Germany's SPD, CDU offer differing proposals for reform of feed-in tariff law

Wednesday, 9.11.2013 - 9:55 (Solarserver)

The main German political parties have recently clarified their positions on the future of feed-in tariffs and renewable energy in advance of federal elections to be held on September 22nd, 2013. Both the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Social Democrats (SPD) have argued that the nation's feed-in tariff law needs to be reformed, through they differ on details. The Green Party has maintained its support of the feed-in tariff with only minor amendments, calling for 100% renewable energy by 2030. Read more

Skytron energy launches redesigned photovoltaic combiner box

Wednesday, 9.11.2013 - 8:25 (Solarserver)

Skytron energy GmbH (Berlin, Germany) has launched a new series of combiner boxes for utility-scale PV power plants. The new ArrayGuard FH combiner boxes type PV29 to PV32 are designed for 1000 VDC and come with the essential measurement, switching and protection functions fully integrated at no additional cost. Skytron´s established ArrayGuard combiner-box series for PV systems was first launched in 2006. Read more

Wirsol begins construction of the largest solar PV plant in the Caribbean at 64 MW

Wednesday, 9.11.2013 - 22:03 (Solarserver)

Wirsol Solar Energy GmbH (Waghäusel, Germany) has begun construction of a 64.1 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant in the Dominican Republic, and has set a goal to commission the first 32.1 MW phase by the end of 2013. Read more

Council considers solar farm to help protect services from spending cuts

Wednesday, 9.11.2013 - 18:54 (Solarpowerportal)

Telford & Wrekin Council is considering building a solar farm as it looks to protect frontline services from spending cuts. Read more

Santander starts construction of 32MW Suffolk solar farm

Wednesday, 9.11.2013 - 18:25 (Solarpowerportal)

Renewable energy project finance provider unit for Santander banking Group, Banco Santander, has started construction on a solar farm in Suffolk. Read more

Santander starts construction of 32MW Sussex solar farm

Wednesday, 9.11.2013 - 18:25 (Solarpowerportal)

Renewable energy project finance provider unit for Santander banking Group, Banco Santander, has started construction on a solar farm in Suffolk Read more

Work starts on biggest solar park in the Caribbean

Wednesday, 9.11.2013 - 18:16 (PV-Tech)

WIRSOL has started construction on a 64MW solar project in the Dominican Republic, the largest solar project in the Caribbean. Read more

SolarCity and Direct Energy create US$124 million solar investment fund

Wednesday, 9.11.2013 - 18:13 (PV-Tech)

Commercial and industrial customers of US energy and energy services retailer Direct Energy will soon be able to utilise solar power at ‘little or no upfront cost’, following an agreement the company has signed with PV energy services provider SolarCity. Read more

STA: Tenfold increase in solar thermal could drive costs down by 30%

Wednesday, 9.11.2013 - 18:09 (Solarpowerportal)

A tenfold increase in the solar thermal market could drive system prices down by 29.2%, according to research published by the Solar Trade Association. Read more

Jordan to open second solicitation for solar and wind projects

Wednesday, 9.11.2013 - 15:40 (Solarserver)

Jordan will open a second round of solicitations for large-scale wind and solar projects with a deadline of September 30th, 2013 for expressions of interest, according to a report by Clear Sky Advisors (Toronto). Read more

Solar Hot Water: Which Is Better PV or Thermal?

Wednesday, 9.11.2013 - 13:34 (Renewable Energy World)

Solar thermal water heating is a temperamental thing. Water weighs a lot, it expands when it freezes, and it can cause scaling damage to pipes when it boils. Solar thermal systems are wonderfully efficient, and some systems work just fine for decades, but even these need regular inspection. When a solar thermal system fails, however, it sets about destroying itself, and it has been clear for some time that solar thermal water heating is not the way of the future except for very low-end heat usage, like swimming pools. Read more

Listed solar companies in dash for cash

Wednesday, 9.11.2013 - 13:15 (PV-Tech)

Taking advantage of a general run-up in solar sector shares on both the NASDAQ and NYSE, several leading companies are planning to sell new tranches of stock, including Yingli Green, SunEdison and GT Advanced Technologies. Read more

EUPD Research: German PV customers not informed about storage system options

Wednesday, 9.11.2013 - 13:15 (PV-Tech)

German consumers are not given enough information about storage options when it comes to purchasing and comparing solar power systems, according to a report published by EUPD Research. Read more

NPD SolarBuzz: Incentives required for emerging PV in Americas

Wednesday, 9.11.2013 - 13:15 (PV-Tech)

A surge in PV demand across the Americas is likely but it will require policy changes to support it, according to a report by NPD SolarBuzz. Read more

Duke Energy expands North Carolina solar project

Wednesday, 9.11.2013 - 12:18 (PV-Tech)

Duke Energy Renewables has begun construction on its 17th project, a 5MW extension in Beaufort County, North Carolina. Read more

Falling Into Solar: The National Solar Tour and Solar Decathalon

Wednesday, 9.11.2013 - 12:07 (Renewable Energy World)

Two great opportunities to learn more about solar are about to occur: The National Solar Tour and The Solar Decathlon. The former is an annual event across the U.S. and the latter is a biennial event. Both allow people across the U.S. to get an in-person view of solar and how it works.  The National Solar Tour is, as it name implies, a national eve Read more

JinkoSolar to supply Acciona with 274 MW of solar PV modules

Wednesday, 9.11.2013 - 10:01 (Solarserver)

JinkoSolar Holding Co. Ltd. (Shanghai) has entered into agreements to supply 274 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) modules to Acciona (Madrid, Spain), including supplying PV projects in Australia and South Africa. Under the agreements, JinkoSolar will supply Acciona JV Oakleaf Investment Holdings 86 Ltd. (South Africa) with 94 MW of PV modules for a PV project in South Africa's Northern Cape, and supply Acciona Energy Oceania with 24.1 MW of PV modules for a project in the Australian Capital Territory. Read more

Lux Research: Solar PV and energy storage to represent USD 2.8 billion market through 2018

Wednesday, 9.11.2013 - 8:40 (Solarserver)

Lux Research Inc. (Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.) has released a new report which finds that a combination of solar photovoltaic (PV) generation and energy storage will comprise a USD 2.8 billion market from 2013 through 2018. “Batteries Included: Gauging Near-Term Prospect for Solar/Energy Storage Systems” finds that Japan will comprise the largest national market at 381 MW during this time, with Germany coming in second at 94 MW. Read more

Solar PV rises to 3.7% of South Australia's electricity generation in FY 2012-2013

Wednesday, 9.11.2013 - 8:34 (Solarserver)

Rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in South Australia generated 497 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity in Australia's fiscal year 2012-2013, which ran from July 1st, 2013 to June 30th, 2013. This is 11% higher than forecasts, and represented 3.7% of South Australia's energy production during the year, according to the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO). By 2022-2023 AEMO expects PV output to increase to 1.12 TWh, or 8.9% of the state's electricity supply. Read more

Latin America Report: Chile's Road To Solar Grid Parity

Wednesday, 9.11.2013 - 6:40 (Renewable Energy World)

Chile has become one of the planet's most promising solar markets, leading a wave of regions that will begin achieving grid parity, where solar is at equal cost or cheaper than traditional energy sources, in the near future. High electricity prices ($0.15-0.25/kWh), high irradiation, and rising energy demand all play in Chile's favor, but connection and policy hurdles remain if the country wants to really start tapping into that resource. Read more

Europe Takes Another Step Toward Capping First-Generation Biofuels

Wednesday, 9.11.2013 - 17:25 (Renewable Energy World)

In a hotly contested vote today, Europe’s Parliament voted to cap the amount of conventional or “first-generation” biofuels (those derived from food crops) that can be used in the EU’s transport sector. Read more

Global Geothermal Development Making Big Strides

Wednesday, 9.11.2013 - 18:53 (Renewable Energy World)

The global geothermal market is expected to reach 12,000 megawatts (MW) of capacity by the end of 2013, showing signs of steady expansion. Growth is led by progress in developing areas such as Africa and Latin America and is highlighted in the recently released report entitled: 2013 Geothermal Power: International Market Overview by the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA). Read more

SunConnex and Salop Energy supply Sunrise Eggs with 200kWp system

Wednesday, 9.11.2013 - 18:23 (Solarpowerportal)

Sunrise Eggs’ distribution centre in Loughborough has undergone a solar makeover thanks to local installer Salop Energy Ltd. Read more

Daqo to expand polysilicon production as costs targeted at US$14/kg

Wednesday, 9.11.2013 - 15:15 (PV-Tech)

Stabilizing polysilicon prices and recent technical upgrades to its polysilicon production facilities are behind Daqo New Energy’s plan to boost production in the second-half of the year in a bid to reach production costs as low as US$14/kg. Read more

Daqo reports heavy losses on impairment as it shifts polysilicon production

Wednesday, 9.11.2013 - 15:13 (Solarserver)

Daqo New Energy Corp. (Chongqing, China) has released financial results for the second quarter of 2013. The company reports a slight year-over-year increase in revenues to USD 27.6 million, but heavy losses mostly due to write-downs related to the shuttering of its polysilicon production in Wanzhou, China. Read more

Order Focus: State Grid Corporation of China to use 28MW of Yingli Green modules

Wednesday, 9.11.2013 - 14:41 (PV-Tech)

Yingli Green Energy is supplying a new PV power plant project being built by the State Grid Corporation of China with 28MW of modules. Read more

GDF Suez subsidiary applies for 300MW plant in Chile

Wednesday, 9.11.2013 - 14:15 (PV-Tech)

EC-L SA, Chilean developer subsidiary of electricity distributors GDF Suez, has filed an environmental impact statement for a 300MW PV plant in Chile. Read more

Development banks finance record amount of clean energy: BNEF

Wednesday, 9.11.2013 - 13:47 (PV-Tech)

Development banks have achieved record levels of investment in the clean energy sector breaking through the US$100 billion a year mark for the first time, according to a new report. Read more

University Receives Grant for Marine Energy Research, Workforce Development in NYC

Wednesday, 9.11.2013 - 10:07 (Renewable Energy World)

A US$600,000 grant from the National Science Foundation will allow the University of Minnesota's St. Anthony Falls Laboratory (SAFL) to launch a new collaborative project to advance research, innovation and training in marine and hydrokinetic (MHK) technology. Read more