Order Focus: China Sunergy delivers 72kW in modules for project in UAE

Friday, 9.21.2012 - 20:15 (PV-Tech)

China Sunergy advised that it had recently shipped 72kW of its multicrystalline solar modules to UK-based Carillion Construction. The solar modules will be used on a trial project for facilities management company, Emrill, which is based in Dubai, UAE. This represents China Sunergy?s first shipment to the UAE. Read more

EU PVSEC: Meyer Burger has nickel coating process with 50 ? 70% silver consumption savings

Friday, 9.21.2012 - 17:15 (PV-Tech)

During EU PVSEC, Meyer Burger?s subsidiary, Roth & Rau will be presenting a new front and rear side c-Si solar cell process that employs nickel within busbar metallisation for electrical contacts, which is claimed to save on silver usage between 50 and 70%, dependent on the contact technology deployed. Read more

Suntech threatened with NYSE delisting

Friday, 9.21.2012 - 16:15 (PV-Tech)

With stock market listed PV manufacturers share prices having being battered all-year and now trading at all-time lows, Suntech is one of the first major players now threatened with delisting from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), after receiving notification from the exchange. Read more

Jiangsu Zongyi connects 13.5MW rooftop PV system in Italy

Friday, 9.21.2012 - 14:15 (PV-Tech)

Jiangsu Zongyi Co. Ltd, a Chinese manufacturer of PV products and project developer, has built and connected one of Italy?s largest integrated photovoltaic plants ? a 13.5MW rooftop solar array located in Marche in central Italy. Read more

Eneco, SUSI partner to acquire PV plants in France, Belgium

Friday, 9.21.2012 - 12:54 (Solarserver)

Eneco Solar, Bio & Hydro BV (Rotterdam, The Netherlands) and SUSI Partners AG (Zürich, Switzerland) have signed an agreement to cooperate in acquiring solar photovoltaic (PV) assets in France and Belgium over the next 18 months. Through the agreement, SUSI will also seek to increase its PV holdings in the SUSI Sustainable Euro Fund 1, which invests in offshore wind and PV plants. Read more

Italy closes registry for PV plants over 12 kW through Conto Energia V

Friday, 9.21.2012 - 9:24 (Solarserver)

Italy closed the first registry for solar photovoltaic (PV) plants larger than 12 kW under its new feed-in tariff through the fifth Conto Energia on September 18th, 2012. The nation's grid operator GSE will publish the list of plants allowed within the cost limit provision of the program by October 8th, 2012. Only EUR 200 million (USD 260 million) is available annually to support PV plants in the registry. Read more

GT Advanced Technologies releases business updates, statement on potential EU tariffs

Friday, 9.21.2012 - 9:20 (Solarserver)

GT Advanced Technologies Inc. (Merrimack, New Hampshire, U.S.) has released an updated guidance for the third quarter of 2012, as well as an update on its polysilicon business. GT now predicts revenues between USD 110 and 140 million in the third quarter of 2012. The company additionally issued a statement on potential EU tariffs for solar photovoltaic (PV) products from China, declaring that these could have significant impacts on its customers in China and could lead to significant internal cost cutting actions. Read more

Easier Distributed Interconnect Emerges in California

Friday, 9.21.2012 - 22:05 (Renewable Energy World)

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) last week handed developers of mid-sized, wholesale renewable energy systems, primarily solar, an important revision to its interconnection procedures, known as Rule 21. Read more

Oregon?s Outback Solar project surpasses 50% completion milestone

Friday, 9.21.2012 - 20:15 (PV-Tech)

The Outback Solar PV project, located nine miles outside of Christmas Valley, Oregon, has surpassed the 50% completion mark for construction. The 5.7MW project, which is being developed by Smart Energy Capital, Belectric and Obsidian Finance, is set to be the largest solar power plant in the Northwest and the first to use the Bonneville Power Administrations? transmission system. Read more

Hanwha Solar provides 7.7MW of PV modules for French PV project

Friday, 9.21.2012 - 20:15 (PV-Tech)

Hanwha Solar declared that it had delivered 7.7MW of its PV modules to Solvéo Energie, a French EPC, for its Rion-des-Landes facility. The rooftop solar installation will help Solvéo Energie with its cultivation of a Ginseng plantation. Read more

Dow Corning names Mardav as its Turkish distributor for its silicon-based solar applications

Friday, 9.21.2012 - 20:15 (PV-Tech)

Dow Corning recently selected Mardav as a distributor of its silicon-based solar applications in Turkey. Mardav is a 100% foreign investment company with shares being held by Ravago and Dow Chemical. Allison Ashbrook, global distribution manager of Dow Corning Solar Business, noted ?For Dow Corning?s silicone materials, Turkey has exciting potential through its climate, the strong Turkish industrial sector, and its governmental support towards more energy independency.? Read more

SunPower installs 3.7MW solar system at six PUSD school sites

Friday, 9.21.2012 - 20:10 (PV-Tech)

SunPower is installing 3.7MW of its solar systems across six different school sites in California?s Porterville Unified School District (PUSD). The company will install ground-mounted solar arrays and solar shade structures in school parking lots with the systems expected to cut the district?s electricity costs by US$44 million over the next 25 years. Read more

Gehrlicher Solar America helps IKEA complete 32nd US solar installation

Friday, 9.21.2012 - 19:15 (PV-Tech)

IKEA?s New Haven Connecticut store has officially launched its 940.8kW rooftop PV system, making it the Swedish company?s 32nd completed US solar project. Built across 118,000 square feet, the PV array uses 3,920 panels and is anticipated to produce nearly 1,099,800kWh of energy per year. Read more

NLP Solar Sales Training | 2 New Residential Loan Programs | Live Webinar October 3rd & 4th

Friday, 9.21.2012 - 18:01 (Renewable Energy World)

Read more

Enerparc builds and connects 32MW solar plant ?in record time?

Friday, 9.21.2012 - 16:15 (PV-Tech)

German solar plant developer Enerparc along with the Association Delitzsch-Southwest have jointly inaugurated a 32MW PV plant located in Delitzsch, Germany, after it was built and connected in ?record time?. Read more

What is the "Right Size" for Solar Companies?

Friday, 9.21.2012 - 15:02 (Renewable Energy World)

Traditional consolidation in industries suffering from overcapacity typically sees stronger companies merge and weaker ones close, resulting in a healthier, more sustainable sector where everyone is profitable. But such conventional "right sizing" is less common in China, where struggling companies in strategic industries are often kept alive throu Read more

Panel Discusses Options to Fund Worker Training, Ensure Standards

Friday, 9.21.2012 - 15:00 (Renewable Energy World)

A recent fire at a big-box retailer in California linked to a faulty solar installation highlights a key concern for the booming U.S. solar industry: how to develop a qualified workforce and finance worker training. Read more

Hamm: Solar Industry and Utilities Don't Speak the Same Language?Yet

Friday, 9.21.2012 - 15:00 (Renewable Energy World)

To kick off SPI, I sat down with the Solar Electric Power Association's Julia Hamm at Solar Central on the SPI tradeshow floor for a quick interview (watch the full video interview below). I wanted to hear mostly about how utilities are continuing to evolve their business plans to incorporate more solar. Read more

Car Manufacturers Seek a Solar Boost

Friday, 9.21.2012 - 15:00 (Renewable Energy World)

Like the rest of us, advocates for renewables can fail to spot their true friends. Fans of the recent blockbuster Avatar might imagine that ecosystems get rescued by dreadlocked tree-huggers while the film's bad guys are on the ecological frontline. Buzzcuts and heavy weaponry may jar with climate change aesthetics, but back on planet Earth, though, the US military is now spearheading the global assault on carbon emissions on a range of fronts, including solar power. Read more

China's Wen Urges EU to Avoid Tariffs Amid Solar-Panel Probe

Friday, 9.21.2012 - 14:49 (Renewable Energy World)

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao pressed the European Union to avoid erecting trade barriers amid an EU threat to impose tariffs on solar panels from China. Read more

LADWP approves Barren Ridge Renewable Transmission Project

Friday, 9.21.2012 - 13:03 (Solarserver)

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP, Los Angeles, California, U.S.) has given the final environmental approval for expansion of a major transmission line to bring electricity from wind and solar generation in the Mojave Desert to Los Angeles. The LADWP board has approved the final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to allow construction of the Barren Ridge Renewable Transmission Project (BRRTP), which will deliver up to 2 GW of electricity from wind and solar generation. The utility plans to begin construction in March 2013 and commission the project in December 2016. Read more

Elkem Solar halts solar grade silicon production

Friday, 9.21.2012 - 13:02 (PV-Tech)

Difficult market conditions and industry-wide overcapacity has led to Elkem Solar, based in Norway to temporarily suspend production of its solar grade silicon (SoG) material. The company had only recently restarted production after idling operations in October last year. Elkem had recently said that it would reduce its ferrosilicon sales by as much as 15,000 tonnes due to FeSi prices falling below production costs. Elkem?s annual capacity of SoG material is 6,000MT. Read more

Concentrating solar power: SkyFuel wins SolarPACES 2012 Technology Award for ReflecTech mirror film

Friday, 9.21.2012 - 12:58 (Solarserver)

SkyFuel Inc. (Arvada, Colorado, U.S.) has been awarded the 2012 Technology Award for their ReflecTech PLUS mirror film at the 2012 SolarPACES conference, held in Marrakesh, Morocco. The company describes ReflecTech Plus as a high-reflectance, durable silvered polymer film designed to reduce costs for parabolic trough concentrating solar power (CSP) plants. SkyFuel notes that the film incorporates an abrasion-resistant coating, and is the first film proven to be durable for up to 30 years in outdoor environments. Read more

U.K. DECC proposes USD 0.280/kWh tariff for domestic solar thermal

Friday, 9.21.2012 - 12:28 (Solarserver)

The U.K.'s Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has released three consultations on the nation's Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), including a proposal to provide tariffs of GBP 0.173/kWh (USD 0.280/kWh) for domestic solar thermal installations, payable over seven years. The RHI was introduced in November 2011, but only for commercial, industrial, government and non-profit installations, leaving out the much larger residential sector. The nation's Solar Trade Association (STA, Milton Keynes, U.K.) notes that the DECC is open to evidence on costs and alternative incentives. Read more

Solar thermal technologies: Soprofen seeks partners in the Middle East

Friday, 9.21.2012 - 12:20 (Solarserver)

Soprofen (Mertzwiller, France) is seeking commercial and industrial partners for production and distribution of its solar thermal technologies in the Middle East region. The company produces ESE combined solar thermal systems using a patented gravity drainage technology, which it says offers benefits in energy production control, longevity, sturdiness and low maintenance costs. Read more

U.K. Proposes Incentives for Home Heating From Biomass to Solar

Friday, 9.21.2012 - 15:44 (Renewable Energy World)

The U.K proposed paying householders to generate heat from renewable sources, opening a public consultation. Read more

ABB Pulls Investment from GreenVolts: Will this Trend Continue?

Friday, 9.21.2012 - 18:26 (Renewable Energy World)

News of ABB pulling its $20 million investment in GreenVolts hit the SPI show floor last week, dampening the electric excitement of President Clinton's keynote address. With so much consolidation, solar company bankruptcies and disappointing political support for solar in the past year, it is difficult to see the future of solar power, and ABB is hitting its brakes before it witnesses another accident. Read more

US modifies federal tax code to encourage private capital investment

Friday, 9.21.2012 - 17:15 (PV-Tech)

US Representatives Mike Thompson and Ted Poe have introduced bipartisan legislation in support of an ?all of the above? energy approach. The Master Limited Partnerships Parity Act will modify the federal tax code to make it easier and more attractive for private capital to invest in renewable energy. Read more

Austria doubles renewables budget but cuts FiT for plants >500kW

Friday, 9.21.2012 - 16:15 (PV-Tech)

The Austrian government has doubled its renewables budget to ?50 million for 2013 and set to decrease by ?1 million annually. Economy and energy minister Reinhold Mitterlehner, social minister Rudolf Hundstorfer and environment minister Nikolaus Berlakovich have introduced a combination tariff and grant scheme. Read more

Renewing Investment in Renewables: The Power of Policy

Friday, 9.21.2012 - 15:00 (Renewable Energy World)

Policy has a profound, positive and lasting effect on driving investment and growth in renewable energy technology and deployment. Regulatory policy that creates financial incentives to invest in renewable energy technologies, or that establishes national and state renewable energy targets and standards, has a direct and proportional impact on the amount of investment in renewable energy by both public and private investors. Read more

The Natural Gas Revolution: Good or Bad for Energy Efficiency?

Friday, 9.21.2012 - 15:00 (Renewable Energy World)

If there were an equivalent in the energy industry to Time Magazine?s Person of the Year, natural gas would be this year?s winner. The dramatic rise in natural gas supply, and fall in price, has reconfigured the energy scene in the United States, suddenly creating a bounty of domestic energy, driving down wholesale power prices and speeding retirem Read more

Seven cities given £12 million Green Deal boost

Friday, 9.21.2012 - 13:52 (Solarpowerportal)

Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield are set to receive a share of £12 million pounds to help them push the Green Deal across their respective regions. Read more