SMA to eliminate 700 full-time positions by the end of 2014

Wednesday, 7.3.2013 - 19:42 (Solarserver)

Citing changed conditions in the global solar photovoltaic (PV) market, SMA Solar Technology AG (Niestetal, Germany) has informed employees that it will eliminate 700 full-time positions in Germany by December 31st, 2014. Read more

SMA Confirms Deep Layoffs in Germany, 800 Workers Affected

Wednesday, 7.3.2013 - 16:52 (Renewable Energy World)

Solar inverter maker SMA Solar Technology has clarified its plans for cutting back its workforce in Germany, a little over a month after acknowledging that tough market conditions would make such a move necessary — and the cutbacks are nearly as deep as feared. Read more

Breakthough efficiency set by Solliance and imec for CZTSe solar cell

Wednesday, 7.3.2013 - 16:31 (PV-Tech)

With the aim of achieving 20% conversion efficiencies but with lower material costs, Solliance and imec have demonstrated a CZTSe (Cu2ZnSnSe4)-based thin-film solar cell (1x1cm2, AM1.5G) with 9.7% efficiency. Read more

Powerguard passes one million insured PV modules in Japanese market

Wednesday, 7.3.2013 - 15:20 (Solarserver)

PowerGuard Specialty Insurance Services (Irvine, Calif.) on July 1st, 2013, announced that more than one million insured solar photovoltaic (PV) panels have been reported to the PowerGuard’s Third Party Warranty Program and delivered into the Japanese marketplace. PowerGuard's warranty allows solar PV manufacturers to offer clients the enhanced security of additional warranty protection in the unlikely event of a solar manufacturer's bankruptcy. Read more

Yingli to expand to Malaysian residential PV market

Wednesday, 7.3.2013 - 15:14 (Solarserver)

Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited (Boading, China) on July 2nd, 2013, announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Yingli Green Energy Singapore Company Pte. Limited has signed a framework agreement with RE FIT Solution Sdn. Bhd. (Klang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia) to supply 500 kW of multi-crystalline solar photovoltaic (PV) modules for the residential market in Malaysia. Read more

Solar Fred's Introduction to Solar Guerrilla Marketing, Part 1

Wednesday, 7.3.2013 - 19:25 (Renewable Energy World)

Last week, I wrote about a missed opportunity for great solar guerrilla marketing, and people shared that post 71 times on Facebook alone. Why? Because the idea was fun, creative, surprising, and effective. But specifically, what is solar guerrilla marketing? The short answer is that solar guerrilla marketing is a courageous, creative, positive, an Read more

SMA Solar to shed 700 jobs as market conditions remain volatile

Wednesday, 7.3.2013 - 17:00 (PV-Tech)

Citing changing market conditions and an extended period of consolidation within the solar sector, PV inverter market leader, SMA Solar Technology plans to reduce its headcount further by around 700 full-time positions in Germany by the end of 2014. Read more

Yingli, Sharp led solar PV module shipments in Q1 2013, but American companies earned the most

Wednesday, 7.3.2013 - 16:51 (Solarserver)

EnergyTrend, a division of TrendForce (Taipei, Taiwan) has released listings of the top ten solar photovoltaic (PV) module manufacturers in the first quarter of 2013, both by revenues and shipment volume. Read more

Another extremely difficult quarter for the solar PV equipment industry in Q1 2013

Wednesday, 7.3.2013 - 16:35 (Solarserver)

SEMI (San Jose, California, US) has released its market statistics report for the solar photovoltaic (PV) equipment industry, reporting that billings have exceeded bookings for the eighth consecutive quarter, with both falling. Read more

July feed-in tariff deadline triggers 31MW solar rush

Wednesday, 7.3.2013 - 16:35 (Solarpowerportal)

The UK solar industry installed 31MW worth of new solar capacity ahead of a reduction in feed-in tariff (FiT) support for solar on 1 July. Read more

Welspun awarded 32MW solar project in Punjab

Wednesday, 7.3.2013 - 16:27 (PV-Tech)

Independent renewable energy developer, Welspun, has won a competitive bid to build 32MW of new PV capacity in by the Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA). Read more

Taiwan plans focus on rooftop PV installations

Wednesday, 7.3.2013 - 16:08 (PV-Tech)

Taiwan is set to prioritise domestic and industrial rooftop installations in order to increase solar capacity to 3.1GW by 2030, the country’s Ministry for Economic Affairs has announced. Read more

Yingli, Sharp lead solar PV module shipments in Q1 2013, but American companies earn the most

Wednesday, 7.3.2013 - 15:41 (Solarserver)

EnergyTrend, a division of TrendForce (Taipei, Taiwan) has released listings of the top ten solar photovoltaic (PV) module manufacturers in the first quarter of 2013, both by revenues and shipment volume. Read more

Electric vehicles: Solar-powered motorcycle wins 91st Pikes Peak International Hill Climb

Wednesday, 7.3.2013 - 15:29 (Solarserver)

For the first time at a major motorsports event, an electric motorcycle beat all similar gas-powered competitors at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado Springs June 30th, SMA Group (Rocklin, Calif.) reports. San Carlos, Calif.-based Lightning Motorcycles, a pioneer in electric motorcycles, not only finished first in the Exhibition Powersports division, but also was faster than the 82 other motorcycles entered in the legendary race. Adding to the achievement, the Lightning SuperBike was powered by clean, renewable solar energy. Read more

SolarWorld PV modules earn high ranking through PV+Test

Wednesday, 7.3.2013 - 15:25 (Solarserver)

Solar photovoltaic (PV) modules from SolarWorld (Bonn, Germany and Hillsboro, Ore.) have earned the highest ranking in the PV+Test, a rigorous testing regimen that evaluates solar panels according to broad technical and financial criteria. The company’s Sunmodule Plus SW 245 polycrystalline silicon solar module achieved the top grade of “very good,” under this year’s more stringent assessment standards known as PV+Test 2.0. Read more

NRG to build 6.2 MW rooftop solar PV plant at Las Vegas convention center

Wednesday, 7.3.2013 - 15:05 (Solarserver)

NRG Energy Inc. (Princeton, New Jersey, US) and MGM Resorts International (Las Vegas) have announced that they will build a 6.2 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant on the roof of a convention center in Las Vegas. Read more

Gehrlicher Solar completes 9MW projects in Romania

Wednesday, 7.3.2013 - 12:54 (PV-Tech)

International PV developer, Gehrlicher Solar, has completed three ground-mounted solar installations in Romania with a total capacity of 9MW. Read more

Canadian Solar completes 10MW Ontario project sale

Wednesday, 7.3.2013 - 12:47 (PV-Tech)

Module manufacturer Canadian Solar’s project development subsidiary has sold a 10MW solar plant to energy provider TransCanada Corporation. Read more

CALSEIA announces Bernadette Del Chiaro as new executive director

Wednesday, 7.3.2013 - 12:23 (Solarserver)

The California Solar Energy Industries Association (CALSEIA, Sacramento), the state’s oldest and largest solar trade association, on July 1st, 2013, announced the appointment of Bernadette Del Chiaro as its new executive director. “We are thrilled to welcome Bernadette to CALSEIA. Her extensive experience in renewable energy makes her a perfect fit,” said Rick Reed, CALSEIA’s Chairman of the Board of Directors. Read more

Atonometrics delivers continuous solar simulator to NREL

Wednesday, 7.3.2013 - 12:19 (Solarserver)

Atonometrics Inc. (Austin, Texas, U.S.) has delivered a continuous solar simulator to the US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratories (NREL, Golden, Colorado, U.S.), The simulator includes an integrated I-V measurement system and will be used for light soak tests of full-size solar photovoltaic (PV) modules. Read more

LDK Solar to raise USD 26 million through sale of shares to Fulai investments

Wednesday, 7.3.2013 - 12:18 (Solarserver)

LDK Solar Co., Ltd. (Xinyu City, China), on July 2nd, 2013, announced the sale of 25,000,000 newly issued ordinary shares of LDK Solar to Fulai Investments Ltd. (British Virgin Islands) at a purchase price of USD 1.03 per share. Read more

Going for a Million Solar Roofs in Colorado

Wednesday, 7.3.2013 - 12:07 (Renewable Energy World)

On June 27, Colorado House Speaker Mark Ferrandino (D), along with representatives from Environment Colorado, Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association (COSEIA) and solar installers were on hand at an active solar installation near Denver to unveil a new report, A Million Solar Roofs for Colorado, commissioned by Environment Colorado showing why Read more

Flood of applications submitted for large-scale solar PV projects in Turkey

Wednesday, 7.3.2013 - 8:52 (Solarserver)

Turkish regulatory authorities report that they received 496 applications for 8,900 MW of large-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) projects between June 10th -14th, 2013, nearly 15 times the 2013 capacity limit of 600 MW for the program. Foreign developers and investors represented only 5% of applications. Operator's licenses granted through Turkey's Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EMRA), are required for plants participating in the nation's feed-in tariff. Read more

US DOE Chases the "Three Big Barriers” to Drop-in Biofuels

Wednesday, 7.3.2013 - 16:46 (Renewable Energy World)

In Washington, the U.S. Department of Energy announced four research and development projects to bring next generation biofuels on line faster and drive down the cost of producing gasoline, diesel, and jet fuels from biomass. The projects — located in Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, and Wisconsin — represent a $13 million Energy Department investment. It was an additional $1 million over the $12 million target when DOE set the project in motion last December. Read more

Argentina Files WTO Claim Over Biofuels Duties

Wednesday, 7.3.2013 - 14:00 (Renewable Energy World)

The EU has imposed provisional anti-dumping duties on bio- fuels imported from Argentina and Indonesia, its largest biodiesel suppliers, following a complaint by the European Biodiesel Board (EBB). Read more

Small Firm in Florida Helps Bring Renewable Energy to Africa and the Caribbean

Wednesday, 7.3.2013 - 16:00 (Renewable Energy World)

From a nondescript office building in suburban Sunrise, a small business is helping bring renewable energy to the Caribbean and Africa, including a solar-panel factory recently opened in Ethiopia. Read more

Armenia Prepares Renewable Roadmap Amid Energy Crisis

Wednesday, 7.3.2013 - 15:52 (Renewable Energy World)

Armenia does not have fossil fuel or coal reserves — it is entirely dependent on imported fuel for transportation, electricity generation, and heat production. Armenia has overcome the energy crisis of the 90’s and has built a viable energy system. However, compared to the year 1988, which was the peak of economic output of the Republic of Armenia, energy consumption lags far behind. The generation capacity in 1988 was over 3.5 GW, but the energy use in 2010 was on average below 1.2 GW. This can be explained by the fact that industry in Armenia has yet to recover fully from the economic decline that started with the collapse of the USSR. Read more

Enel Green Power expands Salerno network with two new PV plants

Wednesday, 7.3.2013 - 14:15 (PV-Tech)

International renewable energy producers, Enel Green Power (EGP), has completed two new photovoltaic plants in Salerno Province, Italy. Read more

EU Carbon Emissions Lowest Since 1990

Wednesday, 7.3.2013 - 14:00 (Renewable Energy World)

In its 2013 inventory report, the European Environmental Agency (EEA) found that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions fell by 3.3 percent in the EU in 2011 (latest available data), leading to the lowest emissions level since 1990. Read more

DECC extends FiT funding for community projects up to 10MW

Wednesday, 7.3.2013 - 13:46 (Solarpowerportal)

The Department of Energy and Climate Change has announced that it has raised the threshold for community projects under the feed-in tariff to 10MW. Read more

Las Vegas casino in line for 6MW rooftop PV array

Wednesday, 7.3.2013 - 12:53 (PV-Tech)

The roof of Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay hotel and casino is to host a 6.2MW solar array due to developed in partnership with NRG Solar. Read more

Navigant Research: 21.8 GW of energy storage to be installed by 2023

Wednesday, 7.3.2013 - 9:00 (Solarserver)

Navigant Research (Boulder, Colorado, US) has released a new report which predicts that 21.8 GW of energy storage systems for wind and solar integration will be installed over the next ten years. The company expects 1,300 GW of wind and solar generation to come online during this time, which it says will particularly impact grids in North America, Western Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. As such, Navigant predicts that energy storage systems will become a key part of larger grid management strategies. Read more

Desertec Foundation leaves Dii

Wednesday, 7.3.2013 - 8:49 (Solarserver)

The Desertec Foundation has left the Desertec Industrial Initiative (Dii), which it founded in 2009, citing “many irresolvable disputes between the two entities”. The Foundation specifically mentions the managerial style of Dii “top management”, but also future strategies, obligations and communication. “It was always clear to us that our idea of producing electricity from the deserts on this earth was never an easy task and will always face extreme challenges,” stated Desertec Foundation Director Thiemo Gropp. “The employees of Dii have contributed enormously to the global transition towards renewable energy.” Read more