SunEdison touts module outsourcing model after hitting 1GW milestone

Friday, 3.28.2014 - 14:15 (PV-Tech)

Major photovoltaics energy provider, SunEdison, has claimed to have reached a new milestone by hitting 1GW of outsourced PV module production in less than three years. Read more

United Photovoltaics completes 195MW project acquisition

Friday, 3.28.2014 - 14:05 (PV-Tech)

Solar power plant developer and investor, United Photovoltaics, has completed the acquisition of a 195MW solar power plant portfolio in China. Read more

Solar cell price rises ‘putting Indian domestic content projects at risk’

Friday, 3.28.2014 - 10:16 (PV-Tech)

Developers who have bid for projects under the domestic content part of India’s JNNSM national solar programme may not sign power purchase agreements, industry body the National Solar Energy Federation of India (NSEFI) has warned. Read more

German federal states reach deal on feed-in tariff surcharge for self-consumption

Friday, 3.28.2014 - 8:27 (Solarserver)

Three German federal states have reached a deal with German Economics and Energy Minister Sigmar Gabriel (SPD) whereby only part of the feed-in tariff surcharge will be applied to new solar photovoltaic systems which supply electricity for the system owner's use. According to the Ministry for Finance and Economic Affairs in the state of Baden-Württemberg, under the deal owners of future “self-consumption” PV systems will pay only 70% of the feed-in tariff surcharge, or EUR 0.044 (USD 0.060) per kWh. Read more

France awards 380 MW of large solar PV projects, including CPV

Friday, 3.28.2014 - 20:16 (Solarserver)

The French Ministry of Energy, Ecology and Sustainable Development has awarded 121 solar photovoltaic (PV) projects totaling 380 MW in a a second solicitation for systems larger than 250 kW. The nation had opened the call for up to 400 MW of projects. Read more

NRG acquires Roof Diagnostics Solar

Friday, 3.28.2014 - 17:16 (Solarserver)

NRG Energy Inc. (Princeton, New Jersey, U.S.) has acquired Roof Diagnostics Solar (RDS, Wall Township, New Jersey, U.S.), which it says will complement its network of installers and dealers and increase its ability to meet the demand for residential solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. The company will being operating as NRG Residential Solar Solutions during the next month, and will continue to be led by current CEO Kelcy Pegler. Read more

CPV Update: SunPower Ramps Up in China, Soitec Achieves South Africa "Milestone"

Friday, 3.28.2014 - 16:53 (Renewable Energy World)

SunPower says it has sold 70 MW of concentrated solar PV (CPV) "cell packages" to its joint venture in China's Inner Mongolia region for the first phase of two projects using the company's C7 low-concentration CPV (LCPV) technology: a 20-MW (dc) project in Saihan and a 100-MW (dc) project in Wuchuan, both scheduled for completion in 2015. Read more

CPV Update: SunPower Ramps Up in China, Soitec Achieves South Africa Milestone

Friday, 3.28.2014 - 16:53 (Renewable Energy World)

SunPower says it has sold 70 MW of concentrated solar PV (CPV) "cell packages" to its joint venture in China's Inner Mongolia region for the first phase of two projects using the company's C7 low-concentration CPV (LCPV) technology: a 20-MW (dc) project in Saihan and a 100-MW (dc) project in Wuchuan, both scheduled for completion in 2015. Read more

Minnesota regulators choose 100 MW-AC solar PV project over natural gas

Friday, 3.28.2014 - 15:21 (Solarserver)

The Public Utilities Commission in the U.S. state of Minnesota has chosen a 100 MW-AC distributed solar photovoltaic (PV) project to fulfill the new generation needs of utility Xcel Energy (Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.). The selection of Geronimo Energy's (Edina, Minnesota, U.S.) Aurora Solar Project by the MPUC follows a formal recommendation by an administrative law judge (ALJ) in December 2013. Read more

Solar PR Memo to SolarWorld: Is It Time for the Win-Win-Win?

Friday, 3.28.2014 - 15:06 (Renewable Energy World)

Dear SolarWorld, As a solar advocate and solar marketing consultant, I’d like to offer you some unsolicited PR and damage control advice again, this time regarding your most recent trade suit against China and Taiwan. Please value this advice for what it’s worth (free!). (For those readers needing a quickie review of SolarWorld’s trade complaint, h Read more

The Pros' Clean Energy Picks: Solar Dominates, Emerging Markets Drag

Friday, 3.28.2014 - 14:59 (Renewable Energy World)

In December, I asked my panel of professional green money managers for their top three stock picks for 2014. You can find the full list and descriptions of the companies here. Read more

IHS: Solar PV module buyers value reliability and quality over price

Friday, 3.28.2014 - 14:49 (Solarserver)

IHS Inc. (Englewood, Colorado, U.S.) reports that its recent survey of solar photovoltaic (PV) module buyers found that reliability and quality were the most important factors, with price as the third-most important. In the PV Module Customer Insight Survey, more than 99% of respondents chose reliability as “important” or “very important”, making it the top factor by a significant margin. Read more

Minnesota utilities commission upholds landmark solar versus gas ruling

Friday, 3.28.2014 - 14:48 (PV-Tech)

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has made a precedent-setting decision in ruling a proposed solar power project more economic than rival gas plants in meeting state utility Xcel’s future power needs. Read more

Iowa Senate unanimously passes bill to triple tax credits for solar power

Friday, 3.28.2014 - 14:06 (PV-Tech)

A proposed bill that would triple the amount of tax credits available to Iowans that have installed solar panels was passed by a 46-0 vote in the Iowa State Senate. Read more

RGS snaps up Hawaii PV installer Sunetric

Friday, 3.28.2014 - 12:26 (PV-Tech)

RGS Energy has made the latest in a series of “strategic acquisitions”, signing an agreement to purchase Hawaiian full service solar energy firm Elemental Energy, which trades under the brand name Sunetric. Read more

India solar: SECI solicits 50 MW of rooftop solar PV

Friday, 3.28.2014 - 9:37 (Solarserver)

The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has released a request for solicitations (RfS) for 50 MW of rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity in India in two parts. The first 40 MW component will be on the owner/CAPEX model, with bidders quoting the project cost required for each states. SECI will then provide a 30% subsidy against the quoted project cost to successful bidders. Read more

Neo Solar Power revenues grow 64% to USD 660 million in 2013

Friday, 3.28.2014 - 9:14 (Solarserver)

Neo Solar Power Corp. (NSP, Hsinchu, Taiwan) has released 2013 results, reporting a 64% growth in revenues to USD 660 million, a 1.6% operating margin and a net profit of USD 17 million. The company shipped a record 1.53 GW of solar photovoltaic (PV) cells in 2013. NSP notes the advantages of enlarged economies of scale due to its merger with Delsolar Co. Ltd. (Chunan Chen, Taiwan), which was completed in June 2013. Read more

Unirac to supply 37.2 MW of steel mounting systems for solar PV plant in Guam

Friday, 3.28.2014 - 9:04 (Solarserver)

Sunora Energy Solutions (Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.) and NRG Energy (Princeton, New Jersey, U.S.) have selected Unirac Inc. (Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.) to supply its Ground Mounted Steel (GMS) mounting system for a 37.2 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant on the island of Guam. The GMS system is comprised of light gauge steel structural components in pre-assembled components, which Unirac says lowers material and construction costs. Read more

Shunfeng to raise substantial capital for Wuxi Suntech acquisition, solar PV power plant construction

Friday, 3.28.2014 - 8:21 (Solarserver)

Shunfeng Photovoltaic International Ltd. (Changzhou, China) grew its revenues 44% in 2013 to USD 250 million with a 10% operating margin, according to its annual report. The company produced 480 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) cells during the year, a 32% increase over 2012. Shunfeng also reported a USD 290 million net loss, which it says is due to the non-cash accounting treatment of USD 290 million in bonds which it has issued. The company is in the process of raising substantial funds to pay both for the acquisition of Wuxi Suntech (Wuxi, China) and the construction of 35 PV projects. Read more

Good News from America's Heartland: Another Attack on Clean Energy Falls Short

Friday, 3.28.2014 - 18:00 (Renewable Energy World)

Good news from America’s heartland: A bipartisan coalition in the Kansas House stood with Kansans today in support of clean and renewable energy, turning back yet another attempt to repeal state Renewable Portfolio Standard aimed at fostering homegrown resources like wind and solar power. Specifically, 77 members of the Kansas House of Representati Read more

From the Editor: Energy Storage Gives Us The Power of Flexibility

Friday, 3.28.2014 - 17:20 (Renewable Energy World)

#rewvideoid=3326897357001# When we consider the rapid rise of energy storage technology that we are witnessing all across the globe, it is key that we remember all of the reasons that this technology is and/or will be a key component in the grid of the future.  Today’s energy storage is not just about having a battery backup for a solar PV system ( Read more

UK Renewable Electricity Generation Rose 28 Percent in 2013

Friday, 3.28.2014 - 15:09 (Renewable Energy World)

U.K. renewable power generation rose 28 percent last year as more wind farms and solar plants came online, the Department of Energy and Climate Change said. Read more

Building the Electricity System of the Future: Thinking Disruption, Doing Solutions

Friday, 3.28.2014 - 15:00 (Renewable Energy World)

The speed of disruptive innovation in the electricity sector has been outpacing regulatory and utility business model reform, which is why they now sometimes feel in conflict. That disruptive innovation is only accelerating. RMI’s recent report,The Economics of Grid Defection: When and where distributed solar generation plus storage competes with traditional utility service, sets a timeline for utilities, regulators, and others to get ahead of the curve and shift from reactive to proactive approaches. Becoming proactive and deliberate about the electricity system's transformation, and doing so ahead of any fundamental shifts in customer economics, would enable us to optimize Read more

Unirac to supply mounting system for 37MW PV plant in Guam

Friday, 3.28.2014 - 11:35 (PV-Tech)

PV mounting system installer Unirac has been chosen by Sunora Energy Solutions and NRG Energy to develop a 37.2MW Ground Mount Steel (GMS) mounting system in Inarajan, Guam. Read more

Is the Ukraine Crisis Compromising Germany's Renewable Energy Future?

Friday, 3.28.2014 - 11:25 (Renewable Energy World)

The crisis in Ukraine has added an extra dose of uncertainty to German Chancellor Angela Merkel's biggest domestic project: shifting the country from nuclear to renewable energy sources. Read more

Photon Energy installs UK’s largest airport PV array at Southend Airport

Friday, 3.28.2014 - 10:58 (Solarpowerportal)

The largest airport PV system in Britain has successfully been installed at London Southend Airport as part of a £10 million terminal expansion built by Kier Construction. Read more