Meyer Burger and CSEM PV Center to establish heterojunction cell pilot line

Wednesday, 2.19.2014 - 16:15 (PV-Tech)

Meyer Burger and CSEM PV Center are establishing the Swiss-Inno HJT Project that will include a pilot line and development program to produce low-cost Heterojunction silicon solar cell technology (HJT). Read more

Enphase shatters microinverter milestones on first ever operating profit

Wednesday, 2.19.2014 - 15:12 (PV-Tech)

Leading microinverter firm, Enphase Energy, has produced a string of records in reporting fourth quarter 2013 and full-year results. Read more

Analysis undermines case against Australia’s small-scale PV incentive

Wednesday, 2.19.2014 - 13:00 (PV-Tech)

The Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES), Australia’s incentive for rooftop PV, has negligible impact on household power bills, according to analysis published ahead of a review of the country’s renewable energy target (RET). Read more

SMA PV micro-inverters now available in Germany, Austria and Switzerland

Wednesday, 2.19.2014 - 8:55 (Solarserver)

SMA Solar Technology AG (Niestetal, Germany) has launched its Sunny Boy 240 micro-inverter in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The product had previously been launched in Canada and the United States, which has seen the bulk of micro-inverter installations. The company cites the ease of installation and other benefits of micro-inverters, which provide DC-AC conversion at each solar photovoltaic (PV) module. SMA's launch of a micro-inverter has been a powerful validation of the technology, which was pioneered by market leader Enphase Energy Inc. (Petaluma, California, U.S.). Read more

First Solar gets approval for 550 MW of solar PV plants on U.S. public lands

Wednesday, 2.19.2014 - 20:14 (Solarserver)

The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) has approved two solar photovoltaic (PV) projects by First Solar Inc. (Tempe, Arizona, U.S.) on public land near the border of California and Nevada, totaling 550 MW. The two are the 300 MW Stateline Solar PV plant on the California side of the border, and the 250 MW Silver State South Solar project on the Nevada side. Read more

SolarWorld lifts lid on rescue plan

Wednesday, 2.19.2014 - 19:26 (PV-Tech)

Beleaguered PV manufacturer, SolarWorld, has provided an insight into its recovery plan after the financial restructuring of the company is complete, expected by the end of February 2014. Read more

US government approves 550MW of First Solar projects

Wednesday, 2.19.2014 - 19:15 (PV-Tech)

The Department of Interior has approved 550MW of First Solar PV projects to be sited on public land. Read more

SunEdison Launches Yieldco to Unearth, Leverage Solar Asset Values

Wednesday, 2.19.2014 - 18:33 (Renewable Energy World)

Six weeks into the new year and we're already seeing another example of anticipated innovations in renewable energy finance: SunEdison's planned "yieldco" IPO aimed at unlocking the true value of its solar energy assets, and using them to tap into the power of big capital markets. Read more

UK floods put solar workers ‘at risk’ in subsidy race

Wednesday, 2.19.2014 - 17:29 (PV-Tech)

Solar developers in the UK are being forced to put workers at risk in order to connect projects before a reduction in large-scale solar subsidy next month, a leading developer has warned. Read more

Floods put solar workers ‘at risk’ in ROC race

Wednesday, 2.19.2014 - 16:50 (Solarpowerportal)

Solar developers are being forced to put workers at risk in order to connect projects before the Renewable Obligation Certificate decreases next month, a leading developer has warned. Read more

Tool Order: ACT Aurora wins first Decima system order from TetraSun

Wednesday, 2.19.2014 - 15:59 (PV-Tech)

First Solar’s subsidiary, TetraSun has placed its first order with ACT Aurora Control Technologies for its Decima CD inline measurement system. Read more

NPD Solarbuzz: Opportunity in mid-sized solar PV market

Wednesday, 2.19.2014 - 15:55 (Solarserver)

NPD Solarbuzz Inc. (Santa Clara, California, U.S.) reports that solar photovoltaic (PV) projects between 250 kW and 5 MW currently represent nearly half the projects under development in leading PV markets. Read more

Postcard From the Future of Energy: Hawaii as a Solar Laboratory

Wednesday, 2.19.2014 - 15:31 (Renewable Energy World)

From an energy perspective, Hawaii is unique. Located in the middle of the Pacific, the Aloha State runs on imported oil. But its island environment -- from sunny days to active volcanoes -- also holds the keys to a future powered by renewable energy. Oil powers Hawaii’s cars, trucks, planes and boats, and generates 72 percent of the state’s electr Read more

SunEdison builds a record volume of solar PV projects in Q4 2013, as business model shifts

Wednesday, 2.19.2014 - 15:21 (Solarserver)

SunEdison Inc. (St. Peters, Missouri, U.S.) reports that it completed a record 333 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) projects in the fourth quarter of 2013, in its release of quarterly results. The company finished the quarter with another 504 MW under construction, down 10% sequentially from a record 588 MW. Read more

The #1 Solar Utility Is in…Iowa?

Wednesday, 2.19.2014 - 14:59 (Renewable Energy World)

It may be one of the oldest cooperative utilities in the country, but in the next six months, Farmers Electric Cooperative (FEC) of southeastern Iowa will be leading the nation in this 21st century energy source. Upon completion of a new solar array, the 640-member cooperative will have over 1,500 Watts of solar per customer on their system, nearly Read more

Solarcentury hits 100MW of UK solar farms in development

Wednesday, 2.19.2014 - 14:10 (Solarpowerportal)

London-based PV company, Solarcentury has announced that it has passed the 100MW milestone for consented solar farms in the UK. Read more

Renovalia proposes 35MW plant in Chile’s sun-rich Atacama region

Wednesday, 2.19.2014 - 12:28 (PV-Tech)

Renovalia Chile plans to build a 35MW solar power station in the Atacama region of Chile, according to documents submitted to the region’s local authorities. Read more

German solar thermal market falls 11% by collector area in 2013

Wednesday, 2.19.2014 - 9:07 (Solarserver)

Germany's solar thermal market declined again in 2013, with only 1.02 million square meters of collector area installed, according to the German Solar Industry Association (BSW-Solar). This represents an 11% decrease on the collector area installed in 2012, as the lowest level since 2007. This brings the cumulative installed collector are to 17.5 million square meters, a tripling of the 5.1 million square meters of collector area in the nation in 2003. However, BSW-Solar and the Industrial Association of German Household, Energy and Environmental Technology (BDH) warn that this pace of modernization is not sufficient to achieve policy objectives. Read more

Masdar sues the government of Spain over retroactive cuts to solar payment levels

Wednesday, 2.19.2014 - 9:03 (Solarserver)

A subsidiary of Masdar (Abu Dhabi, UAE) has filed an international suit against the government of Spain over retroactive reductions to compensation for concentrating solar power (CSP) plants in its new renewable energy policy. Masdar is partial owner of the 20 MW Gemasolar CSP plant, which was the world's first solar plant to provide electricity continuously for 24 hours. Masdar Solar & Wind Coöperatief UA (Amsterdam) filed the case with the World Bank's International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), and a note on the ICSID site indicates that a request for arbitration has also been filed. Read more

SunEdison files to create yieldco solar PV asset ownership vehicle

Wednesday, 2.19.2014 - 8:59 (Solarserver)

SunEdison Inc. (St. Peters, Missouri, U.S.) has filed to create a “yieldco” vehicle, which it will use to own solar photovoltaic (PV) plants and sell the electricity generated on a merchant or other short-term basis. This is a shift in strategy for the company that pioneered the use of power purchase agreements (PPA) for PV. With the move to a yieldco, SunEdison appears to looking to the long-term revenue potential from ownership, as an alternative model to the security offered by PPAs. Read more

U.K. Wind Expansion Scrapped on Concern Birds May Be Harmed

Wednesday, 2.19.2014 - 16:50 (Renewable Energy World)

Three utilities scrapped plans to extend the world’s biggest offshore wind farm, saying they had doubts they could satisfy concerns about how the facility would affect the habitat of a bird in the estuary east of London. Read more

Indian government moots four more giant PV projects totalling 2GW

Wednesday, 2.19.2014 - 13:06 (PV-Tech)

India’s finance minister, Shri Chidambaram, announced 2GW worth of new large-scale solar projects as part of his interim budget speech earlier this week. Read more

Global Renewable Energy Grid Project: Integrating Renewables via HVDC and Centralized Storage

Wednesday, 2.19.2014 - 14:30 (Renewable Energy World)

The global energy and environment challenges cannot be addressed through a local, regional, or even a national approach. They require a global outlook and a much broader vision, a Global Renewable Energy Grid [GREG]. A high voltage direct current [HVDC] transmission system must be built to serve as the bulk electrical power transport medium, with centralized energy storage facilities placed within GREG as needed. And perhaps most importantly, the set of socio-political overseeing institutions from each of the world’s nations needs to network together and administer just as seamlessly as the physical grid. Read more

How You Can Help Save Australia’s Renewable Energy Target

Wednesday, 2.19.2014 - 13:10 (Renewable Energy World)

Australia's Renewable Energy Target is currently the subject of an inordinate attack. However, when you look at the facts it’s clear that this is completely unwarranted. Read more

Readers Respond Day 2: Can We Reach 100 Percent Renewable Energy?

Wednesday, 2.19.2014 - 12:46 (Renewable Energy World)

Several countries have announced ambitious goals to be powered completely by renewable energy, while other nations set smaller, incremental goals. These high aspirations have sparked quite a debate amongst industry experts, and we here at Renewable Energy World are curious to hear what you, our readers, have to say. Read more