pvmagazine

Germany plans PV cuts of over 30 percent

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:38:00 +0100

According to initial media reports, Germany’s politicians want to implement sharp cuts, earlier than scheduled, to its photovoltaic subsidies. Furthermore, the guaranteed tariff should be limited at 90 percent. The ministers will, however, officially present their plans tomorrow.

Yingli expects 30 percent Q4 module decrease

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:47:00 +0100

Having preannounced its fourth quarter (Q4) 2011 financial results, Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited has said it expects photovoltaic module shipments to sequentially decline by 30 percent. Meanwhile, its gross margin has taken a tumble.

Canadian Solar ups Q4 2011 shipping guidance

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:03:00 +0100

In a move not seen from solar companies for a while, Canadian Solar has upped its fourth quarter (Q4) 2011 shipping guidance. The photovoltaic module manufacturer did not provide preliminary financial figures, however.

JinkoSolar opens module testing lab

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 12:36:00 +0100

China-based JinkoSolar has opened a "cutting edge" photovoltaic module testing laboratory in China’s Jiangxi. The manufacturer aims to conduct test programs independently.

Storage: Investment in CRES systems to hit $4.2 billion through 2022

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:29:00 +0100

Pike Research has announced that investments in community and residential energy storage (CRES) systems will increase to more than US$4 billion in the next decade.

Germany: 36 percent of electricity from renewables by 2020

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:18:00 +0100

Frost & Sullivan's energy group has forecast that overall electricity generation in Germany will decrease from 625 terrawatt-hours (TWh) in 2010 to 590 TWh in 2020. This change is attributed to energy efficiency measures and increased imports that will replace the supply lost from nuclear power sources.

UK firm expands pay-as-you-go solar

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 17:46:00 +0100

Cambridge-based Eight19 today expanded its pay-as-you-go solar system into the world’s youngest country, Sudan. The company hopes to deploy 1,000 of its solar module, battery, light and phone charging systems to rural villages in the Nimule region.

Japan’s dramatic shift to PV

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 17:03:00 +0100

In figures that appear to confirm post-Fukushima Japan’s dramatic shift away from nuclear power and towards photovoltaics, the domestic module market is shown to have expanded by over 30 percent, from the previous year. The Japanese Photovoltaic Energy Association (JPEA) released the figures that also show that over one gigawatt (GW) of modules were sold domestically, in the first three quarters of 2011 alone.

UK: DECC takes FIT appeal to Supreme Court

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:05:00 +0100

Following the High Court ruling at the end of January, which saw the U.K. Department for Energy and Climate Change’s (DECC’S) judicial appeal regarding feed-in tariff (FIT) changes thrown out, the department has officially announced it will be lodging another appeal.

Poor PV demand and declining European share set to continue into 2012

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 12:58:00 +0100

Analysts at Jefferies have painted a poor picture for photovoltaic demand during the first quarter (Q1) of 2012, and "very real … demand concerns" for the whole year. Overall, they expect European and global demand to fall by 42 percent and 10 percent, respectively. However, it is believed that 2013 will see a market revival.

Dept. Of Commerce Postpones Chinese Solar Trade Case Ruling Again

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:52:07 -0500

The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) has postponed its preliminary determination in the countervailing-duty investigation of Chinese solar products. The determination, originally scheduled for Jan. [...]

Germany Expected To Be 36% Powered By Renewable Energy By 2020

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:50:54 -0500

Germany's energy landscape in 2020 is expected to be dramatically different from its current mix, according to a new report from Frost & Sullivan. Nuclear [...]

Minnesota Power Offering New Rebates Through SolarSense Program

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:49:35 -0500

Minnesota Power has introduced an updated version of its SolarSense program, which provides solar project incentives for residential and commercial customers. According to the utility, [...]

Phoenix Airport Installs 5.4 MW Solar Project

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:48:23 -0500

The Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport has inaugurated a 5.4 MW PV installation featuring technology from SunPower. The system is expected to generate the equivalent [...]

BLM Releases Draft Plan For RE Development Areas In Arizona

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:47:09 -0500

The U.S. Department of the Interior's (DOI) Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has released the draft plan for the Restoration Design Energy Project (RDEP), which [...]

Advanced Solar Photonics Introduces PV Inverter Line

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:45:38 -0500

Advanced Solar Photonics (ASP), a PV equipment manufacturer, has launched a series of grid-tied inverters. The units are designed for residential and small-commercial rooftop or [...]

SPG Solar Completes PV Installation At National University

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:44:25 -0500

National University, headquartered in La Jolla, Calif., has completed an 852 kW PV installation at two campuses in San Diego. The project was installed by [...]

JinkoSolar Opens PV Module Testing Lab In China

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:43:02 -0500

JinkoSolar Holding Co. Ltd., a China-based solar product manufacturer, has opened a PV module testing laboratory in Jiangxi, China. The facility has been awarded the [...]

Legal Clash Over Solar Incentive Cuts In U.K. Heads To Supreme Court

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 14:01:30 -0500

The U.K.'s Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) is expected to formally file a Supreme Court appeal today challenging previous rulings that deemed its [...]

Growth Of Thin Film And Organic PV Will Boost Transparent Conductor Market

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 12:05:32 -0500

The total market for transparent conductors (TCs) in PV is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of over 30% from a value [...]

Apple Planning 20 MW Solar Array At N.C. Data Center

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 11:28:36 -0500

Following months of unconfirmed reports, Apple has publicly commented on its plans to construct a large PV array at a new data center in Maiden, [...]

Ceres Technologies Buys CIGS PV Equipment Formerly Owned By Veeco

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 11:27:25 -0500

Saugerties, N.Y.-based Ceres Technologies, a provider of branded support equipment to the semiconductor and solar sectors, says it has expanded its position in the photovoltaic [...]

Shoals Technologies Receives TUV Certification For Junction Box

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 11:26:20 -0500

Shoals Technologies Group, a provider of photovoltaic components, says its MultiLink solar junction box has received certification to the DIN V VDE 0126-5: 2008-05 from [...]

China-Based Solar Manufacturer Eoplly Establishes U.S. Subsidiary

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 11:25:16 -0500

Eoplly New Energy Technology Co., a Nantong, China-based designer and manufacturer of solar products, has established its subsidiary company, Eoplly USA Inc., in San Bruno, [...]

PanelClaw Notes ETL Listing, Adds Approved PV Modules

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 11:24:01 -0500

PanelClaw, a provider of mounting systems, says all of its products have received an ETL listing to UL Subject 2703, which establishes safety and performance [...]

Borrego Solar Awarded GSA Contract For Federal Agency PV Projects

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 11:22:32 -0500

Borrego Solar Systems Inc., a designer, installer and financier of grid-tied solar photovoltaic systems, says it has been awarded a contract by the General Services [...]

Hoku Materials Resolves Electricity Dispute

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 11:21:20 -0500

Hoku Materials Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Hoku Corp. that plans to produce, market and sell polysilicon for the solar market from its facility [...]

New Energy Technologies Constructs Large OPV Device

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 11:20:06 -0500

New Energy Technologies Inc. and scientists from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have fabricated the largest-area organic photovoltaic (OPV) module ever produced at NREL, [...]

Cooper Bussmann Introduces Modular Fuse Holder For PV Applications

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 11:10:34 -0500

Cooper Bussmann, a provider of circuit protection, power management and electrical safety products, has launched a new modular fuse holder for PV applications. The fuse [...]

Nanosolar Closes $20 Million Funding Round

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 11:06:54 -0500

Nanosolar Inc., a manufacturer of thin-film PV modules, has closed a $20 million funding round that is expected to fund continued expansion and newly committed [...]

Matinee Energy Building Solar Research Center In Arizona

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 11:05:50 -0500

Matinee Energy, a solar project developer and financier, has broken ground on the Matinee Energy Campus, a new 50-acre site in Benson, Ariz., that will [...]

GEMCO Solar Begins Operation Of Ontario Solar Array

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 11:04:33 -0500

GEMCO Solar Inc., an Ontario-based solar developer and engineering, procurement and construction contractor, has begun commercial operation of a 500 kW rooftop solar photovoltaic system [...]

SIBA Fuses Releases New UL-Listed PV Fuses

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 11:02:48 -0500

SIBA Fuses, a manufacturer of PV fuses, has introduced a series of new photovoltaic fuses that the company says meet the UL 2579 standard and [...]

Solar Frontier Supplies 10 MW PV Project In Japan

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 11:01:43 -0500

Tokyo-based thin-film PV module manufacturer Solar Frontier has supplied its copper indium selenide modules for the 10 MW Mt. Komekura solar power plant in Yamanashi [...]

DOE Awards Funding For Renewable Energy Development On Native American Lands

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced it will award a total of more than $6.5 million to 19 clean energy projects across the [...]

Latest Congressional Payroll Tax Bill Does Not Extend Treasury's 1603 Program

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 13:32:59 -0500

A newly released congressional compromise bill that extends the payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits through the end of the year does not address tax [...]

Chinese Solar Module Prices Drop Below Dollar-Per-Watt Mark

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 11:08:35 -0500

The average price of Chinese tier-two crystalline PV modules fell to $0.96/W in January, according to the latest PV module pricing report from IMS Research. [...]

Schletter Introduces 2.5 kW FS Kit For Ground-Mounted Projects

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 11:07:25 -0500

Schletter, a provider of ground-mounted solar PV mounting systems, has launched the 2.5 kW FS Kit, a new product for residential and small commercial solar [...]

ESA Renewables Expands Solar Project O&M Offerings

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 11:04:39 -0500

ESA Renewables, a turnkey solar provider, is expanding its operations and maintenance (O&M) division and releasing a new O&M service plan. After securing multiple new [...]

Solis Partners Installs Solar At Two N.J. Churches

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 11:03:54 -0500

Solis Partners, a provider of commercial solar power systems, has completed two solar power systems in the Catholic Diocese of Trenton, which spans Burlington, Mercer, [...]

NexPower Supplies Modules For 5 MW Installation

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 11:01:28 -0500

Thin-film PV module provider NexPower has provided its NT145AX modules for a 5 MW ground-mounted solar project in Gujarat, India. According to the company, this [...]

Genmounts Supplies Racking For N.J. Project

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 11:00:39 -0500

Genmounts, a solar racking provider based in Flemington, N.J., has completed delivery of flat-roof ballasted racking equipment for the 4.5 MW Toms River School District [...]

Singulus Notes New Thin-Film Manufacturing Order

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 10:58:37 -0500

Germany-headquartered Singulus Technologies AG has received a new order for a processing machine for the production of copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) solar products. The [...]

Conergy Supplies 5.3 MW PV Plant In Spain

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Germany-based Conergy AG has provided modules and other equipment for a newly inaugurated 5.3 MW PV project near Mazarron, Murcia, Spain. The plant was constructed [...]

First Solar Receives Missing Antelope Valley Project Permit

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

A critical county-level project permit that threatened to derail First Solar's 230 MW Antelope Valley Solar Ranch 1 project has been secured. Earlier this week, [...]

White House Allegedly 'Shielding' Key Personnel From Solyndra Probe

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 12:45:40 -0500

As the investigation into failed PV module manufacturer Solyndra hits its one-year anniversary, the lawmakers spearheading the probe are forging ahead with plans to issue [...]

SolarCity Strikes Back Against SunPower Following Stolen-Info Lawsuit

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 12:22:10 -0500

After being named as a defendant in a data-theft lawsuit filed by San Jose, Calif.-based solar manufacturer SunPower, systems integrator SolarCity has fired back, attributing [...]

SDG&E Enters Into 200 MW Agreement With Mount Signal Solar Project

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 12:15:59 -0500

San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) has entered a 25-year agreement to purchase 200 MW of energy from the Mount Signal Solar project in Imperial [...]

Silicon Ranch, LightWave Solar Building 1 MW Project

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 12:14:17 -0500

Silicon Ranch Corp. has partnered with LightWave Solar Electric to build a 1 MW PV array in Memphis, Tenn. The installation calls for 4,160 PV [...]

Westinghouse Solar Plans Merger With CBD Energy

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 12:12:53 -0500

Westinghouse Solar Inc., a designer and manufacturer of solar power systems, has signed a letter of intent to pursue a business combination with CBD Energy, [...]

SES Installs PV Array At Eldorado Coffee Roasters

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 12:11:48 -0500

Eldorado Coffee Roasters has commissioned a 240.24 kW solar photovoltaic PV system at its worldwide headquarters in Maspeth, Queens, N.Y. The solar array will produce [...]

SunEnergy1 Installs 2.4 MW System In N.C.

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 12:10:50 -0500

SunEnergy1, based in Mooresville, N.C., has completed a 2.4 MW ground-mounted PV installation at an unspecified location in Plymouth, N.C. Daetwyler Clean Energy supplied its [...]

Heliatek Enters BIPV Deal With Reckli

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 12:09:57 -0500

Heliatek GmbH, a Germany-based PV technology provider, has signed a joint development agreement with Reckli GmbH, a manufacturer of elastic molds for concrete building facades. [...]

Sunweb Solar To Sell Manufacturing Facilities

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 12:09:10 -0500

Sunweb Solar, formerly known as Solland Solar, has closed a previously announced acquisition transaction with Spain-based Pufin group and plans to hold an auction to [...]

NRG Solar, Solar Frontier Enter Module Supply Deal

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 12:07:31 -0500

Solar Frontier, a manufacturer of copper indium selenide (CIS) thin-film PV modules, has signed a module supply agreement with developer NRG Solar LLC for 13.2 [...]

Mage Solar Distributing Delta's PV Inverters

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 12:06:36 -0500

Mage Solar has been named an authorized dealer of Delta's Solivia NA residential inverters, which were developed for the North American solar market. The inverters [...]

Vincotech Introduces Symmetrical Boosters For Photovoltaic Inverter Applications

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:42:10 -0500

Vincotech, a supplier of module-based products for power electronics, has released two new symmetrical boosters designed specifically for premium solar inverter and other applications. Equipped [...]

AstroSol Building PV Plant At UA Tech Park Solar Zone

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:41:09 -0500

The University of Arizona Science and Technology Park (UA Tech Park) in Tucson, Ariz., has signed AstroSol Tech Park AZ LLC as a new tenant. [...]

Broadway Renewable Strategies Creates 'Performance Solar' Business Unit

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:39:26 -0500

Broadway Renewable Strategies, a Boston-based electrical construction company, has hired Carter Wall to lead a newly created business unit called Performance Solar. The new department [...]

Composite Mirror Applications Begins Manufacturing Solar Mirrors

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:35:59 -0500

As a part of a strategic alliance with brightLeaf Technologies, Composite Mirror Applications (CMA) says it has delivered its first 1,000 off-axis solar collectors. Replicated [...]

California Solar Thermal Inaugurates New Installation

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:34:52 -0500

California Solar Thermal, a San Diego-based solar company, has commissioned a solar hot water heating system for the Parker-Kier Apartments in downtown San Diego. This [...]

US Foods Installing Rooftop PV Array At N.J. Warehouse

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:33:28 -0500

Foodservice distributor US Foods says that nearly 85% of its metro New York division's annual energy will come from solar power by July, as installation [...]

SunDurance Energy, Solaire Commission Solar Carport

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:32:21 -0500

SunDurance Energy and Solaire Generation have inaugurated a 120 kW solar carport at the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission (NJMC) headquarters in Lyndhurst, N.J. The canopy, [...]

SMA Adds Android App To Sunny Portal PV Monitoring System

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:30:41 -0500

PV inverter manufacturer SMA has introduced a new SMA Sunny Portal application for smartphone users with the Android operating system. Available for free download from [...]

IKEA Completes 1.2 MW Installation At Md. Store

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Home furnishings retailer IKEA has completed a solar energy system at its store in College Park, Md. The 148,200 square-foot PV array consists of a [...]

AU Optronics Rebrands Solar Business As BenQ Solar

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

AU Optronics Corp., a global display and solar solutions provider, says its solar business will now be known as BenQ Solar, as authorized by BenQ [...]

Energy Conversion Devices, United Solar Ovonic File For Bankruptcy

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:06:42 -0500

Auburn Hills, Mich.-based Energy Conversion Devices (ECD), a provider of flexible solar laminates and systems for the building-integrated and commercial rooftop market, has filed for [...]

Latest Budget Includes Extension Of Treasury Program, More Solar Funding

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:36:44 -0500

President Barack Obama's newly released fiscal-year 2013 (FY '13) U.S. budget provides for an extension of the U.S. Department of Treasury's Section 1603 program, also [...]

First Solar's Antelope Valley Project Encounters Permit Problem

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:32:06 -0500

First Solar's 230 MW Antelope Valley Solar Ranch 1 project, a 230 MW PV plant in North Los Angeles County, Calif., may lose its U.S. [...]

Digital Photonics Develops SolarJet Printer With VersaEtch

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:28:21 -0500

Digital Photonics Corp. has debuted the SolarJet printer, a system designed for the selective emitter application of front contacts on crystalline silicon PV cells. According [...]

Borrego Solar Secures $47 Million In New Project Funding

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:27:00 -0500

Borrego Solar Systems Inc., a designer, installer and financier of grid-tied solar PV systems, has closed a new $47 million fund with partners U.S. Bank [...]

JinkoSolar Adds Australian Subsidiary In Queensland

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:25:31 -0500

JinkoSolar Holding Co. Ltd. has opened a new Australian subsidiary, JinkoSolar Australia Co. Ltd., based in Queensland, Australia. The newly opened office will serve as [...]

HilcoBid Selling Off Sanyo's Solar Wafer Production Facility

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:24:17 -0500

HilcoBid, the global industrial asset auction platform of the Hilco organization, has been engaged by Sanyo Solar (USA) to sell the company's PV wafer fabrication [...]

Inovateus Solar Opens New Research Office

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:23:03 -0500

Inovateus Solar LLC, a South Bend, Ind.-based distributor and integrator of solar electric products, has opened a satellite office in Innovation Park at Notre Dame, [...]

DuPont, Yingli Enter Strategic Agreement

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:21:52 -0500

DuPont and Yingli Energy have signed a $100 million strategic agreement for photovoltaic materials. Under the terms of the agreement, Yingli will purchase photovoltaic materials [...]

Solar Executives Call On Obama To Negotiate With China

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

In a letter sent to President Barack Obama, CEOs of 45 U.S.-based solar energy companies strongly urged the president "to discuss the mutual benefits of [...]

DOE Audit Reveals No High-Risk Surprises, But Several Weaknesses

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 13:56:21 -0500

The Obama administration's newly released independent review of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) loan-guarantee portfolio makes several concrete suggestions for program improvement, but overall [...]

CPV Manufacturer Solar Junction Closes $19.2 Million Funding Round

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:22:35 -0500

Solar Junction, a developer of multi-junction cells for the concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) market, has closed a Series D financial round totaling $19.2 million from current [...]

Mercury Solar Systems Inaugurates 3.6 MW N.J. Project

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:21:08 -0500

Solar project integrator Mercury Solar Systems has completed a 3.6 MW system in Manalapan, N.J. The company worked with NJR Clean Energy Ventures, the owner [...]

GoIndustry DoveBid Selling REC Group's Solar Plant Equipment

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:19:36 -0500

London-based GoIndustry DoveBid, an industrial equipment reseller, has been appointed to handle the disposals of solar manufacturing equipment from Renewable Energy Corp. Group (REC) in [...]

Yes! Solar Solutions, Argand To Install N.C. PV Array

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:17:39 -0500

In partnership with Yes! Solar Solutions and Argand Energy Solutions, Cary, N.C.-based nonprofit Dorcas Ministries plans to install a 236.5 kW solar photovoltaic rooftop system [...]

Seaward Solar Introduces New MCS-Compliant PV Test Kit

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:16:42 -0500

Seaward Solar has expanded its range of specialist test equipment for solar PV installation work with a new kit designed to meet the electrical-testing needs [...]

Silicon Ranch, Phoenix Solar Installing 200 kW PV Array

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:15:51 -0500

Phoenix Solar Inc. and Silicon Ranch Corp. plan to build a 200 kW PV solar system on the roof of the Second Harvest Food Bank [...]

Trina Solar Notes Made-In-EU Certificate

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:12:56 -0500

Trina Solar Ltd. says its multicrystalline modules manufactured with European-sourced silicon wafers have been certified by the independent Italian institute ICIM and fulfill the requirements [...]

Dow Corning Signs Middle East Distributor

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:11:42 -0500

Dow Corning Corp. has named Bardawil Group as distributor of its silicon-based products for solar applications in the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, [...]

New Survey Shows Support For Solar Development In California Deserts

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:12:49 -0500

A decisive majority of citizens in California's desert communities strongly support the development of solar power facilities in their counties, according to a new survey [...]

First Solar Cutting Back On PV Module Production At German Factory

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:11:48 -0500

Decreased government incentives in Europe have prompted cadmium telluride module manufacturer First Solar to reduce production levels by 50% at its factory in Germany. First [...]

SolarWorld Supplies 1.3 MW Military PV Project

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:08:22 -0500

The U.S. Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) complex, a headquarters for high-tech military command, communications and surveillance in San Diego, now hosts 1.3 [...]

PG&E Reports Record Offers For 2011 Renewables Solicitation

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:07:13 -0500

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) says its 2011 solicitation for new supplies of renewable energy brought in more than 300 offers, a new record [...]

Soitec Secures Financing For 50 MW CPV Plant

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:05:16 -0500

Soitec, a manufacturer of concentrated PV (CPV) technology, has secured financing from Investec Bank Ltd. to build a planned 50 MW solar power plant in [...]

SolarMax Completes N.J. Carport PV Project

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

SolarMax Technology Inc. has completed a 756 kW photovoltaic solar carport system at the Wyndham Mt. Laurel Hotel in New Jersey. According to David Hsu, [...]

Perlight Solar Introduces New Made-In-U.S. PV Modules

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Perlight Solar, a division of the China Baolite Group, has released a series of PV modules manufactured in the U.S., according to Perlight distributor twin [...]

House Committee Asks For More Solyndra Information

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton has sent a new letter to President Obama's administration claiming that the White House "continues to stall" [...]

This Land Is Your Land: BLM Seeking Input On Solar Project Development

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:33:31 -0500

The U.S. Department of the Interior's (DOI) Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR) as the first step [...]

North American PV Installation Market Reached New Heights Last Year

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:17:09 -0500

Sharp reductions in market prices, combined with the impact of regional and national policies, pushed the North American photovoltaic market to a new quarterly peak [...]

U.K. Government Promises 'Sustainable Growth' With New PV FIT Plan

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:15:28 -0500

Following an in-depth review, the U.K.'s Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has announced a new plan for the country's solar feed-in-tariff (FIT) program [...]

SolarReserve Completes Power Tower For Crescent Dunes

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:07:28 -0500

SolarReserve, a developer of large-scale solar power projects, says it has completed the 540-foot solar power tower for its 110 MW Crescent Dunes project, under [...]

DOE Releases $12 Million For SunShot Incubator Program

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:05:21 -0500

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Steven Chu has announced more than $12 million in additional funds for the DOE's SunShot Incubator program. The funding [...]

Pennsylvania Mushroom Farm Inaugurates 1.13 MW PV Array

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:03:42 -0500

North Carolina-based Southern Energy Management (SEM) has installed a 1.13 MW PV array at Marlboro Mushrooms, a mushroom farm near West Grove, Pa. The array [...]

GreenVolts Installs 496 kW Project At Calif. Children's Center

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:02:14 -0500

GreenVolts Inc., provider of an integrated concentrated PV system, has completed a 496 kW PV array at the McKinley Children's Center campus in San Dimas, [...]

Aztec Solar Acquires Solahart Services

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:01:14 -0500

Aztec Solar Inc., a Sacramento, Calif.-based residential and commercial PV and solar thermal design firm, has acquired Solahart Services, based in Stockton, Calif. Solahart provides [...]

Sustainable Energy, Lightway Bundling Products

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:00:03 -0500

Sustainable Energy Technologies Ltd., a solar inverter provider, and Lightway Solar America Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of module manufacturer Lightway Green New Energy Co. Ltd., [...]

Three Keys To Controlling Costs In The Solar Industry

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Although commercial-scale technology to harvest the sun's energy has existed since the 1900s, this decade undoubtedly will mark the dawn of "The Solar Age." In [...]

CASM: Research Shows Chinese PV Manufacturers Do Not Have Cost Advantage

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:08:42 -0500

The Coalition for American Solar Manufacturing (CASM), comprising SolarWorld and six unnamed industry partners, says that new research from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) [...]

Hoku Receives Term Extension Of Loans From Tianwei New Energy

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:06:54 -0500

Hoku Corp., a solar energy products and services company, has received an extension of the maturity date of $50 million in loans from Tianwei New [...]

Solectria Provides Inverters For Rooftop PV Array In Utah

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:03:28 -0500

Solectria Renewables LLC says its Smartgrid inverters (SGI) have been chosen to power a 1.65 MW PV array at the Salt Palace Convention Center in [...]

SunWater Solar Installs New Chromasun System

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:02:19 -0500

Chromasun says its MCT solar panels, which provide thermal energy, have been installed on a solar and natural-gas powered air-conditioning project at the Crow Canyon [...]

JPSA Integrates New Laser Systems With Increased Speed

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:01:18 -0500

JP Sercel Associates Inc. (JPSA), a provider of laser micromachining, says it has expanded its processing capabilities. Utilizing new laser beam delivery techniques with the [...]

Aqua America Inaugurates New PV Plant

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:59:05 -0500

Aqua America Inc., a publicly traded water utility, says it has completed its fourth solar installation at one of its water treatment facilities. Subsidiary Aqua [...]

Zep Solar Receives New PV Product Patent

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:56:58 -0500

Zep Solar Inc., developer of a platform for PV system installation, says it has been issued patent number 8,109,048 (the '048 patent) by the U.S. [...]

Solar Maid Unveils Redesigned Website

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

The Solar Maid Co., headquartered in Pittsburgh, has launched a new website that is designed to help solar operations and maintenance (O&M) companies gain rapid [...]

centrotherm To Provide Engineering For Polysilicon Project

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

centrotherm SiTec GmbH, a subsidiary of centrotherm photovoltaics AG, has signed a contract for the basic engineering and technology concept for a polysilicon factory with [...]

Showdown In California: Riverside County Sued Over Solar Project Fee

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:47:41 -0500

A controversial fee that has been dubbed the "sun tax" may be ruled illegal in Riverside County, Calif. - one of the U.S.' prime solar [...]

White House Releases Solyndra Papers; Committee Ponders Next Steps

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:42:01 -0500

The House Energy and Commerce Committee says it has received 313 pages of new internal White House documents and emails related to the $535 million [...]

PV Inverter Market Expected To Overcome Last Year's Speed Bump

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:41:48 -0500

Despite strong long-term growth prospects, the worldwide solar photovoltaic inverter space dipped slightly in 2011 as two big solar markets stalled or cut tariffs - [...]

RCSC Installing 2.2 MW PV Project, Commercial Pool Heating

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:02:59 -0500

Recreation Centers of Sun City Inc. (RCSC) in Arizona has approved plans for a 2.2 MW photovoltaic solar project that is expected to generate approximately [...]