Alexander & Baldwin completes 6 MW PV plant in Hawaii

Thursday, 1.3.2013 - 19:54 (Solarserver)

On December 27th, 2012, Alexander & Baldwin Inc. (A&B, Honolulu, Hawaii) announced the completion of a 6 megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant at Port Allen on the Kaua'i island in Hawaii. The Port Allen Solar plant is located on a 20-acre parcel of land owned by A&B adjacent to Kaua'i Island Utility Cooperative's (KIUC) Port Allen Station power plant. The plant began delivering solar power to KIUC on December 7th, 2012. Read more

Yingli PV module passes PID test; solar company supplies 22,000 off-grid PV systems to families in Tibet

Thursday, 1.3.2013 - 20:01 (Solarserver)

On December 28th, 2012, Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. Ltd. (Baoding, China) announced that its multicrystalline solar photovoltaic (PV) modules passed the potential induced degradation (PID) test. The test results showed that the power degradation of Yingli modules was lower than 0.5%, significantly below the maximum allowable power output degradation rate of 5%, the company states. Read more

Seminole Financial Services concludes US$12 million financing deal

Thursday, 1.3.2013 - 18:51 (PV-Tech)

Energy company Hudson Energy Solar is the latest addition to Seminole Financial Services? portfolio with a US$12 million financing deal. Read more

NPD Solarbuzz: Cyclical changes in quarterly PV demand leveling out

Thursday, 1.3.2013 - 15:41 (Solarserver)

NPD Solarbuzz (San Francisco, California, US) has predicted that the strong cyclical changes in quarterly solar photovoltaic (PV) demand seen in previous years will begin to fade, due to falling incentives and system prices. NPD Solarbuzz Analyst Michael Barker notes that in 2012 demand was more evenly distributed across all four quarters than seen in previous years, and predicts that this trend will repeat in 2013. Read more

EDF completes financing for Catalina Solar PV project

Thursday, 1.3.2013 - 15:37 (Solarserver)

EDF Renewable Energy (San Diego, California, US) has completed financing on the 143 MW Catalina Solar project in California's Mojave Desert. GE Energy Financial Services Inc. (Stamford, Connecticut, US), Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Inc. (New York, New York, US), Union Bank NA (San Francisco, California, US) and Citi (New York, New York, US) have acquired a majority interest in the solar photovoltaic (PV) project. Read more

PV record year 2012: Germany produces solar power for 8 million households

Thursday, 1.3.2013 - 14:50 (Solarserver)

Germany continues to set standards in solar power generation and thus advance the national energy revolution: The 1.3 million solar photovoltaic (PV) systems installed in Germany in 2012 covered the annual electricity consumption of eight million households - a 45% increase compared to the previous year, the German Federal Solar Industry Association (BSW-Solar) reports. Read more

Carmanah founder and board member resigns

Thursday, 1.3.2013 - 14:02 (PV-Tech)

Canadian solar company Carmanah Technologies has announced that Dr. Dave Green has resigned from his position as a member of its board of directors. Read more

Concentrated Solar Power: Next-Generation Technologies Poised to Ramp up Utility-Scale Production

Thursday, 1.3.2013 - 14:00 (Renewable Energy World)

As 2013 begins, the concentrated solar power (CSP) industry in the U.S. is on the brink of a major turning point. After years of hesitancy to invest in CSP due to required increases in efficiency and cost reductions, a wide market acceptance of solar thermal power plants is knocking at the door, driven by the development of next generation technologies in thermal storage, heat transfer and plant components. These developments, along with the current U.S. political and solar power market, will drive lower costs and make utility-scale CSP commercially viable for the first time. Read more

EDF Renewable Energy sells off Catalina Solar Project

Thursday, 1.3.2013 - 12:55 (PV-Tech)

The majority interest in the Catalina Solar Project by EDF Renewable Energy has been acquired by GE Energy Financial Services, MetLife, Union Bank and Citi. Read more

Kuwait University to collaborate with Imec on advanced solar PV cell technology

Thursday, 1.3.2013 - 12:44 (Solarserver)

Imec (Leuven, Belgium) and Kuwait University (Kuwait City, Kuwait) have signed a long-term collaboration agreement for research and development on silicon solar photovoltaic (PV) cell technologies. Imec states that by joining its wafer-based silicon PV cell industrial affiliation program, Kuwait University will acquire and further expand its knowledge and expertise in PV cell processing technology. Read more

LDK Solar spins off LDK Anhui subsidiary for USD 4 million

Thursday, 1.3.2013 - 12:42 (Solarserver)

LDK Solar Company Ltd. (Xinyu City, China) has signed an agreement to sell all shares of its LDK Anhui (Hefei City, China) subsidiary to Shanghai Qianjiang Group (Shanghai, China) for USD 4 million. According to the terms of the agreement, Qianjiang Group will release the guarantee LDK Solar provided to LDK Anhui and its subsidiaries within 12 months, as well as compensating LDK Solar for any loss associated with this guarantee. Read more

South America?s first solar thermal plant comes online

Thursday, 1.3.2013 - 12:16 (PV-Tech)

Spanish PV developer Abengoa has built and designed a 10MW solar thermal plant for Minera El Tesoro, which is said to represent South America?s first operational solar thermal plant. Read more

LDK Solar to pay supplier JYT over US$52 million in failed purchase order completions

Thursday, 1.3.2013 - 11:40 (PV-Tech)

Ingot furnace equipment supplier Beijing Jingyuntong Technology Co (JYT) has won an arbitration case against LDK Solar. Read more

Qsolar insurance deal offers promise of expansion

Thursday, 1.3.2013 - 11:38 (PV-Tech)

PV manufacturer Qsolar has agreed an insurance deal that it says will enable it to sell its solar panels to a wider potential market and compete for larger projects and orders. Read more

Abengoa commissions 10 MWth solar thermal plant for mining operation in Chile

Thursday, 1.3.2013 - 9:26 (Solarserver)

Abengoa SA (Seville, Spain) has commissioned a 10 MW solar thermal plant in Chile for Minera El Tesoro (Santiago, Chile), as the largest plant based on solar thermal technology in South America. The plant comprises 1,280 PT-1 solar thermal collector modules which supply process heat for the copper electro-extraction process in mining production. The plant is expected to substitute more than 55% of the diesel fuel currently used in the process, and also incorporates thermal energy storage. Read more

BYD awarded 4 MW microgrid solar PV project on a Chinese Island

Thursday, 1.3.2013 - 9:21 (Solarserver)

BYD Company Ltd. (Shenzhen, China) and Zhuhai Maritime Company Ltd. (Zhuhai, China) have been awarded a project to build a microgrid project including 4 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity on an island in the South China Sea. The Chinese government has awarded this demonstration project under the nation's Golden Sun program. The project will include 699kW/1060kWh battery storage systems in multiple locations, and the companies plan to complete the project in the next two to three years. Read more

Top 10 Biofuels Predictions for 2013

Thursday, 1.3.2013 - 14:00 (Renewable Energy World)

As 2013 begins, here at the Digest we resist the holiday temptation to look back over the challenges and highlights of the year gone by, and instead once again roll the dice as we list the Digest's 10 Top Biofuels Predictions for 2013. Read more

2013 Geothermal: Last-Minute PTC Revision Sparks a New Hope

Thursday, 1.3.2013 - 15:41 (Renewable Energy World)

The renewable energy industry had quite a bit to celebrate this week as 2013 rang in a PTC extension that many had feared would never come to fruition. Though the extension to January 1, 2014 greatly benefits the wind industry, whose PTC was set to expire at the end of 2012, it also included a provision that could be huge for geothermal development. This provision states that projects under construction by January 1, 2014 would quality for the PTC, rather than the previous rule that required projects to be completed and operational. Read more

In brief: Updated Renewable Energy Roadmap boosts UK green confidence

Thursday, 1.3.2013 - 16:52 (Solarpowerportal)

The updated UK Renewable Energy Roadmap delivered a welcome boost for the solar industry after it was named as a key technology in the UK?s quest to meet its binding environmental targets. Read more

PTC Extension: Another Squeaker for Clean Energy

Thursday, 1.3.2013 - 14:00 (Renewable Energy World)

Well, 'The Fiscal Cliff' theater was played out in Washington, and Congress included renewable energy in the final bill. According to the Renewable Fuels Association, the deal includes one-year tax-credit extensions for cellulosic biofuels, biodiesel, renewable diesel and algae-based fuel. The cellulosic bonus depreciation, which allows biofuel companies to expense up to half of their eligible capital costs in their first year, was also given a one-year extension. These advanced biofuels applications are critical for the U.S. to evolve its biofuels reliance onto non-foodstuff sustainable biomass ? both wastes and non-arable land crops. Read more

Year In Review: 11 Clean Energy Stocks for 2012

Thursday, 1.3.2013 - 14:00 (Renewable Energy World)

For the fourth year in a row, my model portfolio of clean energy stocks has beaten the clean energy sector as a whole, this year by 23.8%. Unfortunately, this was mostly due to another year of poor performance by my industry benchmark, the widely held Powershares Clean Energy (PBW) ETF, which lost 16.4% for the year. Read more

Yingli Green?s modules pass TUV SUD?s PID testing

Thursday, 1.3.2013 - 11:11 (PV-Tech)

Multicrystalline PV modules from Yingli Green have been tested by TUV SUD for Potential Induced Degradation (PID). Read more

Do EVs Make Good Cents or Sense?

Thursday, 1.3.2013 - 14:00 (Renewable Energy World)

David Herron of Torque News stated in his article ?60 kWh Tesla Model S rated at 208 mile electric driving range by EPA:  ?The 85 kilowatt-hour Model S, $77,400 for 265 miles range, or $292/mile of range. The 60 kilowatt-hour Model S, $67,400 for 208 miles range, is $324/mile of range. The other electric cars cost a lot more per mile of driving ran Read more