Obama Administration proposes increased energy R&D spending, big changes to solar tax credits

Wednesday, 3.5.2014 - 21:13 (Solarserver)

The administration of U.S. President Barack Obama has sent a proposed 2015 budget to the U.S. congress, calling for greater funding for the Department of Energy's (DOE) renewable energy office and advanced energy research. The budget would increase funding for the DOE's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) office by 22% to USD 2.32 billion, and would increase the budget for the Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E) 16% to USD 325 million. Read more

Utility-Backed Anti-Solar Bill on the Move in Kansas Statehouse

Wednesday, 3.5.2014 - 19:37 (Renewable Energy World)

Last week, the Kansas House Energy Committee again considered taking up an anti-solar net metering bill (HB 2458) pushed by two major utilities Westar Energy and Kansas City Power & Light. The House committee passed an amended HB2458 that would make substantive, negative changes to solar net metering if passed through the state legislature. As amen Read more

BayWa r.e completes 4.8MW solar park in Cambridge

Wednesday, 3.5.2014 - 18:07 (Solarpowerportal)

One of the UK’s leading wholesale suppliers to the solar PV installer network BayWa r.e has completed construction work on a solar farm near Cambridge. Read more

BayWa r.e completesMW solar park in Cambridge

Wednesday, 3.5.2014 - 18:07 (Solarpowerportal)

One of the UK’s leading wholesale suppliers to the solar PV installer network BayWa r.e has completed construction work on a solar farm near Cambridge. Read more

Xcel offers plan to meet Minnesota solar requirement with utility-scale solar PV

Wednesday, 3.5.2014 - 16:05 (Solarserver)

Utility Xcel Energy Inc. (Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.) has submitted a plan to regulators in the U.S. state of Minnesota to add up to 150 MW of large-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) generation in its Upper Midwest service area by the end of 2016. With an additional solicitation planned for 2017-2018, under Xcel's plan more than half of Minnesota's solar requirements would be met with utility-scale projects. Read more

Canadian Solar reports strong Q4 2013 results on increased Chinese demand

Wednesday, 3.5.2014 - 15:24 (Solarserver)

Canadian Solar Inc. (Guelph, Canada) has released results for the fourth quarter of 2013, reporting a 76% year-over-year increase in revenues to USD 519 million, with an 8.7% operating margin and a net income of USD 24.1 million. The company's sales were impacted by a rush of demand in China during the quarter. Read more

Virginia Makes Progress Toward More Favorable Solar Market

Wednesday, 3.5.2014 - 14:46 (Renewable Energy World)

It is no secret that Virginia lags far behind in its track record on solar energy, especially compared to neighboring states such as D.C., North Carolina, and Maryland. Thanks largely to the development of robust solar renewable energy credit (SREC) markets, Maryland ranks fourteenth in the country in installed solar capacity, and the latest Solar Read more

Parliament considers solar powered Big Ben clock face

Wednesday, 3.5.2014 - 14:28 (Solarpowerportal)

As part of parliament’s energy commitment, suggestions on how to save energy have been submitted, including the idea for the iconic landmark, Big Ben to upgrade to solar power. Read more

Ecobuild: SolarEdge eyes UK expansion with new products

Wednesday, 3.5.2014 - 13:21 (Solarpowerportal)

SolarEdge is showcasing a number of new products for the UK solar PV market at Ecobuild. Read more

GTM and SEIA: 41% growth in US solar market for 2013

Wednesday, 3.5.2014 - 13:15 (PV-Tech)

Solar market analyst, GTM Research and the US Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA) have published the Solar Market Insight Review 2013, revealing a 41% PV installation increase in 2013. Read more

US government boosts solar budget but axes crucial tax credit

Wednesday, 3.5.2014 - 12:17 (PV-Tech)

The US Department of Energy (DoE) has revealed its 2015 budget with more funds allocated for solar but a crucial Investment Tax Credit (ITC) axed. Read more

Solargiga expands downstream China EPC efforts with acquisition

Wednesday, 3.5.2014 - 12:15 (PV-Tech)

China’s leading Monocrystalline wafer producer, Solargiga has acquired Chinese solar EPC services provider, Jinzhou Wintek Silicon Materials for approximately US$2.5 million. Solargiga’s ingot/wafer subsidiary, Jinzhou Yangguang was responsible for the acquisition. Read more

Kenya’s FiT-approved solar pipeline reaches 750MW

Wednesday, 3.5.2014 - 10:38 (PV-Tech)

Despite some uncertainties last year over the status of large-scale PV in Kenya, the country’s director of renewable energy, Isaac Kiva, has revealed that 25 projects totalling 750MW are now being advanced. Read more

Yingli remains the world's largest solar PV module maker with 3.2–3.3 GW shipped in 2013

Wednesday, 3.5.2014 - 9:12 (Solarserver)

Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. Ltd. (Baoding, China) has released selected preliminary results for the fourth quarter and full year 2013, estimating that it increased shipments 11–12% sequentially in the fourth quarter. Yingli also estimates that it shipped 3.2–3.3 GW of solar photovoltaic (PV) modules over the full year 2013, cementing its position as the world's largest PV module maker for a second year. Read more

Community Energy to build 120 MW solar PV plant in Colorado

Wednesday, 3.5.2014 - 9:08 (Solarserver)

Community Energy Solar LLC (Boulder, Colorado, U.S.) has announced that it will build a 120 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant in Pueblo County in the U.S. state of Colorado. When complete, the Comanche Solar project will be the largest solar plant east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States. Utility Xcel Energy (Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.) will purchase the electricity produced by the plant, which will represent the majority of a 120 MW portfolio approved by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission in December 2013. This will more than double the amount of electricity that Xcel gets from utility-scale solar. Read more

U.S. installs 4.75 GW of solar PV, CSP in 2013

Wednesday, 3.5.2014 - 8:59 (Solarserver)

The United States installed 4.34 GW of solar photovoltaics (PV) and 410 MW of concentrating solar power (CSP) generation capacity, according to the latest report issued by GTM Research (Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.) and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA, Washington D.C., U.S.). This is a 41% increase over 2012 installation levels, and made solar the second-largest source of new generation in the nation at 29% of capacity added in 2013. At the end of the year there were more than 440,000 solar plants in the United States, representing 12.1 GW of PV and 918 MW of CSP. Read more

Stion achieves 23.2% solar PV cell efficiency using tandem CIGS technology

Wednesday, 3.5.2014 - 8:50 (Solarserver)

Stion (San Jose, California, U.S.) reports that it has produced a 23.2% efficient thin-film solar photovoltaic (PV) cell using its tandem junction copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) technology. The company says that it has already produced a prototype 400 square centimeter PV module at over 20% efficiency using this technology, and expects to scale to full-size 65 cm x 165 cm PV modules in the 20–22% efficiency range. Read more

Liquidators appointed for LDK Solar in Cayman Islands

Wednesday, 3.5.2014 - 8:44 (Solarserver)

A court in the Cayman Islands has appointed two provisional liquidators for LDK Solar Co. Ltd. (Xinyu, China), which the company says will help to resolve its offshore liquidity issues. The court has ruled that no legal action can be commenced against the company without its permission. The liquidators from the firm of Zolfo Cooper will now promote a program of resolution to the company's creditors. Read more

US Solar Celebrates Records in 2013, Big Trends Coming in 2014

Wednesday, 3.5.2014 - 6:02 (Renewable Energy World)

Solar photovoltaic (PV) installations in the U.S. topped 4.78 GW in 2013, an increase of 41 percent over 2012, according to the annual market review and outlook published today by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and GTM Research. The industry won't quite maintain that torrid pace in 2014, but watch for progress on a number of important fronts, from long-anticipated investment innovation to a rebound in the midsize project sector to addressing changes to federal investment tax credits. Read more

Delaware's Plan to Shepherd US Offshore Wind: Build Bridges

Wednesday, 3.5.2014 - 21:57 (Renewable Energy World)

Offshore wind in the U.S. continues to find its sea legs: Cape Wind is tying off final funding, in a race with Deepwater to be the first to put steel in the water, while a number of pilot projects now await the Department of Energy's down-select to see who continues to get funding to progress their next phases. In the middle, where it sees a need to bring everyone's efforts, is a new group out of the U. of Delaware. Read more

Japan Has More Potential to Harness Wind Power, Says GE

Wednesday, 3.5.2014 - 14:49 (Renewable Energy World)

General Electric Co. considers Japan ripe for new investment in wind power as the resource-poor country diversifies energy supply in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster almost three years ago. Read more

Readers Respond Day 6: Can We Reach 100 Percent Renewable Energy?

Wednesday, 3.5.2014 - 19:50 (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

Ecobuild: PTS Renewables urges DECC to firm up domestic RHI details

Wednesday, 3.5.2014 - 17:57 (Solarpowerportal)

Plumbing Trade Supplies (PTS) has called on the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) to reveal further details on the domestic renewable heat incentive (RHI), ahead of its imminent launch. Read more

Infrared: A New Renewable Energy Source?

Wednesday, 3.5.2014 - 14:47 (Renewable Energy World)

When the sun sets on a remote desert outpost and solar panels shut down, what energy source will provide power through the night? A battery, perhaps, or an old diesel generator? Perhaps something strange and new. Read more

The US Department of Energy’s 2014 Budget Request: Implications for Renewable Energy Funding

Wednesday, 3.5.2014 - 13:56 (Renewable Energy World)

U.S. President Obama signed the $1.1 trillion compromise spending bill that funds the government through September 2014 on January 17, 2014. The bipartisan budget temporarily brought an end to forced budget cuts and constant infighting over funding in Congress. The new budget eases many of the sequester-imposed spending cuts while reducing the federal deficit by about a trillion dollars over the next ten years. Read more