Sino-American Silicon sales fall in January

Monday, 2.17.2014 - 18:45 (PV-Tech)

Taiwan-based solar wafer producer, Sino-American Silicon (SAS) reported January, 2014 sales of NT$1,834 million (US$60.6 million), down 10.31% in the previous quarter. Read more

New Zealand Green Party moots NZ$15,000 residential solar loan

Monday, 2.17.2014 - 18:15 (PV-Tech)

New Zealand’s Green Party has announced a new residential solar loan programme as part of its energy policy. Read more

Italian PV maker Waris signs distribution deal with Solarmarkt, doubles production capacity

Monday, 2.17.2014 - 17:09 (PV-Tech)

Italian solar manufacturer Waris has announced that it will double the production capacity of its manufacturing facility in Condino, following the signing of an agreement with distributor Solarmarkt Deutschland. Read more

Trina Solar joins Solar & Off-grid Renewables Africa event as Gold Sponsor

Monday, 2.17.2014 - 16:18 (PV-Tech)

The tier one Chinese manufacturer Trina Solar has signed up as Gold Sponsor to the Solar & Off-grid Renewables Africa conference and networking event, which takes place on 4-5 March in Nairobi, Kenya. Read more

Asia Report: US-Taiwan Solar Trade Dispute Forges On

Monday, 2.17.2014 - 16:18 (Renewable Energy World)

The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) has voted — unanimously — to move ahead in its investigation of Taiwanese imports of solar PV products, continuing the latest storyline in the broad U.S.-vs.-China solar trade war. Read more

Solar Trade War Flares Up, Trina Drives Consolidation

Monday, 2.17.2014 - 15:54 (Renewable Energy World)

As if the solar trade war between the U.S. and China wasn’t bad enough, tensions just got worse with a preliminary ruling in Washington aimed at closing a loophole to a previous ruling imposing anti-dumping tariffs on Chinese solar panels. I’ll admit I was a bit surprised by the preliminary ruling just announced by the U.S. International Trade Comm Read more

Lucrative Retirement Planning Includes Solar Energy

Monday, 2.17.2014 - 15:53 (Renewable Energy World)

Today’s life expectancy in America is eight years longer than it was in 1970. That’s eight more years to enjoy retirement; and eight more years of savings to put away. In a challenging economy, there are various factors that can threaten a comfortable retirement, such as declining property values and interest rates, higher living and health care ex Read more

California sets yet another peak solar output record; sporadic contributions from Ivanpah

Monday, 2.17.2014 - 15:47 (Solarserver)

Despite all of the fanfare surrounding the dedication of the massive Ivanpah concentrating solar power (CSP) plant in California, data from the state's grid operator shows a limited and uneven contribution from the plant since the announcement that all units had come online. Read more

Listen Up: Let's Talk Solar and Home Energy Management

Monday, 2.17.2014 - 15:22 (Renewable Energy World)

Lately, downstream is the place to be in the solar value chain. Unlike the manufacturing side of the industry, installer margins have been positive and revenues are growing — leading to relatively easy access to the debt and equity investments needed for rapid growth. Read more

Solar Frontier reports its first year of profitability, factories running at full capacity

Monday, 2.17.2014 - 14:50 (Solarserver)

Showa Shell Sekiyu KK (Tokyo) has reported an 80% increase to USD 1.39 billion in annual revenues in 2013 for its Energy Solution business, which includes Solar Frontier KK (Tokyo). The company also reported a 12% operating margin, as the first year of profitability for Solar Frontier. Read more

Solar Frontier posts first annual profit as cost reductions top 20%

Monday, 2.17.2014 - 13:40 (PV-Tech)

Leading CIS thin-film PV module manufacturer, Solar Frontier reported its first annual profit in 2013, fuelled by the boom in the Japanese market. Read more

Duke issues request for 300MW of PV in Carolinas

Monday, 2.17.2014 - 13:15 (PV-Tech)

The largest electric holding power company in the US, Duke Energy has issued a request for proposals (RfP) for 300MW of solar. Read more

SolarWorld: Time to stop US firms competing with Chinese government

Monday, 2.17.2014 - 12:15 (PV-Tech)

US manufacturers should not have to compete with the Chinese government, SolarWorld America has said after the US International Trade Commission (ITC) ruled in its favour. Read more

Trina Solar acquires Hubei Hongyuan, plans expansion of solar PV cell capacity to 420 MW

Monday, 2.17.2014 - 8:56 (Solarserver)

Trina Solar Ltd. (Changzhou, China) has acquired a majority stake in Hubei Hongyuan PV Science and Technology Co. Ltd. (Xianto, China), with plans to expand the company's solar photovoltaic (PV) cell production capacity to 420 MW annually by mid-2014. Trina Solar will acquire a 51% stake in Hubei Hongyuan from PV equipment maker Shenzhen S.C. New Energy Technology Corp. (Shenzhen, China), who will retain a 49% stake. After the acquisition, Hubei Hongyuan will change its name to Hubei Trina Solar Co. Ltd. Read more

NREL finds both opportunities and barriers to securitization as a source of capital for solar PV

Monday, 2.17.2014 - 8:47 (Solarserver)

The U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratories (NREL, Golden, Colorado, U.S.) has released a report which finds that the opportunities to access capital through securitization are compelling for the U.S. solar photovoltaic (PV) industry, but that barriers still remain to widespread adoption. In November 2013 SolarCity Corp. (San Mateo, California, U.S.) completed the industry's first securitization of distributed PV assets. This led to speculation that this move could open the door to wider use of securitization as a means to obtain new capital. Read more

Supercomputer Exposes Biofuel Enzyme's Secrets

Monday, 2.17.2014 - 15:30 (Renewable Energy World)

Thanks to newer and faster supercomputers, today's computer simulations are opening hidden vistas to researchers in all areas of science. These powerful machines are used for everything from understanding how proteins work to answering questions about how galaxies began. Sometimes the data they create manage to surprise the very researchers staring back at the computer screen—that's what recently happened to a researcher at the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Read more

Dutch distributor Sunconnex files for insolvency

Monday, 2.17.2014 - 13:15 (PV-Tech)

The Dutch PV distributor and installer Sunconnex has filed for insolvency, according to papers lodged with a court in Amsterdam last week. Read more

Sungrow to develop 300MW of PV projects with Huaneng New Energy

Monday, 2.17.2014 - 16:59 (PV-Tech)

Major China-based PV inverter manufacturer, Sungrow Power Supply has signed a ‘strategic cooperation framework agreement’ with Huaneng New Energy a state-owned energy developer to construct more than 300MW of PV projects through 2015. Read more

FERC Grants New Permit for 240-MW Alaska Tidal Energy Project

Monday, 2.17.2014 - 15:18 (Renewable Energy World)

On Feb. 12, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved a successive preliminary permit for Turnagain Arm Tidal Energy Corp. for a tidal energy project in Alaska. Read more

Navigant: Mining industry to be 5% powered by renewables by 2022

Monday, 2.17.2014 - 14:07 (PV-Tech)

By 2022, at least 5% of the global mining industry’s power demand will be met by renewable energy generation, according to a report by research firm Navigant. Read more

Taiwanese cell manufacturers face March sales dip, says EnergyTrend

Monday, 2.17.2014 - 12:55 (PV-Tech)

Taiwanese cell and wafer manufacturers are expected to see a slow-down in sales next month as the latest phase in the US-China trade dispute takes effect, according to analysts EnergyTrend. Read more

Photon Energy sees rebound after Czech levy scare

Monday, 2.17.2014 - 12:26 (PV-Tech)

The chief executive officer of Photon Energy, George Hotar, has claimed the company’s new strategy to move away from dependence on government support schemes for solar has been a success. Read more

EU Leaders Said to Delay Decision on 2030 Targets for Emissions

Monday, 2.17.2014 - 11:08 (Renewable Energy World)

European Union leaders intend next month to agree on a timeline for developing energy and climate targets for 2030, delaying a final decision on the polices, according to two people with knowledge of the matter. Read more

Caribbean nations make commitments to move to renewable energy

Monday, 2.17.2014 - 8:51 (Solarserver)

Six Caribbean nations have committed to replace a portion of their diesel-fired electricity with renewable energy, according to a statement from Carbon War Room and the Rocky Mountain Institute (Snowmass, Colorado, U.S.) British Virgin Islands, Colombia, Dominica, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Santa Lucia and Turks & Caicos have all joined the Carbon War Room's Ten Island Renewable Challenge, a campaign to move islands from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Read more