Doping boosts efficiency of CdTe cell: Empa study

Friday, 8.16.2013 - 18:32 (PV-Tech)

Scientists at the Empa Institute in Switzerland claim to have achieved 11.5% conversion efficiency for a CdTe solar cell by doping it with copper. Read more

Solea consortium to build 100 MW PV plant in Tamil Nadu

Friday, 8.16.2013 - 8:39 (Solarserver)

A consortium led by Solea AG (Plattling, Germany) has announced plans to build a 100 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, which it intends to commission during the second quarter of 2014. Solea, Pinpoint Ventures Holding (Heidelberg, Germany) and Raasi Green Energy (Bangalore, India) have signed an agreement to build the plant on a site Raasi is developing. Raasi held a ceremony to lay the foundation stone on July 21st, 2013. Read more

Germany breaks monthly solar generation record in July

Friday, 8.16.2013 - 17:34 (PV-Tech)

Germany broke its monthly solar power generation record in July topping 5.1TWh, according to data from the EEX Transparency Platform. Read more

Emerson supplies inverters to 8MW solar project in Thailand

Friday, 8.16.2013 - 17:08 (PV-Tech)

Emerson has supplied inverters for an 8MW extension to a solar park in Thailand called Wang Ploeng Solar. Read more

Yes, He Can…Put Solar Panels Back on the White House

Friday, 8.16.2013 - 16:43 (Renewable Energy World)

If you haven’t heard the big solar news, a Washington Post reporter has confirmed from an anonymous source that the Obama Administration is finally following through with Secretary Chu’s promise to put solar panels back on the White House. Anyone who’s followed this Solar Fred blog on Renewable Energy World knows that getting solar on the White Hou Read more

Duke Energy acquires 3.5MW solar project in San Francisco

Friday, 8.16.2013 - 16:35 (PV-Tech)

Duke Energy Renewables has acquired ‘The Sunset Resovoir’ 3.5MW solar project in San Francisco from developers Recurrent Energy. Read more

Microinverters Make a Move on Multi-MW Solar Power Installations

Friday, 8.16.2013 - 15:54 (Renewable Energy World)

Photovoltaic (PV) microinverters, traditionally used in smaller rooftop solar installations, are being used in a 2.3-MW commercial rooftop installation in Ontario, Canada, supplier Enphase Energy has announced. The installation is the largest commercial rooftop project under the province’s feed-in tariff (FiT). Read more

Edisun Power streamlines Swiss solar portfolio

Friday, 8.16.2013 - 14:03 (PV-Tech)

The Edisun Power Group (EPG) has announced the sale of its smaller Swiss PV power plants to two separate buyers. Read more

Canadian Solar, Suntech Feel More Heat

Friday, 8.16.2013 - 13:48 (Renewable Energy World)

The latest news from Canadian Solar (Nasdaq: CSIQ) and Suntech (NYSE: STP) is casting a shadow over a nascent recovery for the embattled solar sector, as each company struggles to fix its broken finances pummeled by a two-year downturn. Canadian  Solar has announced a plan to raise up to $50 million through a stock sale, while domestic media are re Read more

NPD Solarbuzz: CIGS suffering in a PV thin-film market in decline

Friday, 8.16.2013 - 11:45 (PV-Tech)

According to the latest findings from NPD Solarbuzz, the continued competitiveness of conventional c-Si technologies and market overcapacity is taking its toll on PV thin-film market share. Read more

NPD Solarbuzz: Thin-film PV market share to fall to 7% by 2017

Friday, 8.16.2013 - 8:52 (Solarserver)

The market share for thin-film solar photovoltaic (PV) panels is forecast to decline each year to 2017 and will account for just 7% of new PV production during 2017, according to the latest NPD Solarbuzz PV Equipment Quarterly report Having grown from 3% in 2000 to a high of almost 16% in 2009, thin-film technologies have seen a strong decline in investments since 2011. In fact, annual investments in new thin-film equipment exceeded USD 1 billion from 2007 to 2012, as many new companies entered thin-film production, Solarbuzz Vice President Finlay Colville notes. However, in 2013 thin-film investments are forecast to decline to just USD 340 million. Read more

NPD Solarbuzz: Spanish “electricity reform” will crush nation's PV market, put assets underwater

Friday, 8.16.2013 - 8:49 (Solarserver)

NPD Solarbuzz (Santa Clara, California, U.S.) has released an analysis which says that current plans for electricity market reform by Spain's ruling Popular Party will damage the nation's solar photovoltaic (PV) market and could lead to defaults on PV asset loans. The analysis by Tim Murphy notes that the reforms put up barriers to PV market growth through grid-access fees and other administrative barriers. He also warns that further retroactive changes to the feed-in tariff could result in mass defaults among the EUR 20 million (USD 26 billion) of loans for existing PV plants. Read more

JA Solar to raise USD 96 million in capital through direct offering

Friday, 8.16.2013 - 8:46 (Solarserver)

JA Solar Holdings Co. Ltd. (Shanghai, China) has announced that it will sell USD 96 million in shares in a direct offering to a single investor. The company will sell 3.05 million in American depositary shares (ADS) at a price of USD 7.88 per share, or 94% of the average price of the company's shares on August 13th, 2013. It will also make another 2.54 million ADS within three months at USD 9.43 per share, another 2.54 million ADS within six months, and a final 2.54 million within nine months to total USD 96 million worth of shares. Read more

Germany sets world record for monthly solar PV output at 5.1 TWh in July 2013

Friday, 8.16.2013 - 8:42 (Solarserver)

The German Federal Association of Electricity and Water (BDEW) reports that the nation's solar photovoltaic (PV) plants produced more than 5.1 TWh in July 2013, a new record for the nation and the world. This represents a 19% increase over the previous record of 4.3 TWh in June 2013, and a 42% increase from July 2012. It is also nearly double the output of Italy in July 2013, which has the second-largest capacity of installed PV globally. Read more

Listen Up: Chill Out with Air, Water and Geothermal Heat Pumps

Friday, 8.16.2013 - 15:28 (Renewable Energy World)

I bet you didn't know that on cool days there is heat that can be extracted from the air. Even better, you can get heat from ground water or underground sources. And you don't have to be in a volcanically active area. Heat pumps are basically air conditioners that run in reverse — but they are designed to extract heat from the air, water or ground (cooling these heat reservoirs in the process). Read more

Czech law to end renewable energy subsidies gets one step closer to reality

Friday, 8.16.2013 - 17:41 (PV-Tech)

A proposed law to end subsidies for the renewable energy industry in the Czech Republic has gone one step further toward coming into effect, gaining approval in the country’s lower house of parliament. Read more

UK faces ‘postcode lottery of preparedness’ for climate change

Friday, 8.16.2013 - 12:21 (Solarpowerportal)

The level of action being taken to reduce greenhouse emissions varies wildly between local authorities, according to a recent report by scientists at Newcastle University. Read more

Brazilian state announces incentive programme for renewable energy producers

Friday, 8.16.2013 - 11:52 (PV-Tech)

A renewable energy incentive programme has been launched in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, by the state governor, Alberto Pinto Coelho. Read more

Applied Materials' EES division reports more losses in financial Q3 2013, Gary Dickerson appointed CEO

Friday, 8.16.2013 - 8:35 (Solarserver)

Applied Materials Inc. (Santa Clara, California, U.S.) has released results for its most recent financial quarter, reporting a 42% year-over-year fall in revenues to USD 45 million and a -60% operating margin its Energy and Environmental Services (EES) division, which makes PV manufacturing equipment. The EES division also reported only USD 19 million in new orders, a 46% fall from a year prior. In 2011 Applied Materials was among the world's largest PV equipment manufacturers, but like all companies in this space, Applied's orders have collapsed over the last two years. Read more