Epuron chooses SunPower to add 3.1. MW to Uterne PV plant in Alice Springs, Australia

Monday, 8.4.2014 - 8:48 (Solarserver)

Epuron (North Sydney, Australia) and SunPower Corp. (San Joese, Calif., U.S.) have partnered to quadruple the size of the Uterne solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant, bringing clean energy to approximately 1,000 Alice Springs homes each year when the plant is expected to be completed in 2015. Financing from the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) will fund the expansion, increasing the size of Uterne from 1 megawatt to 4.1 megawatts. Read more

Australia based project developer CBD secures 64 MW PV Project in Thailand

Monday, 8.4.2014 - 8:41 (Solarserver)

CBD Energy Limited (Sydney, Australia), a global provider of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, on August 1st, 2014 announced an agreement with Environmental Engineering Group Thailand (EEG) to construct a 64 MW solar park with a projected development cost of approximately AUD 112,000,000. The project is supported by a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Thai Provincial Electricity Authority. The 4,364,809 square feet installation will include 256,000 PV modules, and is expected to produce 86,400 megawatt hours of solar power per year. Read more

NPD Solarbuzz: Over 3 GW of US utility-scale solar PV projects at risk from US Anti-Dumping Case

Monday, 8.4.2014 - 15:56 (Solarserver)

More than 3 gigawatts (GW) of projects currently in the U.S. photovoltaic (PV) project pipeline had been set to use Chinese modules, according to the latest NPD Solarbuzz (Santa Clara, Calif.) “United States Deal Tracker”. However, with the recent anti-subsidy and anti-dumping rulings proposed by the U.S. Department of Commerce, companies may have to find other suppliers or potentially pay higher prices for those modules. Read more

South Carolina Solar is Rising

Monday, 8.4.2014 - 15:41 (Renewable Energy World)

After two years of negotiations, the South Carolina House of Representatives voted unanimously on new legislation to promote solar in the Palmetto State. As a result of the South Carolina Distributed Energy Resource Act (S.B. 1189), Sol Systems expects the South Carolina solar market to expand from a mere 8 MW to 300 MW or more by 2021. Here’s how. Read more

British solar PV installations outrun German deployment, turning the U.K. into the largest European market in H1, 2014

Monday, 8.4.2014 - 15:29 (Solarserver)

According to new figures published by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) overall solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity installed across 572,102 installations in the U.K. reached 3.9 GW at the end of June 2014. This represents an increase of 1.0 per cent in capacity and 1.7 percent in installations compared to the end of May 2014. With a total of 1.1 GW of PV capacity installed in the first half of 2014 the U.K. outran Germany (1.0 GW) which so far has been the leading European market. Read more

Singyes and GCL sign PV cooperation agreement

Monday, 8.4.2014 - 14:15 (PV-Tech)

Singyes Solar and GCL New Energy have signed a cooperation agreement that will see at least 500MW projects in 2015 alone. Read more

SolarCity appoints Brad Buss as new CFO

Monday, 8.4.2014 - 14:15 (PV-Tech)

SolarCity, the largest residential installer in the US, has appointed Brad Buss as its new CFO. Read more

BNRG Renewables begins construction of 15MW solar farm in Sussex

Monday, 8.4.2014 - 14:12 (Solarpowerportal)

Irish solar company BNRG Renewables has started the construction of a 15MW solar farm on Bilsham Farm in West Sussex. Read more

TerniEnergia’s South Africa subsidiary to build 148.5MW of PV

Monday, 8.4.2014 - 14:10 (PV-Tech)

Italian energy and waste management company TerniEnergia has signed a deal to develop two solar power plants with a total installed capacity of 148.5MWp in South Africa. Read more

Sharp Lightens Solar Business, Shifts Focus to Energy Storage Systems

Monday, 8.4.2014 - 13:26 (Renewable Energy World)

Sharp Corp., the Japanese company that stopped making solar panels in the U.S. and the U.K., is betting power users in the U.S. will benefit from a device to store energy and control demand when it’s needed the most. Read more

CBD Energy to build 64MW solar power plant in Thailand

Monday, 8.4.2014 - 13:15 (PV-Tech)

Global renewables developer, CBD Energy, is to build a 64MW solar power project in Thailand. Read more

Taiwan government to intervene in US trade row

Monday, 8.4.2014 - 13:15 (PV-Tech)

The Taiwanese government is to intervene on behalf of solar manufacturers hit by the US government’s latest solar trade duties. Read more

Samsung SDI and Japanese PV company partner in li-ion battery deal

Monday, 8.4.2014 - 13:15 (PV-Tech)

Samsung SDI will supply its lithium-ion batteries to a Japanese company building a 1MW solar farm, with the deal expected to then go on to furnish an initial 20 solar farms with batteries. Read more

Phasing Out Fossils: Big Companies Using Thermal Storage to Meet Carbon Rules

Monday, 8.4.2014 - 13:09 (Renewable Energy World)

Clustered deep beneath the trading floors of Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s Manhattan headquarters are 92 tanks with enough ice for 3.4 million margaritas. Read more

UK solar firms launch fresh legal challenge against government

Monday, 8.4.2014 - 12:56 (PV-Tech)

Four UK solar developers have launched a legal challenge to the government’s withdrawal of support for large-scale solar under its renewable obligation (RO) scheme. Read more

First Solar inks 52MW Jordan EPC deal

Monday, 8.4.2014 - 12:43 (PV-Tech)

US thin-film firm First Solar is to build and operate what is set to become one of the Middle East’s largest PV power plants, the 52MW Shams Ma’an project in Jordan. Read more

SCE to buy more than 1,500 MW of renewable power including 1,300 MW of new solar PV

Monday, 8.4.2014 - 12:27 (Solarserver)

Southern California Edison (SCE, Rosemead, Calif.) has signed contracts with solar and geothermal energy producers representing more than 1,500 megawatts of clean, renewable power. Signed contracts include the purchase of more than 1,300 megawatts of new solar photovoltaic (PV) power and the re-contracting of 225 megawatts with an existing California geothermal energy project, SCE announced. Read more

Onyx Solar announces new record on solar power generation with BIPV system at Novartis Pharmaceuticals’ HQ

Monday, 8.4.2014 - 12:22 (Solarserver)

Onyx Service & Solutions, Inc. (Onyx Solar, Greenwood Village, Colorado) completed a building integrated PV project (BIPV), the world’s largest glass PV skylight, in summer 2013. Its 2,500 m2 of PV glass are part of Novartis Pharmaceuticals’ headquarters in New Jersey, U.S. Due to the high quality of the photovoltaic glasses added and the excellent installation performed, the system produced 17% more solar power than estimated: 328.000 kWh/year facing 272.000 kWh/year calculated. Read more

Solar leasing provider OneRoof Energy announces receipt of USD 1 million loan financing

Monday, 8.4.2014 - 12:17 (Solarserver)

OneRoof Energy Inc. (San Diego, Calif.) on August 1st, 2014 announced that it has closed on USD 1,000,000 of additional loan funding under its existing secured loan structure. The loan was provided by Hanwha Holdings (USA) Inc., an existing shareholder of the company, and the proceeds (net of approximately USD 20,000 of expenses) will be used to fund the company's continued operations. Read more

Solar industry launches legal challenge over RO removal

Monday, 8.4.2014 - 11:57 (Solarpowerportal)

Four solar companies have launched a Judicial Review against government proposals to remove renewable obligation (RO) support for large-scale solar. Read more

Sharp announces 18 percent decrease in solar PV sales in Q1

Monday, 8.4.2014 - 10:58 (Solarserver)

Sharp Corp. (Osaka, Japan) has published Q1, FY 2014 (March–June, 2014) results for its Solar Cells division, and announced USD 672 million in sales and a 0.3% operating margin. This represents an 18.1% decrease in revenues over Q1, 2013 (USD 821 million). The company revised its full-year 2014 sales forecast by 34% to USD 2.8 billion, and expects total shipments of 2 GW in 2014 (2013: 2,098 GW). Operating income dropped from USD 66 million in Q1, 2013 to USD 0.974 million in Q1, 2014. Read more

400 MW solar PV project Alamo advances: Three of seven construction phases complete; fourth ramping up

Monday, 8.4.2014 - 10:49 (Solarserver)

The seven phase, innovative utility solar photovoltaic (PV) project “Alamo” is well underway in the city of San Antonio, Texas, KACO new energy, announces. As part of former Mayor & current Secretary of Housing & Urban Development Julian Castro’s “Vision for 2020”, the initiative brings together KACO (PV inverters), OCI Solar Power (developer), CPS Energy (municipal utility), and Mortenson Construction (EPC) to build what will soon become one of the largest, utility-scale municipal solar PV plant in the history of the United States. Read more

STA welcomes British government’s move to abolish planning permission for roof-top solar PV up to 1MW

Monday, 8.4.2014 - 9:10 (Solarserver)

The Solar Trade Association (STA, Milton Keynes, UK) has welcomed moves promised in DECC's recent Solar Strategy to extend permitted development to all non-domestic roof-top solar PV schemes up to 1 MW in size. The proposal is contained in a newly published consultation by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) on technical planning issues. Currently planning permission is not required for solar photovoltaic (PV) schemes of up to 50 kW in size, in most circumstances. If the move is successful this would mean that schemes 20 times this would not need planning permission in most circumstances, STA emphasizes. Read more

WACKER Chemie continues upward sales and earnings trend in Q2, 2014, expects demand for solar silicon to increase

Monday, 8.4.2014 - 8:54 (Solarserver)

In the April-through-June 2014 period, Wacker Chemie AG (Munich) continued along its upward trajectory with sales and earnings, mainly thanks to substantially higher volumes. The chemical company generated second-quarter sales of EUR 1,242.3 million (Q2 2013: €1,150.3 million), up 8 percent on a year earlier and a good 7 percent higher than in the preceding quarter (€1,157.4 million). All five business divisions generated both year-on-year and quarter-on-quarter sales growth. Overall, that enabled WACKER to more than compensate for the price pressure in some product segments as well as the unfavorable effects of weaker US-dollar and Japanese-yen exchange rates relative Read more

Gevo CEO Sees Minnesota Biofuels Plant Breaking Even This Year

Monday, 8.4.2014 - 15:35 (Renewable Energy World)

Gevo Inc.’s biofuels plant in Minnesota, which has suffered production delays because of contamination, may break even by the end of 2014 as output of ethanol and isobutanol from agricultural waste increase. Read more

Renewable Heating and Cooling Now Part of Massachusetts RPS

Monday, 8.4.2014 - 18:45 (Renewable Energy World)

In the Northeast United States, homeowners and businesses use a lot of energy to heat (and cool, but mostly heat) their buildings and a new bill, waiting for Massachusetts Governor Patrick’s signature, means that more renewable energy technologies will be used to do that heating and cooling. Read more

Renewable Heating and Cooling Now Mandated in Massachusetts

Monday, 8.4.2014 - 18:45 (Renewable Energy World)

In the Northeast United States, homeowners and businesses use a lot of energy to heat (and cool, but mostly heat) their buildings and a new bill, waiting for Massachusetts Governor Patrick’s signature, means that more renewable energy technologies will be used to do that heating and cooling. Read more

Siemens $25 Billion Financing Arm Helps Promote Renewable Energy Technologies

Monday, 8.4.2014 - 16:17 (Renewable Energy World)

Siemens AG Chief Executive Officer Joe Kaeser is leaning on the manufacturer’s 19 billion-euro ($25 billion) financial services division as a tool to help fund nascent technologies and promote them with customers. Read more