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Looking to expand their sales footprint by entering the UK PV market, both Inventux Technologies and Abound Solar have announced receipt of MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme) certification for their modules.
The 30MW (AC) Cimarron Solar Facility in Colfax County, New Mexico has reached completion and began its commercial operation in early December 2010. The solar project was developed and built by First Solar, who also supplied 500,000 CdTe solar modules for the solar plant, which is constructed over 364 acres. Southern Company and Ted Turner cooperated with each other for the acquisition of the project from First Solar in March 2010. First Solar will continue to provide maintenance and operation services under a long-term contract for the facility.
The U.S. Department of Energy has made a conditional commitment of a loan guarantee worth up to $967 million for the 290MW (AC) Agua Caliente solar PV farm, located on 2400 acres of former agricultural land site east of Yuma, AZ. Preliminary construction on the site has begun, with the first electricity expected to be produced later this year or early 2012. The entire project is scheduled for completion in 2014.
One of the largest photovoltaic power plant projects in First Solar’s North American pipeline moved another step closer to buildout, as the environmental impact report for the AV Solar Ranch One has become final and is no longer subject to appeal. Principal construction should begin on the 230MW (AC) site in northeast Los Angeles County in Q3 2011, according to company sources.
After months of testing, Voltwerk electronics VS series string inverters have been certified for use with First Solar’s CdTe thin-film modules.
5N Plus, a producer of high-purity metals, compounds and wafers for electronic applications, has converted its US$3 million debenture with Sylarus Technologies into a 66.67% majority interest. 5N has also agreed to provide additional funding of US$766,000 in the form of secured debt, to enable the repayment of short-term debt contracted by Sylarus.
First Solar has acquired Idealab operating company RayTracker, a photovoltaic panel tracking technology and balance-of-systems firm based in Pasadena, CA. RayTracker’s team will join First Solar’s engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) group, and the acquired company’s customers will be transitioned to its new parent.
PV julist and juwi have finished work on a 7.4MW rooftop installation at Goodyear Dunlop’s logistics centre in Philippsburg, Germany. The system is the world’s third-largest roof array and has the capacity to generate 7.3 million kWh of electricity every year.
Plutonic Power and GE Energy Financial Services have agreed to buy three of First Solar’s power plants in Ontario, Canada. Permitting for the projects, which have a combined capacity of 50MW, is expected to take place this spring and construction scheduled to start in June.
Industry behemoth First Solar has enlisted the help of the state-owned China Guangdong Nuclear Solar Energy Development (CGN SEDC) for the first phase of its 30MW plant in Ordos, China. Work on the project, which was originally scheduled to commence in June, was delayed when the Chinese government failed to pass legislation on preferential tariff rates for solar-generated electricity. First Solar hopes the involvement of a Chinese firm will help facilitate the early stages of construction.
