San Diego solar protests escalate ahead of bill hearing

Friday, 8.30.2013 - 20:41 (PV-Tech)

Protests in San Diego against utility rate changes that could adversely affect solar customers have escalated this week ahead of today’s committee hearing on new legislation that could add a controversial fixed charge to customers’ bills and weaken net energy metering incentives. Read more

Comtec shifting focus to 145 micron and below ‘Super Mono Wafer’ as demand in Japan grows

Friday, 8.30.2013 - 18:31 (PV-Tech)

China-based monocrystalline wafer supplier, Comtec Solar Systems Group reported a wafer, ingot and polysilicon shipment increase of approximately 102% for the first-half of 2013, compared to the same period of 2012. Read more

ISRA Vision cites signs of solar business recovery in upstream sector

Friday, 8.30.2013 - 17:36 (PV-Tech)

Leading machine vision systems specialist, ISRA Vision has hinted at further PV equipment acquisitions and a whiff of recovery in equipment enquiries within the PV sector in reporting third quarter financial year results. Read more

In Pictures: White House solar installation begins

Friday, 8.30.2013 - 17:18 (PV-Tech)

The White House has released the first images of the installation of its new solar panels. Read more

Listen Up: What Solar Panels Should I Buy?

Friday, 8.30.2013 - 15:19 (Renewable Energy World)

It's probably the toughest question to answer because there is a significant lack of accurate and objective comparative information. Besides wattage and price, solar panels really do look and perform pretty much the same. A commodity wrapped in a pretty package obscured by a bundle of techie features and TLAs. Makes you wonder how those bottled water marketing managers differentiate their products. Read more

Exmoor appeal could set solar planning precedent

Friday, 8.30.2013 - 14:00 (Solarpowerportal)

An appeal against the rejection of a proposed 16.2 hectare solar farm in Exmoor could set a new precedent for the solar industry. Read more

UK Solar PV Installs Slump in Wake of ROC Reform

Friday, 8.30.2013 - 14:00 (Renewable Energy World)

Installations of solar PV in the UK have slumped by almost half on a quarter by quarter basis in the immediate aftermath of the recent reforms to the Renewable Obligation Certificate (ROC) solar incentive scheme, which was enacted in April 2013. Read more

Suntech Directors Quit Saying Solar Maker Has No Plan

Friday, 8.30.2013 - 13:27 (Renewable Energy World)

Suntech Power Holdings Co., the Chinese solar manufacturer whose main unit was pulled into bankruptcy earlier this year, said three directors including the former chairwoman quit saying the company had no business plan. Read more

Centrosolar: Anti-dumping measures will change the game

Friday, 8.30.2013 - 12:39 (PV-Tech)

The EU-China price undertaking designed to settle the long-running anti-dumping investigation will “fundamentally change the game”, according to German solar manufacturer Centrosolar. Read more

Panasonic reaches full-capacity at 300MW Malaysian module solar plant

Friday, 8.30.2013 - 11:01 (PV-Tech)

Panasonic Corporation said it had started full-scale production of its ‘HIT’ PV modules at its new integrated facility in Malaysia. The plant has an initial nameplate capacity of 300MW. Read more

Panasonic reaches full capacity at 300MW Malaysian module solar plant

Friday, 8.30.2013 - 11:01 (PV-Tech)

Panasonic Corporation said it had started full-scale production of its ‘HIT’ PV modules at its new integrated facility in Malaysia. The plant has an initial nameplate capacity of 300MW. Read more

PetersenDean to begin offering solar PV loans to home builders

Friday, 8.30.2013 - 8:30 (Solarserver)

PetersenDean Roofing and Solar (Fremont, California, U.S.) has announced that it will begin offering traditional loans as well as leases to home builders for solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. The company says that this new offering will be more flexible than competing options. “I, along with my senior team, have been working with the national home builder community for over thirty years and we believe we know what makes sense and what doesn’t,” says President and Founder Jim Petersen. Read more

Solar trade war: EU Trade Office finds 11.5% subsidy levels for Chinese manufacturers

Friday, 8.30.2013 - 8:27 (Solarserver)

The EU Trade Office has found that Chinese solar manufacturers receive various subsidies amounting to up to 11.5% of revenues, according to pro-tariff trade group EU ProSun. This is the final finding of the office in its countervailing duty (CVD) investigation. Predictably, EU ProSun has called upon the European Commission (EC) to impose CVD penalties on European imports of Chinese solar photovoltaic (PV) products, noting that the recent price undertaking deal reached by the EU and China does not address these subsidies. Read more

JFE begins construction on 21.7 MW solar PV project in Japan

Friday, 8.30.2013 - 8:23 (Solarserver)

JFE Engineering Co. Ltd. (Tokyo) has begun construction on a 21.7 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) project on the Japanese island of Hokkaido which it is building for Sparx Asset Management Co. Ltd. (Tokyo). JFE expects to complete the plant in May 2015, and will sell the electricity generated to Hokkaido Electric Power Co. Ltd. (Sapporo, Japan). The plant will participate in Japan's feed-in tariff program, and is expected to Read more

How Xcel Saved $22 Million With Weather and Wind Forecasting

Friday, 8.30.2013 - 17:07 (Renewable Energy World)

We recently covered the launch of IBM's weather + wind forecasting and modeling system, dubbed HyRef, touting the ability to predict incoming weather patterns and calculate wind turbine performance from 15-minute intervals up to 30 days in advance, with 90+ percent accuracy, and with a stamp of approval from customer Chinese State Grid Corp. Read more

How Xcel Saved $22 Million with Weather and Wind Forecasting

Friday, 8.30.2013 - 17:07 (Renewable Energy World)

We recently covered the launch of IBM's weather + wind forecasting and modeling system, dubbed HyRef, touting the ability to predict incoming weather patterns and calculate wind turbine performance from 15-minute intervals up to 30 days in advance, with 90+ percent accuracy, and with a stamp of approval from customer Chinese State Grid Corp. Read more

Kenya To Scale Up Wind Power Programme

Friday, 8.30.2013 - 12:02 (Renewable Energy World)

Kenya plans to significantly scale up its wind power programme as part of an effort to increase the use of renewable energy in the country on a large scale. Read more

Yingli's financial results improve as shipments to China, United States boom

Friday, 8.30.2013 - 15:18 (Solarserver)

Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. Ltd. (Baoding, China) has reported improvements in its financial results for the second quarter of 2013, despite uncertainty in its primary market, Europe. Read more

A Vector for Change at Renewable Energy World Europe

Friday, 8.30.2013 - 14:39 (Renewable Energy World)

Being part of the Renewable Energy World community often feels like just that… that you’re part of a special group that’s interested in making a difference to the world and its people by changing things for the better and fostering a transition to cleaner energy sources. Of course the foundations of change are education, knowledge and experience, a Read more

Sunlabob to provide PV training in Kirabiti

Friday, 8.30.2013 - 13:54 (PV-Tech)

Laos-based Sunlabob Renewable Energy has been awarded a contract to provide training to PV engineers in the Pacific island state of Kiribati. Read more

Sunlabob to provide PV training in Kiribati

Friday, 8.30.2013 - 13:54 (PV-Tech)

Laos-based Sunlabob Renewable Energy has been awarded a contract to provide training to PV engineers in the Pacific island state of Kiribati. Read more

Japan’s economics ministry requests 62% clean energy budget increase

Friday, 8.30.2013 - 13:11 (PV-Tech)

Japan’s Ministry of Economics, Trade and Industry (METI), has requested an increase in the nation’s clean energy budget of 62%, partly to help relieve bottlenecks of solar power projects. Read more

Yingli Green sales top US$550 million; losses halved

Friday, 8.30.2013 - 12:50 (PV-Tech)

Yingli Green Energy reported second quarter 2013 revenue of US$550.4 million, up 26.1% from the prior quarter, helped by increased shipments and stable pricing. Read more

Italy reforms renewable energy incentives

Friday, 8.30.2013 - 12:32 (PV-Tech)

Italian minister of economic development, Flavio Zanon has announced reforms to Italy’s renewable energy incentives that will lengthen the payment period and release €3 billion to lower electricity bills. Read more

Gujarat waives Renewable Purchase Obligations for electricity distribution companies

Friday, 8.30.2013 - 8:34 (Solarserver)

The Indian state of Gujarat has waived renewable energy purchase requirements for electricity distribution companies during fiscal year 2012-2013, in response to petitions by state utility Gujurat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd. (GUVNL) and Torrent Energy Ltd. (Ahmedabad, India). The Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission (GERC) has ruled that while GUVNL and Torrent attempted to procure renewables, adequate capacities were not available. GERC also found that imposing the 7.0% Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO) would present an undue burden on utilities and consumers, and ordered a one-time exemption. Read more