Enphase Energy announces strong Q2 results, sells 598,000 PV micro-inverters in the quarter

Wednesday, 8.6.2014 - 13:56 (Solarserver)

Enphase Energy, Inc. (Petaluma, Calif., U.S.) on August 5th, 2014 announced solid financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2014. The company shipped 598,000 solar photovoltaic (PV) micro-inverters in the quarter (132 MW), up 54 percent year-over-year Enphase Energy reported total revenue for the second quarter of 2014 of USD 82.0 million, an increase of 41 percent compared to the second quarter of 2013, and an increase of 42 percent compared to the first quarter of 2014. Read more

Suntech announces personnel changes as acting CFO departs

Wednesday, 8.6.2014 - 13:53 (Solarserver)

Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd. (Wuxi, China) through its Joint Provisional Liquidators (JPLs) on Augsut 5th, 2014 announced that Deyong He, acting Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the Company, on June 25th 2014, submitted a letter of resignation, effective July 1st, 2014. Read more

First Solar announces net sales decrease by USD 406 million in Q2; New world record for CdTe solar cell efficiency at 21.0%

Wednesday, 8.6.2014 - 10:49 (Solarserver)

First Solar Inc. (Tempe, Arizona, U.S.) on August 5th, 2014 announced financial results for the second quarter of 2014. Net sales were USD 544 million in the quarter, a decrease of USD 406 million from the first quarter of 2014. First Solar also announced a new record solar cell efficiency of 21.0%, which improves upon the prior record of 20.4% announced earlier this year. This new record represents a milestone as CdTe cell efficiency now exceeds the world records for both multi-crystalline silicon and CIGS thin film technologies. Read more

New Talesun Smart Module available on the European PV Market

Wednesday, 8.6.2014 - 7:28 (Solarserver)

Zhongli Talesun Solar Company Ltd. (Changshu, China) has unveiled its Smart Module, a new solar photovoltaic (PV) panel with integrated electronics. The built-in chip transmits information on the operating condition of the module directly to a monitoring system, allowing for immediate analysis. The Smart Module is now available in Europe. Read more

PV in Pakistan: The meeco Group announces 500 kW project with Khatoon Industries

Wednesday, 8.6.2014 - 7:22 (Solarserver)

Khatoon Industries (Ghakhar, Tehsil Wazirabad District Gujranwala, Pakistan) and Oursun Solar Power Ltd. (Lahore, Pakistan), a subsidiary joint venture company of the Swiss based meeco Group, and two Pakistani business professionals, concluded a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for a solar photovoltaic (PV) installation of 500 kwp that will produce annually up to 825.000 kwh of solar power. Read more

SEIA ‘surprised’ by Solarworld’s trade spat criticism

Wednesday, 8.6.2014 - 19:14 (PV-Tech)

The US Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has expressed surprise after being publicly criticised by Solarworld for its response to the ongoing US-China solar trade spat. Read more

SMA buys Phoenix Solar’s European O&M business

Wednesday, 8.6.2014 - 17:22 (PV-Tech)

Struggling inverter manufacturer SMA has purchased Phoenix Solar’s European operations and maintenance business. Read more

Clenergy wins mounting deal for Pakistan’s Quaid-e-Azam solar project

Wednesday, 8.6.2014 - 17:01 (PV-Tech)

Chinese-Australian PV mounting equipment company, Clenergy has won a bid to supply 40MW of mounting systems in Pakistan. Read more

An Open Letter from SolarWorld to SEIA

Wednesday, 8.6.2014 - 15:51 (Renewable Energy World)

I am writing to address troubling comments and positions that you and SEIA have made and taken in regard to the anti-dumping and countervailing duty cases which SolarWorld has filed on behalf of U.S. solar manufacturers to counter the unfair trade practices of Chinese and Taiwanese solar manufacturers.  First, I wish to express my concern about SEI Read more

The SfunCube Solar Incubator: Helping the Solar Industry Get Beyond “Start-up”

Wednesday, 8.6.2014 - 15:41 (Renewable Energy World)

In one sense, every company in the solar industry is a “start-up.” Even if you’ve been in the solar business for a decade or more, the public and the press still commonly refer to solar as “alternative energy,” and despite the U.S. having more solar jobs than the coal industry, we’re still less than 2 percent of the grid. To get beyond being a glob Read more

SunPower Offers Solar and Storage Packages to Hybrid Car Customers

Wednesday, 8.6.2014 - 15:26 (Renewable Energy World)

Buyers of Volkswagen or Audi hybrids will find themselves getting yet another sales pitch as they leave a U.S. dealership next year -- to buy a home power network that allows them to charge their new cars using only solar power. Read more

Phoenix Solar AG sells European O&M PV business to SMA, reduces forecast for 2014

Wednesday, 8.6.2014 - 14:35 (Solarserver)

Phoenix Solar AG (Sulzemoos, Germany) has sold its solar photovoltaic (PV) operation and maintenance activities (O&M business) in Europe to SMA Solar Technology AG (Niestetal, Germany) by way of a contract dated 6 August 2014 (asset deal). The parties agreed to keep the contractual content confidential. The proceeds from the sale are to be used to repay debt and to strengthen the Phoenix Solar's core operations. The O&M activities of the company's subsidiaries, particularly in the USA and Asia where O&M is run independently, are not the object of the sales contract and are not affected by the disposal. Read more

Solarstrom sells last remaining German projects

Wednesday, 8.6.2014 - 14:15 (PV-Tech)

Insolvent project developer Solarstrom has sold the last three projects in its German portfolio. Read more

First Solar to develop first project in India

Wednesday, 8.6.2014 - 13:15 (PV-Tech)

US thin-film manufacturer, First Solar is to build a 45MW solar power plant in the state of Telangana, India. Read more

US and Chinese solar EPC firms vie for world supremacy

Wednesday, 8.6.2014 - 13:09 (PV-Tech)

The world’s 10 biggest solar engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) firms are expected to jointly install 8GW of PV capacity this year, according to new analysis from IHS. Read more

Vivint Solar makes confidential IPO filing - report

Wednesday, 8.6.2014 - 12:42 (PV-Tech)

Vivint Solar has made a confidential filing for an initial public offering (IPO) through its parent company Vivint Inc, according to a report by news agency Reuters. Read more

How the Don Quixote Principle Drives Solar

Wednesday, 8.6.2014 - 12:37 (Renewable Energy World)

For decades the photovoltaic industry has been driven by its beliefs, hopes, the availability of incentives, and what it is willing to ignore in terms of market realities and technological barriers. The apparent achievement of grid parity, even at drastically low margins, was hailed a victory. Continued deployment of multi-megawatt installations in the face of low margins for developers and likely gigawatts of poor quality installations has been regarded as proof of the inevitability of the industry’s success. Read more

First Solar profits down in Q2, yield co decision nears

Wednesday, 8.6.2014 - 12:15 (PV-Tech)

First Solar announced lower than expected revenue and profit for Q2 on the back of project delays. The company also revealed a decision on a yield co would be made before Q3 results were announced. Read more

Solar in Pakistan: Clenergy wins bid for PV mounting systems for a 40 MW installation in Bahawalpur

Wednesday, 8.6.2014 - 12:10 (Solarserver)

A flagship 100 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) project at the Quaid-e-Azam Solar Energy Park in Bahawalpur, Pakistan, will go online in the near future, Clenergy (Xiamen, China) announced on August 6th, 2014. Clenergy will provide 40 MW of PV mounting systems for the project. The company is cooperating with TBEA SunOasis, a leading Chinese PV manufacturer and system integrator. TBEA SunOasis is the project’s EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) and O&M (operations and maintenance) provider. Read more

SPI Solar and Wircon partner to develop UK solar projects

Wednesday, 8.6.2014 - 12:03 (PV-Tech)

American solar developer SPI Solar has joined forces with German renewable energy company Wircon to develop solar projects across the UK. Read more

First Solar hits 21.0% thin-film PV record

Wednesday, 8.6.2014 - 11:53 (PV-Tech)

US thin-film manufacturer First Solar has achieved a 21.0% conversion rate in a cadmium-telluride (CdTe) PV cell, a new record. Read more

IHS: U.S. and Chinese solar EPC companies continue to dominate in global PV installations

Wednesday, 8.6.2014 - 11:45 (Solarserver)

The world’s 10 largest solar photovoltaic (PV) Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) companies are set this year to install a combined 8 gigawatts (GW) of generation capacity, equivalent to 20 percent of the world’s non-residential PV demand, according to a new report from IHS Technology (El Segundo, California, US). Keeping their top positions in the IHS PV integrator ranking for 2014 similar to last year, Arizona-based First Solar and TBEA SunOasis from China are expected to install more than 1 GW of additions this year. Read more

New Keynsham Civic Council powered by 243kWp solar array

Wednesday, 8.6.2014 - 8:15 (Solarpowerportal)

Bath & North East Somerset Council has completed the installation of solar panels on Keynsham Civic Centre. Read more

SPI Solar announces JV agreement with German WIRCON GmbH to develop PV projects in the UK

Wednesday, 8.6.2014 - 7:39 (Solarserver)

Solar photovoltaic (PV) project developer SPI Solar (Roseville, Calif., U.S.) on August 5th, 2014 announced that it has entered into a joint venture agreement with WIRCON GmbH (Waghäusel, Germany) a diversified renewable energy company, to develop solar photovoltaic (PV) projects in the United Kingdom. Within the framework of the agreement the partners will develop solar energy projects in the UK, with an initial proposed target of approximately 55 megawatts (MW). Read more

Array Technologies finishes tracker shipments to 35MW Avalon Solar park

Wednesday, 8.6.2014 - 0:15 (PV-Tech)

Solar tracker provider Array Technologies has successfully shipped its line of DuraTrack HZ single-axis solar trackers to PV construction firm Swinerton Renewable Energy, who will install the trackers on a new 35MW PV facility located about 37 kilometres south of Tucson, Arizona. Read more

Is the US Geothermal Industry Back on Track?

Wednesday, 8.6.2014 - 22:29 (Renewable Energy World)

The U.S. geothermal industry has limped its way through the past few years with little growth, leading many companies to abandon plans and shift their business elsewhere. Read more

Ten Clean Energy Stocks For 2014: August Update

Wednesday, 8.6.2014 - 20:31 (Renewable Energy World)

July was a hard month for the stock market and clean energy stocks in particular. My broad market benchmark of small cap stocks, IWM, fell 7 percent and is down 2.7 percent for the year, while my clean energy benchmark PBW fell 9% and has slid into the red for the first time. It is down 0.1 percent for the year to date. Read more

Mitsuuroku Green Energy completes 40.4MW PV plant in Japan

Wednesday, 8.6.2014 - 13:53 (PV-Tech)

A 40.4MW solar power plant fitted with an observatory deck and visitor centre has been completed by Mitsuuroku Green Energy and its partners in Chiba, near Tokyo, Japan. Read more

Energy market riggers to face jail under new proposals

Wednesday, 8.6.2014 - 12:15 (Solarpowerportal)

Energy firms found guilty of rigging wholesale gas and electricity prices could face prison time under new proposals published today by Ed Davey. Read more