Power-One outsources PV inverter support in Greece

Tuesday, 2.4.2014 - 18:24 (PV-Tech)

ABB Group member, Power-One said that after sales technical support for its installed base of PV inverters in Greece would be outsourced to Athens-based, Survey Digital. Read more

SolarWorld to take major impairment charge on restructured polysilicon contracts

Tuesday, 2.4.2014 - 22:15 (PV-Tech)

SolarWorld said in a statement that it had reached an agreement with a long-term “raw material” supplier to restructure supply contracts that would result in impairment charges in the “double-digit million Euro amount.” Read more

SunRun acquires REC Solar Inc.'s residential business, AEE Solar, SnapNrack

Tuesday, 2.4.2014 - 21:38 (Solarserver)

SunRun Inc. (San Francisco, California, U.S.) has expanded its presence the U.S. residential solar photovoltaic (PV) market with the acquisition of three subsidiaries of Mainstream Energy (San Luis Obispo, California, U.S.). SunRun has acquired AEE Solar, SnapNrack and the residential division of REC Solar Inc. Read more

Fraunhofer ISE to work with Saudi Arabia on solar thermal, PV R&D

Tuesday, 2.4.2014 - 20:55 (Solarserver)

The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy (Freiburg, Germany) and King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (K.A. CARE, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) have signed an agreement governing collaboration on renewable energy research and development (R&D), testing and training over the next two years. Areas of research will include solar thermal, solar photovoltaics (PV), solar cooling, energy storage and grid integration and design. A focus will be standardized performance and reliability testing and certification. Read more

REC Solar Sheds Residential Solar PV Business Unit and Sunrun Scoops It Up

Tuesday, 2.4.2014 - 20:40 (Renewable Energy World)

Two major players in the U.S. solar industry have joined forces in a move that will leave each one stronger and better able to flourish within its own market sphere. REC Solar announced today that is has sold its residential unit, consisting of Mainstream Energy, AEE Solar and SnapNrack, to longtime partner Sunrun. Read more

SMA Solar joins Fraunhofer in ‘PV Pack’ R&D project for next-gen inverters

Tuesday, 2.4.2014 - 18:51 (PV-Tech)

A new R&D project in Germany has been formed to make breakthroughs in new innovative PV inverter concepts that will focus on cooling and packaging advancements to improve conversion efficiency, cost and service life, which are key BOS costs to PV systems. Read more

Sharp quarterly solar PV sales rise to over USD 1 billion on strong Japanese demand

Tuesday, 2.4.2014 - 17:40 (Solarserver)

Sharp Corp. (Osaka, Japan) has released results for the financial quarter ending December 31st, 2013, reporting a 94% year-over-year increase in revenues to USD 1.07 billion in revenues in its Solar Cells division, which ecompasses Sharp's work in solar photovoltaics (PV). The Solar Cells division also reported a 5.5% operating income, a sequential increase and a reversal of the loss that it reported a year ago. Read more

Psst! Hot Tip: Solar Marketing Data Was in The Solar Foundation’s Job Report. Pass it on.

Tuesday, 2.4.2014 - 16:17 (Renewable Energy World)

By now you’ve probably heard the news about the spectacular job numbers in The Solar Foundation’s 2013 job report. (142,00 industry jobs, plus solar jobs grew by 20%! Woot!) But did you actually read the report? I know, I know. So much to do, so little time, but if you had, you would have a few hidden gems of solar marketing data in there. On page Read more

Georgia Power Reports Status of Solar Energy Procurement for 2014

Tuesday, 2.4.2014 - 16:15 (Renewable Energy World)

Georgia Power told the Georgia Public Service Commission on Jan. 31 that it has lately procured some solar energy and that some of that 2013 allotment for solar capacity will “rollover” into 2014. Read more

India solar: SREC trade drops to lowest level in five months

Tuesday, 2.4.2014 - 15:57 (Solarserver)

Traders exchanged 6,361 Indian solar renewable energy credits (SRECs) in January 2014, according to RESolve Energy Consultants (Chennai, India). This is the lowest level in five months. SREC prices remained at the floor price of INR 9,300 (USD 150), which they have been at since June 2013. For six of the last seven months the number of SRECs redeemed during the month has been far below the number issued, leading to a backlog of 98,660 at the end of January 2014. Read more

Advanced Energy Solar Energy sales increase in Q4 2014 with rollout of 1 MW inverter

Tuesday, 2.4.2014 - 15:39 (Solarserver)

Advanced Energy Industries Inc. (AE, Fort Collins, Colorado, U.S.) has released results for the fourth quarter of 2013, reporting an 8.9% year-over-year increase to USD 64.9 million in revenues in its Solar Energy division. The division's operating margin fell to -9.7%. Read more

UK feed-in tariff to fall 3.5% for smaller solar PV plants in April 2014

Tuesday, 2.4.2014 - 14:29 (Solarserver)

The UK's Office of Electricity and Gas Markets (Ofgem) has released a new schedule of feed-in tariff rates beginning on April 1st, 2014, showing a 3.5% degression for solar photovoltaic (PV) plants smaller than 50 kW. The higher and middle rates rates for PV plants 50 kW and smaller will fall by 3.5% to GBP 0.1092-0.1438 (USD 0.178-0.235) per kWh, depending upon the size and the category. Read more

Chile adds 50MW to solar construction pipeline

Tuesday, 2.4.2014 - 14:15 (PV-Tech)

Chile’s Environmental Assessment Service (Servicio de Evaluación Ambiental SEIA) has approved the environmental impact statement for a 50MW solar project. Read more

Surcharge will cause ‘total collapse’ of German solar industry, AS Solar chief claims

Tuesday, 2.4.2014 - 13:56 (PV-Tech)

Executives at AS Solar have strongly criticised the new Germany energy minister’s plans to reform the country’s Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG), warning that a “total collapse” of the German solar industry can be expected under the new legislation. Read more

Industry welcomes Barker’s claim that solar is better investment than a pension

Tuesday, 2.4.2014 - 13:45 (Solarpowerportal)

Investing in solar PV can provide a better financial return than a traditional pension, according to energy and climate change minister, Greg Barker. Read more

Sharp’s solar business posts US$1 billion sales quarter

Tuesday, 2.4.2014 - 12:48 (PV-Tech)

Increased domestic Japanese market demand and a maturing ‘asset lite’ manufacturing business model, led to Sharp Corporation’s solar PV business return to profitability in its third quarter financial year results. Read more

Moss Electrical funds new solar PV R&D with £3 million office sale

Tuesday, 2.4.2014 - 12:25 (Solarpowerportal)

Electrical wholesaler, Moss Electrical, has announced that it will use funds gained from the sale of its old office to invest in solar PV research and development. Read more

Upsolar commits US$20 million to new clean energy fund

Tuesday, 2.4.2014 - 12:22 (PV-Tech)

Fabless module manufacturer Upsolar has committed US$20 million to a new clean energy fund. Read more

LPKF SolarQuipment upgrades Shanghai facility for thin-film laser scribing development

Tuesday, 2.4.2014 - 11:57 (PV-Tech)

Laser structuring specialist, LPKF SolarQuipment has installed a new LPKF Presto laser scriber at its Shanghai application centre to extend its capabilities in researching advanced laser machining techniques for thin-film PV modules employing different coating technologies. Read more

Intersolar EU 2014: Electrical Energy Storage category added to Intersolar Awards

Tuesday, 2.4.2014 - 11:46 (PV-Tech)

A new category for Electrical Energy Storage systems has been added to the Intersolar Awards, with the prize given at Intersolar Europe in Munich on 4 June. Read more

India to launch monthly solar entrepreneurship programme

Tuesday, 2.4.2014 - 4:15 (PV-Tech)

The programme has been repeatedly successful and director general Arun Kumar has said it will now run every month. Read more

Meet The New World's Biggest Wind Turbine

Tuesday, 2.4.2014 - 16:33 (Renewable Energy World)

The newest king of offshore wind turbines represents not only the latest example of partnership in the offshore wind sector — but also the return of the longtime wind turbine leader. Read more

Turnaround 'In Style': Vestas Posts First Profit Since 2011

Tuesday, 2.4.2014 - 16:29 (Renewable Energy World)

Vestas Wind Systems A/S (VWS), the world's biggest wind-turbine manufacturer, is seeking to raise capital after a two-year turnaround program dragged the company out of debt and resulted in its first quarterly profit since mid-2011. Read more

US State-Level Legislators Spring to Geothermal Action as Federal Climate and Energy Stands Still

Tuesday, 2.4.2014 - 13:00 (Renewable Energy World)

Three new geothermal power plants came online in the United States in the past month — two in Nevada and one in New Mexico — bringing the industry to 3,444 MW online in eight states and making energy decisions more important than ever. Federally, 2013 was a fairly quiet year for geothermal law, but leadership exploded at the state level: At least 25 pieces of legislation were enacted in 13 states over the past year that relate directly to geo power or geothermal heating systems. The list is summarized below. Read more

PV EPC firm RGS Energy to raise US$200 million

Tuesday, 2.4.2014 - 18:57 (PV-Tech)

RGS Energy intends to raise around US$200 million via a new share issue after filing a universal shelf registration statement with the US SEC. Read more

Japan's Fukushima Prefecture commits to 100% renewable energy by 2040

Tuesday, 2.4.2014 - 16:05 (Solarserver)

Japan's Fukushima Prefecture has committed to become entirely energy self-sufficient using only renewable energy by 2040, according to a statement by the World Future Council (Hamburg, Germany). The move has been applauded by members of the Global 100% Renewable Energy Campaign. In doing so, Fukushima will join a network of 74 regions and municipalities that have already reached 100% renewable energy status in Germany. Read more

Chile to provide USD 6.4 million in support for renewable energy projects

Tuesday, 2.4.2014 - 14:43 (Solarserver)

Chile's Center for Renewable Energy (CER) has announced USD 2.3 million in funding for the development and financing of grid-tied renewable energy projects in 2014, and another USD 4.1 million for self-consumption renewable energy plants. As part of this funding, during March 2014 CER will hold two auctions. In the first, companies will compete for USD 1.8 million to support grid-tied renewable energy projects, which can be used for engineering studies. In the second, USD 4.1 million will be available to companies to invest in renewable energy for their own consumption. Read more

Daqo New Energy completes polysilicon debottlenecking project

Tuesday, 2.4.2014 - 14:08 (Solarserver)

Daqo New Energy Corp. (Chongqing, China) reports that it has completed a debottlenecking project for its Xinjiang polysilicon plant, and has begun ramping up production in newly added facilities. Daqo expects to increase the annual capacity of the plant to 6,150 metric tons, as well as lowering its production cost to USD 14 per kg. Read more

An Open Letter to Former Duke Energy CEO Jim Rogers

Tuesday, 2.4.2014 - 14:00 (Renewable Energy World)

The Alliance for Solar Choice (TASC) issued an open letter responding to former Duke Energy CEO Jim Rogers and his views on solar energy and utilties. Read more