sPower, Camborne Capital announce to develop and acquire utility-scale PV projects in the UK

Monday, 9.15.2014 - 7:26 (Solarserver)

sPower (Sustainable Power Group, Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.) and Camborne (London), a UK solar photovoltaic (PV) developer, on September 12th, 2014 announced the formalization of a strategic collaboration agreement. The UK continues to be a growth market for utility-scale solar photovoltaics (PV), which is an attractive asset class for investors. Together, sPower and Camborne intend to deploy significant capital under the UK’s Renewables Obligation Certificate (ROC), the Feed-In Tariff (FIT) and Contract for Difference (CfD) programs, the partners announced. Read more

Duke Energy Invests Heavily in Solar

Monday, 9.15.2014 - 20:49 (Renewable Energy World)

An RFP issued in February 2014 is paying off in spades for the solar industry with Duke Energy today announcing that it is making a $500 million commitment to solar power in North Carolina. Duke said that the announcement furthers its commitment to renewable energy, helps diversify its energy portfolio and helps it meet North Carolina’s Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard (REPS). Read more

India’s Tamil Nadu Sets Solar Power Price as Program Stalls

Monday, 9.15.2014 - 14:39 (Renewable Energy World)

The electricity regulator for India’s Tamil Nadu set a price for solar-power producers after failing for the past two years to attract investments to a state that gets about 300 days of sun a year. Read more

A Marriage Between Solar and Forest: Japan Promotes Wooden PV Racking Systems

Monday, 9.15.2014 - 14:25 (Renewable Energy World)

In the midst of the rapid growth in its solar photovoltaic (PV) market, Japan is looking into its local resources — forests — to provide racking for PV systems. Several firms in Japan are turning domestic cypress or cedar trees into PV racks, which are traditionally made of metal such as aluminum and steel. A 150-kW PV system owner in Mie prefecture stated that it came naturally to choose wood as racking for environmentally friendly solar energy. The company used cedar wood, which was harvested locally. Read more

Fraunhofer ISE: German PV systems generate five percent more solar power than expected

Monday, 9.15.2014 - 14:19 (Solarserver)

PV systems in Germany are regularly generating higher solar power yields than expected, Fraunhofer ISE (Freiburg, Germany) announces. An investigation by Fraunhofer ISE links these higher yields to an upward trend in solar radiation, pointing out that the current radiation level in Germany is considerably higher than the average values of the last 30 years. As these average values have generally been used in yield predictions up to now, actual PV system yields are exceeding their forecasts by approximately five percent, making them more cost-effective than anticipated. Read more

Mexico approves 37.4MW solar power project

Monday, 9.15.2014 - 13:14 (PV-Tech)

Spanish developer, Dhamma Energy, has obtained a permit to build a solar power project in Mexico. Read more

PV systems surpassing expected performance - Fraunhofer ISE

Monday, 9.15.2014 - 12:55 (PV-Tech)

German PV systems are regularly generating more power than expected, according to researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE). Read more

Brazil plans 3.5GW of solar by 2023

Monday, 9.15.2014 - 12:26 (PV-Tech)

Brazil has released its plans for energy developments for the next ten years, with 3.5GW of solar planned. Read more

United PV targeting up to 1GW of solar power plant acquisitions in 2014

Monday, 9.15.2014 - 12:14 (PV-Tech)

China-based PV energy firm, United PV expects to acquire between 500MW and 1,000MW of solar power plants in China this year. Read more

Uganda Regulatory Authority receives Expressions of Interest for grid-connected solar PV projects totalling 986 MW

Monday, 9.15.2014 - 11:54 (Solarserver)

The Uganda Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA) has granted additional permits to companies intending to undertake feasibility studies and other activities leading to the development of grid-connected solar photovoltaic (PV) projects of up to 49 MW. The current reverse solar tender process under the nation’s Global Energy Transfer for Feed-in-Tariff (GETFiT) will add a total of 20–30 MW of solar PV to the National grid, ERA notes. Furthermore, the Authority has received Expressions of Interest for the development of grid-connected solar PV plants adding up to 986 MW, reads the press release. Read more

India drafts plan for 20GW of large PV projects by 2020

Monday, 9.15.2014 - 11:45 (PV-Tech)

The government of India has published a draft plan proposing the development of 20GW in ‘ultra mega’ solar power plants over the next five years. Read more

Xcel Energy invites tenders for up to 200 MW of new solar PV resources

Monday, 9.15.2014 - 11:41 (Solarserver)

Xcel Energy’s (Amarillo, TX, US) Southwestern Public Service Company (SPS) is seeking proposals for additional solar energy resources as a component of its resource planning process, the company announces. Through this solicitation, SPS is requesting proposals for up to 200 megawatts (MW) of solar photovoltaic (PV) generation resources that could begin delivery to SPS on or before December 31st, 2016, and that would be contracted through a power purchase agreement (PPA). Read more

American Solar Energy Society announces 19th annual national solar tour to be held October 4th–5th, 2014

Monday, 9.15.2014 - 11:27 (Solarserver)

The American Solar Energy Society (ASES) on September 12th, 2014 announced that the largest annual grassroots solar event in the U.S. will be taking place on October 4th–5th, 2014. Attending the tour will allow communities across the country the opportunity to see new and innovative technologies locally that will benefit the environment on a global level, ASES notes. Read more

Camborne partners with sPower for UK solar push

Monday, 9.15.2014 - 11:00 (Solarpowerportal)

London-based solar developer, Camborne has signed a strategic collaboration agreement with American renewable energy provider, sPower. Read more

Lightsource partners with RSPB to help ‘give nature a home’

Monday, 9.15.2014 - 8:07 (Solarpowerportal)

The UK’s largest solar developer, Lightsource Renewable Energy has partnered with the UK’s largest conservation charity, RSPB as part of the charity’s ‘give nature a home’ campaign. Read more

Concentrating solar power: CEC proposes reduced acreage, single tower for the Palen energy project

Monday, 9.15.2014 - 7:26 (Solarserver)

The California Energy Commission (CEC, Sacramento) committee that is conducting proceedings on the proposed amendments to the Palen solar power project issued its Presiding Member's Proposed Decision (PMPD) on September 12th, 2014 recommending approval of a reduced area alternative to the project now known as the Palen Solar Electric Generating System (PSEGS). In its decision, the committee-Commissioner Karen Douglas, presiding member, and Commissioner David Hochschild, associate member, said the reduced acreage alternative with a single solar tower is a superior alternative to the proposed PSEGS amendment. Read more

Centrosolar Group AG: Insolvency plan withdrawn by Creditors, Management Board

Monday, 9.15.2014 - 7:25 (Solarserver)

After extensive discussions, the Creditors' Committee and Management Board of Centrosolar Group AG on September 12th, 2014 have decided to withdraw the proposed insolvency plan, the company reports in an ad hoc-announcement. This decision was taken because following the creditors' meeting on September 9th, 2014, at which the vote on the insolvency plan was postponed, it emerged that it has become unlikely the insolvency plan can be implemented in the short term due to conflicts of interest among the creditors. Read more

Jatropha Biofuel Around the World: A 13-country Tour of Development Activity

Monday, 9.15.2014 - 17:07 (Renewable Energy World)

In California, SGB announced an $11 million Series C financing to drive commercial rollout, after reducing the time to maturity from 5 years to 1-2 years in its latest generation of Jatropha hybrids. Read more

German Clean Energy Shift Can Ignore Storage for Now, Study Says

Monday, 9.15.2014 - 17:22 (Renewable Energy World)

Germany’s shift toward renewable energy can do without new storage infrastructure in the next two decades as it’s too expensive, according to a new study. Read more

BNEF: Renewables at risk from Scotland referendum vote

Monday, 9.15.2014 - 13:21 (Solarpowerportal)

A ‘yes’ vote in Thursday’s Scottish independence referendum would “slam the brakes” on Scotland’s renewable energy sector, according to analysis from Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Read more

BENF: Renewables at risk from Scotland referendum vote

Monday, 9.15.2014 - 13:15 (Solarpowerportal)

A ‘yes’ vote in Thursday’s Scottish independence referendum would “slam the brakes” on Scotland’s renewable energy sector, according to analysis from Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Read more

Xcel Energy invites proposals for 200MW of Texan PV

Monday, 9.15.2014 - 12:06 (PV-Tech)

A subsidiary of Xcel Energy, one of the largest electric utilities in the USA, has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for up to 200MW of PV capacity in the state of Texas. Read more

BENF: Renewables at risk from Scotland referendum vote

Monday, 9.15.2014 - 11:03 (PV-Tech)

A ‘yes’ vote in Thursday’s Scottish independence referendum would “slam the brakes” on Scotland’s renewable energy sector, according to analysis from Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Read more

BNEF: Renewables at risk from Scotland referendum vote

Monday, 9.15.2014 - 11:03 (PV-Tech)

A ‘yes’ vote in Thursday’s Scottish independence referendum would “slam the brakes” on Scotland’s renewable energy sector, according to analysis from Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Read more

Environmental leaders call on foundations and philanthropists to combat climate change

Monday, 9.15.2014 - 10:00 (Solarpowerportal)

Foundations and philanthropists should use endowments worth billions to help combat climate change, according to a coalition of 160 environmentalists. Read more