Dyesol claims lab developed dye solar cell efficiency of 11.3%

Thursday, 5.9.2013 - 18:06 (PV-Tech)

Non-revenue generating dye solar cell (DSC) developer Dyesol has claimed a breakthrough in solid-state DSC efficiency of 11.3%. Typically best-in class efficiencies for such cells have been in the 5% range. Read more

Solar Photovoltaic Wafer Production Forecast to Grow 19% in 2013

Thursday, 5.9.2013 - 14:00 (Renewable Energy World)

After falling 15 percent in 2012, solar photovoltaic wafer production is forecast to grow 19 percent in 2013, passing 30 GW and recovering to the 2011 level, according to the latest NPD Solarbuzz Polysilicon and Wafer Supply Chain Quarterly. However, industry utilization is expected to remain below 60 percent, and while prices have stopped falling, no significant increases are expected, so profitability for wafer makers will remain challenging. Read more

Dyesol produces 11.3% efficient dye solar cell

Thursday, 5.9.2013 - 8:21 (Solarserver)

Dyesol Ltd. (Queanbeyan, Australia) has achieved an 11.3% dye solar photovoltaic cell (DSC) efficiency at full sun using solid-state technology. Dyesol has switched from liquid-based to solid-state systems to meet the demands of product life and mass manufacture, and says that this mesoscopic solar cell technology will allow it to manufacture building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) products for the global market. Read more

Solar trade war: STA responds to reports of EU tariffs on Chinese solar PV imports

Thursday, 5.9.2013 - 18:39 (Solarserver)

The Solar Trade Association (STA, Milton Keynes, UK) has responded to media rumors of duties on imported Chinese solar photovoltaic (PV) modules by stating its opposition to any duties that restrict free trade and the growth of the PV market. Read more

Manz reports €3.1 million in solar segment sales in Q1

Thursday, 5.9.2013 - 18:36 (PV-Tech)

Diversified manufacturing equipment specialist Manz reported a 13% increase in first quarter 2013 sales, reaching €49.8 million. Read more

UPDATE: EU-China Solar Trade War Entering Endgame?

Thursday, 5.9.2013 - 18:01 (Renewable Energy World)

The European Commission has decided to recommend duties on Chinese solar panels up to 67.9 percent, according to reports from multiple sources. Read more

SolarCity installs 1.5MW of PV capacity at two water treatment plants

Thursday, 5.9.2013 - 16:47 (PV-Tech)

PV developer SolarCity has installed a total of 1.5MW of PV capacity at two water treatment plants in Sacramento, California. Read more

MEMC Solar revenues down, but strong pipeline and backlog in Q1 2013

Thursday, 5.9.2013 - 16:08 (Solarserver)

MEMC Electronic Materials Inc. (St. Peters, Missouri, US) has released first quarter 2013 results, reporting a 29% year-over-year fall in revenues to USD 214 million and a -5.1% operating margin in its Solar Energy division. Read more

Schneider Electric supplies electrical balance of systems to 48 MW of Thai solar PV plants

Thursday, 5.9.2013 - 15:13 (Solarserver)

Schneider Electric SA (Rueil-Malmaison, France) has provided a complete electrical balance of systems to Soleq Pte Ltd (Singapore) for five solar photovoltaic (PV) plants in Thailand which total 48 MW. Read more

SolarCity to provide 6,500 military homes in Hawaii with solar power

Thursday, 5.9.2013 - 14:44 (PV-Tech)

SolarCity has started to construct the first phase of its SolarStrong project which seeks to provide solar power to 6,500 marine and naval families in Hawaii. Read more

Phoenix Solar sees further losses as restructuring continues

Thursday, 5.9.2013 - 13:58 (PV-Tech)

PV systems integrator Phoenix Solar reported higher losses in the first quarter of 2013 due to severance payments and restructuring to focus on business in the direction of Asia and the USA and away from Germany. Read more

IKEA expands US solar footprint with 38th PV project

Thursday, 5.9.2013 - 13:35 (PV-Tech)

Swedish furniture retailer IKEA is continuing to expand its solar footprint in the US and has announced the completion of its 38th solar project at its store in Stoughton, Massachusetts. Read more

Solar shakeout: LDK Solar subsidiary in Germany enters bankruptcy proceedings

Thursday, 5.9.2013 - 13:17 (PV-Tech)

Having lost its line of credit from its banks, Germany-based PV supplier Sunways, majority-owned by struggling Chinese manufacturer LDK Solar, has been forced into insolvency proceedings. Read more

Major boost for Thailand rooftop solar sector

Thursday, 5.9.2013 - 10:54 (PV-Tech)

Thailand’s government has announced plans to support a major expansion of the country’s solar rooftop sector on both domestic and commercial buildings. Read more

1366 Technologies, Tokuyama partner to advance novel solar wafer process

Thursday, 5.9.2013 - 8:38 (Solarserver)

1366 Technologies (Bedford, Massachusetts, US) and Tokuyama Corporation (Tokyo, Japan) have entered into a partnership to accelerate the adoption of 1366's Direct Wafer technology. The two companies plan to combine resources and collaborate on research and development (R&D) efforts. Terms of the non-equity partnership were not disclosed. Read more

Manz survives solar PV equipment downturn

Thursday, 5.9.2013 - 8:33 (Solarserver)

Manz AG (Reutlingen, Germany) has released results for the first quarter of 2013, reporting a 74% year-over-year decline in revenues in its Solar division to EUR 3.1 million (USD 4.1 million), with an operating loss of EUR 5.3 million (USD 7.0 million). However, overall Manz saw a 13% year-over-year increase in revenues to EUR 49.8 million (USD 65.6 million), a -2.8% operating margin and a net loss of only EUR 3.0 million (USD 3.9 million) during the quarter. This is largely due to the success of its Display division. Read more

Refusol acquisition critical to long-term success, says Advanced Energy’s solar chief

Thursday, 5.9.2013 - 2:48 (PV-Tech)

A top executive from Advanced Energy Industries today admitted the company would have risked relegation to the second tier of inverter companies without its recent acquisition of Refusol, a leading European inverter manufacturer. Read more

Rebuttal: What Determines CO2 Neutrality in Bioenergy Combustion?

Thursday, 5.9.2013 - 19:00 (Renewable Energy World)

The recently released research in Geophysical Research Letters suggests that if 10 percent of the world's energy needs were fulfilled by biofuels from dedicated crops then the consequence would be that global greenhouse gas levels would increase. The foundation of their model is that deforestation, in order to make room for energy crops, eliminates CO2 absorbing forests. They also note that the increased release of nitrous oxide from fertilization will have GHG effects. Read more

MLPs and REITs Back in the Spotlight: Will Washington Finally Level the Playing Field?

Thursday, 5.9.2013 - 14:00 (Renewable Energy World)

In our book Clean Tech Nation, which came out late last year, Clint Wilder and I offered up a Seven-Point Action Plan for Repowering America. One of our main action items was "Leverage Proven Investment Tools from the Oil, Gas, & Real Estate Sectors." Namely, level the investment playing field by opening up master limited partnerships (MLPs) and real estate investment trusts (REITs) to clean-energy projects. Read more

Beyond the PTC – Wind Energy's Future

Thursday, 5.9.2013 - 15:20 (Renewable Energy World)

At Wind Power 2013, the big question on many minds in the wind industry is what will the market look like if and when the production tax credit expires? Wind power experts tried to answer that question at the event held in Chicago this week. Read more

European Commission’s anti-dumping tariffs will damage UK large-scale sector, says STA

Thursday, 5.9.2013 - 13:12 (Solarpowerportal)

UK trade body the Solar Trade Association (STA) has said it is “very disappointed” by the European Commission’s proposals to impose between 37.2% and 67.9% tariffs on Chinese solar module manufacturers. Read more

Proinso supplies first PV plant in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India

Thursday, 5.9.2013 - 8:09 (Solarserver)

Proinso SL (Fustiñana, Spain) has supplied SMA Sunny Central SC800 CP XT inverters to a newly commissioned 5 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant in Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a territory of India. This is the first grid-connected PV plant in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Proinso supplied the inverters via Cirus Solar, its strategic partner for the Indian market. The company notes that it has supplied 55 MW in PV materials to the Indian market to date. Read more

Online tool launched to track US renewable energy legislation

Thursday, 5.9.2013 - 13:16 (PV-Tech)

Colorado State University’s Center for the New Energy Economy (CNEE) has launched an online database enabling users to track renewable energy-related legislation across all 50 US states. Read more

Order Focus: Yingli Green secures 220MW Chinese module contract

Thursday, 5.9.2013 - 12:52 (PV-Tech)

Global PV manufacturer Yingli Green Energy’s Chinese subsidiary has won a bid to supply 220MW of its multicrystalline modules to China Power Investment (CPI) Corporation. Read more

Plans for 1.1GW of CSP in North Africa and Middle East approved

Thursday, 5.9.2013 - 12:02 (PV-Tech)

The governing body of the Climate Investment Funds (CIF) has approved a modified plan that will see Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia install over 1.1GW of concentrated solar power (CSP) capacity in the region. Read more

Plans for 1.1GW of CSP in North African and Middle East approved

Thursday, 5.9.2013 - 12:02 (PV-Tech)

The governing body of the Climate Investment Funds (CIF) has approved a modified plan that will see Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia install over 1.1GW of concentrated solar power (CSP) capacity in the region. Read more