NSP and Topcell extend wafer supply deals with GCL-Poly

Friday, 2.28.2014 - 16:21 (PV-Tech)

Two Taiwan-based solar cell manufacturers, Neo Solar Power (NSP) and Topcell Solar International (TSI) have concluded new short-term wafer supply contracts from GCL-Poly totalling approximately 4GW. Read more

New-look Wuxi Suntech eyes UK market

Friday, 2.28.2014 - 16:04 (Solarpowerportal)

The new-look Wuxi Suntech plans an expansion of its sales team in Europe with the UK picked out as a particularly strong prospect. Read more

New-look Wuxi Suntech eyes UK market

Friday, 2.28.2014 - 14:10 (PV-Tech)

The new-look Wuxi Suntech plans an expansion of its sales team in Europe with the UK picked out as a particularly strong prospect. Read more

SMA introduces inverter battery backup function

Friday, 2.28.2014 - 13:43 (PV-Tech)

Inverter manufacturer SMA Solar Technology is now offering a battery backup function for some of its inverters. Read more

Navigant Research: PV Microinverter and DC optimizer market to reach 12.8 GW by 2020

Friday, 2.28.2014 - 8:49 (Solarserver)

Navigant Research (Boulder, Colorado, U.S.) has released a new report which finds that microinverters and DC optimizers are playing an increasingly important role in both large-scale and distributed renewable energy generation. “Microinverters and DC Optimizers” also finds that as these technologies have the potential to increase grid reliability. Navigant expects annual installations of module-level power electronics (MLPE) to grow eleven-fold by 2020 to 12.8 GW, for a total of 52.7 GW over seven years. Read more

Kyocera reaches 18.6% efficiency with multicrystalline silicon solar cells, will introduce monocrystalline PV modules

Friday, 2.28.2014 - 8:40 (Solarserver)

Kyocera Corp. (Kyoto, Japan) reports that it has reached 18.6% efficiency with its multicrystalline silicon solar photovoltaic (PV) cells, breaking its previous record of 17.8% in December 2011. The company says that the new efficiency was achieved through improved crystal quality, better electrode processes and the reduction of carrier recombination. Kyocera will begin selling the improved multicrystalline PV cells during the summer of 2014. Read more

Solar industry rallies round to challenge EU state aid guidelines

Friday, 2.28.2014 - 17:15 (Solarpowerportal)

EU state aid guidelines for renewable energy could hamper emerging technologies, slow the cost-decline of solar PV and put support for smaller scale projects at risk, according to 28 industry bodies. Read more

Solar industry rallies round to challenge EU state aid guidelines

Friday, 2.28.2014 - 17:06 (PV-Tech)

EU state aid guidelines for renewable energy could hamper emerging technologies, slow the cost-decline of solar PV and put support for smaller scale projects at risk, according to 28 industry bodies. Read more

Order Focus: ISRA Vision gaining new PV orders from Taiwan, China and Korea

Friday, 2.28.2014 - 16:28 (PV-Tech)

New orders from PV manufacturers in Taiwan, China and Korea have recently been secured by ISRA Vision, primarily in relation to machine vision systems from its acquisition of GP Solar in mid-2013. Read more

9 Great Reasons Why Vote Solar’s Equinox Party is a Must-Attend for Anyone in Solar

Friday, 2.28.2014 - 14:53 (Renewable Energy World)

If you’re any kind of solar pro, you might want to attend Vote Solar’s annual Equinox Party just because California’s Governor Jerry Brown will be there or just because it’s always a blast with tasty food and drink, and 900 or so true-blue solar people. Those are spectacular reasons, for sure, but there’s an even bigger reason: Attend Equinox becau Read more

Solano Community College introduces 2.8MW of solar energy systems on campuses

Friday, 2.28.2014 - 14:14 (PV-Tech)

SunPower has developed and built three PV systems at Solano Community College in California. Read more

Is a Chinese Sun Powering Western Solar Energy Economies?

Friday, 2.28.2014 - 14:09 (Renewable Energy World)

The EU is investing more and more in solar energy in order to meet its stated goal of having 20 percent of its energy generated by renewables and reducing emissions 20 percent by the year 2020, compared to 1990 levels. As an essential part of achieving this goal, large quantities of solar panels — in particular, Chinese manufactured solar panels — have been imported and placed on the EU market. Read more

Barker confirms that there will be no RO grace period for flood-hit solar farms

Friday, 2.28.2014 - 14:04 (Solarpowerportal)

The minister for energy and climate change, Greg Barker, has confirmed that the government will not implement a grace period for solar projects battling the flood in order to connect before 1 April. Read more

Ghana in line for hundreds of megawatts of PV power and manufacturing capacity

Friday, 2.28.2014 - 13:35 (PV-Tech)

Multinational firm International Solar Utilities is planning to develop 600MW of PV power and 300MW of PV manufacturing capacity in Ghana, West Africa. Read more

Deutsche Bank: Japan FiT likely to drop 10%, module prices to remain stable

Friday, 2.28.2014 - 13:22 (PV-Tech)

A modest decline of around 10% in the feed-in tariff rate is expected in Japan, while near term demand for solar remains “very strong” in the country, according to Deutsche Bank. Read more

SunEdison closes on financing for 56 MW of UK solar PV plants

Friday, 2.28.2014 - 8:31 (Solarserver)

SunEdison Inc. (St. Peters, Missouri, U.S.) has closed on a non-recourse debt financing arrangement with Deutsche Bank AG (Frankfurt, Germany), the proceeds of which it will use to construct four solar photovoltaic (PV) plants totaling 56 MW in England. SunEdison expects to complete all four by the end of March 2014, and a solar fund managed by Foresight Group (Sevenoaks, UK) will acquire the plants upon interconnection. The plants are located in Swindon, Wiltshire, North Devon and on the Essex/Suffolk border. Read more

Centrosolar to be the exclusive provider for TSMC CIGS solar PV modules in North America

Friday, 2.28.2014 - 8:25 (Solarserver)

Centrosolar's (Munich) U.S. subsidiary has announced that it will deploy Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.'s (TSMC, Hsinchu, Taiwan) thin-film copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) solar photovoltaic (PV) modules across North America. Under the agreement, Centrosolar America (Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S.) will be the exclusive provider of TSMC CIGS technology for residential and commercial markets in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. TSMC and Centrosolar America may also collaborate on utility-scale projects. Read more

Unique Bioreactor Finds Algae's Sweet Spot

Friday, 2.28.2014 - 14:58 (Renewable Energy World)

A unique bioreactor at the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) can help find the ideal locations for farms to produce algae that could someday compete with renewable diesel, cellulosic ethanol, and other petroleum alternatives as transportation fuel. Read more

Lagerwey Wind: “Humble Start with Wider Ambition”

Friday, 2.28.2014 - 17:56 (Renewable Energy World)

Lagerwey Wind BV of the Netherlands re-entered the wind market backed by an experienced design team that developed a range of innovative lightweight direct drive turbines. At the 2.6-MW prototype in Lelystad, wind pioneer and company founder Henk Lagerwey discussed technology choices and preferences and the formidable challenges linked to building an attractive product portfolio and marketing these in an increasingly competitive global market environment. Read more

Brazil PV pilot next to wind farm complete with further 30MW project approved

Friday, 2.28.2014 - 14:40 (PV-Tech)

Infrastructure management company, based in South Africa, Engevix has installed a pilot PV plant in Brazil. Read more

Another Renewables-Limiting Tax Reform Proposal Launches Into Statis

Friday, 2.28.2014 - 18:48 (Renewable Energy World)

This week House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) announced his version of draft legislation to simplify the U.S. tax code, dubbed the "Tax Reform Act of 2014," which has some decidedly negative implications for renewable energy -- that is, if any of it makes it through Congressional compromise. Read more

Musk Says Renewable Energy Shift to Bring ‘Strife’ for Utilities

Friday, 2.28.2014 - 16:42 (Renewable Energy World)

Tesla Motors Inc. Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk said shifting to greater use of solar and wind power will challenge utility companies. Read more