China Sunergy launches high power output PV modules, receives Shanghai Enterprise Technology Center Award

Thursday, 12.18.2014 - 14:16 (Solarserver)

China Sunergy Co., Ltd. (CSUN, Nanjing, China) on December 18th, 2014 announced the launch of two new sets of high-output solar photovoltaic (PV) modules with rated power of over 270 W assembled with multi-crystalline silicon solar cells and over 325 W assembled with mono-crystalline silicon solar cells. The Company also announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, CEEG (Shanghai) Solar Science Technology Co., Ltd. (SST), was recognized as Shanghai Enterprise Technology Center by the Shanghai Economy and Information Technology Commission (EITC). Read more

NREL pushes the limits of solar conversion, demonstrates 45.7% efficiency for concentrator solar cell

Thursday, 12.18.2014 - 10:39 (Solarserver)

The U.S. Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory on December 16th, 2014 announced the demonstration of a 45.7 percent conversion efficiency for a four-junction solar cell at 234 suns concentration. NREL's new solar cell, which is designed for operation in a concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) system where it can receive more than 1,000 suns of concentrated sunlight, greatly improves earlier designs by incorporating an additional high quality absorber layer to achieve an ultra-high efficiency. Read more

Duke Prepares Distributed Solar Program in South Carolina

Thursday, 12.18.2014 - 21:17 (Renewable Energy World)

Duke Energy and other utilities in South Carolina are preparing a plan for developing distributed solar in the state on the heels of a net metering agreement announced last week. The utility plan will be delivered to the state public utilities commission in February, and after a few months of expected PUC deliberation, Duke will begin implementation “immediately,” according to Ryan Mosier, a spokesperson for the utility. Read more

Celebrate the Holidays with SolarEdge's New Video: Always the Sun

Thursday, 12.18.2014 - 18:16 (Renewable Energy World)

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US solar-plus-storage market set to hit US$1b by 2018 - GTM

Thursday, 12.18.2014 - 18:07 (PV-Tech)

The US market for solar plus storage is predicted to grow more than twentyfold in the next three years, rapidly expanding from US$42 million in value this year to US$1 billion by 2018, according to GTM Research. Read more

Solar Tariffs: Throttling America's Biggest Job Creation Machine

Thursday, 12.18.2014 - 18:00 (Renewable Energy World)

The U.S. Department of Commerce just announced that it will add high tariffs for solar modules imported from China. The Canadian government is also investigating the adoption of similar measures, following recent complaints filed by Ontario-based solar manufacturers. With the solar industry in hypergrowth, it’s not a surprise that these governments are interested in boosting new jobs, protecting their economies, and fostering the solar sector. The problem is that tariffs are a short-sighted approach that actually attack the future of North American solar on its home soil, and likely destroy more jobs than they create. Read more

A Look Back at 2014: What Does a Shortage of Bankable Projects Mean for C&I Solar?

Thursday, 12.18.2014 - 17:12 (Renewable Energy World)

Solar project development is cyclical: more capital chases projects, oversupply of capital brings down yields, capital exits the space, more projects chase the money; rinse, lather, and repeat. As we reflect on 2014, we will remember it as a year when an abundance of sponsor equity was met with a shortage of bankable project opportunities. Here’s w Read more

Solar Plus Battery Storage Market to Reach $1 Billion in US by 2018

Thursday, 12.18.2014 - 16:21 (Renewable Energy World)

Demand for rooftop solar paired with energy storage systems will reach $1 billion in the U.S. within four years, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. Read more

LDK Solar confirms closing date of restructuring transactions

Thursday, 12.18.2014 - 14:20 (Solarserver)

LDK Solar CO., Ltd. in provisional liquidation (Xinyu City, China) on December 18th, 2014 announced that the closing date for the restructuring transactions in respect of LDK Solar's senior noteholders and preferred shareholders, as contemplated in the Schemes, occurred on December 17th, 2014. Read more

Jetion bags 36MW order in UK

Thursday, 12.18.2014 - 12:59 (Solarpowerportal)

Chinese module manufacturer Jetion Solar has secured an order totalling 36MW for two solar farms in the UK. Read more

SunPower prepares for ‘disruptive shift in energy market’ with Sunverge solar-plus-storage deal

Thursday, 12.18.2014 - 12:55 (PV-Tech)

Integrated US photovoltaic energy company SunPower’s solar panels will be sold as part of a package that includes energy management software and energy storage capabilities to residential customers in the US and Australia from early next year. Read more

E.ON commissions PV plant at US army base

Thursday, 12.18.2014 - 11:19 (PV-Tech)

German utility E.ON has connected an 18MW solar farm at the US Army’s Fort Huachuca in Arizona. Read more

tenKsolar expands PV manufacturing capabilities into Thailand

Thursday, 12.18.2014 - 10:31 (Solarserver)

tenKsolar, a Minneapolis based manufacturer of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, on December 17th, 2014 announced the expansion of their production lines with new manufacturing facilities in Thailand including module assembly operations and lamination. This capacity will be in addition to tenK's existing manufacturing facilities, operating in Shanghai (China) and Minneapolis (MN, US). The new PV manufacturing lines will allow tenK to meet the rising demand for their “RAIS” PV Systems, the company notes. Read more

Yingli Solar comments on U.S. DOC announcement: Harsh, protectionist tariffs will perpetuate market uncertainty

Thursday, 12.18.2014 - 10:23 (Solarserver)

Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited (Baoding, China) on December 17th, 2014 commented on the final anti-dumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) decisions by the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) regarding the import of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels assembled in China using components from a third country. “We are deeply disappointed in the U.S. Department of Commerce's decision to accept such a broadly defined scope for this ruling, and to levy harsh, protectionist tariffs. It's well known that our customers, partners, and other stakeholders represent the majority of the solar industry and U.S. jobs”, commented Robert Petrina, Managing Director of Yingli Green Read more

Southern Company subsidiary selects First Solar to build a 131 MW PV plant in Georgia

Thursday, 12.18.2014 - 7:19 (Solarserver)

Southern Company (Atlanta, Georgia) subsidiary Southern Power on December 17th, 2014 announced plans to develop a 131 megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic (PV) project in Georgia, which will be capable of generating enough electricity to help meet the energy needs of more than 21,000 homes. Southern Power has selected First Solar to be the engineering, procurement and construction contractor for the PV facility. Construction of the plant is scheduled to begin in September 2015, and the project is expected to achieve commercial operation in the fourth quarter of 2016. Read more

German Solar Industry Association, Intersolar Europe price monitor: Significant cost drop for solar PV storage systems

Thursday, 12.18.2014 - 7:13 (Solarserver)

Prices for solar power storage systems have fallen by around a quarter in recent months. At the same time, the demand for solar batteries has increased significantly. As a result of the sharp decline in prices, the German Solar Industry Association (BSW-Solar) expects that interest in battery systems will continue to grow. According to Association estimates, more than 15,000 households in Germany already cover significant amounts of their electricity consumption from their own solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, even during evening hours; this gives them greater independence from rising electricity prices. Read more

ADB awards Abengoa's hybrid solar thermal-gas plant in Morocco for its contribution to sustainable development in Africa

Thursday, 12.18.2014 - 6:57 (Solarserver)

Abengoa (Madrid, Spain), has been awarded the third prize for excellence awarded by the African Development Bank for the combined cycle power plant of Ain Beni Mathar. The objective of this award is to recognize excellence in projects that contribute to sustainable development in Africa. With 160 hectares and located 81 km south of Oujda (Morocco) and about 30 km from the Algerian border, Ain Beni Mathar was opened on May 12th, 2010 as the first solar thermal plant in Africa, and the first to start commercial operation with Integrated Solar Combine Cycle (ISCC) technology in the world. Read more

SunPower, Sunverge to offer solar PV and battery storage systems in the U.S. and Australia

Thursday, 12.18.2014 - 6:43 (Solarserver)

SunPower Corp. (San Jose, Calif., US) and Sunverge Energy Inc. (San Francisco, Calif., US) on December 17th, 2014 announced an exclusive agreement that offers SunPower's fully integrated SunPower solar Photovoltaic (PV) power systems and Sunverge's advanced Solar Integration System (SIS) energy storage solutions to residential customers and utilities in the U.S. The two companies are providing a similar offering to Australian customers. SunPower and Sunverge expect to make combined solar power and storage solutions broadly commercially available in early 2015. Read more

Japan Toughens Rules for Renewable Energy Incentive Payments

Thursday, 12.18.2014 - 17:53 (Renewable Energy World)

Japan’s trade ministry is setting stricter rules for production and sales of renewable energy in what it says is a drive to speed up development of projects and ensure stable power supply. Read more

Majority of MCS firms would consider becoming Green Deal installers

Thursday, 12.18.2014 - 17:46 (Solarpowerportal)

More than two thirds of MCS installers would consider becoming Green Deal suppliers, according to a new research by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). Read more

Renewable Energy Is Driving the Energy Transformation: REWNA Recap Video

Thursday, 12.18.2014 - 14:42 (Renewable Energy World)

Renewable energy stakeholders are well aware that clean energy is slowly but steadily transforming the energy landscape and that message couldn’t have been more clear at the recently concluded Power-Gen International, the largest show for the traditional power generation industry. Since all forms of power generation are represented at the show through the four co-located conferences, PennWell calls the second week in December "Power Generation Week." Read more

United PV to acquire 1.5GW of projects through partnership with NARI Electricity

Thursday, 12.18.2014 - 9:09 (PV-Tech)

Solar power investor United PV has reached a partnership deal with NARI Electricity that will see United acquire 1.5GW worth of solar plants over the next three years. Read more