Shunfeng Photovoltaic acquires Shunfeng Materials for US$12 million

Tuesday, 1.15.2013 - 18:21 (PV-Tech)

Manufacturer Shunfeng Photovoltaic International has announced that it has agreed to acquire 45.45% equity interest in Shunfeng Materials from New Capability, a limited liability company. Read more

Oxford Instruments system used for Black Si PV research at Anhalt University

Tuesday, 1.15.2013 - 18:03 (PV-Tech)

The Anhalt University of Applied Sciences in Köthen, Germany, has purchased Oxford Instruments? PlasmaPro System100 ICP 65 tool. Read more

Michael Wilhelm resigns as Chairman of Sunways management board

Tuesday, 1.15.2013 - 15:19 (PV-Tech)

The Chairman of Sunways management board, Michael Wilhelm, has resigned his position with immediate effect, it has been announced. Read more

Hollande raises renewables stakes

Tuesday, 1.15.2013 - 15:17 (Renewable Energy World)

French president Francois Hollande has made an outspoken call for investment in renewable energy. Read more

Hollande Raises Renewables Stakes

Tuesday, 1.15.2013 - 15:17 (Renewable Energy World)

French president Francois Hollande has made an outspoken call for investment in renewable energy. Read more

Los Angeles expands FiT programme

Tuesday, 1.15.2013 - 15:04 (PV-Tech)

Building on the success of its 10MW feed-in tariff pilot scheme, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) Board of Water and Power Commissioners has approved a 100MW FiT programme. Read more

Andhra Pradesh opens 1 GW tender for PV, CSP projects

Tuesday, 1.15.2013 - 9:43 (Solarserver)

On January 8th, 2013 the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh opened a request for submissions for 1 GW of solar photovoltaic (PV) and concentrating solar power (CSP) projects in the state. Transmission Corporation of Andhra Pradesh Ltd. (APATCO, Hyderabad, India) is accepting bids for PV and CSP plants between 1 and 20 MW, with a limit of 200 MW of bids per developer. The final date for submitting bids is February 7th, 2013. Read more

Solar, Solar Everywhere and Conferences That Make You Think

Tuesday, 1.15.2013 - 19:46 (Renewable Energy World)

In 2012, the U.S. solar industry installed roughly 3.2 GW of capacity.  This was more solar power capacity than had ever been installed before. Falling PV module prices and large-scale solar PV farms coming online during the year are what drove it. Most analysts agree that 2013 will be another record year in the U.S. for installed solar capacity.  Read more

Inside MENA Countries' Solar Energy Plans

Tuesday, 1.15.2013 - 18:58 (Renewable Energy World)

A new report from GTM Research and the Emirates Solar Industry Association (ESIA) examines which countries in the Middle East/North Africa (MENA) region expect the most growth for solar energy. Read more

Austria installs 230MWp in 2012

Tuesday, 1.15.2013 - 17:50 (PV-Tech)

The budget for solar PV in Austria has been increased from ?2.1 million to ?8 million through the Green Electricity Act 2012. Read more

10 Tips for Guerrilla Solar Marketing with Vehicles

Tuesday, 1.15.2013 - 17:38 (Renewable Energy World)

One of my Solar Fred marketing wishes for 2013 was for solar marketers to be more visual. In that post, I was narrowly referring to internet related marketing, but that?s my mistake. I meant be more visual with everything, including your vehicles. I was reminded of how important vehicle marketing is over the holidays when I came across this marketi Read more

Branz elected a fellow of the American Physical Society

Tuesday, 1.15.2013 - 17:29 (PV-Tech)

A solar energy scientist at the US Department of Energy?s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), who has done pioneering and breakthrough work on thin films and nanostructures, has been elected a fellow of the American Physical Society (APS). Read more

Solar shakeout: SiC Processing warns creditors to expect low debt recovery

Tuesday, 1.15.2013 - 16:14 (PV-Tech)

Slurry recycling specialist, SiC Processing which is currently in receivership has warned unsecured creditors to expect low debt recovery due to a preliminary, unaudited assessment of its assets. Read more

JA Solar re-appoints executive chairman Baofang Jin as CEO

Tuesday, 1.15.2013 - 16:11 (PV-Tech)

Chinese solar manufacturer JA Solar has announced it has re-appointed its Executive Chairman Baufang Jin as CEO. Read more

IHS: Global solar PV module shipments surge to 11 GW in 4Q 2012

Tuesday, 1.15.2013 - 15:57 (Solarserver)

IHS Inc. (Englewood, Colorado, US) has reported that global solar photovoltaic (PV) module shipments increased in the fourth quarter of 2012 to 11 GW, a new quarterly record. This is a significant recovery from the estimated 7.5 GW shipped in the third quarter of 2012. IHS notes that despite this positive development the PV industry remains in a "critical" situation and the company does not expect the global supply-demand balance to recover before the second half of 2013. Read more

Trina Solar awarded rights to develop 50 MW solar project in Gansu Province

Tuesday, 1.15.2013 - 15:51 (Solarserver)

Trina Solar Ltd. (Shanghai, China) has obtained approval from the government of Gansu Province, China to develop a 50 MW grid-connected solar photovoltaic (PV) project in the province. Trina says the that project in Wuwei is expected to support economic development in a region challenged by semi-desert conditions, and which offers excellent natural solar potential. Read more

SolarCity completes first master backup servicing agreement for solar investment funds

Tuesday, 1.15.2013 - 15:13 (Solarserver)

On January 10th, 2013, SolarCity (San Mateo, California, U.S.) announced that it has created a new option, "backup servicing" for its solar investment funds. The company has completed what it believes to be the industry's first master backup servicing agreement with an AA-rated financial institution. Read more

Solar Frontier to form joint investment company with Development Bank of Japan to support PV funding

Tuesday, 1.15.2013 - 15:08 (Solarserver)

On January 10th, 2013, Solar Frontier (Tokyo, Japan) announced that it has signed a basic agreement with the Development Bank of Japan (DBJ) to establish a joint investment company that will provide funding for utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) power plants. Read more

SMA solar PV inverters meet South Africa's grid connection code

Tuesday, 1.15.2013 - 15:03 (Solarserver)

SMA Solar Technology AG (Niestetal, Germany) announced that its Sunny Central CP XT inverters have achieved compliance with the Grid Connection Code for Renewable Power Plants (RPPs) requirements for photovoltaic (PV) inverters in South Africa. The grid connection requirements, laid out in November 2012, were set by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA). Read more

World Future Energy Summit started in Abu Dhabi, UAE; Huge interest in solar energy projects

Tuesday, 1.15.2013 - 14:59 (Solarserver)

The huge interest in solar energy projects, particularly in the Middle East, is reflected in the number of projects being offered at WFES 2013. The sixth World Future Energy Summit (WFES) will be held from January 15th, 2013, through January 17th, 2013, at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, United Arab Emirates. 30 renewable energy projects, many of them in the solar sector, will be displayed at the unique Project & Finance Village. Read more

Canadian Solar signs 10MW module supply agreement for Ontario project

Tuesday, 1.15.2013 - 14:00 (PV-Tech)

Canadian Solar Solutions, a subsidiary of PV manufacturer Candian Solar, has entered into a 10MW module supply agreement with Algonquin Power. Read more

Solar-Fabrik CFO resigns

Tuesday, 1.15.2013 - 14:00 (PV-Tech)

German PV module manufacturer Solar-Fabrik has announced the resignation of its Chief Financial Officer Martin Friedrich. Read more

truSolar working group established to set solar project standards

Tuesday, 1.15.2013 - 13:59 (PV-Tech)

A group of 16 prominent solar companies has joined forces to create a consortium aimed at developing uniform standards across the industry. Read more

Report: Solar storage market to reach $2 billion by 2018

Tuesday, 1.15.2013 - 11:57 (PV-Tech)

Revenues from solar energy storage are to grow to US$2 billion by 2018, new research predicts. Read more

REC to reduce polysilicon production in Washington state

Tuesday, 1.15.2013 - 10:23 (Solarserver)

Citing market and price pressures, Renewable Energy Corporation ASA (REC, Sandvika, Norway) has announced that it will temporarily reduce solar-grade polysilicon production at its facility in the US state of Washington. REC will reduce output at its Polysilicon 1 facility in Moses Lake, Washington, where it produces polysilicon using the Siemens process. The decision will affect 46 positions, and REC states that it will attempt to utilize some of these employees in existing vacancies. Read more

US solar PV cost nearing retail electricity rates

Tuesday, 1.15.2013 - 10:11 (Solarserver)

NPD Solarbuzz (San Francisco, California, U.S.) Senior Analyst Michael Barker has released an analysis which finds that the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for solar photovoltaic (PV) systems is coming closer to retail electricity prices in the United States. Barker describes "double-digit" declines in LCOE in every state market, and notes that Arizona has seen the greatest declines among the four leading PV markets he examines. The analyst also notes that simple comparisons with retail rates do not tell the full story of PV's competitiveness. Read more

Los Angeles passes feed-in tariff for solar PV generation with 100 MW cap

Tuesday, 1.15.2013 - 9:53 (Solarserver)

On January 11th, 2013 the board of commissioners of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) voted to implement a feed-in tariff program for 100 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) generation, in five allocations of 20 MW every six months. The CLEAN LA Solar program will start with payments of USD 0.17/kWh and will be limited to PV plants between 30 kW and 3 MW, with 20% of capacity set aside for "small" PV projects. The price paid will decline by USD 0.01/kWh with each capacity benchmark, to reach USD 0.13/kWh for the program's final 20 MW. Read more

BrightSource's Rio Mesa solar CSP project on hold

Tuesday, 1.15.2013 - 9:48 (Solarserver)

Southern California Edison (SCE, Rosemead, California, US) and BrightSource Energy Inc. (Oakland, California, US) have mutually terminated a power purchase agreement (PPA) for the second 250 MW concentrating solar power (CSP) plant in BrightSource's Rio Mesa project. The project is located near Blythe in Riverside County, Southern California. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) previously rejected a PPA for the first 250 MW plant in the Rio Mesa project, and BrightSource has suspended permit applications for the plant. Read more

Offshore Wind Creeping Towards Reality on the East Coast

Tuesday, 1.15.2013 - 20:47 (Renewable Energy World)

As the Northeastern coastline is still busy cleaning up after damages from Hurricane Sandy months after its landfall, offshore wind proponents are moving ahead with plans that they hope will help mitigate future storm impacts. Read more

Norway Needs New Power Cables to Boost Hydro, Statkraft CEO Says

Tuesday, 1.15.2013 - 15:00 (Renewable Energy World)

Norway needs new power cables to allow it to double installed capacity in its hydropower plants, Europe's largest, and boost electricity exports to the region, according to Statkraft SF. Read more

Plugged In to Progress with Geothermal Energy in Kenya

Tuesday, 1.15.2013 - 15:00 (Renewable Energy World)

Jackson Kiloku, a 26-year-old Masai who herds animals and raises vegetables, stood at the far end of Inkoiriento village, a panoply of wooden and rusted tin-roofed buildings in Kenya's Nakuru County, and pointed to cables in the sky. "I hope electricity will flow through them soon," he said. "Electricity will be good for our local school and good for our businesses." Daniel Parsitau, a fellow villager added that electricity would make life at home easier as well. Read more

Private Equity Flees Clean Energy as Investment Falls

Tuesday, 1.15.2013 - 17:18 (Renewable Energy World)

Private equity companies and venture capitalists including Draper Fisher Jurvetson and Braemar Energy Ventures reduced renewable-energy investment to the lowest since 2006 as once-promising companies failed or were sold at a loss. Read more

TerniEnergia installs 23MW of PV in Greece in Q4 2012

Tuesday, 1.15.2013 - 15:46 (PV-Tech)

Italian renewable energy firm TerniEnergia installed eight PV plants in Greece in the fourth quarter of 2012 which have a combined capacity of 23.1 MWp. Read more

2012 Boom Year for Germany

Tuesday, 1.15.2013 - 15:38 (Renewable Energy World)

Some of the new numbers for 2012 are out and they add emphatically to Germany?s clean energy resume. In fact, they?re a critical affirmation of the doability of the Energiewende, which came under unprecedented attack last year ? not least from the ranks of Germany?s own officialdom. An incredible blow to Energiewende nay-sayers ? Germany?s export o Read more

DECC announces £46 million support for 132 local energy schemes

Tuesday, 1.15.2013 - 13:42 (Solarpowerportal)

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has announced that over 130 projects have been awarded a share of £46 million to help reduce fuel poverty, boost energy efficiency, and to encourage collective switching. Read more

IRENA presents global renewable energy roadmap

Tuesday, 1.15.2013 - 12:23 (PV-Tech)

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has presented its global renewable energy roadmap called REMAP 2030 for discussion at the third session of the IRENA Assembly held in Abu Dhabi on 13-14 January. Read more