PV production: Heraeus to introduce low-silver solar cell back-side paste at Intersolar North America

Monday, 7.8.2013 - 22:44 (Solarserver)

Heraeus (West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, US) has announced that it will introduce a new low-silver back-side paste for solar photovoltaic (PV) production at the Intersolar North America trade show. The show will take place from July 8th – 12th, 2013 in San Francisco, California. The company estimates that its SOL202 Series pastes provide 18% greater adhesion than previous generations of back-side tabbing pastes, with only 45% the silver usage. Read more

ReneSola’s ‘Micro Replus’ microinverter gains certification in 7 countries

Monday, 7.8.2013 - 14:51 (PV-Tech)

Having recently launched its own microinverter, dubbed ‘Micro Replus,’ PV manufacturer, ReneSola said it had obtained certification to sell the product in 7 countries. Read more

EPIA calls for legally binding target of 45% renewables by 2030

Monday, 7.8.2013 - 12:50 (Solarserver)

The European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA, Brussels) has proposed a legally binding target of 45% renewable energy by 2030, in its formal response to the European Commission's document, “A 2030 framework for climate and energy policies”. While a similar proposal was voted down in May in the European Parliament, these levels are in line with the European Renewable Energy Council recommendations. To reach this target, EPIA estimates that solar photovoltaics (PV) could supply 15% of generation, or 25% in a “true paradigm shift” scenario. Read more

Four New Approaches to Ultrathin Silicon

Monday, 7.8.2013 - 11:52 (Renewable Energy World)

The past few weeks have seen announcements and de-stealths from several companies all targeting the same part of the solar photovoltaic supply chain: reduce costs by eliminating most of the silicon material and related processes. Read more

PV installations boom through UK feed-in tariff

Monday, 7.8.2013 - 8:58 (Solarserver)

The UK has seen a surge of installations through its feed-in tariff in June 2013, with 64.4 MW installed over a four-week period from June 3rd through June 30th, 2013. This is more than double the 30.7 MW installed in the previous four-week period. Installations through the program, which incentives PV plants up to 50 kW in size, have been increasing throughout 2013, with 215 MW installed in the first six months of the year. Read more

ReneSola PV micro-inverter receives certifications in seven nations

Monday, 7.8.2013 - 8:49 (Solarserver)

ReneSola Ltd.'s (Jiashan, China) Micro Replus micro-inverter has officially obtained certification in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Denmark and the United Kingdom in the first half of 2013. The certifications received by ReneSola include ETL certification from Intertek (Boxborough, Massachusetts, US) to enter the US and Canadian markets, certificates of approval from SAA Approvals (Cannon Hill, Australia) for the Australia and New Zealand markets, and Attestations of Conformity from TÜV SUD (Munich). Read more

CLP: Better, not more solar policies needed in US states

Monday, 7.8.2013 - 22:54 (Solarserver)

Cleantech Law Partners (CLP, San Francisco, California, US) has published an analysis of US state-level laws that promote greater penetration of solar energy, which concludes that the substantive quality of the legislation is more effective in generating clean energy than the number of laws enacted. “Transforming Solar Laws into more Clean Energy” was published in the July/August 2013 edition of North American Clean Energy. The article mentions feed-in tariffs as a promising policy direction. Read more

Trina Solar frameless PV modules win new fire safety certification

Monday, 7.8.2013 - 22:48 (Solarserver)

TÜV Rheinland (Cologne, Germany) has awarded Trina Solar Ltd.'s (Changzhou, China) new frameless PDG5 dual glass solar photovoltaic (PV) modules with International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 61730-2 standard certification with Class A Fire Safety. Trina notes that its modules were rated to the highest level of fire resistance, and that it is the first manufacturer in Asia to achieve this certification. PDG5 modules are currently ready to be shipped globally. Read more

Intersolar NA 2013: US technology roadmap for CIGS thin film launched

Monday, 7.8.2013 - 19:14 (PV-Tech)

Initiated by SEMATECH and CNSE as part of the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) SunShot Initiative, a roadmap for CIGS thin-film technology development has been created. Read more

STA: Solar must collaborate with the electricity networks to realise its potential

Monday, 7.8.2013 - 17:28 (Solarpowerportal)

The Solar Trade Association (STA) has called for greater collaboration between electricity networks and the solar industry if solar is to reach its full potential in the UK. Read more

REC boosts Argentina’s Solar capacity by 2MW

Monday, 7.8.2013 - 17:16 (PV-Tech)

Norway-based solar manufacturer, REC, has added 2MW to the Chimbera solar power plant in San Juan Province, northern Argentina. Read more

Aleo Solar reports further losses as European sales continue to slump

Monday, 7.8.2013 - 16:54 (PV-Tech)

Struggling German manufacturer aleo Solar has blamed deteriorating market conditions in Europe for another set of disheartening financial figures. Read more

California Governor Jerry Brown to deliver keynote address at Intersolar North America

Monday, 7.8.2013 - 15:49 (Solarserver)

California Governor Edmund “Jerry” Brown will deliver the keynote address at the Intersolar North America trade show in San Francisco, California on July 8th, 2013 at 5:30 PM. Read more

Solar Shakeout: Gehrlicher files insolvency papers

Monday, 7.8.2013 - 15:38 (PV-Tech)

Gehrlicher Solar has become the latest German firm to file for insolvency according to court papers lodged on Friday seen by PV-Tech. Read more

Panasonic to close solar PV module factory in Hungary

Monday, 7.8.2013 - 15:18 (Solarserver)

Panasonic Corporation (Osaka, Japan) has confirmed that it will close its solar photovoltaic (PV) module factory in Dorog, Hungary in March 2014, and transfer all production to Malaysia. Read more

Hoku files for bankruptcy

Monday, 7.8.2013 - 15:16 (PV-Tech)

Honolulu based solar manufacturer Hoku has reportedly filed for bankruptcy. Read more

Trina Solar’s glass/glass module achieves Class A Fire Safety from TUV Rheinland

Monday, 7.8.2013 - 14:43 (PV-Tech)

Trina Solar’s frameless glass/glass ‘PDG5’ modules have received the new International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 61730-2 standard certification with Class A Fire Safety from TUV Rheinland. Read more

National Grid warns against more than 10 GW of solar PV in the UK

Monday, 7.8.2013 - 12:36 (Solarserver)

National Grid plc (London, UK) has submitted a briefing note to the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) advising against the installation of more than 10 GW of solar photovoltaics (PV) in the nation, unless additional electricity storage is installed. The document also calls for a channel for the system operator to control the output of PV systems. The note looks at the potential impact of transmission system operation both in winter and summer with 22 GW of installed PV, assuming that there are no means of controlling PV output. Read more

Indonesia reveals solar auction details

Monday, 7.8.2013 - 12:28 (PV-Tech)

Indonesia will establish an auction system to boost its solar power sector, an official from the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry has announced. Read more

Chinese Solar Companies: We Can Survive

Monday, 7.8.2013 - 12:22 (Renewable Energy World)

A mini flurry of news from embattled solar panel makers seems to have the same singular message, designed to tell investors that they can survive an industry crisis now entering its third year. Of course the companies that emerge when the crisis finally subsidies could be far different from the ones that went into the crisis, which seems to be the Read more

Connecticut Introduces Solar Leasing via Public-Private Partnership

Monday, 7.8.2013 - 12:09 (Renewable Energy World)

Connecticut’s Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority (CEFIA)— also called the CT Green Bank — has leveraged $9.5 million in ratepayer funds into a $50-million private capital investment to support solar leasing for homes and businesses under a public-private partnership. The fund created is expected to support roughly 14 megawatts of distrib Read more

German PV again peaks at 23.7 GW of output on July 7th, 2013

Monday, 7.8.2013 - 9:55 (Solarserver)

SMA Solar Technology AG's (Niestetal, Germany) PV Performance Indicator shows that Germany has set yet another record for PV performance, reaching 23.7 GW between 1 and 2 PM German time on July 7th, 2013. A previous record of 23.4 GW was set on June 6th, 2013 at 2:19 PM. As German peak electricity demand during the day is 60 GW, this means that German electricity production from PV has peaked at around 40% of peak demand at least twice this summer so far. Read more

Biofuel Investments at Seven-Year Low as BP Blames Cost

Monday, 7.8.2013 - 15:48 (Renewable Energy World)

Europe’s biggest oil companies are scaling back work on the next generation of biofuels, a setback for the effort to create a gasoline substitute that doesn’t drain the food supply. Read more

Flight Plan: 14 Practical Steps Towards Commercial Aviation Biofuels

Monday, 7.8.2013 - 10:10 (Renewable Energy World)

In Illinois, the Midwest Aviation Sustainable Biofuels Initiative released their recommendations from MASBI’s year-long study of the potential for aviation biofuels in the Midwest. In the 28-page report, MASBI, policymakers and experts identified next steps in advancing biofuels development, which can reduce carbon emissions, create green jobs in the Midwest, drive innovation in clean technology, improve energy security and power a sustainable future for aviation. Read more

Clenergy to develop 100MW of PV in Lijiang

Monday, 7.8.2013 - 14:27 (PV-Tech)

Solar mounting system manufacturer Clenergy is to develop 100MW of PV projects in Huaping County in the Chinese city of Lijiang. Read more

China Says It Will Not Set Carbon Cap

Monday, 7.8.2013 - 14:00 (Renewable Energy World)

Although several major newspapers of record reported in May that China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) had proposed introducing a cap on greenhouse gases from 2016, the nation says it has no such plan. Read more

Clenergy announces 100 MW of PV projects in Huaping County, China

Monday, 7.8.2013 - 12:55 (Solarserver)

Clenergy (Xiamen, China) recently signed an investment and development agreement to develop 100 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) projects in Lijiang City, Huaping County, Yunnan Province, China. The agreement was formalized at the inaugural China-South Asia Expo, held in conjunction with the 21st China Import and Export Fair in Kunming. Read more