Your daily dose of photovoltaic technology developments and solar news
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Project Focus: Israeli developer Arava Power signs deals to build 100MW of PV plants
Israeli solar energy developer Arava Power has signed long-term deals with 15 agricultural cooperatives to build midsize photovoltaic installations at an investment of 2 billion shekels ($533 million), according to Reuters. The power plants will total 100MW and will average 6.5MW per field. Total investment is said to be 2 billion shekels ($544 million).
News
French nuke leader Areva jumps into solar with acquisition of CST firm Ausra
Areva, a French company better known for its prominence in the nuclear power industry, has jumped into the solar energy business with the acquisition of U.S.-based Ausra, a large-scale concentrated solar thermal power company. Areva says its strategic objective to be the world leader in concentrated solar power and will further strengthen and diversify its renewables portfolio, which includes biomass, wind, and other assets.
Petra Solar raises US$40 million to expand pole-mounted solar market
Having designed and developed a pole-mounted solar system, Petra Solar has raised US$40 million in new finance to fund its growth plans. The company said it would expand its customer base, with plans to hire another 30 executive and professional employees immediately and expects to employ 165 people by the end of the year as demand for its product gathers momentum. Craton Equity Partners and Espírito Santo Ventures led the latest round of funding. Previous investors also contributed.
SunPower teams with Key Equipment Finance for U.S. commercial-scale solar systems
SunPower has launched a new finance program with Key Equipment Finance to support US$50 million in commercial-scale solar systems in the U.S. The program is designed to streamline the purchase process, combining the solar modules and installation costs into a monthly payment scheme. SunPower and local installers in its dealer network will design and build the systems from 50kW to 1MW.
Kuraray adds new production line in Europe for PVA module encapsulant
Materials provider, Kuraray Europe GmbH, a subsidiary of Japan-based Kuraray Co has expanded production of polyvinyl butyral (PVB) resin to meet demand for its branded encapsulant for solar cell modules, ‘TROSIFOL,’ amongst other products. The new production line adds 10,000 tons of capacity at its site in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, taking total capacity to 39,000 tons per annum.
Dyesol establishes German subsidiary to pursue dye solar cell development
Australian-based materials provider, Dyesol has established a German subsidiary in Bavaria to pursue commercialization of dye solar cell (DSC) technologies. The company said that due to Germany’s leading position in the solar industry it would seek collaboration and partnerships with industrial and government partners to bring DSC products to market.
Slurry recycling company, Metallkraft, receives €10m investment
Suntech predicts excess solar supply will move to U.S.
Frost & Sullivan ‘2009 BIPV niche player of the year award’ goes to AES
Roth & Rau expands c-Si market share with OTB Solar acquisition
Blogs
Goooooooal! Yingli Green Energy scores FIFA World Cup 2010 official sponsorship
One solar firm will soon have a shot at the kind of brand recognition that most photovoltaics players can only dream of. Yingli Green Energy will accompany the likes of Budweiser, McDonald’s, Castrol, and Satyam as one of the official sponsors of the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2010, the global championship of football (what we Yanks call “soccer”) starting June 11 in South Africa. As historic as it is, Yingli’s successful wooing of Sepp Blatter and his FIFA minions does not lack for irony.
Intel outside: Chipmaker moves to install more PV power systems, equipped with First Solar modules
Intel likes to talk the green talk and walk it too with ever-smaller carbon footprints, buying copious amounts of renewable energy credits, investing millions of dollars in cleantech startups through its development fund, spinning off solar cell start-up Spectrawatt, and researching organic photovoltaics in its labs. The microprocessor mavens will soon increase their own direct use of solar energy, having recently announced plans for eight PV systems, collectively capable of generating about 2.5MW of electricity, to be built on several sites in the western United States. Some additional digging reveals a few new details about Intel’s latest PV projects, including the brand of modules to be deployed—First Solar.
Solar short takes: Tennessee takes charge, GCL-Poly perks up, and Avancis advances CIS efficiency
After a week away from the blog, I noticed a few items apart from the German feed-in tariff controversy that merited discussion. The first Solar Short Takes edition of the new year recognizes an emerging solar materials powerhouse region, ponders a Hong Kong company that seems to be in it for the long haul, and examines a recent CIS/CIGS conversion efficiency report.
German feed-in tariff cut will be 15-17% - updated
After a fair amount of digging and the much needed help of our German correspondent we can now confirm that the reports of a 16-17% cut in feed-in tariff rate for Germany were true, and the cuts are to go ahead from April 1, 2010.
Several German news sources have reported that this figure is in fact authentic, not least of which the German Financial Times, Sueddeutsche. The Wall Street Journal reported that the maximum 17% cut is indeed on the cards, quoting today Economics Minister Rainer Bruederle as saying, "the German government could realistically cut between 16% and 17% of the subsidies it gives to solar-power providers."
Read more >>Tangled up in Bloo (Solar): Start-up believes 3-D PV has a commercial not-too-distant future
Media disconnect over rumoured FiT changes in Germany
Going Places
Borrego Solar names new CFO
Borrego Solar Systems has appointed Bill Bush as Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Previously, Bush served as the CFO of Solar Semiconductor. He will work to further develop the relationship between Borrego Solar and investor Walsin Lihwa, and work with Borrego’s commercial and public-sector customers on solar system financing. Walsin Lihwa recently formed a US$30 million Power-Purchase Agreement Fund (PPA), organized as Green Lake Capital LLC.
SMA Solar CFO is under preliminary investigation in a private matter
The chief financial officer at SMA Solar Technology, Pierre-Pascal Urbon is currently under investigation in a private matter.
Solon appoints new regional vice president, general manager of North America
Daniel Alcombright joins Solon as regional vice president and general manager of North America. Alcombright will assume this position with immediate effect. Olaf Koester, Alcombright's predecessor, will be leaving the company.
Product Briefings
New Product: Bernoulli Gripper from Festo enables ‘contactless handling’
Product Briefing Outline: Festo has introduced a Bernoulli Gripper for transporting delicate work pieces such as solar cells and wafers. The most particular benefit of the gripper is the minimized air consumption which reduces the energy costs. Other essential aspects are little swinging power, high grip force, low-pressure applications and a constant area load.
New Product: Camstar’s Enterprise Platform, Version 4.5 offers closed-loop quality process
Product Briefing Outline: Camstar Systems has released ‘Camstar Enterprise Platform’ Version 4.5 for general availability. Enhancements in version 4.5 - driven in collaboration with leading manufacturers using the Platform - include expanded enterprise-caliber capabilities for global enterprises with multiple manufacturing locations and outsourced operations. Version 4.5 augments the Platform’s configurability and usability to allow users to quickly adopt the solution with minimal training – even where complex manufacturing and quality processes span discrete, batch and hybrid operations.
New Product: D380 ‘TwinPack’ microinverter from Enphase lowers BoS costs and installation time
Product Briefing Outline: Enphase Energy is introducing the D380 ‘TwinPack’, a new product optimized for commercial installations. The D380 TwinPack is comprised of two Enphase Microinverters in a single enclosure and an innovative cabling system, further reducing Balance-of-System costs and installation time.
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