China approves 1.8 GW of self-consumption PV projects

Friday, 8.23.2013 - 8:57 (Solarserver)

NPD Solarbuzz (Santa Clara, California, U.S.) has published an analysis which predicts that up to 750 MW of self-consumption distributed solar photovoltaic (PV) plants may begin construction by the end of 2013. According to NPD Solarbuzz Analyst Steven Han, China's Bureau of Energy has released the first batch of Distributed PV Generation Application Demonstration plants, which total 1.8 GW. These plants will be eligible for China's feed-in tariff and other incentives. Read more

US installation frequency hits one every four minutes

Friday, 8.23.2013 - 20:32 (PV-Tech)

The uptake of residential solar PV systems has elevated installation rates to one installation every four minutes in 2013 and could rise to one system every 83 seconds by 2016, according to leading industry analysts. Read more

SunEdison Embracing Solar, Spinning Off Semiconductors Biz

Friday, 8.23.2013 - 20:28 (Renewable Energy World)

SunEdison, née MEMC Electronic Materials, is spinning off its semiconductor division to help fund more of its initiatives in the solar side. SunEdison Semiconductor Inc. will be launched with an IPO for a minority stake planned for next year. Read more

Solar Junction surpasses its previous World-Record with certified 44.1% PV cell efficiency on IQE’s production qualified wafers

Friday, 8.23.2013 - 17:12 (Solarserver)

On August 22nd, 2013, IQE plc (Cardiff, UK) announced that its high-volume, production qualified material has been independently certified as achieving 44.1% solar photovoltaic (PV) cell efficiency by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), surpassing Solar Junctions (San Jose, Calif., U.S.) previous World Record for a standard triple junction CPV cell. In October 2012 Solar Junction announced that it had reached 44% cell efficiency with its multi-junction technology. Read more

Panasonic Sees Rooftops as Key Market for Solar Power in Japan

Friday, 8.23.2013 - 17:08 (Renewable Energy World)

Panasonic Corp. is targeting rooftops for its solar panels as developers struggle to find big enough plots of affordable land in Japan with the access to transmission lines needed for utility-scale projects. Read more

Help us to help you, and we’ll enter you in our prize draw

Friday, 8.23.2013 - 16:46 (Solarpowerportal)

Solar Power Portal and Solar Business Focus UK magazine are giving you the opportunity to win over £600 worth of prizes – and at the same time help us provide you with an even better service. Read more

Did You Know There Are More Solar Workers in Texas than Ranchers?

Friday, 8.23.2013 - 15:00 (Renewable Energy World)

Every day, I talk to groups and reporters about the amazing growth of solar all across the United States. But for the past week, there has been more buzz than ever about America’s solar industry because of the decision by President Obama to install solar panels on the White House. Think about it. Is there any billboard in the world better for your Read more

Switzerland considers 40% solar tariff cut

Friday, 8.23.2013 - 14:55 (PV-Tech)

The Swiss government is considering massive solar subsidy cuts in a move the country’s PV industry has warned could have “profoundly” damaging effects. Read more

California maintains position as top US solar state: Ernst & Young

Friday, 8.23.2013 - 13:17 (PV-Tech)

California, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico and Colorado lead the US as the country’s top five solar states, according to consultancy Ernst & Young’s biannual renewable energy attractiveness indices. Read more

Goldpoly downstream bid gathers pace with 400MW PV project acquisition

Friday, 8.23.2013 - 12:59 (PV-Tech)

PV manufacturer Goldpoly has accelerated its shift downstream with an agreement to acquire 400MW of solar power plants in China. Read more

Switzerland’s ‘largest’ solar project operational

Friday, 8.23.2013 - 12:33 (PV-Tech)

A 5.21MW rooftop solar project built by Switzerland’s largest supermarket chain, Migros-Verteilbetrieb Neuendorf, said to be the country’s largest PV plant, is now grid-connected and fully operational. Read more

‘World’s largest’ thin-film solar plant begins operations

Friday, 8.23.2013 - 12:07 (PV-Tech)

The 143MW Catalina solar park, once billed as the world’s largest thin-film solar PV plant, has begun operations. Read more

These Solar REIT Pioneers Are Mining the Sun for "Good Income"

Friday, 8.23.2013 - 11:00 (Renewable Energy World)

For the past few years, solar industry stakeholders have imagined a future where the general public has the ability to invest in pure-play renewable energy real estate investment trusts (REITs) that finance and construct both utility-scale and distributed photovoltaic (PV) projects in the United States. While these stakeholders wait for this reality to come to fruition, existing REITs already have several options to own or develop solar projects that still allow them to comply with the IRS's asset and income tests. Read more

Komax to sell solar business unit

Friday, 8.23.2013 - 8:55 (Solarserver)

The Komax Group (Dierikon, Switzerland) has announced that it has begun its search for a “viable third party” buyer for its solar photovoltaic (PV) equipment subsidiary, which it says is a long-term, strategic decision. Komax Solar will continue with all current operations while the parent company searches for a buyer, including investments in technology and new product development. Komax Group has also guaranteed that equipment sold by Komax solar will receive service and parts in the long term. Read more

Frost & Sullivan: Global solar PV, CSP capacities to grow rapidly to 2020, shift to emerging markets

Friday, 8.23.2013 - 8:47 (Solarserver)

Frost & Sullivan (Mountain View, California, U.S.) predicts that global solar photovoltaic (PV) capacities will grow 21% annually to reach 247.5 GW in 2020, but that concentrating solar power (CSP) will grow at the fastest rate of any renewable energy technology during this decade. The company's “Annual Renewable Energy Outlook 2013” expects a 45% annual growth rate for CSP from 2010 to 2015 to reach 8.3 GW. In the following five years, Frost & Sullivan expects growth rates for both technologies to slow to 11% for PV and 22% for CSP, with CSP reaching 22.7 GW by the decade's end. Read more

India provides USD 78.5 million in subsidies for off-grid solar PV, solar thermal in 2012-2013

Friday, 8.23.2013 - 8:45 (Solarserver)

India's Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has released INR 399 crore (USD 61.9 million) in subsidies for off-grid solar photovoltaic (PV) projects in the previous fiscal year through the National Solar Mission (NSM), as well as INR 27.4 crore (USD 4.24 million) for solar thermal systems. The NSM's off-grid PV and solar thermal programs have been in place for three years, and during the year the agency supplied funding to projects in at least 24 states. In a separate report to the nation's lower house of parliament, MNRE reported that it has commissioned 826 kW of microgrid-based PV plants in 40 villages in four states. Read more

Fronius, Loxone offer energy management system for self-consumption solar PV systems

Friday, 8.23.2013 - 8:42 (Solarserver)

Fronius International GmbH (Pettenbach, Austria) and Loxone Electronics GmbH (Kollerschlag, Austria) have joined forces to offer a comprehensive energy management system for homes and businesses with solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. The system is based on the combination of the Loxone Miniserver with Fronius inverters, which they say offers property owners an easy means to manage energy to increase levels of self-consumption from their PV systems. Read more

DECC issues sustainability criteria for biomass

Friday, 8.23.2013 - 16:32 (Solarpowerportal)

From April 2015, under new changes announced by the Department for Climate Change, biomass generators will be required to prove the sustainability of the wood-fuel burned in facilities of over 1MW capacity. Read more

UK Puts Biomass Sustainability Criteria in Place

Friday, 8.23.2013 - 11:10 (Renewable Energy World)

The UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has announced its new criteria for sustainable biomass production, applicable from April 2015. Read more

What Comes to Mind When You Think of Geothermal Power?

Friday, 8.23.2013 - 18:54 (Renewable Energy World)

Do you think baseload? Or do you just think of central heating? I am genuinely a fan of debunking myths, superstitions and suppositions. Bob Cain of Lumberport wrote an article entitled "Nothing can replace coal for baseload power needs," and he does a good job of explaining the problems of nuclear energy. He is also very informed about the idiosyn Read more

UPDATE: US, Australian Companies Taking Giant Steps for Global EGS Geothermal

Friday, 8.23.2013 - 15:40 (Renewable Energy World)

The company Packers Plus Energy Services Inc. distributed a release on its role as partner with Geodynamics Limited (ASX:GDY) at the Geodynamics Innamincka Deeps Project in the Cooper Basin of South Australia. “Packers Plus worked closely with Geodynamics to design specialized Inferno™ completions equipment capable of withstanding 300°C (600°F) and 69 MPa (10,000 psi) pressure,” the company stated. Read more

European Investment Bank backs US$500 million clean energy project in Central America

Friday, 8.23.2013 - 16:13 (PV-Tech)

The European Investment Bank (EIB) is to invest US$230 million in renewable energy projects in Central America. Read more

Czech utility company reports Romania to European Commission for cutting renewables subsidies

Friday, 8.23.2013 - 13:43 (PV-Tech)

Romania’s decision to stop paying renewable energy subsidies for seven years has been reported to the European Commission by Czech utility company ČEZ. Read more

Brazil delays renewable energy auction

Friday, 8.23.2013 - 12:05 (PV-Tech)

Brazil’s Ministry of Mines and Energy has postponed an auction for renewable energy power purchase agreements (PPAs) originally scheduled for October. Read more

Weekly installations figures maintain steady growth

Friday, 8.23.2013 - 12:02 (Solarpowerportal)

The latest solar PV installation figures published by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) show that Read more

Listen Up: Backup Power and Sustainable Off-Grid Living

Friday, 8.23.2013 - 12:00 (Renewable Energy World)

Hurricanes. Blizzards. Earthquakes. Tornadoes. They've all clobbered populated areas over the last few years, resulting in extended power outages, fuel shortages and even lack of potable water. But people live comfortably in completely off-grid locations, generating their own electricity, using sustainable sources for heat, and even recycling their water. Read more

Clenergy completes 20.6MW PV system in Xinjiang, China

Friday, 8.23.2013 - 11:15 (PV-Tech)

In July mounting system manufacturer Clenergy completed work on a 20.6MW ground mount solar PV system in Yanqi County, Xinjiang, China. Read more