-Ernstthal, Germany) and InnoLas Systems GmbH (Krailling, Germany) have developed a collaborative technology solution which can increase the efficiency of monocrystalline solar photovoltaic (PV) cells by up to 1%. The solution is based on a combination of upgraded plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) systems and lasers for passivated emitter and rear cell (PERC) PV cell production. The companies report that they developed this process in close cooperation with PV manufacturers, for whom they have installed several of these systems. Read more

Suntech to shutter 600 MW of PV cell capacity in Wuxi

Tuesday, 9.18.2012 - 8:21 (Solarserver)

Suntech Power Holdings Company Ltd. (Wuxi, China) has closed a portion of its solar photovoltaic (PV) cell production at its facility in Wuxi, China, equal to 600 MW of annual output. This will temporarily reduce Suntech's annual PV cell capacity to 1.8 GW, and will affect 1,500 workers. The company cites the need to reduce production costs and operating expenses, which it says is part of a continuing optimization of its organization. Read more

China-based JACO starts solar grade silicon shipments

Tuesday, 9.18.2012 - 23:15 (PV-Tech)

JACO Corporation Limited, a china based solar grade silicon producer said it had recently started shipments of its low-carbon, low-cost second generation SoG ? ?JACO 1? material to customers in both Taiwan and Singapore. Read more

WAAREE secures another EPC contract for 5MW thin-film solar plant

Tuesday, 9.18.2012 - 18:15 (PV-Tech)

WAAREE Energies, an Indian PV manufacturer and project developer, has been on a roll in the past few months and has been awarded yet another turnkey EPC contract for a 5MW thin-film PV plant from Taxus Infrastructure & Power Projects Pvt. The location of the project has not been disclosed. Read more

Wirsol Solar UK announces move to West Sussex

Tuesday, 9.18.2012 - 17:46 (Solarpowerportal)

Wirsol Solar UK, the British arm of one of Germany?s largest solar developers, has announced that it will be relocating its UK office to West Sussex from its initial base in Kettering. Read more

Fluor wins EPC contract for 170MW Californian solar park

Tuesday, 9.18.2012 - 17:11 (PV-Tech)

Fluor Corporation, a developer of PV projects headquartered in Irving, Texas, US, has been awarded an EPC contract by Centinela Solar Energy, a member of LS Power Group, for a 170MW solar park located in southern California, US. The company has also been awarded a separate contract for ongoing operations and maintenance services of the PV facility. Read more

RO banding: DECC?s large-scale solar Impact Assessment predicts zero deployment for 2013/14

Tuesday, 9.18.2012 - 16:20 (Solarpowerportal)

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has released its Impact Assessment over the proposed cuts to the level of support solar PV receives under the Renewable Obligation (RO). Government is currently consulting over plans to slash the technology?s support down from 2ROCs to just 1.5ROCs from April 2013. Read more

Update: India to launch anti-dumping investigation against Chinese manufacturers

Tuesday, 9.18.2012 - 16:20 (PV-Tech)

Rumours abound in the Chinese media that Indian solar manufacturers are following in the footsteps of SolarWorld and pressuring the government to take anti-dumping action against Chinese companies. Read more

SolarBridge secures US$7 million venture loan to expand business

Tuesday, 9.18.2012 - 16:15 (PV-Tech)

Micro-inverter firm, SolarBridge Technologies has secured a US$7 million venture loan from Horizon Technology Finance Corporation that is designed to support the company?s growth plans and support the roll-out of recently announced new products. Read more

India to launch anti-dumping investigation against Chinese manufacturers

Tuesday, 9.18.2012 - 16:15 (PV-Tech)

Rumours abound in the Chinese media that Indian solar manufacturers are following in the footsteps of SolarWorld and pressuring the government to take anti-dumping action against Chinese companies. Read more

Fluor wins EPC, O&M contracts for 170 MW PV project in Southern California

Tuesday, 9.18.2012 - 16:09 (Solarserver)

A project subsidiary of LS Power Group (New York, New York, U.S.) has awarded lump-sum engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts to Fluor Corporation (Irving, Texas, U.S.) for the 170 MW Centinela Solar Energy project in California's Imperial Valley. Fluor has been awarded contracts for both the first 125 MW phase and the second 45 MW phase of the project, and has received notice to proceed for the first phase in the third quarter of 2012. LS Power has also awarded contracts to Fluor for operation and maintenance (O&M) services once the project is complete. Read more

Martifer Solar to build first phase of 80 MW PV project in Northern Mexico

Tuesday, 9.18.2012 - 16:01 (Solarserver)

Martifer Solar SA (Oliveira de Frades, Portugal) has been awarded a contract from Consorcio Integrador Sonora80M (Mexico City, Mexico) to build the first 20 MW phase of an 80 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) project in the Mexican state of Sonora. Martifer Solar will also be in charge of operation and maintenance services upon completion of the project, which will feature trackers. Integrador Sonora80M laid the foundation stone for the CIS80M project on September 13th, 2012, in a ceremony attended by the Governor of Sonora. Read more

9REN and CENTROBANCA sign ?10.2 million financing agreement for 4.7MW plant

Tuesday, 9.18.2012 - 15:15 (PV-Tech)

9REN Group and CENTROBANCA, the corporate and investment bank of Gruppo UBI Banca, has announced they have signed a project financing agreement for a 4.7MW solar PV plant in Ostone, Italy. The deal was supported by insurance company SACE, which provided a guarantee in case of non re-payment covering 49% of the financing. The value of the funding amounted to ?10.2 million repayable over a period of 18 years, through 2030. Read more

Four Charts Provide Distributed Solar Lessons from California

Tuesday, 9.18.2012 - 15:00 (Renewable Energy World)

A new study for the California Public Utilities Commission explores the ?Technical Potential for Local Distributed Photovoltaics in California.?  Basically, it?s one of the more in-depth analyses of local solar power in the country, suggesting that California has the capacity to add 15 gigawatts (GW) of local solar (20 megawatts and smaller) to its Read more

PV producer Siliken sponsors "(e)co house" project at Solar Decathlon Europe 2012

Tuesday, 9.18.2012 - 13:12 (Solarserver)

On September 13th, 2012, Siliken SA (Paterna, Spain), a developer of solutions for the solar photovoltaic (PV) energy sector, announced that it is sponsoring one of the 20 international projects competing at Solar Decathlon Europe 2012. The company states that it supplied the project presented by the Higher Technical School of Architecture of Vallés (ETSAV) with solar PV modules to generate 100% of the electrical power for its 150 m2 (e)co house. Read more

NPD Solarbuzz: More than 300 MW of agricultural PV projects underway in China

Tuesday, 9.18.2012 - 8:26 (Solarserver)

NPD Solarbuzz (San Francisco, California, U.S.) has identified more than 300 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) projects under development in China on agricultural lands, as reported in its latest "China Deal Tracker". The company states that these projects play an important role within the growth of distributed PV in China, and that an increasing number of developers in Central and Eastern China are prioritizing projects on farmland. Read more

Solar: A Solution to Worldwide Electricity Needs

Tuesday, 9.18.2012 - 7:00 (Renewable Energy World)

Did you know that the United Nations declared 2012 "International Year of Sustainable Energy for All" (SE4ALL)? During a Wednesday morning session of SPI, speakers from the United Nations Foundation, World Bank, Solgenix and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) discussed how solar can be used to help people worldwide who are without electricity. Read more

France proposes to cut FiTs and push tenders

Tuesday, 9.18.2012 - 20:15 (PV-Tech)

French Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy and the Ministry of Productive Recovery has released a report detailing long-term operational recommendations and proposals for structural reforms to the renewables industry. The government will make a decision based on this report at a later unspecified date. Read more

Brookfield Renewable Energy Likely To Vote Against Western Wind Management in Proxy Battle

Tuesday, 9.18.2012 - 18:05 (Renewable Energy World)

When it emerged that Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners ("Brookfield", TSX:BRP.UN, OTC: BRPFF) had acquired approximately one sixth of Western Wind Energy's (TSXV:WND, OTC:WNDEF) stock last Thursday from Western Wind's largest institutional shareholder, Goodman & Company, investors cheered. Read more

The Big Question: What Can We Expect over the Next 12 Months?

Tuesday, 9.18.2012 - 15:00 (Renewable Energy World)

In each issue, Renewable Energy World asks leading players in the industry to give their verdict on a key question of the moment. For this annual review edition, our readers share their hopes and fears for the year ahead, and forecast what the industry might look like 12 months from now. Read more

Massachusetts Clean Energy Center announces USD 1 million for innovative clean energy concepts

Tuesday, 9.18.2012 - 13:26 (Solarserver)

On September 12th, 2012, the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) announced a new USD 1 million program to further support the development of clean energy technology in the state. Under the program, MassCEC will offer between USD 100,000 and USD 300,000 for projects designed to address energy challenges facing the commonwealth ? such as renewable energy optimization, fuel efficient vehicles or energy storage ? and will require a 50% in matching funds. Read more

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People announces support for proposal to increase Michigan's renewable energy standard

Tuesday, 9.18.2012 - 13:21 (Solarserver)

On September 14th, 2012, Michigan Energy, Michigan Jobs (East Lansing, Michigan, U.S.) announced that the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has launched a campaign to increase clean energy and support proposal 3, which will raise Michigan's renewable energy standard to 25% by 2025. Supported by the Michigan Energy Michigan Jobs coalition, proposal 3 requires that 25% of Michigan's electricity will come from wind, solar, biomass or hydropower by 2025. Read more

Seattle City Light issues RFP for renewable generation

Tuesday, 9.18.2012 - 12:19 (Solarserver)

Seattle City Light (Seattle, Washington, U.S.) has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for up to 150,000 MWh of renewable energy or renewable energy credits per year, beginning in 2020. The request is limited to sources approved under the state of Washington's renewable portfolio standard (RPS) policy, and the utility will require minimum output guarantees and credit assurances. City Light also states that it prefers baseload or dispatchable resources to complement its existing generation, which is mostly hydroelectric. Read more

Indian MNRE releases "Green Energy Corridors" report

Tuesday, 9.18.2012 - 12:14 (Solarserver)

India's Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has released a report which covers both renewable energy policy initiatives in the nation and technical requirements for integrating more renewables into India's generation mix. "Green Energy Corridors" poses these goals within the government's efforts to reach 85 GW of electricity generation during the 12th five-year plan, which lasts until 2017. MNRE notes that renewable energy has the advantage of greater resource flexibility through the deployment of distributed generation. Read more