Conergy completes MW PV plant in England, 62 kW ‘grid parity’ PV system in South Africa

Monday, 4.29.2013 - 20:37 (Solarserver)

On April 24th, 2013, Conergy AG (Hamburg, Germany) announced that it has completed a megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic (PV) plant in England. The PV plant, located near the village of Lovedean in Hampshire, features 18,500 solar modules installed on Conergy SolarLinea mounting systems. It was completed at the end of March 2013. Read more

SunPower begins major construction of 579 MW of PV plants in Southern California

Monday, 4.29.2013 - 15:47 (Solarserver)

SunPower Corporation (San Jose, California, US) has begun “major” construction of the Antelope Valley Solar Projects, which will represent 579 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity when complete. The two PV plants are located on 13.1 square kilometers in California's Los Angeles and Kern Counties. SunPower expects to complete the two plants by the end of 2015. Read more

Schmid Group expects strong incoming orders for APCVD technology

Monday, 4.29.2013 - 15:35 (Solarserver)

The Schmid Group (Freudenstadt, Germany) reports that it received two orders for its atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (APCVD) systems early in 2013, and anticipates more as part of an industry shift to passivated emitter rear contact (PERC) solar photovoltaic (PV) cells. Read more

SunEdison Partners with Foxconn to Manufacture PV in Mexico

Monday, 4.29.2013 - 14:00 (Renewable Energy World)

SunEdison, one of the companies that sparked the third-party ownership revolution with businesses — allowing them to install solar with little to no up-front costs — announced on April 23 that it partnered with Foxconn Technology to produce photovoltaics (PV) in Juarez, Mexico. Under the partnership, SunEdison’s sister subsidiary, MEMC Singapore (b Read more

GPTech to venture into South African PV grid integration market

Monday, 4.29.2013 - 13:59 (PV-Tech)

Spanish inverter and power solutions provider GPTech has joined with cable manufacturer CBI Electric to break into the South African PV grid integration market. Read more

OCI cancels polysilicon supply contracts with Suntech

Monday, 4.29.2013 - 11:06 (PV-Tech)

South Korea-based polysilicon supplier OCI has cancelled all three of its long-term supply contracts with Suntech’s Chinese operations in response to subsidiary Suntech Wuxi entering bankruptcy proceedings. Read more

Amonix sets new CPV module world record of 34.9%

Monday, 4.29.2013 - 8:32 (Solarserver)

Amonix Inc. (Seal Beach, California, US) has achieved 34.9% efficiency with its concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) modules, a new world record. National Renewable Energy Laboratories (NREL, Golden, Colorado, US) verified this efficiency during outdoor tests from February through April 2013. The module uses Spectrolab multi-junction solar photovoltaic (PV) cells, which offer a 40% efficiency. Read more

SunPower begins construction of 579 MW of PV plants in Southern California

Monday, 4.29.2013 - 8:20 (Solarserver)

SunPower Corporation (San Jose, California, US) has begun “major” construction of the Antelope Valley Solar Projects, which will represent 579 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity when complete. The two PV plants are located on 13.1 square kilometers in California's Los Angeles and Kern Counties. SunPower expects to complete the two plants by the end of 2015. Read more

SolarWorld ended 2012 with €224 million in cash; net preliminary loss of €476

Monday, 4.29.2013 - 21:39 (PV-Tech)

Struggling SolarWorld has issued a few key the preliminary consolidated financial figures, before disclosing full-year unaudited results Tuesday, April 30. Read more

SolarWorld ends 2012 with €224 million cash; net preliminary loss of €476 million

Monday, 4.29.2013 - 21:39 (PV-Tech)

Struggling SolarWorld has issued a few key preliminary consolidated financial figures, before disclosing full-year unaudited results. Read more

Sharp sets new solar PV cell efficiency world record at 37.9%

Monday, 4.29.2013 - 21:21 (Solarserver)

Sharp Corporation (Osaka, Japan) has set a new world record for solar photovoltaic (PV) cell technology at a concentration of one sun, narrowly besting the record it set in December 2012. Read more

Intersolar North America 2013 to spotlight solar energy storage

Monday, 4.29.2013 - 20:46 (Solarserver)

On April 23rd, 2013, Intersolar North America (ISNA) announced that it will unveil a special exhibition segment dedicated to energy storage at this year's event. The exhibit will address the latest developments in energy storage technology and policy, and tap industry experts' predictions for the strongest growth markets. Last year, ISNA featured special presentations on energy storage. Based on strong demand and positive feedback from 2012 attendees, ISNA states it expanded its offerings on the topic, and created the energy storage special exhibition to highlight the importance of energy storage to the solar market in the United States and beyond. Read more

Solar America partners with L&G Energy Solutions

Monday, 4.29.2013 - 20:30 (Solarserver)

On April 25th, 2013, Solar America Corp. (Gulfport, Mississippi, US) announced that it has signed a letter of intent (LOI) with L&G Energy Solutions (Round Rock, Texas, US), a commercial manufacturer of energy management devices including LED lighting and solar equipment. Under the terms of the LOI, L&G Energy Solutions will supply its LED lighting solutions for incorporation into Solar America's upcoming projects. Read more

Solar PV strategy will be finalised in the ‘coming weeks’

Monday, 4.29.2013 - 18:06 (Solarpowerportal)

The UK solar industry may only have to wait a matter of weeks before government publishes its first ever solar PV strategy. Read more

NLP Solar Sales Training | Loan Program Included | Live Webinar May 1st & 2nd

Monday, 4.29.2013 - 18:00 (Renewable Energy World)

Read more

Barker: Solar must not become ‘bone of public contention’

Monday, 4.29.2013 - 17:08 (Solarpowerportal)

Energy and climate change minister Greg Barker, has warned that the UK solar industry must work hard to maintain the public support it currently enjoys. Read more

EC launches anti-subsidy investigation of solar glass imports

Monday, 4.29.2013 - 15:43 (Solarserver)

The European Commission (EC) has begun a countervailing duty (CVD) investigation into imports of glass from China used in solar photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing, based on a trade complaint filed by trade group EU ProSun Glass. Read more

Bouygyes Construction and Soleq Solar plan 30MW in Thailand

Monday, 4.29.2013 - 15:04 (PV-Tech)

Bouygyes Construction and solar energy producer Soleq Solar Thailand have signed a contract worth approximately US$50 million for three PV plants in the Tak and Sukhothai provinces of north-east Thailand. Read more

Bouygyes Construction and Soleq Solar 30MW JV in Thailand

Monday, 4.29.2013 - 15:04 (PV-Tech)

Bouygyes Construction and solar energy producer Soleq Solar Thailand have signed a contract worth approximately US$50 million for three PV plants in the Tak and Sukhothai provinces of north-east Thailand. Read more

European Commission launches anti-subsidy solar glass investigation

Monday, 4.29.2013 - 15:00 (Solarpowerportal)

The European Commission has initiated an anti-subsidy investigation into imports of solar glass from China. Read more

Mosaic: Making Money from Solar and Beyond

Monday, 4.29.2013 - 14:38 (Renewable Energy World)

What's not to like about Mosaic? The startup's lure lies in its melding of clean energy and crowdfunding, two concepts that easily trigger good vibes among the environmentally conscious and supporters of grassroots efforts. Barely three years old, the company has attracted over 1,200 investors to finance solar power generation projects, with contributions ranging from $25 to $10,000. Read more

Kenyan Island to Fight Malaria Using Solar Power

Monday, 4.29.2013 - 14:00 (Renewable Energy World)

Since solar photovoltaic panels were first invented they have been used for many purposes and will no doubt continue to do so over the coming years. It is always good to hear of them being installed for a worthwhile cause over and above the usual benefits that they provide to the environment. A Kenyan island is gradually having solar panels fitted Read more

Haven trials solar-powered caravan

Monday, 4.29.2013 - 13:12 (Solarpowerportal)

Britain’s largest holiday park owner is trialling the use of solar panels on its holiday homes, after a holiday home in Rockley Park Holiday Park, Poole was fitted with a solar PV array. Read more

European Commission launches anti-subsidy solar glass investigation

Monday, 4.29.2013 - 13:09 (PV-Tech)

The European Commission has initiated an anti-subsidy investigation into imports of solar glass from China. Read more

Wind, solar peak at more than half of Germany's electricity needs on April 18th, 2013

Monday, 4.29.2013 - 12:00 (Solarserver)

On April 18th, 2013 Germany set a new record for combined solar and wind generation, reaching 35.6 GW at 12:00 PM local time. The EEX transparency website reports that solar reached 18.9 GW, with wind producing 16.7 GW. This is the first time that wind and solar have provided more than 50% on a high-consumption day during the working week. Read more

Cornish farm secures planning permission for 11MW solar farm

Monday, 4.29.2013 - 11:57 (Solarpowerportal)

A llama and sheep farm in Truro will also soon be harvesting the sun’s energy too after British Solar Renewables secured planning permission for an 11MW solar farm. Read more

ReneSola module approved for Japanese tariff

Monday, 4.29.2013 - 11:56 (PV-Tech)

Chinese manufacturer ReneSola’s 125-square monocrystalline module has been approved for use in the Japanese solar market. Read more

Solar crowd-funding: Mosaic opens its largest PV project to date for investment

Monday, 4.29.2013 - 11:55 (Solarserver)

On April 25th, 2013 crowd-funding venture Mosaic (Oakland, California, US) released a new 487 kW solar photovoltaic (PV) project for investment, as the second in its new “Golden State” series. USD 700,000 will be available for investment in the PV plant, which is located on the roof of the Wildwoods Convention Center. The first project in the Golden States series was fully subscribed at USD 153,000 within six hours of being released. Read more

IPVEA, EuPD Research form solar energy/storage trade group

Monday, 4.29.2013 - 8:16 (Solarserver)

The International Photovoltaic Equipment Association (IPVEA) and EuPD Research (Bonn, Germany) have founded a new organization to support and enable cooperation between solar, energy storage and smart grid companies. The International Battery and Energy Storage Alliance (IBESA) also seeks to create access to professional resources, market intelligence, new networks and emerging markets. IPVEA says its members will immediately benefit from the partnership. Read more

Bill to allow 'Master Limited Partnerships' introduced in US Senate

Monday, 4.29.2013 - 8:12 (Solarserver)

On April 24th, 2013 a group of US Senators introduced a bill to allow solar and other renewable energy projects to benefit from Master Limited Partnership (MLP) structures as a means to improve access to capital. The bill was sponsored by two US Senators from President Obama's Democratic Party, and two from the opposition Republican Party, and is in line with changes proposed by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA, Washington DC, US). Read more

Progress Report: Seven US Offshore Wind Demonstration Projects

Monday, 4.29.2013 - 15:51 (Renewable Energy World)

Ahead of next week's AWEA Windpower event in Chicago, a Webinar from the Department of Energy (DoE) provided an update on the potential for offshore wind energy in the U.S. with a state-by-state progress report, as well as seven DoE-backed demonstration projects preparing to explore various types of technologies to simplify the costs and efficiency of offshore-generated wind energy. Read more

Georgia Power to Acquire 250 MW of Wind; Underscores Strategy of Portfolio Diversity

Monday, 4.29.2013 - 15:20 (Renewable Energy World)

Another Southern Company utility now has wind energy in its portfolio. Read more

DOE laboratory unveils low-cost, long-life flow battery

Monday, 4.29.2013 - 11:50 (Solarserver)

Researchers from the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Stanford Linear Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC, Menlo Park, California, US) have designed a low-cost, long-life flow battery that can assist grid integration of solar and wind energy. DOE says the new lithium-polysulfide flow battery uses a simplified, less expensive design than other batteries, which may improve its scalability. The agency also reports that the battery maintained strong energy storage performance through the equivalent of more than 5 ½ years of daily charge and discharge cycles. Read more

MidAmerican, SunPower Begin "Major Construction" at Antelope Valley

Monday, 4.29.2013 - 21:24 (Renewable Energy World)

MidAmerican Solar and SunPower have begun "major construction" at the Antelope Valley Solar Projects (AVSP), two co-located megasolar projects totaling a combined 579 megawatts (AC) generation capacity that MidAmerican bought earlier this year for $2+ billion. Read more

Ethiopia to Get Chinese Funds for $1 Billion Hydropower Line

Monday, 4.29.2013 - 14:00 (Renewable Energy World)

Ethiopia will receive funds from China for a transmission line valued at $1 billion that will bring electricity from a hydropower plant to the capital, Addis Ababa according to a government official. Read more

NYC Mayor Signs Legislation to Study Geothermal Feasibility

Monday, 4.29.2013 - 15:34 (Renewable Energy World)

Mayor Bloomberg has signed legislation that will require the Office of Long Term Planning and Sustainability to study geothermal energy resources and the feasibility of developing them in New York City. The bill was sponsored by Council Members Gennaro, Garodnick, Brewer, Fidler, Gentile, James, Koppell, Lander, Mark-Viverito, Palma, Williams, Arroyo, Levin, Dromm, Van Bramer, Barron, Eugene, Greenfield, Jackson, Richards, Halloran and Ulrich. Read more

Enel Green Power started construction on 19 MW of PV installations in Romania

Monday, 4.29.2013 - 20:25 (Solarserver)

Enel Green Power S.p.A. (Rome, Italy) announced to build 55 megawatts (MW) of solar photovoltaic (PV) plants in Romania and 21 MW in Italy by 2017. The company notes that it started construction on 19 MW of PV installations in Romania at the end of February 2013. Read more

Winaico ranked top of California Energy Commission’s PTC list

Monday, 4.29.2013 - 17:57 (PV-Tech)

Go Solar California, via the California Energy Commission (CEC), has ranked Winaico modules highest out of almost 200 companies, outperforming companies like Trina Solar, Canadian Solar and SolarWorld. Read more

International energy storage alliance launched

Monday, 4.29.2013 - 12:51 (PV-Tech)

The International PV Equipment Association (IPVEA) and solar research group EuPD have jointly formed a new industry body to represent the emerging solar storage sector. Read more

European Bank invests US$4.97 million to construct 5MW plant in Ukraine

Monday, 4.29.2013 - 12:03 (PV-Tech)

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has pledged €70 million (US$92 million) to finance renewable energy projects in Ukraine. Read more