Virtual Power Plants: A New Model for Renewables Integration

Monday, 9.30.2013 - 15:54 (Renewable Energy World)

Today's global energy market is in the midst of a paradigm shift, from a model dominated by large centralized power plants owned by big utilities to a mixed bag of so-called distributed energy generation facilities — smaller residential, commercial and industrial power generation systems — many of which use renewable resources. Read more

Yingli reports efficiency and yield gains with Applied's Baccini Esatto Technology

Monday, 9.30.2013 - 14:49 (Solarserver)

A subsidiary of Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. Ltd. (Baoding, China) reports that it has gained 0.2% solar photovoltaic (PV) cell efficiency and 0.46% yield increase using Applied Materials Inc.'s (Santa Clara, California, U.S.) Baccini Esatto Technology. Read more

First Solar Takes Over Moapa Solar Project

Monday, 9.30.2013 - 21:09 (Renewable Energy World)

First Solar has added another mega-scale project to its pipeline, helping ensure there's enough to feed its thin-film solar PV manufacturing machine. Read more

SPP Awards spotlight: Best solar thermal installation of the year

Monday, 9.30.2013 - 18:44 (Solarpowerportal)

Next spring will herald the launch of the long-awaited domestic Renewable Heat Incentive. However, despite the government’s apparent reluctance to support the renewable heat sector, solar thermal installers across the UK have still managed to go ahead with a number of impressive projects. Read more

What is Solar Worth to a Utility?

Monday, 9.30.2013 - 16:21 (Renewable Energy World)

It’s an issue of national debate, but one unexpected state — Minnesota — is engaging a formal process for determining the methodology for setting the value of solar. As the first multi-utility process, it’s likely to set a precedent nationwide for what the “value of solar” will mean and whether it will aid the continued growth of distributed solar Read more

SunPower to supply 96 MW of high-efficiency modules to Eurus Energy's utility-scale solar PV plants in Japan

Monday, 9.30.2013 - 15:20 (Solarserver)

SunPower Corp. (San Jose, California, U.S.) reports that it will supply 69 MW of its E20/327 solar photovoltaic (PV) modules to Shimizu Corp. (Tokyo) for installation at the Eurus Rokkasho solar photovoltaic (PV) plant in Rakkasho Village, Aomori Prefecture, Japan. Read more

China announces 50% tax breaks for solar manufacturers

Monday, 9.30.2013 - 15:15 (Solarpowerportal)

Chinese solar manufacturers will receive a 50% tax rebate, the Ministry of Finance has confirmed. Read more

IKEA to sell solar PV at all UK stores

Monday, 9.30.2013 - 15:15 (PV-Tech)

IKEA has confirmed that all UK IKEA stores will stock, sell and install solar PV modules. Read more

Global solar efforts need to be like putting ‘man on the moon’

Monday, 9.30.2013 - 15:15 (PV-Tech)

Sir David Kind and Richard Layard have called for global solar action, including a “world sunpower programme” and for 10% of global energy to be generated solar by 2020. Read more

IKEA to sell solar PV at all UK stores

Monday, 9.30.2013 - 14:53 (Solarpowerportal)

Within the next 10 months, all 17 UK IKEA stores will stock, sell and install solar PV modules. Read more

California net metering report biased, claims solar advocacy group

Monday, 9.30.2013 - 14:15 (PV-Tech)

A report by California’s utility commission that identified a growing financial burden for non-solar consumers in the state was biased from the outset, a solar power advocacy group has claimed. Read more

MoU agreed for 50MW Kenya PV project

Monday, 9.30.2013 - 13:59 (PV-Tech)

A consortium of companies that includes tier one manufacturer Canadian Solar has signed a memorandum of understanding with local Kenyan authorities to develop a 50MW PV in western Kenya. Read more

SPP Awards spotlight: Most innovative marketing campaign

Monday, 9.30.2013 - 13:46 (Solarpowerportal)

The solar industry presents marketing professionals with unique challenges; poorly-educated consumers, misleading mainstream media, anti-renewable campaigners, policy shifts and anti-dumping troubles have all contributed to an ever-changing outlook. Read more

Else Enerji installs first solar PV plant of Sivas Province, Turkey

Monday, 9.30.2013 - 13:38 (Solarserver)

Else Enerji (Ankara, Turkey) completed installation and commissioning of a 500 kWp solar photovoltaic (PV) farm, established on 250.000 m² near Sivas-Ankara highway at a Marka Group Fattening Farm, one of the biggest PV power plants in Anatolia. The commissioning process is including the formal acceptances and project approval of the power plant by Turkish Electricity Distribution Corporation (TEDAŞ). The PV power plant belongs to Prokon A.Ş. (Ankara, Turkey), and all engineering, procurement and application processes were carried out by Else Enerji in collaboration with Sivas Aktif Enerji (Sivas, Turkey). Read more

SPP Awards spotlight: Domestic rooftop installation up to 10kW

Monday, 9.30.2013 - 13:35 (Solarpowerportal)

Domestic solar installations remain the core of the UK solar sector. As the most publicly visible of all installations completed, the importance of well designed and installed systems cannot be underestimated. Read more

Standard Solar to develop PV installations for U.S. Army

Monday, 9.30.2013 - 13:33 (Solarserver)

Standard Solar, Inc. (Rockville, MD, USA) on September 26th, 2013, announced that it has been selected by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Engineering and Support Center to develop solar photovoltaic (PV) systems on Army installations. Standard Solar, along with 21 other companies, was awarded Multiple Award Task Order Contracts (MATOC), qualifying to compete for future solar projects in order to meet the renewable energy goals set by the Department of Defense (DoD) last year through power purchase agreements (PPAs). Read more

Hanwha Group plants 200,000 tree “solar forest” at Baijitan Nature Reserve in Ningxia, China

Monday, 9.30.2013 - 13:33 (Solarserver)

Hanwha Group (Seoul, South Korea) on September 26th, 2013 announced that it will plant the 200,000 tree “Hanwha Solar Forest” in the Baijitan Nature Reserve in Lingwu City, Ningxia province (China), to boost the city’s fragile, desertification prone ecosystem. The Solar Forest builds on Hanwha’s 80 kWh solar photovoltaic (PV) array in Ningxia, donated and installed with the support of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and State Forestry Bureau. Read more

Government austerity destroying Spain’s PV industry, says trade body

Monday, 9.30.2013 - 13:15 (PV-Tech)

Punitive measures against PV users and growing competition from abroad are “dismantling” Spain’s solar industry, according the country’s PV industry body. Read more

China announces 50% tax breaks for solar manufacturers

Monday, 9.30.2013 - 13:15 (PV-Tech)

Chinese solar manufacturers will receive a 50% tax rebate, the Ministry of Finance has confirmed. Read more

Order Focus: SunPower supplies 69MW of modules for Japan project

Monday, 9.30.2013 - 12:56 (PV-Tech)

Sunpower has announced that it will supply 69MW of modules to a solar power plant project in Aomori, Japan. Read more

Netherlands solar registrations double in seven months

Monday, 9.30.2013 - 12:15 (PV-Tech)

Energieleveren, a grid initiative for the registration of solar, hydro and biogas energy producers in the Netherlands, has seen solar registrations more than double over seven months. Read more

EDF Renewable Energy inaugurates 143 MWp PV plant Catalina Solar in California

Monday, 9.30.2013 - 11:55 (Solarserver)

EDF Renewable Energy (Paris, France) on September 27th, 2013 dedicated the 143 MWp (110 MWac) Catalina Solar project in Kern County, California, USA. Located on 900 acres of privately owned land southwest of the Tehachapi and Piute mountains, the thin-film solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant comprises Solar Frontier modules with a generation capacity of 82 MWp, and 61 MWp First Solar modules. Catalina Solar will generate electricity for 35,000 homes, and represents EDF Renewable Energy’s largest utility-scale solar PV plant. Currently it is the 8th largest PV plant in the world. Read more

Solectria Renewables PV inverters to power largest airport solar installation in North America

Monday, 9.30.2013 - 11:46 (Solarserver)

Solectria Renewables, LLC (Lawrence, Massachusetts, USA) on September 26th, 2013 announced that Cenergy Power (Carlsbad, California, USA), general EPC contractor on behalf of the project owners, has chosen Solectria Renewables’ solar photovoltaic (PV) inverters to power a 12.5 MW solar farm at Indianapolis International Airport. The solar PV facility, the largest airport solar installation in North America, is expected to generate more than 12.5 million kilowatt hours of solar power annually, enough to power more than 1,200 average American homes. Read more

Kyocera supplies 3.6 MW of PV modules for "Kizuna" Solar Park in Tsunami-hit Miyagi Prefecture, Japan

Monday, 9.30.2013 - 8:34 (Solarserver)

Kyocera Corporation (Kyoto, Japan) announced that it has supplied 3.6 megawatts (MW) of multi-crystalline silicon solar photovoltaic (PV) modules for the Okumatsushima “Kizuna” solar park in Higashi-Matsushima City, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. Construction of the utility-scale PV plant owned and operated by Mitsui & Co., Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan) was recently completed and the plant went online in August 2013. Read more

Concentrating solar power: International Federation of Consulting Engineers rewards SENER for Gemasolar CSP plant

Monday, 9.30.2013 - 8:29 (Solarserver)

Engineering and technology group SENER (Getxo, Spain) has been awarded by the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC) for the concentrating solar power (CSP) plant Gemasolar, owned by Torresol Energy (Getxo, Spain). FIDIC recognized the solar power plant as one of the world's best engineering projects of the last 100 years, rewarding the SENER’s project with an Award of Merit in the Major civil engineering projects category, along with other 11 main constructions from around the world. Read more

Movin' and Shakin': Geothermal Projects Face a Rocky Road

Monday, 9.30.2013 - 15:17 (Renewable Energy World)

Geothermal energy, one of the "forgotten renewables," powers 4,419 MW, or just more than 1 percent, of planned capacity in the U.S., surpassing only planned biomass-fueled capacity in the renewables sector. Geothermal heat currently powers just 2,751 MW. Read more

Italy and Spain reprimanded by EU over renewables

Monday, 9.30.2013 - 19:00 (PV-Tech)

Italy and Spain have fallen foul of the European Commission’s renewable energy rules, with both countries named in the European Union’s monthly report on infringements to obligations under European law. Read more

Vote Now for Your Favorite Project of the Year! Readers' Choice Voting Closes Tuesday!

Monday, 9.30.2013 - 17:53 (Renewable Energy World)

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/awards/2013/2/vote Read more

LAST CHANCE! Vote Now for Your Favorite Project of the Year! Readers' Choice Voting Ends TODAY!

Monday, 9.30.2013 - 17:53 (Renewable Energy World)

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/awards/2013/2/vote Read more

Renewable Energy Mid-Year Report: 10% US Energy Consumption, 14% Net Electrical Generation

Monday, 9.30.2013 - 15:51 (Renewable Energy World)

According to the most recent issue of the "Monthly Energy Review" by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), with data through June 30, 2013, renewable energy sources (i.e., biofuels, biomass, hydropower, geothermal, solar, and wind) provided 9.81 percent of U.S. energy consumption and 11.82 percent of domestic energy production for the first half of 2013. Read more

NRG Energy, Digicel announce partnership on PV projects in the Caribbean

Monday, 9.30.2013 - 8:41 (Solarserver)

NRG Energy, Inc. (Princeton, New Jersey, USA) and Digicel (Kingston, Jamaica) on September 26th, 2013 announced a partnership to acquire, construct and operate renewable energy and solar photovoltaic (PV) projects under development in the Caribbean region. Through a request for proposal (RFP) process, the two companies are soliciting developers, governments and installers to provide information on renewable energy, PV projects under development for possible investment. The RFP will be launched on September 30th, 2013, and end on November 15th, 2013. Read more