SolarCity has appointed Toby Corey, co-founder and former president and COO of USWeb, as its new chief revenue officer. In his role at SolarCity, Corey will aim to change the ways in which consumers, businesses and government organizations convert to cleaner energy, at a lower cost, through the means of various integrated solutions.
In its new report, “Swimming Downstream: Evaluating Up-and-Coming Solar Installers and Developers,” Lux Research has noted that the shift in focus and investment from panels to installations has allowed for companies such as SolarCity, SunRun, Recurrent Energy, SunEdison and Solar Power Partners, to help the rejuvenate the downstream model.
EDF EN Canada, a division of EDF Energies Nouvelles, advised that its second 11.8MW St. Isidore solar project in Ontario had entered commercial operation. The project, St. Isidore B, consists of two solar PV arrays located within 4 miles of each other and began delivering electricity to the Hydro One distribution grid in late December 2011.
Starting February 1, Bing Sun will officially begin his appointment as Daqo New Energy’s new chief financial officer. Sun joins the company after working as CFO for Shunda Holdings since June 2008. Previous work saw Sun as a financial controller at BCD Semiconductor, an audit manager at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu and compliance manager at BAX Global. Sun has an MBA with a concentration in accounting and is a US certified public accountant.
Gehrlicher Solar America has successfully expanded its reach into Massachusetts with the completion of two commercial solar installations, one of which is a 151kW ground-mounted system in North Dartmouth. The company has also suggested that it has plans to construct over 5MW of projects in the state over the course of 2012.
National Solar Power and Liberty County, Florida, have entered into a 100MW solar energy project agreement. The project, representing a US$350 million investment at full build out, is National Solar Power’s third in Florida with the others being in Gadsden and Hardee counties.
Major materials provider to the PV industry, DuPont reported Electronics & Communications segment sales of US$630 million in the fourth quarter, a decline 18% compared to the same period last year, with 33% lower volume which was offset by 15% higher prices. PV related revenue represent about 40% of DuPont’s electronics segment sales. Management noted that material destocking at PV manufacturers had continued in the fourth quarter due to inventory issues, impacting pre-tax earnings, which were down from US$56 million in the fourth quarter of 2010 to US$42 million in the fourth quarter of 2011.
London-based private-equity group Amplio has commissioned 7MW of PV capacity in the Italian region of Lazio, just outside of Rome. The company secured €16m from an Italian bank for the project – details for which are yet to be disclosed.
Eastman Chemical has completed its bid for the acquisition of performance materials and specialty chemicals company Solutia for an approximate total of US$4.7 billion – including debt – in order to fuel its expansion into the specialty chemicals and plastics sector. Solutia’s shares are said to have fallen by 25% in 2011, although the company was active in its acquisitions process, having finalized the takeover of Southwall Technologies late last year.
Following the amendment to the Quarto Conto Energia, GIFI, the Italian PV Industry Association has said manufacturers are rising up to urge the government to repeal its decision on cutting FiTs for solar plants on agricultural land. Panic has spread through the PV manufacturing industry, where already financed projects will now not provide as much of a return as under the original legislation.
Belgian sustainable energy statistics magazine Renouvelle has announced that with 1600MW installed in Belgium, PV accounts for 9% of consumption. Flanders alone covers 88% of installations by the end of 2011 with 12% in Wallonia.
Orange County, California’s Great Park will play host to the US Department of Energy’s (US DOE) 2013 Solar Decathlon. The Orange County Great Park is a 1,347-acre site on the publicly-owned portion of the 4,700-acre former Marine Corps Air Station, El Toro, and was selected from a pool of entrants primarily for its emphasis on sustainability and its easy access for visitors.
Solartec Energia Renovable AC modules, coupled with SolarBridge Technologies’ microinverters are to be introduced to the Mexican market, it has been announced.
The University of Cyprus campus has been host to a meeting of minds to discuss the feasibility of installing a 10MW PV plant on the grounds of the university. The university’s Rector Konstantinos Christofides initiated the move, which has led to the establishment of a special committee that will be assisted in its task by institutions including the Cyprus Electricity Authority and Cyprus Energy Regulatory Authority.
Amonix has reached an important milestone, since its establishment in 1989. The CPV manufacturer has received ISO 9001:2008 and IEC 62108 certifications.
The Italian energy agency GSE (Gestore dei Servizi Energetici) has announced that large-scale PV plants will not be granted any solar subsidies in the second half of 2012 as the incentive volume was exceeded in 2011. This will lead to a shift in the development of market segments and result in the increasing importance of regional installers.
PV installations in 2011 reached 27.7GW, a 70% increase from the previous year, according to new figures released by the European Photovoltaic Industry Association’s (EPIA). Accumulated installations reached 67.4 GW at the end of 2011, up from 39.7 GW at the end of 2010. However, the EPIA warned that new markets outside Europe would need to be developed to sustain further growth in the coming decade.
Over a year and a half ago, Japan brought its grievances against FiTs in the Canadian province of Ontario to the World Trade Organisation (WTO). The EU has now joined the fray and the WTO Dispute Settlement Body has committed itself to establishing a panel to hear the EU’s claims against the apparent discriminatory nature of Ontario’s FiTs. Formal panel proceedings, however, are not expected to start before the end of March.
Capitalizing on the country’s robust feed-in tariff rate, Phoenix Solar has connected its 800kW PV power plant to Slovenia’s grid. The Naklo, Slovenia rooftop-mounted project is classed among the 10 largest PV plants in the country, and was built in cooperation with Gorenjske elektrarne.
Major polycilicon producer, Wacker Chemie saw an abrupt demand decline in the fourth quarter of 2011 as PV customers reduced inventory levels and cancelled contracts due to some customers exiting the industry. Polysilicon spot prices fell below Wacker’s long-term pricing levels for the first time in many years, sparking price renegotiations.
Phoenix Solar AG (Sulzemoos, Germany), a leading international photovoltaic system integrator listed in Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, has realized a rooftop power plant with a peak output of 800 kilowatt hours in Naklo, Slovenia. The solar power plant was built by Phoenix Solar in cooperation with Gorenjske elektrarne and completed and connected to the grid of the local electricity supplier in December 2011. It is currently one of the ten largest solar power plants in Slovenia.
On January 25th, 2012 Solamon Energy Corporation (Toronto, Canada) announced plans to develop a 60 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) project in Jamaica. The USD 450 million project will include the development of a manufacturing plant and workforce training to build local skills for the construction of future PV plants in the region. On the same day, the company also announced that it has appointed Mazen Braish as Senior Vice President. Braish has been tasked with developing relationships with officials in Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates with goal of developing PV business in these nations.
On January 24th, 2012, Soltecture GmbH (Berlin, Germany) announced that it has formed a partnership with altPOWER (New York, U.S.) to develop BIPV projects in the United States. altPOWER’s BIPV projects in New York City include The Helena and Battery Park City's Solaire, TriBeCa Green, Visionare, Riverhouse, PS276 and many others. altPOWER has earned a reputation as the leading building integrated photovoltaics provider.
India is taking interest in providing help to Mauritius on developing the renewable energy sector. India has offered support to Mauritius in tapping its renewable energy resources including wind, solar and geothermal. During his recent visit to Mauritius, Indian Minister of New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah offered Mauritius government assistance to build renewable energy projects on the island.
The Italian energy agency GSE (Gestore dei Servizi Energetici) announced that large scale solar photovoltaic (PV) plants will not get any incentives in the second half of 2012 as the incentive volume was exceeded in 2011. This will lead to a shift in the development of market segments and result in the increasing importance of regional installers, EuPD Research (Bonn, Germany) reports in a press release.
On January 25th, 2012 Wells Fargo & Company (San Francisco, California, U.S.) and Enfinity America Corporation (Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.) announced a joint program through which Wells Fargo will supply USD 100 million in funding for PV projects developed by Enfinity. The projects supported will include utility-scale and distributed generation projects. Enfinity Corporation is currently developing a 33 MW PV plant in Ontario and several distributed generation projects in California, as well as recently acquiring a 9.8 MW PV plant at a manufacturing facility in the U.S. state of Ohio.
On January 26th, 2012 National Solar Power (NSP, Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S.) announced that it has entered into a development agreement with Liberty County in the U.S. state of Florida to build a 100 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) project in the county. The Liberty County project will be comprised of up to five 20 MW PV plants, each occupying 80 hectares, and will be adjacent to the company's Gadsden County, Florida PV project. As part of the effort to fund these PV projects, NSP recently announced the creation of Green Infrastructure Partners LLC.
On January 26th, 2012 WACKER Chemie AG (Munich, Germany) released preliminary fourth quarter and full year 2011 financial calculations, noting that weak demand reduced polysilicon business revenues to an estimated EUR 255 million (USD 336 million) in the fourth quarter of 2011, a 32% decline over the fourth quarter of 2010. WACKER Polysilicon also predicts a 22% decline in EBITDA during the quarter to EUR 165 million (USD 217 million), but this figure includes EUR 65 million (USD 86 million) in payments from the termination of supply contracts. Overall, WACKER Chemie expects a 3% increase in 2011 revenues to EUR 4.91 billion (USD 6.46 billion) and an 8% decline in 2011 EBITDA to EUR 1.1 billion (USD 1.45 billion).
On January 24th, 2012 the European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA, Brussels, Belgium) announced the release of a new report which finds that 27.7 GW of solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity was commissioned globally in 2011, with 75% of the new global capacity in European nations. This global market figures represent a mid-range of the estimates offered by market researchers. Among other observations, EPIA's "Market Report 2011" notes that the number of national markets larger than 1 GW rose from three in 2010 to six in 2011.
On January 24th, 2012, the Ghanaian Energy Commission announced Halla Energy and Environment Company Ltd. (Suwon, Korea) is seeking an investment opportunity backed by the government to develop 300 MW of solar energy in the nation. The announcement came following a meeting between the commission and Halla. The commission expects the company to return to Ghana to conduct a six-month feasibility study on the project, which if implemented could be the largest solar project in the African continent outside of South Africa.