Shunfeng to acquire Wuxi Suntech for USD 490 million

Monday, 11.4.2013 - 18:01 (Solarserver)

Jiangsu Shunfeng Photovoltaic Technology Co. Ltd. (Changzhou, China) has announced that it will acquire Suntech Power Holding Co. Ltd.'s (Wuxi, China) main operating subsidiary for USD 490 million, as approved on October 24th, 2013. Read more

Centrotherm booked new orders totalling €163.2 million in revised accounting period

Monday, 11.4.2013 - 15:15 (PV-Tech)

The centrotherm Group was able to secure new orders totalling €163.2 million during its restructuring period through October 2012 and May 2013. Read more

UK PV market slips again to only 195 MW in Q3 2013

Monday, 11.4.2013 - 15:00 (Solarserver)

The UK commissioned 195 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity during the third quarter of 2013, according to figures released by the nation's Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). Read more

GCL-Poly connects 30MW fish farm PV project

Monday, 11.4.2013 - 13:36 (PV-Tech)

Hong Kong based polysilicon producer GCL-Poly has successfully connected a 30MW photovoltaic (PV) power plant to the grid at a fish farm in Baoying, eastern China. Read more

Shunfeng wins bid to buy Suntech Wuxi; reveals state of production plants

Monday, 11.4.2013 - 9:15 (PV-Tech)

Shunfeng Photovoltaic International has successfully acquired the PV manufacturing operations of Suntech Wuxi with administrator approval for around US$490 million. Suntech Wuxi had debts of more than US$2.3 billion. Read more

SolarCity raises another US$54 million

Monday, 11.4.2013 - 19:05 (PV-Tech)

SolarCity, the largest PV installer in the US, has announced it will offer US$54.425 million worth of notes. Read more

SMA Solar sales hit by further market woes

Monday, 11.4.2013 - 18:53 (PV-Tech)

PV inverter leader, SMA Solar Technology, has said it will not meet full-year revenue guidance on the back of pricing pressure and further unexpected weakness in its core European markets. Read more

Solar Income, Really?

Monday, 11.4.2013 - 18:33 (Renewable Energy World)

NRG Yield (NYSE:NYLD) was spun out of its parent, NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) in July, and has since been greeted with enthusiasm by investors. The stock priced at $22, 10 percent over the mid-point of its expected range, and the underwriters exercised their full over-allotment option. Read more

SunVault Energy Inc. to acquire interest in Greek solar PV plants totalling 2 MW

Monday, 11.4.2013 - 16:59 (Solarserver)

SunVault Energy Inc. (Allen, TX, U.S.) on October 31st, 2013, announced that it has received Board approval to enter into an Assignment and Amendatory Agreement to acquire an 80% interest in two affiliates of BCI Renewables (Greece) that are special purpose vehicles (SPVs) owning two solar photovoltaic (PV) parks in Greece. The purchase price relating to the 80% equity stake in the SPVs is approximately USD 6,689,128 less assumed project financing debt and subject to other adjustments. The transaction is subject to completion of final due diligence and successful acquisition financing. Read more

Martifer Solar, Hanwha Q CELLS Korea complete 17.8 MW PV project in Portugal

Monday, 11.4.2013 - 16:53 (Solarserver)

Martifer Solar (Oliveira de Frades, Portugal), a subsidiary of Martifer SGPS, together with Hanwha Q CELLS Korea (Seoul, South Korea) completed a utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) project for Korean investors, with a combined generation capacity of 17.8 MWp. The PV cluster inaugurated on October 31st, 2013, consists of six PV plants in Loures, Montijo and Montemor-o-Novo regions. Martifer Solar will operate and maintain the PV plants. Read more

Intersolar India 2013 presents prevailing industry trends, latest PV technologies, extensive expert knowledge

Monday, 11.4.2013 - 16:47 (Solarserver)

Intersolar India is opening its doors to the international solar photovoltaic (PV) industry at the Bombay Exhibition Centre (BEC), Mumbai, on November 12th-14th, 2013. This year’s focal point is solar project development. Current market trends and the most up-to-date developments in the areas of photovoltaics, PV production technologies, energy storage systems and solar thermal technologies will be presented and discussed. Daily PV training workshops with experts from Solar Energy International (SEI, Carbondale, CO, U.S.) will provide attendees with first-hand practical knowledge. Read more

First Solar to sell 250 MW Silver State South PV project to a subsidiary of NextEra

Monday, 11.4.2013 - 16:40 (Solarserver)

First Solar, Inc. (Tempe, Arizona, U.S.) on October 31st, 2013, announced that it has agreed to sell the 250-megawatt (MW)AC Silver State South solar photovoltaic (PV) project to a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources (West Palm Beach, Florida, USA). First Solar will continue to develop and permit the PV power plant, and provide Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) services for the facilty, which will utilize First Solar's thin film PV modules and single-axis tracking systems. Read more

Canadian Solar ups shipment, revenue estimates for Q3 2013

Monday, 11.4.2013 - 15:24 (Solarserver)

Canadian Solar Inc. (Guelph, Canada) has released selective preliminary results for the third quarter of 2013, estimating that it shipped 460-480 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) modules, an 11% increase over a guidance issued in early August 2013. Read more

Turkish hospital’s 5MW solar plant will be country’s largest

Monday, 11.4.2013 - 14:09 (PV-Tech)

The Turut Ozal Medical Center of İnönü University, Malayta in Turkey has signed a contract for the construction of a 5MW solar power plant. Read more

NextEra reveals 1.1GW North America PV portfolio

Monday, 11.4.2013 - 14:06 (PV-Tech)

NextEra Energy Resources, one of North America’s biggest renewable energy owner operators, has revealed it has a solar project backlog of 800MW. Read more

SunPower buys solar panel cleaning robot developer

Monday, 11.4.2013 - 13:41 (PV-Tech)

SunPower, the second largest US solar manufacturer, has acquired solar farm cleaning equipment manufacturer Greenbotics. Read more

Report card grades US states by solar friendliness

Monday, 11.4.2013 - 12:51 (PV-Tech)

The latest ranking of US states for the solar friendliness of their utilities and grids has been released, with California, Massachusetts, Oregon and Utah picked out for special praise. Read more

Marubeni wins EPC deal for Okinawa ‘mega-solar’ project

Monday, 11.4.2013 - 12:43 (PV-Tech)

Japanese trading company Marubeni is to build a 1.99MW utility-scale solar power station on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa for Orion Sun Sun, a subsidiary of Okinawan brewery Orion Beer. Read more

Canadian Solar guides higher Q3 shipments sales and margins

Monday, 11.4.2013 - 12:10 (PV-Tech)

Canadian Solar has issued upward shipment and margin guidance ahead of releasing its third quarter financial results on November 13. Read more

Survey: Wind and solar farms are an accepted part of the Cornish landscape for holidaymakers

Monday, 11.4.2013 - 11:47 (Solarpowerportal)

Solar and wind farms are an accepted part of the Cornish landscape, according to a new survey of holidaymakers. Read more

U.S. DOE launches new hybrid solar CSP/natural gas project in California

Monday, 11.4.2013 - 10:14 (Solarserver)

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced a new project to incorporate a concentrating solar power (CSP) system at least 10 MW in size with an existing 500 MW natural gas plant in California. The project will also include energy storage capabilities, however DOE did not divulge details on the technology used. Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD, Sacramento, California, U.S.) will lead the project, which is supported by USD 10 million in DOE funding. Read more

Southern Co., First Solar commission 139 MW Campo Verde solar PV plant

Monday, 11.4.2013 - 9:56 (Solarserver)

First Solar Inc. (Tempe, Arizona, U.S.) has commissioned the 139 MW Campo Verde solar photovoltaic (PV) plant in Southern California's Imperial Valley. First Solar built the plant for Southern Company (Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.) and Turner Renewable Energy (Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.), and is providing operations and maintenance services. The PV plant utilizes nearly 2.3 million First Solar thin-film cadmium telluride PV modules on a fixed-tilt mounting system. Read more

NPD Solarbuzz: Tier-one solar PV makers to report record shipments in Q3 2013

Monday, 11.4.2013 - 9:02 (Solarserver)

NPD Solarbuzz (Santa Clara, California, U.S.) reports that nine of the top ten solar photovoltaic (PV) module suppliers are forecast to achieve quarterly shipment growth, and that six will achieve all-time shipment records. The latest NPD Solarbuzz Module Tracker Quarterly also finds that module prices for top-tier Chinese PV makers stabilized for the third consecutive quarter at roughly USD 0.63 per watt, which is allowing margins to rise. Three major PV makers that have already reported third quarter results, First Solar, Kyocera and SunPower, all reported increased operating margins. Read more

China extends anti-dumping, CVD investigations of EU polysilicon

Monday, 11.4.2013 - 8:55 (Solarserver)

Citing the complexity of the cases, China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) announced on October 31st, 2013 that it will extend its anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations of solar-grade polysilicon imports from the EU for another six months. MOFCOM began its anti-dumping investigation on November 1st, 2012, with a one-year deadline to complete the investigation but a provision for the six-month extension. Read more

Indian solar renewable energy credits trading volumes increase but prices still at floor

Monday, 11.4.2013 - 8:50 (Solarserver)

The volume of solar renewable energy credits (SRECs) traded in India continued to increase in October 2013 but prices remain at the floor, according to an analysis by RESolve Energy Consultants (Chennai, India). The volume of SRECs traded increased 28% sequentially to 9,257, however buy bids represented only 13.6% of sell bids, 0.2% greater than in September 2013. Prices remained at INR 9,300 (USD 150) per SREC. Read more

First Solar hits cost reduction milestone

Monday, 11.4.2013 - 8:04 (PV-Tech)

In issuing third quarter 2013 financial results, thin-film market leader First Solar, reported its largest quarterly decline in its CdTe module cost per watt since 2007. Read more

Has First Solar retaken the lowest-cost PV manufacturer mantle?

Monday, 11.4.2013 - 8:04 (PV-Tech)

In issuing third quarter 2013 financial results, thin-film market leader First Solar, reported its largest quarterly decline in its CdTe module cost per-watt since 2007. Read more

Biofuel Companies Fight EPA's Proposed RFS Downgrade

Monday, 11.4.2013 - 18:13 (Renewable Energy World)

Companies that make biofuels from corn husks, soy and other materials are mounting a last-ditch lobbying campaign to prevent a weakening of the U.S. renewable-fuel mandate, saying a lower requirement would set back an industry that is ready to blossom. Read more

What Makes a Great Wind Turbine for Distributed Applications?

Monday, 11.4.2013 - 16:52 (Renewable Energy World)

When investing considerable resources in a distributed wind energy project, doesn’t it make sense to at least evaluate the minimum criteria? Read more

XEMC Darwind Refocuses on Onshore Wind with- and 5-MW Direct Drive Turbines

Monday, 11.4.2013 - 16:22 (Renewable Energy World)

XEMC Darwind has ambitious plans to enter the main European onshore wind markets with two new- and 5-MW direct drive turbines based on its 5-MW offshore XD115/5-MW model. XEMC Darwind’s CEO Hugo Groenemans explained the new turbine’s technology specifics and benefits, which include merging Chinese supply chain strengths with job creation and localized industrialization. Read more

Geothermal Visual: Project Cost and Risk Profile at Various Stages of Development

Monday, 11.4.2013 - 17:02 (Renewable Energy World)

The graph below comes from “Geothermal Handbook: Planning and Financing Power Generation,” World Bank, 2012. Authors Magnus Gehringer and Victor Loksha write: “To better understand the nature of the risks that are specific to geothermal power, it is helpful to consider the project cost and risk profile through the various stages of project developm Read more

SEC Clarifies Crowdsourcing Rules, What's the Impact on Renewables?

Monday, 11.4.2013 - 19:42 (Renewable Energy World)

The SEC has finally proposed its rules to allow crowd-funding under the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act. What do they mean for small-scale investments in renewable energy companies and projects? Read more

DECC awards £5 million to two UK energy storage entrepreneurs

Monday, 11.4.2013 - 19:15 (Solarpowerportal)

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has announced that it has awarded a share of over £5 million to two British energy storage entrepreneurs. Read more

South Africa Approves $3.3 Billion of Renewable Energy Projects

Monday, 11.4.2013 - 18:05 (Renewable Energy World)

South Africa approved 33.8 billion rand ($3.3 billion) for 17 clean energy projects in the third of five bidding rounds of a program to cut its reliance on coal. Read more