Nigeria signs 1.2GW PV agreement

Monday, 11.24.2014 - 11:37 (PV-Tech)

Global energy developer New Generation Power (NGP) signed a memorandum of understanding with the Federal Government of Nigeria to deliver 1,200MW of utility-scale photovoltaic projects within the West African country. Read more

PV production: SoLayTec sells first ALD machine in the U.S. market

Monday, 11.24.2014 - 11:19 (Solarserver)

US based Mission Solar Energy has ordered an InPassion ALD for its high efficiency n-type silicon bifacial solar cell line, SoLayTec (Eindhoven, The Netherlands) announces. With this order the company enters the U.S. market. Read more

Trina Solar to announce first overseas manufacturing plant soon

Monday, 11.24.2014 - 19:49 (PV-Tech)

Trina Solar is expected to announce its first PV manufacturing plant to be based outside of China, shortly. Read more

Trina Solar to announce first overseas manufacturing plant ‘soon’

Monday, 11.24.2014 - 19:49 (PV-Tech)

Trina Solar is expected to announce its first PV manufacturing plant to be based outside of China, shortly. Read more

Order Focus: JinkoSolar supplying 7MW to Mexico distributor

Monday, 11.24.2014 - 17:47 (PV-Tech)

Major tier-one PV manufacturer, JinkoSolar, is to supply distributor, Almacen Sustentable (AS Solar) in Mexico with 7MW of modules. Read more

Tool Order: Amtech to ship PECVD tools for Mission Solar’s planned capacity expansion

Monday, 11.24.2014 - 16:55 (PV-Tech)

PV equipment specialist, Amtech Systems, has secured a follow-on order with US-based PV manufacturer, Mission Solar, in a multi-million dollar deal said to be in the low teens. Read more

Community Solar Prices at All-Time Low

Monday, 11.24.2014 - 16:05 (Renewable Energy World)

It’s been widely publicized that the cost of residential solar electric systems in the United States is falling faster than ever before. This downward pricing trend is projected to continue through 2016 and then stabilize, according to a September 2014 report compiled by researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the Lawre Read more

Order Focus: Yingli to supply modules to largest PV project in Europe

Monday, 11.24.2014 - 15:51 (PV-Tech)

China’s Yingli Solar is to be a key module supplier for the 300MW solar project being built in France that is on course to become Europe’s largest PV power plant. Read more

IRENA charts course to 26% renewables in China by 2030

Monday, 11.24.2014 - 15:45 (PV-Tech)

China can double its current use of renewable energy to 26% by 2030, with solar PV accounting 6% of all renewable energy use by that time, according to a new report released today by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). Read more

REC Solar ASA announces to sell its business to Hong Kong based Elkem Group

Monday, 11.24.2014 - 13:09 (Solarserver)

REC Solar ASA (Oslo, Norway), acting through a subsidiary, has reached an agreement with Bluestar Elkem Investment Co. Ltd. (Hong Kong, China), whereby Bluestar Elkem will purchase 100% of the shares in a Luxembourg company (to be established) which will own REC Solar Holdings AS and all of the assets and liabilities of REC Solar at a cash purchase price equal to NOK 108.50 per share in REC Solar. The total cash consideration is NOK 4,340 million (approx. USD 640 million). The Transaction is subject to approval by an extraordinary general meeting of REC Solar, expected to be held no later than January 16th, 2015. Read more

Flagging US utility installs leave 2014 PV forecast in doubt

Monday, 11.24.2014 - 13:05 (PV-Tech)

New utility solar installations in the US so far this year are down 31% on last year, according to the country’s Federal Electricity Regulatory Commission (FERC). Read more

Trina Solar surpasses 1GW quarterly module shipment milestone

Monday, 11.24.2014 - 12:37 (PV-Tech)

Major PV manufacturer, Trina Solar, has reported third quarter module shipments of 1,063.8MW, exceeding the 1GW quarterly module shipment milestone and an increase of 12.8% from the previous quarter. However, Trina Solar lowered full-year shipment guidance on lower PV project completions. Read more

Walmart announces up to 400 new solar PV projects in the U.S.; SolarCity, SunEdison awarded contracts

Monday, 11.24.2014 - 11:25 (Solarserver)

Walmart (Bentonville, Arkansas, US) on November 20th, 2014 announced, the company will install up to 400 new solar photovoltaic (PV) projects at facilities across the United States over the next four years. This advances the company’s global commitment to drive the production or procurement of seven billion kWh of renewable energy by the end of 2020 and its goal to be supplied by 100 percent renewable energy. To facilitate these installations, Walmart selected proposals from two preferred solar energy providers, SolarCity and SunEdison, following an RFP process. Read more

Conergy in 41MW EPC win as Philippines solar continues growth spurt

Monday, 11.24.2014 - 11:11 (PV-Tech)

PV developer and engineering, procurement and construction firm, Conergy, has won a contract to build 41MW of solar in the Philippines as the country continues to progress with its PV roll-out. Read more

Comtec Solar revenue falls steeply in Q3

Monday, 11.24.2014 - 11:11 (PV-Tech)

N-type monocrystalline wafer producer, Comtec Solar Systems Group, has reported a steep decline in revenue for the third quarter of 2014. Read more

REC Solar to combine with Elkem after US$640m Chinese buyout

Monday, 11.24.2014 - 11:08 (PV-Tech)

State-owned chemical firm, China National Bluestar, has bought tier-one module manufacturer REC Solar for NOK4.34 billion (US$640 million). Read more

Conergy to build solar PV plants totaling 41 MW in the Philippines

Monday, 11.24.2014 - 9:34 (Solarserver)

Conergy (Hamburg) on November 25th, 2014 announced that it will build two new solar photovoltaic (PV) plants totaling 41 MWp in the Philippines. The PV new projects bring Conergy’s total contracted volume in the fast-growing Asian market to 73 MWp. The new PV plants will be built on the island of Negros for San Carlos Solar Energy Inc. (SaCaSol), a joint venture between European-based investment and advisory firm, ThomasLloyd and Bronzeoak Philippines. Read more

Hanwha SolarOne reports Q3, 2014 results: PV module shipments increased by 17.4% and revenues up 5.5% y/y

Monday, 11.24.2014 - 7:02 (Solarserver)

Hanwha SolarOne Co., Ltd. (Shanghai, China) on November 21st, 2014 reported its unaudited financial results for the three months ended September 30th, 2014. Total net revenues were RMB 1,198.0 million (USD 195.2 million), an increase of 8.2% from RMB 1,107.3 million in Q2, 2014, and an increase of 5.5% from RMB 1,135.1 million in Q3, 2013. The increase in total net revenues in 3Q14 compared with 2Q14 was primarily due to higher shipments. Module processing services accounted for approximately 10% of revenues, the company reports. Gross margin was positive 6.8%, compared with positive 9.5% in Q2, 2014 and positive 5.1% in Q3, 2013. The decline in gross margins is the result Read more

Trina Solar receives carbon footprint verification for solar PV modules from British Standards Institution

Monday, 11.24.2014 - 7:02 (Solarserver)

Trina Solar Limited (Changzhou, China) on November 21st, 2014 announced it obtained Carbon Footprint Verification for the Company's solar photovoltaic (PV) modules from the British Standards Institution (BSI), a leading international standards and certification body. “We are pleased to once again receive the Carbon Footprint Verification for our solar PV modules,” said Jifan Gao, CEO and Chairman of Trina Solar. Read more

Biofuel & Biomaterial Crops: We Might Be Doing It Wrong

Monday, 11.24.2014 - 14:44 (Renewable Energy World)

As I was recently dulling blades while chopping switchgrass for some experiments, I started thinking whether the “high yield perennial grasses on marginal land” paradigm makes any sense for biofuels. There are many positives about using perennial grasses. They are low maintenance, high yield, require low additional nutrients, and have broad growing ranges. Read more

Wind Energy Provides More Than Two-Thirds of New US Generating Capacity in October

Monday, 11.24.2014 - 16:40 (Renewable Energy World)

According to the latest "Energy Infrastructure Update" report from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (FERC) Office of Energy Projects, wind power provided over two-thirds (68.41 percent) of new U.S. electrical generating capacity in October 2014. Specifically, five wind farms in Colorado, Kansas, Michigan, Nebraska, and Texas came on line last month, accounting for 574 MW of new capacity. Read more

Renewable YieldCo Pricing Less Irrational, But Plenty of Opportunity Left

Monday, 11.24.2014 - 16:30 (Renewable Energy World)

Yieldcos are companies which own clean energy assets and use the cash flows from them to deliver a high level of current dividend yield and (in some cases) the promise of significant dividend growth. Investors like them because yield is scarce in the current low interest rate environment. Read more

SunEdison teams with Renova Energia to build 1GW pipeline in Brazil

Monday, 11.24.2014 - 13:23 (PV-Tech)

Major PV energy provider SunEdison is forming a joint venture with Brazil’s largest renewable energy company, Renova Energia S.A. to build 1GW of PV power plant projects in Brazil. Read more

LG Chem and Siemens to collaborate closer on battery storage systems

Monday, 11.24.2014 - 11:05 (Solarserver)

LG Chem (Seoul, Korea) and Siemens (Berlin and Munich, Germany) have agreed to collaborate more closely on project development and marketing of industrial battery storage systems, and have signed a memorandum of understanding to this effect. With this collaboration, the companies are responding to the growing demand for energy storage systems (ESS), which are needed more and more to stabilize distribution grids. Read more

SCE seeks new clean power resources including PV, wind to support innovative Orange County reliability pilot project

Monday, 11.24.2014 - 7:02 (Solarserver)

Southern California Edison (SCE, Rosemead, California, US) has launched a Request for Offers (RFO) to acquire electricity from new renewable distributed generating facilities. The RFO was launched to support SCE’s Preferred Resources Pilot (PRP) in central and south Orange County and is seeking up to 50 megawatt of renewable power. Read more