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The chief operating officer of OPEL Solar has returned to retirement, citing the recent success and continued market growth the company has seen lately as his reason. Francisco Middleton came out of retirement in 2006 to develop the company’s HCPV technology and universal solar tracking systems.
Although new conversion efficiencies have yet to be ratified by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL), Abound Solar would seem to have caught-up with CdTe thin-film leader, First Solar. It may have an enormous task to close the gap on manufacturing metrics, but aperture area efficiencies of 12.2%, generating modules with 82.8W specification on existing production equipment is a good start. First Solar reached volume production of modules with an average efficiency of 11.7% in 2011.
Conergy France collaborated with Soligest to complete three rooftop solar establishments, with a total power rating of 6.1MW. More than 80,000 thin-film modules have been installed on 67,000 square metres of roof surface. Conergy was responsible for both the design and technical planning of the installation.
Announced in conjunction with the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi, cadmium-telluride (CdTe) thin film leader, First Solar has achieved a new total area efficiency record for its standard-sized modules of 14.4%. NREL was said to have confirmed the record, which was previously held by First Solar at 13.4%. Actual volume production of modules with efficiencies between 14.5-15%, are expected in 2015. First Solar reached volume production of modules with an efficiency of 11.7% in 2011.
Abound Solar and Solar Integration Systems India (Solarsis) revealed that they had commissioned a 1MW solar PV plant in Kadiri, Andhra Pradesh, India on January 14. The project was commissioned under the Rooftop and Other Small Solar Power Generation Plant (RPSSGP) scheme managed by IREDA under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM). It is the first project in the state of Andhra Pradesh to use Abound’s CdTe thin-film modules.
This is the first of a 652kW solar project in the Maldives launched this week. Through a power-purchasing agreement signed by State Electric Company (STELCO) with Renewable Energy Maldives (REM), 61kW panels, on the island of Villingili were switched on by Germany’s Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Katherina Reiche. German solar firm, Wirsol, provided technology and financing.
First Solar recently held its inaugural annual Supplier Recognition Day, which was said to have been attended by approximately 60 companies that were considered critical suppliers to the company. At the event, encapsulant supplier, STR Holdings, was recognised as one of three suppliers, with the NOVA award, designed to recognise premier suppliers that significantly support its mission.
Unable to secure closure on a previous deal to sell its solar project pipeline to solarhybrid and investor funding for its planned expansion of its Ibersol parabolic trough power plant project, Solar Millennium has filed for the opening of insolvency proceedings at the district court in Fuerth, Germany. The module supply deal between First Solar and solarhybrid becomes suspect.
In its second major investment in the solar sector this month, MidAmerican Energy Holdings has signed a deal with NRG Energy to buy a 49% interest in the Agua Caliente project under construction in Yuma County, AZ. The Berkshire Hathaway unit announced Dec. 7 that it had purchased the 550MW Topaz solar farm project in San Luis Obispo County, CA, from First Solar.
There has been a wave of changes at First Solar over the last few months, indicative of the challenging business environment and the return of Mike Ahearn as interim CEO after the ousting of former CEO Rob Gillete. A less than complimentary view of the way the CEO had been running the company was aired by the chairman in the Q3 conference call.
