Suntech bolsters warranty with Munich Re-backed insurance

Wednesday, 10.15.2014 - 12:31 (PV-Tech)

Wuxi Suntech has bolstered its warranty with the addition of insurance coverage by China-based Ping An and reinsured by Munich Re. Read more

Transforming the Utility Sector with New Business Models

Wednesday, 10.15.2014 - 12:21 (Renewable Energy World)

The “utility death spiral” is a term that is becoming all too familiar as distributed energy technologies expand. But how real is it? Are regulated utilities going way — or are they on their way to new business models? According to a new study by Berkeley Lab, distributed solar photovoltaics (PV) are the most immediate threat to investor-owned util Read more

SolarCity at It Again, Offers $200 Million in Bonds to Investors

Wednesday, 10.15.2014 - 19:46 (Renewable Energy World)

SolarCity Corp. is offering retail investors as much as $200 million in bonds that will be paid through revenue the company receives for selling electricity. Read more

National Solar Centre to aid local authorities with ‘grid guidance’ solar code

Wednesday, 10.15.2014 - 18:19 (Solarpowerportal)

The National Solar Centre (NSC) is to provide a new solar code of practice for ‘grid guidance’ to aid local authorities in deploying solar. Read more

SEUK: Segen and Seraphim ink deal at Solar Energy UK

Wednesday, 10.15.2014 - 18:15 (Solarpowerportal)

Renewable energy distributor, Segen has announced its official partnership with Chinese PV manufacturer Seraphim at Solar Energy UK. Read more

ET Solar breaks ground on 8.7MW project in the UK

Wednesday, 10.15.2014 - 15:20 (Solarpowerportal)

ET Solar has broken ground on a 8.7MW solar farm in Somerset. Read more

NPD Solarbuzz: US residential solar PV demand approaching 1 GW per annum

Wednesday, 10.15.2014 - 15:00 (Solarserver)

The outlook for the residential solar photovoltaic (PV) segment in the United States remains strong, with policymakers looking to reduce the regulatory burden for new installations and major downstream players focusing on continued installed system cost reduction. NPD Solarbuzz (Santa Clara, California, US) anticipates that the residential PV segment will pass the 1 GW trailing 12-month (TTM) rate in early 2015; strong growth is forecast through 2016. Read more

Analyst: US Residential Demand Could Approach 1 GW Annually

Wednesday, 10.15.2014 - 14:53 (Renewable Energy World)

The outlook for the residential solar market in the United States remains strong, with policymakers looking to reduce the regulatory burden for new installations and major downstream players focusing on continued installed system cost reduction. Read more

ET Solar breaks ground on 8.7MW project in the UK

Wednesday, 10.15.2014 - 14:04 (PV-Tech)

ET Solutions AG began construction on a ground-mounted PV project with 8.7MW capacity in Somerset, UK. Read more

SEUK: MCS ‘too reliant on volunteers’

Wednesday, 10.15.2014 - 13:37 (Solarpowerportal)

A poll run on Solar Power Portal in the build up to Solar Energy UK posed the question: To what extent do you agree with the following statement? ‘Current installer standards agencies are supporting the progression of the UK solar PV industry’. The results make for grim reading for the MCS: 67.08% of readers either disagree or strongly disagree with the statement.   Read more

JinkoSolar to launch smart PV modules in Europe with three different optimizers

Wednesday, 10.15.2014 - 13:22 (Solarserver)

JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. (Shanghai, China) on October 15th, 2014 announced that it launched Smart Modules in Europe. Thanks to intelligent built-in optimizers these smart solar photovoltaic (PV) modules don’t lose performance because of shade, clouds or unfavorable house orientation. This advantage increases electricity generation by up to 20% over standard solar modules and makes every roof the perfect roof to optimize solar energy, JinkoSolar emphasizes. Read more

5 Common Twitter Solar Marketing Mistakes and Fixes for SPI

Wednesday, 10.15.2014 - 12:18 (Renewable Energy World)

Next week is Solar Power International in Vegas, and I’ve been watching the Twittersphere for how solar manufacturers are communicating about their SPI plans and promotions, and I’m seeing several common mistakes that can be quickly fixed. Here they are: Mistake #1: You’re not even Tweeting about SPI. Oops... Many solar manufacturers still don’t ha Read more

SunEdison slashes solar costs with new high efficiency PV module technology

Wednesday, 10.15.2014 - 12:03 (Solarserver)

SunEdison, Inc. (Belmint, Calif., US) on October 14th, 2014 announced new zero white space (ZWS) solar photovoltaic (PV) module technology. The technology can increase solar module power output by up to 15%, effectively decreasing the total system cost by up to 8%, according to SunEdison. "SunEdison's ZWS technology is a major achievement that will significantly reduce the cost of solar energy," saidDave Ranhoff, president of solar materials at SunEdison. Read more

Stem, KYOCERA Solar launch PV energy storage solution for commercial power users in the US

Wednesday, 10.15.2014 - 11:57 (Solarserver)

Stem, Inc. (Millbrae, Calf., US) on October 14th, 2014 announced it has teamed with Kyocera Solar, Inc. (Scottsdale, AZ), a provider of innovative solar photovoltaic (PV) power solutions, to offer an integrated solar PV and energy storage solution for commercial power users. Kyocera is the first solar PV provider to offer Stem’s solution, which is available now to businesses in California, Hawaii and New York looking to reduce energy costs by going solar. Read more

Solar PV asset management software: 3megawatt announces exclusive distribution agreement with Omifin Solutions, Canada

Wednesday, 10.15.2014 - 11:51 (Solarserver)

3megawatt GmbH (Munich, Germany) has signed an agreement with Toronto-based Omifin Solutions on the Canada-wide sale of BluePoint, a solar photovoltaic (PV) asset management software platform used to manage over 2 GW of solar PV assets worldwide, the company announced on October 15th, 2014. The partnership between the two companies will provide for a distribution channel for Canada-based solar PV asset managers who are seeking a robust and reliable system to keep track and control of their growing portfolios, the partners emphasize. Read more

Canadian Solar scores 146MW deal in Honduras

Wednesday, 10.15.2014 - 11:46 (PV-Tech)

Module maker and project developer Canadian Solar has won a 146.4MW module order in Honduras. Read more

ADB to lend US$100 million for India solar projects

Wednesday, 10.15.2014 - 11:04 (PV-Tech)

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is to lend US$100 million toward ACME Solar Energy’s India project plans. Read more

Walmart defies critics to top US corporate solar ranking

Wednesday, 10.15.2014 - 11:01 (PV-Tech)

US supermarket giant Walmart, last week identified as an active funder of anti-clean energy groups, has topped a list of America’s biggest corporate solar users. Read more

NPD Solarbuzz: US solar PV trade investigation leads to surge in Chinese module shipments

Wednesday, 10.15.2014 - 10:08 (Solarserver)

A recent snapshot analysis of the crystalline silicon solar PV supply-chain showed that China still maintains its dominance in PV manufacturing, according to NPD Solarbuzz (Santa Clara, California, US). This is despite actions stemming from continuing trade disputes that were aimed at curbing Chinese PV market-share growth rates, comments Michael Barker, senior analyst at NPD Solarbuzz. Read more

JinkoSolar to supply 21.5 MW of PV modules for Searchlight solar project in the US

Wednesday, 10.15.2014 - 10:01 (Solarserver)

JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. (Shanghai, China) on October 13th, 2014 announced that it will supply 21.5 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) modules for the construction of the Searchlight solar project located near Searchlight, Nevada, approximately 50 miles south of Las Vegas. Read more

SPI Solar announces second EPC Agreement for a PV project in Inner Mongolia in one month

Wednesday, 10.15.2014 - 9:46 (Solarserver)

SPI Solar (Roseville., Calif.; US) on October 14th, 2014 announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Xinyu Xinwei New Energy Co., Ltd. has signed an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) agreement for a 30 megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic (PV) project in Alxa League, Inner Mongolia. Read more

Trina Solar announces new world record for peak power output: Monocrystalline PV Honey module with 335.2 W

Wednesday, 10.15.2014 - 7:13 (Solarserver)

Trina Solar Limited (Changzhou, China) on October 14th, 2014 announced that its high-efficiency Honey solar photovoltaic (PV) module has set a new world record for peak power output for P-type monocrystalline silicon PV modules, as independently certified by TUEV Rheinland. The module was developed in the Company's State Key Lab of PV Science and Technology and is composed of 60 156mm x 156mm high-efficiency Honey monocrystalline silicon solar cells. It generates a peak power output of 335.2 W, breaking the previous world record of 326.3 W, set by Trina's Solar's original Honey module in April 2014. Read more

Trina Solar announces new world record for peak power output: Monocrystalline PV module with 335.2 W

Wednesday, 10.15.2014 - 7:05 (Solarserver)

Trina Solar Limited (Changzhou, China) on October 14th, 2014 announced that its high-efficiency Honey solar photovoltaic (PV) module has set a new world record for peak power output for P-type monocrystalline silicon PV modules, as independently certified by TUEV Rheinland. The module was developed in the Company's State Key Lab of PV Science and Technology and is composed of 60 156mm x 156mm high-efficiency Honey monocrystalline silicon solar cells. It generates a peak power output of 335.2 W, breaking the previous world record of 326.3 W, set by Trina's Solar's original Honey module in April 2014. Read more

PV in Japan: Etrion, Hitachi announce start of construction on plants totaling 34 MW

Wednesday, 10.15.2014 - 6:57 (Solarserver)

Etrion Corporation (Geneva, Switzerland), an independent solar power producer, on October 14th, 2014 announced the start of construction on its first 34 megawatts (MW) in Japan jointly owned with Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation, a subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan). Read more

Offshore Wind Power Can Save US Billions On Electricity, Recent DOE Study Finds

Wednesday, 10.15.2014 - 16:43 (Renewable Energy World)

Offshore wind power isn’t usually associated with lower-cost energy, at least not in the public imagination. But it turns out that installing 54 gigawatts of offshore wind power off America’s coasts can cut the cost of electricity in the U.S. by an astounding $7.68 billion a year. That’s right: $7.68 billion annually. (If utilities and grid operators pass those savings onto consumers, that’s about $100 a year per family of four.) Read more

Germany’s Clean Electricity Costs Decline for First Time

Wednesday, 10.15.2014 - 19:51 (Renewable Energy World)

German electricity consumers will for the first time see a drop in the fee added to their bills to fund renewables, a boost for Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has pledged to curb the cost for voters. Read more

We Can Do Better: The Unintended Consequences of EPA’s “Clean Power Plan”

Wednesday, 10.15.2014 - 14:22 (Renewable Energy World)

Most people agree that it is time to seriously reduce global emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG).  EPA is actually required by law to reduce power and industrial GHG emissions in the U.S., and they certainly deserve an “E” for effort so far.  But effort without good outcomes doesn’t really count.  Sadly, the EPA’s rule as proposed would create unin Read more

Giant Energy Storage Project Aims at Renewable Energy's Holy Grail

Wednesday, 10.15.2014 - 13:50 (Renewable Energy World)

At a windy mountain pass on the edge of the Mojave Desert, North America’s most potent collection of batteries used for storing unused power is humming its way toward an electricity revolution. Read more

PV project developer OneEnergy Renewables secures USD 5 million in Series B funding

Wednesday, 10.15.2014 - 9:58 (Solarserver)

OneEnergy Renewables, (Seattle, Washington, US), a developer of distributed, utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) projects, on October 14th, 2014 announced it has closed a USD 5 million Series B financing round. New investor Ecosystem Integrity Fund (EIF, San Francisco, CA, US) led the round, with additional support from existing investors, including members of the Seattle-based cleantech angel group, Element 8. Read more