Suntech's European subsidiary granted moratorium on creditor claims

Wednesday, 4.10.2013 - 23:53 (Solarserver)

The main European operating subsidiary of Suntech Power Holdings Company Ltd. (Wuxi, China) has been granted a provisional two-month moratorium on creditor claims by Swiss courts. Read more

Buffett To Rescue Suntech?

Wednesday, 4.10.2013 - 15:58 (Renewable Energy World)

Intriguing rumors that billionaire investor Warren Buffett might be eying bankrupt former solar superstar Suntech (NYSE: STP) are breathing new life into embattled solar shares, as traders bet that western investors could help to revive the sector. Such a move would indeed be a major vote of confidence in this tarnished industry, since most observe Read more

Suntech’s European arm stops paying creditors

Wednesday, 4.10.2013 - 15:25 (PV-Tech)

Suntech Power Holdings European subsidiary, Suntech Power International has gone to a court in its locality in Switzerland to stop bankruptcy proceedings. Read more

First Solar to manufacture copper-based crystalline silicon solar cells

Wednesday, 4.10.2013 - 13:41 (PV-Tech)

Leading thin-film and PV project developer First Solar has rocked the solar industry with the acquisition of US-based monocrystalline start-up TetraSun. Read more

Suntech misses NYSE's price criteria for continued listing standard

Wednesday, 4.10.2013 - 11:56 (Solarserver)

Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. (Wuxi, China) on April 9th, 2013, announced that it has been notified by the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) that the Company did not meet the NYSE's price criteria for continued listing standard because, as of April 4th, 2013, the average closing price of the company's American Depositary Shares (ADSs), was less than USD 1.00 per ADS over a consecutive 30-trading-day period. Read more

Photon test confirms high performance of Innotech Solar modules in warm regions

Wednesday, 4.10.2013 - 11:53 (Solarserver)

Innotech Solar (ITS, Narvik, Norway) announces, that its solar photovoltaic (PV) modules have demonstrated an outstanding temperature coefficient in a photon test laboratory. Innotech’s PV panels have been found to retain their excellent level of performance in high ambient temperatures, making them suitable for use in warm countries. Read more

PV inverter market consolidation: Advanced Energy acquires REFUsol

Wednesday, 4.10.2013 - 8:43 (Solarserver)

Advanced Energy Industries Inc. (AE, Fort Collins, Colorado, US) has acquired REFUsol Holding GmbH (Metzingen, Germany), and its line of three-phase string inverters for solar photovoltaic (PV) applications. AE acquired REFUsol for EUR 59 million (USD 77 million) in cash, after assuming EUR 9 million (USD 12 million) in debt and reducing net working capital by EUR 1.8 million (USD 2.4 million). AE expects the acquisition to increase its revenue to over USD 400 million in 2014. Read more

Fraunhofer ISE releases data on German PV, wind generation in Q1 2013

Wednesday, 4.10.2013 - 8:15 (Solarserver)

Fraunhofer ISE (Freiburg, Germany) has released a series of charts detailing solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind generation in Germany in the first three months of 2013. Despite an increase in installed PV capacity to 33.4 GW, solar power output fell by 500 GWh year-over-year during the three-month period. PV systems generated only 350 GWh of solar electricity in January, which rose to 2.3 TWh in March 2013. Read more

Metgen launches new online store

Wednesday, 4.10.2013 - 18:29 (Solarpowerportal)

Solar PV wholesaler, Metgen, has launched a new webshop, Trade.Metgen, providing 24/7 pricing and stock availability information to its customers. Read more

Ken Johnson appointed SEIA’s head of communications and marketing

Wednesday, 4.10.2013 - 16:40 (PV-Tech)

The US Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has announced the appointment of Ken Johnson, a Capitol Hill veteran, as its new vice president of communications. Read more

First Solar Acquires TetraSun; Announces Plans To Target Rooftop Solar Market

Wednesday, 4.10.2013 - 16:35 (Renewable Energy World)

First Solar Inc., the solar manufacturer that gets almost two-thirds of sales from building and selling utility-scale power plants, agreed to buy TetraSun, a startup developing photovoltaic technology for rooftops. Read more

Mosaic fully subscribes new solar investment in 6 hours

Wednesday, 4.10.2013 - 15:58 (Solarserver)

Solar crowd-funding platform Mosaic (Oakland, California, US) has fully subscribed the first USD 158,000 solar photovoltaic (PV) investment in its new USD 100 million series in less than six hours. Read more

First Solar leads solar ‘rally’ with big increase in sales expected in 2013

Wednesday, 4.10.2013 - 14:45 (PV-Tech)

Following a 22% increase in sales in 2012, First Solar expects that trajectory to continue in 2013. Read more

Dulas and vento ludens submit planning application for 15.5MW solar park

Wednesday, 4.10.2013 - 14:45 (Solarpowerportal)

Welsh renewable energy company Dulas and project developer vento ludens have submitted a planning application for a 15.5 MW solar park. Read more

IEA: Global solar capacity nearing 100GW milestone

Wednesday, 4.10.2013 - 13:17 (PV-Tech)

Despite the uncertainties plaguing the European and Chinese markets in particular, a new report has revealed that 28.4GW of solar PV capacity was installed in 2012, bringing total global capacity to 89.5GW. Read more

IEA: Global solar capcity nearing 100GW milestone

Wednesday, 4.10.2013 - 13:17 (PV-Tech)

Despite the uncertainties plaguing the European and Chinese markets in particular, a new report has revealed that 28.4GW of solar PV capacity was installed in 2012, bringing total global capacity to 89.5GW. Read more

UK adds 350MW in Q1 2013

Wednesday, 4.10.2013 - 12:55 (PV-Tech)

In line with positive predictions for the UK solar industry, the country has completed at least 350MW of solar installations in the first quarter of 2013. Read more

Solar-Fabrik equipped the largest solar plant in Turkey

Wednesday, 4.10.2013 - 12:52 (PV-Tech)

German manufacturer Solar-Fabrik has supplied modules supplies and inverters for a 250kW solar plant in Torbali, in the province of Izmir in Turkey. Read more

Saferay seeks approval for 135MW Chilean PV plant

Wednesday, 4.10.2013 - 12:32 (PV-Tech)

Saferay, an independent solar power producer, is seeking approval for its proposed 135MW PV plant in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile. Read more

ReneSola to supply 6.5MW of modules to North Carolina solar farms

Wednesday, 4.10.2013 - 12:05 (PV-Tech)

PV manufacturer ReneSola has penned an agreement with the US-based EPC firm Strata Solar to provide PV modules for five solar farms with a combined capacity of 6.5MW in North Carolina. Read more

First Solar acquires crystalline PV start-up TetraSun, releases 2013 guidance

Wednesday, 4.10.2013 - 11:48 (Solarserver)

First Solar Inc. (Tempe, Arizona, U.S.) has signed an agreement to acquire crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar photovoltaic (PV) start-up TetraSun (San Jose, California, U.S.), under terms which were not disclosed. First Solar states that the acquisition complements its cadmium telluride (CdTe) PV technology. The company has also released its 2013 guidance, shipments between 1.6 and 1.8 GW, as well as a 16% increase in revenues to USD 3.8 – 4.0 billion, with 92% from system sales. Read more

First Solar sets new CdTe PV module efficiency world record at 16.1%

Wednesday, 4.10.2013 - 8:33 (Solarserver)

First Solar Inc. (Tempe, Arizona, US) has achieved 16.1% total module area efficiency with its cadmium telluride (CdTe) photovoltaic (PV) technology in tests confirmed by the US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratories (NREL, Golden, Colorado, US). This sets a new CdTe module world record, well surpassing the 14.4% record the company set in January 2012. First Solar has also launched a new PV module series, its Series 3 Black, which the company says incorporates its latest efficiency advances as well as additional features to enhance performance in utility-scale PV plants. Read more

Biomass in the US: Finding our Carrot and Stick

Wednesday, 4.10.2013 - 6:37 (Renewable Energy World)

Opening discussions at the International Biomass Conference & Expo (BBI) in Minneapolis elicited some strong opinions about the big challenges facing biomass in the U.S., and what can be done to overcome them -- and where we can look for guidance to do it. Panelists comments could generally be defined around several key policy issues that need resolution: carbon tax, RFS, and tax credits. Read more

London Array – Getting Up Close and Personal to Offshore Wind

Wednesday, 4.10.2013 - 15:46 (Renewable Energy World)

Think a fifty-year Crown Estate lease is a long time? Try just fifty minutes on the foredeck of the Smeaton Array, a high-speed ship operating in a strong swell, at the foot of a 3.6-MW spinning Siemens offshore wind turbine unit. In the snow. Read more

Cost Modeling for Offshore Wind Operations and Maintenance

Wednesday, 4.10.2013 - 14:00 (Renewable Energy World)

Several European countries have defined targets to install and operate offshore wind energy as part of their renewable energy goals. According to these targets, more than 40 GW offshore wind power is expected to be installed across the region by the year 2020. Read more

The Next Challenge for Geothermal: Turning the Corner Towards Private Investment

Wednesday, 4.10.2013 - 18:49 (Renewable Energy World)

Early this year, the U.S. geothermal industry caught a rare win with the passage of a PTC provision that allows projects to qualify for the tax credit as long as they are "under construction" by the end of the year. Many had been hopeful that the provision would help kickstart geothermal development in the U.S. Today, however the industry is still waiting for a clear definition of what "under construction" means, which is making it difficult for investors to feel confident enough to pull the trigger on new projects. Read more

Rebuttal: Faulty or Incomplete Analysis Skews Numbers and Conclusions for Renewable Energy

Wednesday, 4.10.2013 - 16:13 (Renewable Energy World)

Matthew Strep's analysis of an NREL Renewables study appeared here and in The Washington Post on April 5th. Read more

Advanced Energy acquires REFUsol for US$77 million

Wednesday, 4.10.2013 - 13:52 (PV-Tech)

Thin-film company Advanced Energy Industries has announced the acquisition of inverter manufacturer REFUsol Holding GmbH, effective immediately. Read more