The backlash to the U.K. Government’s decision to launch a comprehensive review of its feed-in tariff on Monday has begun. Dissenting voices are becoming increasingly audible, with ministers publically bemoaning the coalition’s decision and airing fears about its long-term impact on the solar industry.
BTU International has signed a worldwide licensing agreement to use DuPont Packaging Graphics’ catalytic oxidation technology. Developed to block volatile organic compounds (VOCs), the technology can be used in tandem with BTU’s Tritan metallization firing systems and is expected to lower the cost per watt of solar cells.
Integrated U.K. PV firm Sundog Energy has hired Bill Roberts as its new managing director and reshuffled the rest of its management team. Roberts will take over the managing director role from Sundog’s founder Martin Cotterell, who has moved into the role of chairman and technical director.
Kyocera will supply 3MW of its multicrystalline silicon solar modules for two of Tohoku Electric Power’s upcoming developments in central Japan. Construction of the 2MW Shichigahama and 1MW Hachinohe plants will get underway this month and be completed in January 2012.
Southern California Edison (SCE) has signed a power purchase agreement with First Solar for its 250MW (AC) Silver State South plant. First Solar’s ground-mounted system, which will be located on 2,500 acres of public land near Primm, Nevada, will start generating electricity in 2014 and be fully operational in May 2017.
German PV equipment manufacturer Centrotherm has won the bidding to develop a major new solar plant in Algeria. Despite reports to contrary, Centrotherm has yet to sign a contract with the Algerian Government for the new system, which will be located 30km east of the capital city, Algiers.
A select group of Q-Cells employees will be presented with certificates for solar cell production monitoring by the German Minister of Finance, Dr. Reiner Haseloff, today after attending a training seminar organised by IHK Bildungszentrum Halle-Dessau.
Last year saw juwi Hellas establish itself as one of the key players in the Greek turnkey solar project sector by installing systems totalling nearly 10MW across the peninsula.
Building work on the largest privately-held PV system in Florida is close to completion as Sybac Solar adds the final touches to its 2MW array in Gainesville.
EPIR Technologies has joined a select group of solar cell developers by creating a polycrystalline cadmium telluride (CdTe) cell for commercial use with an efficiency exceeding 15%.