JA Solar losses narrow as shipments boom in Q1 2013

Monday, 5.20.2013 - 20:32 (Solarserver)

JA Solar Holding Company Ltd. (Shanghai, China) has released results for the first quarter of 2013, reporting a 4.7% year-over-year increase in revenues to USD 270 million, a -5.1% operating margin and a net loss of USD 33.3 million. Read more

British Gas and solar fund sign industrial sites deal

Monday, 5.20.2013 - 18:16 (Solarpowerportal)

Fund and asset manager Bluefield Partners today announced a deal to finance solar PV facilities across UK industrial and commercial sites owned by British Gas clients. Read more

Council refuses planning consent to 5MW solar park after construction

Monday, 5.20.2013 - 18:01 (Solarpowerportal)

Planning officials at South Northamptonshire Council have refused to approve changes made to a 5MW solar park built earlier this year, effectively stripping it of planning consent post-construction. Read more

Goldbeck Solar completes three UK solar parks

Monday, 5.20.2013 - 17:59 (Solarpowerportal)

German solar developer Goldbeck Solar has completed three ground-mounted solar projects in the UK totalling 19.4MW of new capacity. Read more

Shinsei bank to supply financing for Goldman Sach's first solar PV projects in Japan

Monday, 5.20.2013 - 15:29 (Solarserver)

Shinsei Bank Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan) has agreed to loan roughly USD 100 million to a Japanese project development company established by Goldman Sachs (New York, New York, US) to support three solar photovoltaic (PV) projects totaling 40 MW in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. Read more

Texas solar PV generation increases 265% in 2012

Monday, 5.20.2013 - 15:22 (Solarserver)

ERCOT, the grid operator in the US state of Texas reports that solar photovoltaic (PV) generation increased 265% to 134 Gwh in 2012. Read more

Plymouth Council to host supplier open day for £500,000 solar project

Monday, 5.20.2013 - 13:49 (Solarpowerportal)

Plymouth Council has invited solar business leaders to attend a supplier open day on 22 May, as part of its planned energy project. Read more

Germany: EU anti-dumping duties would be ‘grave’ mistake

Monday, 5.20.2013 - 13:16 (Solarpowerportal)

Germany’s vice chancellor and economy minister Philipp Rösler has reportedly attacked the European Commission’s plans to impose anti-dumping duties on Chinese solar panels as a “grave” mistake. Read more

Solar Shakeout: alfasolar files for insolvency

Monday, 5.20.2013 - 12:51 (PV-Tech)

German manufacturer alfasolar has filed for insolvency at Hannover County Court. Read more

Germany: EU anti-dumping duties would be ‘grave’ mistake

Monday, 5.20.2013 - 12:26 (PV-Tech)

Germany’s vice chancellor and economy minister Philipp Rösler has reportedly attacked the European Commission’s plans to impose anti-dumping duties on Chinese solar panels as a “grave” mistake. Read more

SAG solar secures loan for 33MW UK project

Monday, 5.20.2013 - 11:35 (Solarpowerportal)

SAG solar, a subsidiary of German PV developer SAG Solarstrom, has secured a £29.5 million loan for the recently completed 33MW solar plant at Wymeswold airfield in Leicestershire. Read more

Brazil inaugurates first solar-powered stadium for 2014 World Cup

Monday, 5.20.2013 - 11:33 (PV-Tech)

Preparations for the 2014 World Cup are well underway in the host country of Brazil with the first solar array on a stadium having been completed and inaugurated ready for the football competition. Read more

San Antonio Solar Fans Delay Introduction of SunCredit Program

Monday, 5.20.2013 - 11:12 (Renewable Energy World)

Read more

ClearSky: South Africa, Morocco top African solar PV markets

Monday, 5.20.2013 - 7:51 (Solarserver)

ClearSky Advisors (Toronto, Canada) has released a new report which identifies South Africa and Morocco as the most promising emerging markets for solar photovoltaic (PV) technolgy in Africa. ClearSky's “Africa PV Market Attractiveness” report identifies and examines the top 10 most attractive markets in the continent. The report also finds that while Morocco's PV industry is driven a need to transition off of expensive fossil fuel imports, South Africa has shown a greater political commitment. Read more

SolarCity, Goldman Sachs to fund more than USD 500 million in solar PV projects

Monday, 5.20.2013 - 7:46 (Solarserver)

SolarCity Corporation (San Mateo, California, US) has reached a lease financing agreement with Goldman Sachs (New York, New York, US) to provide more than USD 500 million in funding to support an estimated 110 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) projects. SolarCity and Goldman Sachs initiated the agreement in 2012 and expanded per its initial terms at the end of April. The combined lease financing is the largest of its kind in the United States for homeowners, and has already enabled the deployment of 26 MW of PV. Read more

Mosaic reaches more than USD 1 million invested by 832 persons in New Jersey solar PV project

Monday, 5.20.2013 - 7:32 (Solarserver)

Solar crowd-funding platform Mosaic (Oakland, California) reports that more than USD 1 million has been invested in its 487 kW PV project in the US state of New Jersey. 823 individuals in 42 US states have invested in the project, Mosaic's largest to date, with investments ranging from USD 25 – 50,000. The project at the Wildwoods boardwalk on the Jersey Shore was opened to investors on April 25th, 2013 and will offer a% yield. Read more

JA Solar repays convertible notes

Monday, 5.20.2013 - 7:28 (Solarserver)

JA Solar Holdings Company Ltd. (Shanghai, China) has repaid its% convertible notes due May 15th, 2013, for a total value of USD 119 million in interest and principal. JA Solar's announcement follows the failures of both Suntech (Wuxi, China) and LDK Solar (Xinyu City, China) to repay bonds in March and April 2013. Suntech continues to attempt to restructure its bonds, and LDK reached a private settlement with some bondholders. Read more

Defra and DECC launch EU environmental policy review

Monday, 5.20.2013 - 17:43 (Solarpowerportal)

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) are seeking UK businesses and organisations’ views on European Union environmental policy. Read more

French and German Ministers Call for 2030 Renewable Energy Targets

Monday, 5.20.2013 - 17:25 (Renewable Energy World)

Writing in France’s prestigious centre-left daily newspaper Le Monde, Peter Altmaier, the German environment minister, and Delphine Batho, his French counterpart, underlined the need for a 2030 renewable energy target and highlighed the importance of renewables in transforming the European economy, improving energy security and reducing greenhouse Read more

BT inks 100% renewable agreement with Npower

Monday, 5.20.2013 - 17:09 (Solarpowerportal)

BT will source all its electricity from renewable sources after signing an agreement with Npower. Read more

Does Buying Clean Energy Stocks Do Any Good?

Monday, 5.20.2013 - 16:50 (Renewable Energy World)

Volt owners are almost universally happy with their cars, despite the fact that very few will recoup the extra costs of the car in gas savings. Even though the financial savings are small compared to the large upfront payment for the vehicle, the emotional payback more than compensates. Read more

RHPP payments to double following industry lobbying

Monday, 5.20.2013 - 15:40 (Solarpowerportal)

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has announced that payments for the Renewable Heat Premium Payment (RHPP) scheme have been significantly increased as of today. Read more

Texas Legislature Passes Commercial and Industrial PACE Bill

Monday, 5.20.2013 - 14:00 (Renewable Energy World)

The Texas House and Senate passed Senate Bill 385 in May. If Governor Rick Perry approves the bill, the state will break new ground by developing plans for commercial and industrial property assessed clean energy (PACE) programs. This bill will redesign Texas's approach to PACE, focusing on the commercial and industrial sectors rather than on residential programs. The legislation covers both energy efficiency and water efficiency. Read more

Asia Report: Tweaking India's Domestic Content Policy

Monday, 5.20.2013 - 14:00 (Renewable Energy World)

India's solar energy policy contains domestic content requirements for solar cells and panels, but initially these excluded thin-film technologies — a big help to First Solar among others. But as expected, new proposals aim to close that loop. Read more

Why Boulder, Colorado Opted for a Clean Energy Takeover

Monday, 5.20.2013 - 13:35 (Renewable Energy World)

The process started in 2003 when Boulder resumed studying the option to create a municipal utility. With a climate-action plan already in place, and a local carbon tax already financing conservation and clean energy, the once nascent issue became a serious option in Boulder. Creating a municipal utility would allow for more control over the grid, r Read more

Shinsei Bank provides loan for 40MW worth of Japanese PV projects

Monday, 5.20.2013 - 12:38 (PV-Tech)

Japan’s Shinsei Bank has signed a project financing agreement with Japan Renewable Energy to provide a ¥10 billion (US$97 million) loan to fund the development of 40MW worth of PV projects. Read more

Which? survey reveals Green Deal home buyer concerns

Monday, 5.20.2013 - 12:12 (Solarpowerportal)

Prospective home buyers are wary of purchasing properties with a Green Deal loan attached to it, according to a survey by consumer watchdog. Read more

Goldman Sachs to Invest $486 Million in Japan Renewable Energy

Monday, 5.20.2013 - 10:46 (Renewable Energy World)

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. plans to invest as much as 50 billion yen ($487 million) in renewable energy projects in Japan in the next five years, tapping demand for electricity produced from solar and wind-power generators. Read more

North Carolina definitively defeats effort to repeal renewable energy policy

Monday, 5.20.2013 - 7:42 (Solarserver)

A bill to repeal the US state of North Carolina's Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Standard (REPS) has stalled in a committee of the North Carolina House of Representatives, failing to win the support of some members of the Republican Party. A companion bill, S 365, has stalled in the Senate Commerce Committee, after being passed out the Senate Finance Committee through a questionable vote. Both bills failed to meet the May 16th, 2013 “cross-over” deadline for this session of the legislature, and thus are dead in the water. Read more