Suntech Shines a Spotlight on Its Government Ties

Friday, 11.15.2013 - 16:26 (Renewable Energy World)

As the sun rapidly sets on former solar pioneer Suntech (OTC: STPFQ), I thought I’d take a look at the latest reports that show just how closely the company relied on state support. At the same time, another major development has seen Suntech’s shares finally de-list from New York, where they have traded since its 2005 IPO. The de-listing is someth Read more

GTM Research: PV prices to rise by 9% in 2014

Friday, 11.15.2013 - 13:55 (PV-Tech)

Photovoltaic (PV) prices are set to increase by 9% in 2014, according to a new report produced by GTM Research. Read more

Kyocera builds first U.S. PV plant as an independent power producer

Friday, 11.15.2013 - 9:35 (Solarserver)

Kyocera Corp.'s (Kyoto, Japan) U.S. subsidiary has held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to inaugurate the first solar photovoltaic (PV) project which it has developed and financed through its in-house power purchase agreement (PPA) program. The 1.6 MW PV project serves a school district in the U.S. state of Arizona, with 6,400 Kyocera PV modules spread over three schools. Kyocera notes that it is leveraging its financial strength to develop and finance projects at attractive rates, which are passed onto its customers through competitive PPA rates Read more

Vivint Solar receives Sustainable Business award in Utah, U.S.

Friday, 11.15.2013 - 20:54 (Solarserver)

Vivint Solar Inc. (Provo, Utah, U.S.) on November 13th, 2013, announced that it has been awarded a 2013 Sustainable Business Award from Utah Business magazine. The award honours the best sustainable business practices and efforts in the state and recognizes companies that are making strides in environmental sustainability, the company notes. Read more

PV producer JinkoSolar obtains JIS Q 8901 certification from TUEV Rheinland

Friday, 11.15.2013 - 20:28 (Solarserver)

JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. (Shangai, China) on November 13th, 2013, announced that it has become one of the first Chinese solar photovoltaic (PV) companies to have obtained JIS Q 8901 Certification from TUEV Rheinland (Cologne, Germany). This certificate provides an evaluation of various aspects including reliability of raw materials used, long-term performance and stability of commercial solar PV modules, service guarantees to customers and professionalism of after sales technical staff. Read more

IKEA to install solar PV panels on store in Sweetwater, Florida

Friday, 11.15.2013 - 20:27 (Solarserver)

IKEA (Delft, The Netherlands) on November 13th, 2013, announced that it will install solar photovoltaic (PV) panels to power its Miami-Dade-area store under construction in Sweetwater, Florida, U.S. The PV array will be the largest such installation in South Florida and combined with PV rooftop arrays in Orlando, Tampa and Sunrise, this project will keep IKEA as Florida’s largest non-utility solar PV owner. Read more

SolarCity to offer PV service package for BMW i drivers

Friday, 11.15.2013 - 20:27 (Solarserver)

SolarCity Corp. (San Mateo, California, U.S.) and BMW (Munich, Germany) partner to offer owners of the new BMW i vehicles exclusive access to SolarCity's most affordable solar photovoltaic (PV) service option. The partnership will allow many BMW i owners in SolarCity's 14-state service territories to power their cars with solar power for less than it would cost with electricity provided by their utility company. Read more

First Solar enters Japanese market for solar PV project development, module sales

Friday, 11.15.2013 - 20:20 (Solarserver)

First Solar Inc. (Tempe, Arizona, U.S.) has announced that it will invest roughly USD 100 million to develop, construct and operate solar photovoltaic (PV) projects in Japan. The company has set up an Japanese operating subsidiary and opened an office in Tokyo. Read more

First Solar heading to Japan to build PV power plants and tap residential market

Friday, 11.15.2013 - 19:23 (PV-Tech)

With an initial plan to invest around US$100 million, First Solar said it would build PV power plants in the booming Japanese market, both directly and with Japanese companies in partnership. Japan has not previously been a target market for First Solar. Read more

First Solar heading to Japan to build PV power plants

Friday, 11.15.2013 - 19:15 (PV-Tech)

With an initial plan to invest around US$100 million, First Solar said it would build PV power plants in the booming Japanese market, both directly and with Japanese companies in partnership. Japan has not previously been a target market for First Solar. Read more

Net metering survives in Arizona, but monthly charge imposed on solar PV system owners

Friday, 11.15.2013 - 18:55 (Solarserver)

On November 14th, 2013 the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) voted 3-2 to impose a USD 0.70 per kW per month charge on new solar photovoltaic (PV) system owners in utility Arizona Public Service Inc.'s (Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.) service area who participate in the state's net metering program. The charge will not apply to existing PV system owners. Read more

Applied Material’s results positve but solar division scales back

Friday, 11.15.2013 - 17:17 (PV-Tech)

Applied Materials has reported positive results while also revealing that it has diverted resources away from its solar operations. Read more

Listen Up: NREL Reports on the Costs of Rooftop Solar

Friday, 11.15.2013 - 16:08 (Renewable Energy World)

Costs are consistently the hottest topic of discussions in the solar industry. We all want to reduce solar costs, but we also have a tendency to focus on our own component or value chain costs. Unfortunately, lowering individual component costs does not always lead to a reduction in total system costs. Read more

Four Things You Should Know about Adding Battery Backup to Solar

Friday, 11.15.2013 - 15:18 (Renewable Energy World)

There is a shortcoming with grid-tied photovoltaic (PV) energy systems of which owners are often unaware until an emergency: Although grid-tied systems can save money and earn their owners incentives while the sun is shining and the utility power grid is up, they must disconnect when the grid is down during an outage, leaving unused solar electricity sitting on the roof. As a safety feature within generic grid-tied systems, when the grid is down, users can neither sell energy back to the utility, nor supply their homes or businesses with power per the UL-1741 safety requirement. Read more

SolarCity announces pricing of securitization

Friday, 11.15.2013 - 14:47 (Solarserver)

SolarCity Corp. (San Mateo, California, U.S.) has announced the pricing of its USD 54.4 million offering of asset-backed securities. The notes are being offered only to institutional investors and qualified purchasers. The company expects sale of the notes to close on November 21st, 2013, subject to closing conditions. Read more

JA Solar supplies 30 MW of solar PV modules to British Solar Renewables

Friday, 11.15.2013 - 14:38 (Solarserver)

JA Solar Holdings Co. Ltd. (Shanghai) supplied 30 MW of its solar photovoltaic (PV) modules to British Solar Renewables Ltd. (BSR, Butleigh, UK) to date in 2013, which have been used in four UK ground-mounted PV plants. JA did not say when during the year the modules had been delivered. Read more

JA Solar supplies 30MW of modules to British Solar Renewables

Friday, 11.15.2013 - 13:33 (PV-Tech)

Chinese solar manufacturer JA Solar has announced that it has shipped 30MW of modules to British Solar Renewables. Read more

Taiwan government backs down on solar tariff cuts

Friday, 11.15.2013 - 12:31 (PV-Tech)

The Taiwanese government has backed down from making a proposed 14.23% cut in wholesale tariffs to solar power producers, instead cutting tariff levels by only 12.45%. Read more

BMW and Solarcity sign clean mobility partnership

Friday, 11.15.2013 - 12:29 (PV-Tech)

BMW and US installer Solarcity have signed a partnership agreement in the US. Read more

Arizona sets precedent with solar net metering charge

Friday, 11.15.2013 - 12:11 (PV-Tech)

Arizona has become the first US state to introduce a charge on rooftop PV users in what America’s solar industry has described as a “precedent-setting” action. Read more

Nanosolar Germany relaunched as Smartenergy Renewables Deutschland

Friday, 11.15.2013 - 10:09 (PV-Tech)

The German arm of Nanosolar, the US based thin-film company which closed in July this year, was relaunched at the beginning of November as Smartenergy Renewables Deutschland. Read more

Indian solar: SECI releases standard PPA, VGF securitization agreement for NSM Phase 2

Friday, 11.15.2013 - 9:38 (Solarserver)

The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has released a standard power purchase agreement (PPA) and Viability Gap Funding (VGF) securitization agreement for Phase 2 of the nation's National Solar Mission (NSM). Among the rules highlighted by RESolve Energy Consultants (Chennai, India) is a limit on partial commissioning of solar photovoltaic (PV) plants to minimum blocks of 10 MW. This means that a minimum of 10 MW must be commissioned before initial VGF funds are disbursed. Read more

GTM Research: Solar PV module prices to fall only 1% in 2014

Friday, 11.15.2013 - 9:31 (Solarserver)

Greentech Media Research (GTM, Boston) has released a report which finds that the solar photovoltaic (PV) supply chain has begun to stabilize due to increasing demand, and predicts that global PV module prices will fall only 1% in 2014. “PV Pricing Outlook 2014” also predicts that prices will rise along the rest of the value chain, with polysilicon prices increasing 25%, wafer prices increasing 11% and cell prices 5%. The company also predicts that strong regional price variations will continue through 2014. Read more

Mixed Result: Arizona Keeps Net Metering, But Levies Smaller Solar Fee

Friday, 11.15.2013 - 7:47 (Renewable Energy World)

In one of the more closely-watched solar energy policy decisions in recent memory, the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) has ruled after two days of hearings to keep its net metering program, but implement a fixed fee of $0.70 per kW for solar rooftop owners starting in 2014. The split-decision resolution (a 3-2 vote) essentially means a few dollars extra per month for residential homeowners: $7 for a 10-kW system, though typical rooftop systems are generally a little smaller. Residents who already have solar, or get a signed installation contract before the end of the year, are not subject to the new fixed charge. Read more

Arizona keeps net metering but imposes monthly charge on solar PV system owners

Friday, 11.15.2013 - 3:00 (Solarserver)

On November 14th, 2013 the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) voted 3-2 to impose a USD 0.70 per kW per month charge on new solar photovoltaic (PV) system owners who participate in the state's net metering program. The charge will not apply to existing PV system owners. Read more

Advanced Biofuel Quota in Flux as US EPA Weighs Changes

Friday, 11.15.2013 - 16:42 (Renewable Energy World)

Obama administration officials, under pressure from advanced-biofuel producers and farm-state lawmakers, have told industry representatives that they’re considering raising the quota for their product next year above what was contained in an August draft plan. Read more

ClearSky: Korean nuclear scandal will benefit renewable energy development

Friday, 11.15.2013 - 9:28 (Solarserver)

ClearSky Advisors (Toronto) says that South Korea's shift away from its emphasis on nuclear power in the wake of a scandal over safety certificates could be positive for the continued development of renewable energy over the long run. The company also notes that a recent government working group study has advised against the pursuit of new nuclear generation. While ClearSky notes that most of the shortfall from less nuclear generation will be likely be replaced with liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fired generation, that the high costs of LNG will push the nation towards renewables. Read more