SNEC holds UK PV investment opportunities workshop

Friday, 5.16.2014 - 16:53 (Solarpowerportal)

SNEC (2014) International Photovoltaic Power Generation Conference & Exhibition is holding a UK PV Investment Workshop on 22 May. Read more

Heraeus to start front-side paste production in China

Friday, 5.16.2014 - 13:15 (PV-Tech)

Materials manufacturer Heraeus Photovoltaics Business Unit will begin manufacturing front-side metallization pastes of solar cells in China. Read more

Sunrun raises US$150 million of equity funding

Friday, 5.16.2014 - 11:46 (PV-Tech)

US residential PV installer SunRun has raised US$150 million in equity financing. Read more

AEG RES division revenues bottom out in Q1 2014, as orders begin to recover

Friday, 5.16.2014 - 8:23 (Solarserver)

AEG Power Solutions BV (Zwanenburg, The Netherlands) has reported another slow quarter in its Renewable Energy Systems (RES) division, which makes inverters and power controllers for polysilicon production. And while the division's orders were down 39% year-over-year to EUR 11.2 million, this represents a 1.5 book-to-bill ratio and a 22% improvement on the fourth quarter of 2013. In the first quarter RES revenues fell 87% year-over-year to EUR 7.3 million, lower even than the fourth quarter of 2013. Read more

Recurrent Energy wins PPA for 150 MW solar PV project in Texas

Friday, 5.16.2014 - 18:38 (Solarserver)

Utility Austin Energy (Austin, Texas, U.S.) has awarded a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) to Recurrent Energy LLC (San Francisco, California, U.S.) for the output of a 150 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant which the company plans to build in the U.S. state of Texas. Read more

As Companies Jockey to be Number One, Global Solar PV Pipeline is Exploding

Friday, 5.16.2014 - 18:33 (Renewable Energy World)

Last year Tempe, Arizona-based First Solar vowed that it would be the number one solar engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) provider in the global PV industry. The company delivered on that promise, installing 1.1 GW of solar capacity in 2013, up from 516 MW the year before. But 2014 will have a different frontrunner according to new data. Chinese EPC TBEA SunOasis, the number two installer in 2013, is set to install more solar capacity in 2014 than First Solar. All of this is contained in a new report out from IHS Technology. Read more

UK Moves to Cut Support for Large Scale Solar PV

Friday, 5.16.2014 - 17:55 (Renewable Energy World)

DECC, the UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change, has unveiled proposals for further reform of the country’s renewable energy support program. The measures include plans for the closure of the Renewables Obligation scheme to new solar PV capacity above 5 MW from 1st April 2015. Read more

China adopts ‘more aggressive’ 70GW PV target for 2017

Friday, 5.16.2014 - 17:45 (PV-Tech)

China has set itself a target to reach an installed solar generation capacity of 70GW by 2017. Read more

Georgia Power to build 90 MW-AC of solar PV plants on Army bases in Georgia

Friday, 5.16.2014 - 16:02 (Solarserver)

Georgia Power (Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.) announced plans to build, own and operate three solar photovoltaic (PV) plants, each roughly 30 MW-AC in capacity, on U.S. Army bases in the state of Georgia. These will be the largest PV plants to be built on U.S. military bases, and the utility expects to complete all three by the end of 2016. Read more

Listen Up: What Is the Future of Solar Distribution?

Friday, 5.16.2014 - 15:06 (Renewable Energy World)

The most conspicuous driver of the residential solar industry's growth has been large, national-scale solar installers. Their market share has been increasing, primarily because they offer attractive financing to homeowners. Although all solar installers large and small pretty much install the same equipment, for someone who wants solar on their roof, a "no money down" lease is compelling. But there are thousands of smaller, local residential installers who are also thriving in this era of lower equipment prices, higher utility rates and improved awareness of the benefits and reliability of rooftop solar. Read more

EU slaps 17-42% duties on solar glass from China

Friday, 5.16.2014 - 14:27 (Solarserver)

The European Union has imposed final anti-dumping and anti-subsidy tariffs (countervailing duties or CVD) on imports of solar glass from China. Anti-dumping duties range from 0.4% to 36.1%, and countervailing duties from 3.2% to 17.1%. Read more

Pioneering solar work wins £300,000 IET research prize

Friday, 5.16.2014 - 14:18 (Solarpowerportal)

Research that could make solar panels 20% more effective and cost 50% less within five years has been recognised by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). Read more

JVG Thoma opens desert module production facility in Tunisia

Friday, 5.16.2014 - 14:15 (PV-Tech)

German solar company JVG Thoma has announced that it is scheduled to begin production of a desert PV module manufacturing facility in Tunis, Tunisia, by early June. Read more

Canadian Solar beats expectations in Q1 results

Friday, 5.16.2014 - 14:15 (PV-Tech)

Module manufacturer and project developer Canadian Solar has surpassed guidance on module shipments and revenue. Read more

China Targets 70 Gigawatts of Solar Power to Cut Coal Reliance

Friday, 5.16.2014 - 12:59 (Renewable Energy World)

China, the world’s biggest carbon emitter, plans to speed up solar power development, targeting a more than tripling of installed capacity to 70 gigawatts by 2017 to cut its reliance on coal. Read more

First Solar set to lose EPC top slot in 2014

Friday, 5.16.2014 - 11:58 (PV-Tech)

US firm First Solar cemented its position as the world’s leading solar engineering, procurement and construction contractor last year, but is set to be overtaken in 2014. Read more

New York Launches New Incentive Round for Large Solar Projects

Friday, 5.16.2014 - 11:37 (Renewable Energy World)

New York is in a solar state of mind. On the heels of the recent announcement to commit an additional $1 billion to New York solar incentives over the next decade, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) unveiled the next anticipated funding program for large solar systems, over 200 kW in size. This round of funding c Read more

Australia launches anti-dumping investigation into Chinese solar PV

Friday, 5.16.2014 - 8:57 (Solarserver)

Following on the heels of similar actions by the U.S. and the EU, Australia's Anti-Dumping Commission has initiated an investigation into imports of crystalline silicon solar photovoltaic (PV) modules from China. The investigation does not cover silicon wafers, PV cells or thin-film PV. The investigation will look for dumping during the period between July 1st, 2012 and December 31st, 2013. Tindo Solar Pty Ltd (Mawson Lakes, Australia) had petitioned for the investigation, and welcomed the decision to go forward. Read more

Conergy puts online the largest solar PV plant in the Philippines at 13 MW

Friday, 5.16.2014 - 8:51 (Solarserver)

Conergy AG (Hamburg) has commissioned a 13 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant in the Philippines as the first phase of a 22 MW PV project, the San Carlos Solar (SaCaSol). This is the largest PV project in the nation to date, and Conergy expects to complete the second 9 MW phase by mid-2014. Conergy is providing planning as well as engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services for the project, which will utilize 88,300 Conergy PV modules. Thomas Lloyd (Zürich), Bronzeoak Philippines (Makati City, The Philippines) and the World Bank's International Finance Corporation (IFC, New York City) funded the project, which will sell electricity under the nation's feed-in tariff. Read more

ACT Aurora receives order for Decima CD inline measurement system for solar PV cell production

Friday, 5.16.2014 - 7:20 (Solarserver)

ACT Aurora Control Technologies Corp. (North Vancouver, Canada) has received an order from an un-named Asian solar photovoltaic (PV) cell maker for a new tool to measure the diffused dopant within solar cells. The order for Aurora's Decima CD inline measurement system was achieved in cooperation with market partner Hauman Technologies Corp. (Taipei), and the company says that it will serve as a reference installation for the technology. The order includes assessment and optimization services, and Aurora notes the possibility of a follow-on order. Read more

Offshore Wind Implications for Proposed GE Acquisition of Alstom

Friday, 5.16.2014 - 15:20 (Renewable Energy World)

GE’s proposal to acquire French power engineering group Alstom’s power generation business for $13 billion is not a done deal – the French government has said it is conducting a review of the purchase, and may push for Alstom's wind assets to be acquired by state-owned Areva. Germany’s Siemens has also provided a counter-bid while it conducts due d Read more

Why New Nuclear Technology Hurts the Case for Renewables

Friday, 5.16.2014 - 16:48 (Renewable Energy World)

Does nuclear energy deserve a seat at the table alongside renewable energy technologies in weaning us off of fossil fuels and transitioning into a cleaner energy world? A new report published yesterday suggests not only will newer small modular reactor (SMR) technology be at least as expensive as larger reactors, it won't fit the needs of a more flexible grid system, and its development will siphon away funding from the truly renewable energy options that need it. Read more

Obama May Consider Power Plant Rule That Tests Clean Air Act

Friday, 5.16.2014 - 15:54 (Renewable Energy World)

The Obama administration is considering cutting greenhouse-gas emissions from power plants by reaching beyond the plants themselves — an unusual approach that could run afoul of anti-pollution laws. Read more

Recurrent Energy plans 150MW of ‘grid-competitive’ PV in Texas

Friday, 5.16.2014 - 12:49 (PV-Tech)

Recurrent Energy is to build 150MW of grid-competitive solar in Texas. Read more