Rural Power from Pico and Hybrid PV Explored

Friday, 7.19.2013 - 20:15 (Renewable Energy World)

Two new reports on rural electrification applications for pico and hybrid PV systems have been published by the Photovoltaic Power System Programme from the International Energy Agency (IEA PVPS). Read more

Suntech’s creditor claims of US$994.8 million revealed

Friday, 7.19.2013 - 16:24 (PV-Tech)

Due to the insolvency proceedings by Suntech Power Holdings main European sales operations, Suntech Power International based in Switzerland, the company has submitted creditor claims to the administrator overseeing the case. Read more

REC Gives Up Vertical Integration, Splits Wafer and Module Divisions

Friday, 7.19.2013 - 16:03 (Renewable Energy World)

With plummeting prices in the past few years, many upstream solar companies have expanded further downstream in the value chain to maximize their growth prospects and profits. But here's the Catch-22: in many cases this expansion of solar market exposure has multiplied the cost pressures from all directions in the market's relentless march to lower costs overall. Increasingly it's made more sense for solar cell and module companies to just procure the material rather than make it internally. The next big wave of industry consolidation might well start with vertically integrated manufacturers. Read more

Conergy to be acquired but manufacturing not included

Friday, 7.19.2013 - 13:00 (Solarpowerportal)

A deal that would see Conergy’s sales operations sold and split from its PV module and mounting systems manufacturing operations has been signed between US-based financial investor, Kawa Capital Management, Conergy and the preliminary insolvency administrator of Conergy. Read more

Conergy to be acquired but manufacturing not included

Friday, 7.19.2013 - 10:05 (PV-Tech)

A deal that would see Conergy’s sales operations sold and split from its PV module and mounting systems manufacturing operations has been signed between US-based financial investor, Kawa Capital Management, Conergy and the preliminary insolvency administrator of Conergy. Read more

Enough Is Enough: An Open Letter to SEIA, SEPA, Intersolar and All Solar Industry Leaders

Friday, 7.19.2013 - 19:44 (Renewable Energy World)

On the shoulders of previous generations, women have made remarkable strides in gender equality, but we all know the fight is far from over. Around the country, gender politics are coming to head.  In state and Federal legislatures and in the U.S. military establishment, women are on the front lines battling for basic and fundamental human rights, Read more

LG commisions Xnergy to install solar on mobile comms facility

Friday, 7.19.2013 - 17:13 (PV-Tech)

A PV array combining a mix of rooftop and solar shade structures is to be built at the LG Electronics mobile communication facility in San Diego, California. The contract to build it has been awarded to the EPC Xnergy, a subsidiary of renewable energy and energy efficiency management company Blue Earth. Read more

Solar Power Portal Award deadline extended to Sunday

Friday, 7.19.2013 - 17:11 (Solarpowerportal)

Due to a late surge in demand to enter the inaugural Solar Power Portal Awards we have decided to extend the submission deadline to midnight on Sunday, 21 July. Read more

Uruguay opens second phase of solar energy tender

Friday, 7.19.2013 - 16:40 (PV-Tech)

Uruguay has opened a second tender period for its 200MW solar energy plans. Read more

US$30 million funding announced for ARPA-E solar research projects

Friday, 7.19.2013 - 13:49 (PV-Tech)

US$30 million from the advanced research projects agency for energy (ARPA-E) will be available for new solar research programmes. Read more

Canadian PV market expected to install 3.48GW by 2018

Friday, 7.19.2013 - 13:28 (PV-Tech)

Toronto research firm ClearSky Advisors has published its Canadian Solar PV Sector Market Forecast for 2014 to 2018, which predicts that installed solar capacity in Canada will have reached 3.48GW by the end of that period. Read more

Chile approves US$1.1 billion investment in PV sector

Friday, 7.19.2013 - 13:20 (PV-Tech)

The Foreign Investment Committee (CIEChile) approved 10 applications on 9 July for investment by Chinese companies reaching a total of US$1.2 billion, reportedly including PV investment by Sky Solar. Read more

Phono Solar signs 20MW agreement with Australian distributor REDSET

Friday, 7.19.2013 - 13:04 (PV-Tech)

Chinese manufacturer Phono Solar has signed a 20MW deal with Australian distributor REDSET as it looks to offset damage in the European market caused by ongoing trade dispute. Read more

Thailand Adding 1,000 MW of Solar with New Feed-in Tariffs

Friday, 7.19.2013 - 13:00 (Renewable Energy World)

While municipal utilities in Los Angeles and on New York’s Long Island plod along with timid municipal feed-in tariff programs, Thailand plans to add another 1,000 MW of solar photovoltaics (solar PV) by the end of 2014. Read more

Rainbow Power Company to provide solar PV systems to serve 33,900 residents of Papua New Guinea

Friday, 7.19.2013 - 12:47 (Solarserver)

Rainbow Power Company Ltd. (RPC, Nimbin, Australia) has signed a contract to provide consultancy, training services and solar photovoltaic (PV) equipment to a project to provide PV-powered mini-grids to 49 villages in Western Province, Papua New Guinea. Villages will receive a three-phase solar/battery/inverter system that will supply electricity for lighting, television, phone charging and a community cool room. The PV systems will range between 11 and 22 kW each, for a total of 650 kW. Read more

Korea to loan USD 49 million to Honduras for “New Town” solar PV initiative

Friday, 7.19.2013 - 12:42 (Solarserver)

The Export-Import Bank of Korea plans to provide a USD 49 million loan for solar photovoltaic (PV) projects in Honduras, as part of a wide-ranging package of agreements between the two nations. South Korean volunteers will operate the “New Town” solar initiative in Western Honduras collaboration with the National Program for Sustainable Development (PRONADERS). Read more

Canadian Solar receives health and safety, environmental certification for Ontario solar PV module factory

Friday, 7.19.2013 - 12:37 (Solarserver)

TÜV Rheinland (Cologne, Germany) has awarded Canadian Solar Inc.'s (Guelph, Canada) solar photovoltaic (PV) module factory in Guelph with OHSAS 18001:2007 health and safety management system certification, as well as ISO 14001:2004 environmental management certification. Canadian Solar opened the factory in January 2011, as the largest PV module factory in the Canadian province of Ontario. The company notes that it is one of the few PV manufacturers to obtain full compliance with the ISO 9001 Quality Standard, ISO 14001 Environmental Standard and OHSAS 18001 Health and Safety System. Read more

France passes 3.33GW of installed solar capacity

Friday, 7.19.2013 - 12:03 (PV-Tech)

Mainland France has installed more than 3.33GW of solar power capacity according to the country’s grid operator Electricite Reseau Distribution France (ERDF). Read more

Paramount Solar forms new fund to finance solar installations with US Bank

Friday, 7.19.2013 - 12:01 (PV-Tech)

Paramount Equity’s California-based residential solar energy division Paramount Solar, could potentially finance around 1,600 residential solar systems through the Paramount Energy Fund, a proprietary fund partnered by US Bank, a division of Minnesota financial services provider US Bancorp. Read more

Trina Solar completes US$138 million debt purchase

Friday, 7.19.2013 - 11:06 (PV-Tech)

Trina Solar has completed the repurchase of its outstanding convertible debt on schedule. Read more

PvXchange: Price difference between Chinese, German-made solar PV modules narrowing

Friday, 7.19.2013 - 7:16 (Solarserver)

PvXchange GmbH (Cologne, Germany) reports that the price differential between Chinese-made and German-made solar photovoltaic (PV) modules has fallen from 44% to 37%. The company notes that a number of factors are making it difficult to report prices for different PV products, including the impact of leftover PV cells, German-made PV modules and cadmium telluride (CdTe) PV modules from bankruptcies. PvXchange also states that it has been reporting the prices for duty-paid Chinese PV modules in its price index. Read more

Very little to no grid-tied solar PV deployed in India in June 2013

Friday, 7.19.2013 - 7:11 (Solarserver)

India's Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) reports that no grid-tied solar photovoltaic (PV) plants were deployed in the nation during June 2013, the first such month since October 2012. However, RESolve Energy Consultants (Chennai, India) notes that this contradicts a report from Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corporation Ltd. (Jaipur, India), which found that a 0.25 MW PV plant was commissioned in Rajasthan's Bikaner District on June 28th, 2013. Read more

Renewables Provide 25% of New Electrical Generating Capacity in First Half 2013

Friday, 7.19.2013 - 16:54 (Renewable Energy World)

According to the latest "Energy Infrastructure Update" report from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's Office of Energy Projects, renewable energy sources (i.e., biomass, geothermal, solar, water, wind) accounted for 24.93 percent of all new domestic electrical generating capacity installed in the first six months of 2013 for a total of 2,144 MW. That is more than that provided thus far this year by coal (1,579 MW - 18.36 percent), oil (26 MW - 0.30 percent), and nuclear power (0 MW - 0.00 percent) combined. However, natural gas dominated the first half of 2013 with 4,852 MW of new capacity (56.41 percent). Read more

DECC tables back-stop PPA solution for renewable generators

Friday, 7.19.2013 - 16:50 (Solarpowerportal)

The government has confirmed that it has tabled an amendment to the Energy Bill that is designed to help bolster the Power Purchase Agreement market for independent generators. Read more

The Big Question: Do Domestic Content Rules Help or Hurt Renewables?

Friday, 7.19.2013 - 15:18 (Renewable Energy World)

Over the past few years the World Trade Organization (WTO) has been called upon to investigate cases of domestic content rules (DCR, also known as local content rules or LCR) in renewable energy policy. In a more recent case, Ontario was accused of violating trade law by requiring renewable energy developers to purchase a designated amount of locally sourced materials for projects as part of its feed-in tariff (FIT) program. In December 2012, the WTO found these practices to be illegal and upheld its ruling in May after an appeal was issued. Meanwhile, many countries still incorporate similar rules in their incentive programs. Read more

Renewable industry sceptical over government’s Green Investment Bank strategy

Friday, 7.19.2013 - 11:04 (Solarpowerportal)

Renewable energy experts remain deeply cynical that the Green Investment Bank (GIB) can deliver significant benefits to the UK clean tech sector, according to research published by Invest in Cornwall. Read more