Flexible solar module manufacturing strategies building momentum

Thursday, 5.2.2013 - 17:08 (PV-Tech)

Citing improved margins against very tight capital expenditure control, PV module manufacturers are increasingly outsourcing part of their production needs, benefiting the likes of Flextronics, Jabil Circuits and JA Solar, according to a new report from IHS. Read more

Wagner Solar to stock Voltec Solar modules

Thursday, 5.2.2013 - 16:58 (Solarpowerportal)

Wagner Solar UK has penned a distribution deal with the European solar manufacturer Voltec Solar. Read more

IMS: Growth in China and Japan drives fragmentation of PV inverter market

Thursday, 5.2.2013 - 12:05 (PV-Tech)

The supplier base for PV inverters continued to fragment in 2012, with the market share of the world’s 10 largest suppliers falling by 6%, according to a report by IMS Research. Read more

Suntech revenues down in preliminary results

Thursday, 5.2.2013 - 9:46 (Solarserver)

Suntech Power Holdings Company Ltd. (Wuxi, China) has announced preliminary results for the fourth quarter of 2013, reporting a 43% year-over-year decrease in revenues to USD 358 million. Suntech also provided an update on its restructuring initiatives including announcing a creditor meeting on May 22nd, 2013 and proposing a new business plan for its European subsidiary. Read more

Massachusetts Resets Its Solar Energy Bar, Four Years Early

Thursday, 5.2.2013 - 21:41 (Renewable Energy World)

Solar installations in Massachusetts topped 135 MW in 2012, and through April of this year another 30 MW was installed. This week, on May 1, the state achieved a milestone: 250 MW of installed solar capacity, fulfilling a goal set by Governor Deval Patrick's administration — a goal that was expected to be achieved four years from now. Read more

REC to supply 72 MW of modules to Thai solar PV plants

Thursday, 5.2.2013 - 21:40 (Solarserver)

Renewable Energy Corporation ASA (REC, Sandvika, Norway) has won a contract to supply 72 MW of its solar photovoltaic (PV) modules for six PV projects in Central Thailand. Read more

Residential Solar Sub-Contractors Work For Pennies - NLP Solar Sales Training May 15 & 16

Thursday, 5.2.2013 - 16:00 (Renewable Energy World)

Read more

NPD Solarbuzz: PV module prices stabilizing as large suppliers gain market share

Thursday, 5.2.2013 - 15:49 (Solarserver)

NPD Solarbuzz (San Francisco, California, US) reports that module prices from the 20 top solar photovoltaic (PV) module manufacturers appeared to stabilize in the first quarter of 2013 at around USD 0.76 per watt. Read more

First 19 MW of AVSE solar PV plant commissioned in Arizona

Thursday, 5.2.2013 - 15:37 (Solarserver)

LS Power Inc. (New York, New York, US) and Fluor Corporation (Houston, Texas, US) have commissioned the first 19 MW phase of the Arlington Valley Solar Energy Project (AVSE), a solar photovoltaic (PV) project located in the US state of Arizona. Read more

Chinese module suppliers continue to dominate global sphere

Thursday, 5.2.2013 - 14:31 (PV-Tech)

The top 20 solar PV module suppliers accounted for almost 70% of global PV shipments in Q1 2013, according to the latest NPD Solarbuzz Module Tracker Quarterly report. Read more

US introduces regulation to prioritise public land for solar projects

Thursday, 5.2.2013 - 14:29 (PV-Tech)

The US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has issued a regulation aimed at facilitating the development of solar and other renewable energy projects on public land. Read more

UK llama farm obtains planning permission for 11MW PV array

Thursday, 5.2.2013 - 13:56 (PV-Tech)

British Solar Renewables has received planning permission to build an 11MW PV system at a llama and sheep farm in Truro, Cornwall, UK. Read more

LS Power Group connects phase one of 127MW AV Solar II project

Thursday, 5.2.2013 - 13:21 (PV-Tech)

The first phase of the five-phase 127MW Arlington Valley Solar Energy II project located in southwest Arizona, US, has officially opened and become live. Read more

PSE&G reaches preliminary agreement over 142 MW in solar PV investments

Thursday, 5.2.2013 - 12:24 (Solarserver)

Public Services Enterprise Group (PSE&G) has reached an agreement with the staff of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to allow it to invest USD 466 million to support 142 MW of new solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity over the next three years. This will include USD 247 million to develop 42 MW on landfills and brownfields, as well as 3 MW in smaller plots through the Solar 4 All program extension. Additionally, PSE&G will invest USD 199 million to support 97.5 MW through the Solar Loan 3 program. Read more

Solar Trade Association, European PV associations protest potential duties on Chinese PV imports

Thursday, 5.2.2013 - 12:20 (Solarserver)

The Solar Trade Association (STA, Milton Keynes, UK) and eight other European trade associations have sent a letter to European Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht arguing against potential tariffs on imports of Chinese solar photovoltaic (PV) products. STA argues that anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations have already caused impacts greater than any possible benefit for European PV manufacturers, including the cancellation of orders, the suspension of contracts and greater uncertainty in the industry. Read more

GTM Research: Yingli takes top producer spot

Thursday, 5.2.2013 - 11:52 (PV-Tech)

Yingli Solar has been crowned as the top module producer for the first time as well as the top cell manufacturer in 2012, according to rankings compiled by GTM Research. Read more

Abengoa shows continued growth in 1Q 2013

Thursday, 5.2.2013 - 9:42 (Solarserver)

Abengoa SA (Seville, Spain) has released results for the first quarter of 2013, reporting a 19% year-over-year increase in revenues to EUR 1.85 billion (USD 2.44 billion). The company also reports a 9.8% operating margin and a net income of EUR 98 million (USD 129 million). Revenues in Abengoa's Engineering and Construction division increased 33% to EUR 1.38 billion (USD 1.82 billion), while solar revenues in the company's Concession-Type Infrastructure division fell 16% to EUR 37 million (USD 49 million). Read more

Clariant Looks to Biofuel as Older Assets Lined Up for Disposal

Thursday, 5.2.2013 - 16:04 (Renewable Energy World)

Clariant AG said it's prepared to take on a partner and help fund a second-generation bioethanol plant to prove the effectiveness of its biotechnology and compete against Royal DSM NV and Novozymes A/S. Read more

New Battery Design Could Help Solar and Wind Energy Power the Grid

Thursday, 5.2.2013 - 14:00 (Renewable Energy World)

Researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University have designed a low-cost, long-life battery that could enable solar and wind energy to become major suppliers to the electrical grid. Read more

Renewable Energy Leases on Tribal Lands: Enhanced Sovereignty and Increased Responsibility

Thursday, 5.2.2013 - 14:00 (Renewable Energy World)

2013 may well be remembered as the year that ushered in a new era for the development of renewable energy projects on tribal lands. Read more

Distributed Energy Storage Benefits on Both Sides of the Meter

Thursday, 5.2.2013 - 14:00 (Renewable Energy World)

Solar and wind are excellent sources of clean, renewable energy, but as they contribute a larger share to the generation fleet, their integration will become increasingly challenging. The reason: solar and wind cannot be dispatched in the same way as other sources of energy, such as nuclear, hydro, and fossil fuels. Because the grid must operate “j Read more

The $40 Billion Hiding in US Buildings

Thursday, 5.2.2013 - 14:00 (Renewable Energy World)

A pretty big wad of money — $40 billion — is hiding somewhere inside the lights, AC, thermostats, furnaces and fans of our offices, stores, hospitals and schools. That’s the amount of money the federal government estimates we can save annually by reducing energy use in commercial buildings 20 percent by 2020.  To achieve the goal, the Obama adminis Read more

DECC launches £6 million social landlord renewable heat scheme

Thursday, 5.2.2013 - 13:24 (Solarpowerportal)

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has launched a £6 million competition to encourage social landlords to implement renewable heating. Read more

Report: EU low carbon infrastructure investment is ‘urgently required’

Thursday, 5.2.2013 - 7:59 (Solarpowerportal)

Investment in energy projects across Europe has been hampered by a lack of clear EU policy, according to the House of Lords EU Sub-Committee for Agriculture, Fisheries, Environment and Energy. Read more

Another Electric Car Maker Loses Power

Thursday, 5.2.2013 - 20:23 (Renewable Energy World)

After selling just 100 units of its product, electric car manufacturer Coda Holdings has filed for Chapter 11 in a Delaware bankruptcy court. Coda Automotive's only vehicle was its Coda Car, an all-electric sedan with four doors and a battery pack. The company has its headquarters in Los Angeles. Coda Cars have an EPA-rated battery range of about 8 Read more