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The latest collection of solar short takes feature LG Electronics getting serious about cell manufacturing, a second opinion about CIGS company Solyndra, a pushback in the Sovello IPO, layoffs at Advent Solar, a PV power surge in Los Angeles, and a farewell to departing Applied Materials chairman, Jim Morgan.
Hoku Materials issued not one, but two press releases Wednesday, and the news from the U.S.-based polysilicon start-up is mixed. On a positive note, the first half-dozen of the company’s GEC/MSA Siemens-process reactors have finally arrived at the company’s Pocatello, ID, factory construction site. On a more cautionary tip, the firm said it has had to amend downward its poly sales agreement with Chinese silicon/ingot wafer concern, Jiangxi Jinko Solar Co.
During the heyday of the investment community’s gleeful rush to fund many things green, an announcement of a multimilllion-dollar round in the solar energy space was often greeted with a ho-hum, business-as-usual response. The new reality reflects a global recessionary climate of scarce financing, shrinking cash reserves, and tight credit, with workforce layoffs and production cutbacks the plats du jour. Last week’s news of SolFocus’ successful $47.5 million “first close” Series C investment round proves that not all things photovoltaic are languishing in the darkening economic shade.
Warehouses, and Wal-Marts, and wineries, oh my! The proliferation of commercial-scale solar PV power systems in California over the past year or so has been nothing short of impressive. Although utility and residential installations have also grown significantly, the use of large rooftops and ground-mount-friendly open spaces for module arrays between a few hundred kilowatts and a few megawatts in size has become one of the biggest solar stories.
The newly activated photovoltaic power plant run by Acciona Energy in Portugal, with its 46 MWp capacity, sets the bar higher than ever for ground-based solar farms. With more than 262,000 crystalline-silicon-based modules deployed on some 2500 tracker arrays spread out over 250 hectares (that’s alot of soccer pitches), the installation is physically very impressive—a heady holiday gift for the entire renewables community. But one of the numbers cited in the company’s press release strains credulity, because it’s flat-out wrong. Unfortunately, most of the media reports about the project just picked up the erroneous info without blinking—or thinking.
A news story in the Los Angeles Times reports that a consultant’s study casts doubt on the economics of upcoming local ballot Measure B, a key component of the Solar L.A. initiative. On the brighter side, EuPD Research and Applied Materials both show their charitable sides during the holiday season.
The state of Ohio loves solar and renewable energy manufacturing and has recently put its development money where its mouth is in support of several up-and-coming PV players in the state. Millions of dollars in grants and loans have been doled out to the likes of Xunlight, SCI Engineered Materials, Tremco, Solsil, and Willard & Kelsey Solar Group. Move over, First Solar!
The world economy may be teetering on the precipice of a deep, prolonged recession, and parts of the solar manufacturing value chain are starting to feel the pinch too. But you wouldn’t know things were that bad based on the calvacade of investments announced in the solar PV and renewable energy space on Monday.
Wal-Mart may not be synonymous with solar and other greentech power solutions, but the international retail behemoth—with its sustainability initiative’s goal of going 100% renewable—has jumped to the forefront of companies moving toward a more environmentally operating stance. The corporation is well on its way to installing 22 solar power systems on some of its California and Hawaiian commercial rooftops. But another intriguing project is its joint initiative with the Environmental Defense Fund to seek out and encourage thin-film/building-integrated PV.
The Oregonian blogosphere reports that Intel plans to turn on a relatively small, but symbolically potent solar photovoltaic power system this Monday at its Jones Farm campus in Hillsboro, outside of Portland. The story says the 100-KW array—which cost around 800 grand—is “the first step in what the company says could be an ‘aggressive’ plan to employ solar energy. Other projects include PV-powered data centers in New Mexico and a solar thermal hot-water system in India.
