Soitec To Shutter German CPV Manufacturing, “Regroup” at Its San Diego Facility

Friday, 8.2.2013 - 18:30 (Renewable Energy World)

Soitec, one of the few remaining active concentrating solar photovoltaic (CPV) manufacturers, announced that it plans to shut down its 40-megawatt (MW) plant in Freiburg, Germany, according to reports from Photon and several German outlets. Read more

Japan boom drives strong Q1 PV sales for Sharp

Friday, 8.2.2013 - 11:53 (PV-Tech)

Electronics manufacturer Sharp has reported a doubling of turnover in its solar division driven largely by the booming Japanese PV market. Read more

Thailand Increases Its Solar Goal

Friday, 8.2.2013 - 15:39 (Renewable Energy World)

Thailand has increased its commitment to solar energy investments by 50 percent, pledging to get 25 percent of the country’s total energy demand from renewable sources. The Asian country ranks among a handful of emerging solar markets that are gaining major momentum in the solar industry. As some long-established markets such as Europe slow down, I Read more

US solar targets could save consumers US$20 billion

Friday, 8.2.2013 - 13:25 (PV-Tech)

Solar could provide one third of energy in western America, saving US$20 billion by 2050 if price reduction targets are met, according to research by Berkley University of California. Read more

EU Member States approve negotiated solar trade deal between the EU and China

Friday, 8.2.2013 - 13:18 (Solarserver)

EU Member States have approved the price undertaking negotiated between the EU Trade Office and Chinese officials, which will go into effect on August 6th, 2013. Through the deal, participating Chinese solar photovoltaic (PV) makers have agreed to sell products into the EU with a minimum price, which is rumored to be set at EUR 0.65 (USD 0.74) per watt for PV modules. Read more

European Commission endorses EU-China solar trade deal

Friday, 8.2.2013 - 13:12 (Solarpowerportal)

The European Commission (EC) has revealed that the majority of EU member states have endorsed the ‘amicable’ solution reached in the EU-China solar trade dispute. Read more

OPEC Nations Seek Cash for $1.5 Billion Solar Power Plan

Friday, 8.2.2013 - 13:00 (Renewable Energy World)

Two of the largest oil producers are readying the Middle East’s first big push into renewable energy, planning solar-power plants that will need more than $1.5 billion in financing by the end of 2014. Read more

G20 should use solar to solve ‘world’s greatest problem’

Friday, 8.2.2013 - 12:59 (PV-Tech)

A former UK chief scientific adviser has called on all G20 countries to solve “world’s greatest problem” of climate change by developing low-cost solar energy. Read more

EU set to publish details of China solar trade deal

Friday, 8.2.2013 - 12:55 (PV-Tech)

The European Commission has endorsed the deal agreed between its negotiators and the Chinese solar industry last week and will publish the terms of the price-undertaking on Saturday. Read more

Solar can solve ‘world’s greatest problem’, says former UK science chief

Friday, 8.2.2013 - 12:16 (Solarpowerportal)

A former UK chief scientific adviser has called on all G20 countries to solve “world’s greatest problem” of climate change by developing low-cost solar energy. Read more

Using the Sun to Keep Cool

Friday, 8.2.2013 - 12:06 (Renewable Energy World)

As the summer heats up, more residents are turning toward the sun for a cool down. By harnessing the sun’s rays, solar panels can be used to generate emission-free electricity to power central air, and solar air conditioning units are gaining popularity for homeowners who aren’t ready to invest in a full rooftop array. Solar awnings can provide sha Read more

Morocco to open tender process for 300MW CSP plants

Friday, 8.2.2013 - 11:50 (PV-Tech)

The Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (MASEN) has announced a shortlist of sponsors qualified to bid to construct two concentrated solar power (CSP) plants of 100MW and 200MW in capacity. Read more

REC supplies modules for 6.5MW India self-consumption project

Friday, 8.2.2013 - 11:16 (PV-Tech)

Norwegian manufacturer REC is supplying 25,720 of its ‘Peak Energy Series’ solar panels to a 6.5MW commercial self-consumption project in India. Read more

Yingli approved for in-house solar PV module testing to UL standards

Friday, 8.2.2013 - 11:15 (Solarserver)

Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. Ltd. (Baoding, China) has announced that it is now authorized to conduct in-house Underwriters Laboratories (UL, Northbrook, Illinois, U.S.) testing for solar photovoltaic (PV) modules. The company can now test PV modules at its facilities in Baoding, which it notes will significantly reduce the time needed to bring new products to market. Yingli says that participation in UL's Client Test Data Program (CTDP) validates its level of its quality control and product testing capabilities. Read more

Listen Up: Electric Vehicle Economics — Can You "Fill Up" from the Sun?

Friday, 8.2.2013 - 11:00 (Renewable Energy World)

In ten short years, hybrids and full electric vehicles (EVs) have gone from quirky granola mobiles to mainstream commuter transportation. Almost every major automobile manufacturer offers some kind of electric vehicle, and sales are increasing steadily. But are EVs a government-subsidized fad, or the future of economically sound road transportation? And does rooftop solar make sense as the energy source for your car? Read more

The Making of a Solar REIT: By the Numbers

Friday, 8.2.2013 - 11:00 (Renewable Energy World)

Power REIT (NYSE:PW) recently announced that it had closed on a deal to buy approximately 100 acres of land leased to the owners of more than 20 MW of solar projects near Fresno, CA. This will be the company’s second solar transaction and increases the share of its revenue from solar to 21 percent. These two solar transactions put PW well on its way to becoming the nation’s first REIT to get most of its revenue from renewable energy. The balance of its revenue comes from leasing its railroad property. Whiile not renewable energy, rail is also a green asset in that transport by rail is much more fuel efficient than the alternative: trucking. Read more

Report: Residential PV storage to hit 2.5GW by 2017

Friday, 8.2.2013 - 10:37 (Solarpowerportal)

Residential PV storage capacity could hit 2.5GW by 2017 as domestic solar generators increasingly look to consume the power they produce, a report claims. Read more

JA Solar produces 18.3% efficient multicrystalline PV cell

Friday, 8.2.2013 - 8:37 (Solarserver)

JA Solar Holdings Co. Ltd. (Shanghai) has achieved an 18.3% efficiency with its multicrystalline silicon solar photovoltaic (PV) cells, as independently verified by the Yangzhou Opto-Electrical Products Testing Institute (Yangzhou, China). The company says that this is the highest efficiency verified for a 156x156 mm multicrystalline silicon PV cell, and follows on its progress in high-crystal quality, low dislocation density multi-Si casing and wafering. JA Solar plans to integrate the new technology into existing manufacturing lines. Read more

Indian SREC prices remain at floor prices in July 2013

Friday, 8.2.2013 - 8:31 (Solarserver)

Solar renewable energy credits (SRECs) remained at floor prices in India in July 2013 with supply far exceeding demand, according to data published by RESolve Energy Consultants (Chennai, India). SRECs remained at INR 9300 (USD 154) for the second consecutive month on both the India Energy Exchange (IEX) and the Power Exchange India Ltd. (PXIL). While demand increased 27% over June levels with 2029 SRECs trading hands, sell bids outnumbered buy bids by a more than ten to one basis. Read more

US DOE Invests $22 Million in Algae Biofuels

Friday, 8.2.2013 - 18:25 (Renewable Energy World)

In Washington, U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernie Moniz, speaking at the DOE Biomass conference, announced $16.5 million in grants to four projects in California, Hawaii and New Mexico aimed at breaking down technical barriers and accelerating the development of sustainable, affordable algae biofuels. Read more

Brightsource signs up to China’s first commercial CSP project

Friday, 8.2.2013 - 12:29 (PV-Tech)

Brightsource has signed Memorandums of Understanding with two prominent Chinese organisations at the Renewable Energy Industries Forum (REIF) in Shanghai. Read more

EnergyTrend: Impact on Taiwanese PV industry from trade deal to be limited

Friday, 8.2.2013 - 8:23 (Solarserver)

A new analysis by TrendForce's (Taipei City, Taiwan) EnergyTrend division forecasts that the recent trade settlement between the EU and China will impact Taiwanese solar photovoltaic (PV) manufacturers on a short-term basis, but still predicts good prospects over the longer term. The company argues that the closing of European feed-in tariffs to larger ground-mounted projects will lead to a new premium on high efficiency products. It also estimates that Taiwanese manufacturers are six months to one year ahead of their competitors in terms of advanced cell technologies. Read more