China PV Exports Rise on Expansion in Emerging Markets

Monday, 5.26.2014 - 12:46 (Renewable Energy World)

Zhejiang province posted US$340 million in exports of photovoltaic (PV) products for the first quarter of this year, an increase of 18 percent over the same period last year. The rise is primarily attributable to industry expansion into emerging markets. Exports to Japan increased 121 percent year-on-year, while those to ASEAN countries increased 843 percent. Read more

Shunfeng Photovoltaic decides on different name change

Monday, 5.26.2014 - 12:15 (PV-Tech)

PVEP (photovoltaics energy provider) Shunfeng Photovoltaic has dropped the previously planned change in its name to Shunfeng International and opted for Sunfu International. Read more

Meyer Burger realigns PV R&D centre with 120 job losses

Monday, 5.26.2014 - 12:15 (PV-Tech)

PV equipment specialist, Meyer Burger Technology is streamlining its R&D activities at its Roth & Rau subsidiaries technology and product centre in Hohenstein-Ernstthal, Germany with the loss of around 120 positions. Read more

World's first grid-scale iron-chromium redox flow battery installed in California

Monday, 5.26.2014 - 8:40 (Solarserver)

The California Energy Commission (CEC) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) have dedicated a long-duration, 250 kW iron-chromium redox flow battery in Turlock in California's Central Valley. The battery will support a solar photovoltaic (PV) plant with dual-axis tracking at an almond orchard. This is the first energy storage system using this technology to be deployed at the grid scale. EnerVault Corp. (Sunnyvale, California, U.S.) designed and manufactured the battery system, supported by a combination of private funding and research and development (R&D) grants from DOE and CEC. Read more

EnergyTrend: High-efficiency solar PV technologies becoming mainstream

Monday, 5.26.2014 - 15:50 (Solarserver)

In a report from the SNEC trade show in Shanghai May 20-22nd, 2014, TrendForce's (Taipei) EnergyTrend division reports that high-efficiency solar photovoltaic (PV) cell designs such as passivated emitter rear contact (PERC) and heterojunction technologies are becoming mainstream. Read more

Masdar to close German a-Si thin film solar PV factory

Monday, 5.26.2014 - 14:36 (Solarserver)

Masdar PV GmbH (Ichterhausen, Germany) has announced that it will close its amorphous silicon (a-Si) thin-film solar photovoltaic (PV) factory in Ichterhausen by the end of 2014. 160 employees will be affected. The company cites ongoing difficulties in the PV industry. However, there are few a-Si thin film PV markers left, and in March 2014 Tokyo Electron (Tokyo), which owns a-Si PV equipment maker Oerlikon Solar, decided to withdraw from the technology. Read more

Comtec Solar’s profitability and revenue increase due to N-type mono wafer demand

Monday, 5.26.2014 - 14:15 (PV-Tech)

N-type monocrystalline wafer producer, Comtec Solar Systems Group recently reported preliminary first quarter 2014 revenue of RMB235,071,000 (US$37.68 million and a gross profit of approximately RMB24,414,000 (US$3.91 million) due to increased demand, primarily for its N-type ‘Super Mono’ wafers. Read more

Hareon Solar to build 2MW PV power plant in Kochi, Japan

Monday, 5.26.2014 - 12:15 (PV-Tech)

China-based Hareon Solar Technology is to build a 2MW PV power plant in Kochi City, Japan in collaboration with Japan Energy Corporation. Read more

EuPD Research: British installers prefer European solar PV modules

Monday, 5.26.2014 - 8:52 (Solarserver)

EuPD Research (Bonn, Germany) says quality is the most important factor for British solar photovoltaic (PV) installers when recommending PV modules, noting that these installers have a high regard for European brands including REC Solar (Sandvika, Norway), SolarWorld (Bonn, Germany) and Hanwha Q-Cells (Thalheim, Germany). These are some of the results of EuPD's annual monitoring of over 750 PV installers, which also found that guarantees and the reliability of delivery information are among the leading reasons for recommendation. EuPD expects the UK to be Europe's largest PV market at 2.7 GW in 2014. Read more

Sunlight Photonics unveils the world's first commercially available solar-powered drone

Monday, 5.26.2014 - 8:48 (Solarserver)

Sunlight Photonics Inc. (Edison, New Jersey, U.S.) has launched a new solar-powered unmanned airborne vehicle (“drone”) for commercial and civil uses in the low- to medium-altitude range. The company states that this is the first commercially available drone which is capable of operating exclusively on solar photovoltaic (PV) power. Due to the use of PV as the primary power source, the SUNLINK-5 can perform day-long missions, operating at altitudes up to 3,000 meters. Sunlight Photonics names wireless communications, precision agriculture, land surveys, wildfire and wildlife monitoring, and border patrol as potential applications of the drone. Read more

Southern Company, Ted Turner buy Macho Springs solar PV project in New Mexico

Monday, 5.26.2014 - 8:33 (Solarserver)

Southern Company (Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.) and Turner Renewable Energy (Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.) have acquired the 50 MW-AC Macho Springs solar photovoltaic (PV) project in the U.S. state of New Mexico from First Solar Inc. (Tempe, Arizona, U.S.). Terms of the deal were not disclosed. First Solar is constructing the project, which utilizes its cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin film PV modules, will be operate it when complete. The Macho Springs plant has made headlines by having the one of the least expensive power purchase agreements (PPA) of any PV plant in the United States to date at USD 0.0579/kWh. Read more

RESolve: Modi can expand solar in India, if he chooses to

Monday, 5.26.2014 - 8:26 (Solarserver)

RESolve Energy Consultants (Chennai, India) has issued a statement of its thoughts on the potential impact to solar and other renewable energy markets in India from the change to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his BJP party. The company has noted the “decisiveness and efficiency” with which the bureaucracy in the state of Gujarat approached solar projects under Modi as chief minister. However, RESolve Founder and Director Madhavan Nampoothiri stops short of a full endorsement, noting a near stop to new solar project development in Gujarat. Read more

Regarding the Grid and Solar PV, US Utilities Are Asking ‘What Would Germany Do?’

Monday, 5.26.2014 - 6:15 (Renewable Energy World)

As the world's largest solar energy market, Germany sets an example for the do's and don'ts of integrating solar into its power supply. And it has indeed put in place policy and technology mandates in recent years to help it maintain the health of the grid. Read more

Crimean Solar, Wind Plants Not Operating Since Russia Annexation

Monday, 5.26.2014 - 6:04 (Renewable Energy World)

Solar and wind power plants in Crimea that have not been operating since the region voted to join Russia two months ago face an uncertain future. Read more

The Very Quick Guide to a Green Portfolio

Monday, 5.26.2014 - 13:04 (Renewable Energy World)

For many, the decision to get out of fossil fuels is an easy one. It may be because it's the right thing to do, or because we see the risks of investing in businesses built around an unsustainable economic paradigm. This article is not about that decision; it's about what to do next. Read more