IEA PV programme publishes research on PV performance

Monday, 6.2.2014 - 19:10 (PV-Tech)

The International Energy Agency Photovoltaic Power System Programme has published the first of a batch of reports exploring the quality and reliability of PV systems. Read more

South African state pension fund to invest in 44MWp Soitec project

Monday, 6.2.2014 - 14:01 (PV-Tech)

Institutional investment from a state pension fund will help finance a 44MWp concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) power plant being built in South Africa by Soitec after a refinancing scheme for the project was approved by the South African Department of Energy. Read more

EPIA: PV’s global growth offsets European demise

Monday, 6.2.2014 - 13:48 (PV-Tech)

PV faces an uncertain future in Europe in the coming years as the world’s once-leading solar region contends with fluctuating political support, according to the European Photovoltaic Industry Association. Read more

SMA inverter recertified for Japanese commercial market

Monday, 6.2.2014 - 13:15 (PV-Tech)

An inverter made by German company SMA has passed accreditation to meet a new set of rules issued by the Japan Electrical Safety and Environment Technology Laboratories (JET) governing FRT (fault-ride through) requirements. Read more

Joule Africa signs for 100MW solar power plant in Cameroon

Monday, 6.2.2014 - 19:24 (PV-Tech)

Energy developer, Joule Africa, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the government of Cameroon to construct a 100MW solar power plant. Read more

Solar Impulse 2 completes first successful flight

Monday, 6.2.2014 - 18:43 (Solarpowerportal)

Solar Impulse 2, a solar-powered fixed-wing aircraft that is capable of flying during the day and night, has completed its first flight out of the Payerne aerodrome in Switzerland today. Read more

EPIA: 38.4 GW of solar PV installed globally in 2013

Monday, 6.2.2014 - 17:39 (Solarserver)

The European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA, Brussels) has released its annual report on the global solar photovoltaic (PV) market, which estimates that at least 38.4 GW of PV was installed globally during 2013. This is a substantial growth from the estimated 30 GW of PV installed in 2012. Read more

Intersolar Europe 2014: First 100MW of Pakistan Quaid-e-Azam project underway

Monday, 6.2.2014 - 17:10 (PV-Tech)

According to renewable energy engineering firm, 8.2 Consultancy, the initial 100MW of the potential 1GW Quaid-e-Azam solar park in Punjab, Pakistan, is under construction. Read more

EPIA: 38.4 GW of solar PV installed globally in 2014

Monday, 6.2.2014 - 15:43 (Solarserver)

The European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA, Brussels) has released its annual report on the global solar photovoltaic (PV) market, which estimates that at least 38.4 GW of PV was installed globally during 2013. This is a substantial growth from the estimated 30 GW of PV installed in 2012. Read more

Intersolar Europe 2014: EPIA expects five years of global PV growth

Monday, 6.2.2014 - 15:15 (PV-Tech)

Presenting its forward looking forecast for the first time at Intersolar Europe, European PV industry association, EPIA guided continued strong growth for the PV industry through 2018. Read more

SunPower puts online 33 MW-DC of solar PV plants in South Africa

Monday, 6.2.2014 - 14:52 (Solarserver)

SunPower Corp. (San Jose, California, U.S.) and joint venture AE-AMD Renewable Energy (Cape Town, South Africa) have commissioned an 11 MW-DC and a 22 MW-DC solar photovoltaic (PV) plant in South Africa's Northern Cape. SunPower constructed the Herbert and Greefspan plants, which are owned by AE-AMD and its partners. Read more

Investors cool on UK renewables in wake of impending solar RO cuts

Monday, 6.2.2014 - 14:50 (Solarpowerportal)

Investors have cooled their interest in the UK since the government announced a review of support for large-scale solar farms, according to Ernst & Young. Read more

Boost for US solar as Obama pledges to cut emissions

Monday, 6.2.2014 - 14:47 (PV-Tech)

US president Barack Obama has announced new regulations to cut carbon emissions from power plants. Read more

Investors cool on UK renewables in wake of utility-scale PV cuts

Monday, 6.2.2014 - 14:06 (PV-Tech)

Investors have cooled their interest in the UK since the government announced a review of support for large-scale solar farms, according to Ernst & Young. Read more

Intersolar Europe Conference 2014 gets underway: International solar experts discuss topics affecting the future of the industry

Monday, 6.2.2014 - 13:41 (Solarserver)

The international solar industry is meeting on June 2nd, 2014 at the ICM – Internationales Congress Center (Munich) to kick off the Intersolar Europe Conference, which brings together industry participants and experts from around the world to discuss trends, markets and technologies within the global solar industry. Between today and June 4th, around 300 speakers and 2,000 attendees are set to participate in the conference’s discussions and expert presentations to share the latest market developments, technological trends and practical expertise. In addition to photovoltaics and PV production technologies, this year’s event is focusing on energy storage and the new Read more

No sign of settlement as US-China trade hearing looms

Monday, 6.2.2014 - 13:41 (PV-Tech)

There was no sign of a negotiated settlement ahead of the first of two preliminary hearings on solar imports in to the US from China and Taiwan as both sides jostled for position. Read more

UK: Solar thermal gets more support under non-domestic RHI

Monday, 6.2.2014 - 9:09 (Solarserver)

On May 28th, 2014 changes to the UK's “non-domestic” Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) came into effect, including higher payment levels for solar heating in industrial, commercial and institutional applications. In three years of the program, the non-domestic RHI has supported very few solar thermal systems. Instead, the program has been dominated by biomass boilers. The Solar Trade Association (London) welcomed the changes. Read more

Indian solar energy credits trading volumes recover slightly

Monday, 6.2.2014 - 8:59 (Solarserver)

Trading volumes for Indian solar renewable energy credits (SRECs) have more than doubled in May 2014 from April levels but remain far below levels seen in the previous six months, according to data published by RESolve Energy Consultants (Chennai, India). India issued 32,800 SRECs and only redeemed 2,120 of them, leaving the nation with a balance of 213,800 unredeemed SRECs at the end of the month. SRECs have been at the floor price of INR 9,300 (USD 155) since June 2013. Read more

EnergyTrend: Chinese solar PV industry doesn't think nation can reach 8 GW DG target

Monday, 6.2.2014 - 8:55 (Solarserver)

TrendForce's (Taipei) EnergyTrend division reports that China's solar photovoltaic (PV) industry does not think that the nation can achieve its goal to install 8 GW of distributed generation (DG) in 2014, in an update from the SNEC trade show in Shanghai in late May 2014. In early 2014 China set a goal of 8 GW of distributed PV for the year, a huge change for a market traditionally dominated by utility-scale PV. EnergyTrend says that the necessary mechanisms for financing, business models and identification of rooftop resources are not well established in the nation. Read more

485 MW Blythe solar PV project moves forward with completion of environmental review

Monday, 6.2.2014 - 8:48 (Solarserver)

The U.S. federal government has issued its final environmental impact statement (EIS) for NextEra Energy Resources LLC's (Juno Beach, Florida, U.S.) 485 MW Blythe solar photovoltaic (PV) project in Southern California. The EIS is not a decision on the project, which was already approved under a parabolic trough plant concentrating solar power (CSP) design. However, the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) describes the move to PV as its “preferred alternative” to the CSP design. Read more

Government funds study of concentrating solar power project in remote Western Australia

Monday, 6.2.2014 - 7:15 (Solarserver)

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) will provide Abengoa SA (Seville, Spain) with USD 420,000 in funding to conduct a feasibility study of a proposed concentrating solar power (CSP) project in a remote part of Western Australia. The 20 MW CSP project would utilize a solar power tower design and incorporate thermal energy storage. The project would supply electricity to a mining operation and the rural community of Perenjori, and one of the benefits would be to eliminate the need for grid expansion. Read more

Germany's Wind Energy Nexus: A Tour Around Hamburg

Monday, 6.2.2014 - 16:21 (Renewable Energy World)

As part of a preview of this fall's WindEnergy expo in Hamburg, officials from Hamburg Messe whisked a group of international journalists around the region to see wind energy companies and projects in action, putting the nation's momentum and support for renewables on display. Read more

U.S. EPA begins process of regulating CO2 from existing power plants, details to be left up to states

Monday, 6.2.2014 - 19:22 (Solarserver)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed new regulations on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from existing power plants, to be developed and implemented by individual U.S. states. This will be the first time that the United States has regulated CO2 from existing plants, but a number of key details may make the policy less than effective for addressing Climate Change. Read more

Obama’s New Carbon Plan Makes History for Clean Energy

Monday, 6.2.2014 - 18:33 (Renewable Energy World)

In a history-making move for clean energy, the Obama administration today, for the first time, proposed a rule to restrict carbon dioxide on existing power plants. Read more

U.S. EPA begins process of regulating CO2, details to be left up to states

Monday, 6.2.2014 - 17:28 (Solarserver)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed new regulations on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from existing power plants, to be developed and implemented by individual U.S. states. This will be the first time that the United States has regulated CO2 from existing plants, but a number of key details may make the policy less than effective for addressing Climate Change. Read more

DC Circuit Again Finds FERC Oversteps Its Bounds — This Time It’s Demand Response

Monday, 6.2.2014 - 17:19 (Renewable Energy World)

Once again, the Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit has ruled that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has overstepped its jurisdictional bounds. Last year, the DC Circuit rejected FERC’s presumption of authority to fine energy trader Brian Hunter for manipulating the natural gas futures market.   This time, the DC Circuit struck down O Read more

New Carbon Pollution Standards Can Create 274,000 Jobs, Save $37 Billion on Energy Bills, Says Report

Monday, 6.2.2014 - 16:09 (Renewable Energy World)

Carbon pollution standards for power plants — like the proposed standards that President Obama will unveil today — can protect our pocketbooks as well as our health, according to a new study. Read more

German Energy Reforms Could Spell Trouble for Small Renewable Energy Producers

Monday, 6.2.2014 - 14:59 (Renewable Energy World)

There’s bad news in the pipeline for Germany’s small-scale producers of renewable energy, the backbone of the country’s heralded Energiewende, or clean-energy transition. Read more

Energy UK levers Ukraine crisis and European election results to take swipe at renewables

Monday, 6.2.2014 - 14:15 (Solarpowerportal)

Angela Knight, CEO of Energy UK has told attendees at the Eurelectric Convention in London that recent EU election results have highlighted changing opinions on the EU that should be reflected in energy policy. Read more

UK PV owners have ‘greater understanding of how they consume electricity’

Monday, 6.2.2014 - 12:45 (Solarpowerportal)

Brits who own a solar PV array demonstrate a greater understanding of how their household consumes electricity, according to a study by the Customer-Led Network Revolution (CLNR). Read more

Microgrids Create Municipalization Benefits

Monday, 6.2.2014 - 11:39 (Renewable Energy World)

Electric utilities seeking the renewal of their franchises, and politicians seeking municipalization, both ignore the transformative possibilities of the microgrid. Microgrids represent a promising new business opportunity for both existing utilities and new entrants in the electricity business. Microgrid deployment will also provide the same public benefits as municipal control, likely more. Read more