It’s almost as if the weather knows. With only a few days to go before Intersolar North America kicks off, the prediction is for four sunny days in a row from Monday to Thursday next week. So be sure to step outside of the Moscone Center every now and again to bask in the sunshine in between booth visits, conferences and networking.
A combination of solar, wind and other renewable energy sources are contributing to Ontario’s economy by creating around 5,000 new jobs. The McGuinty Government’s FiT program has enabled the construction of 25 new large-scale solar and wind projects that will not only bring about healthy employment levels, but will draw massive amounts – an estimated CAD$3 billion – in private-sector investments to the province in areas such as manufacturing facilities.
A change of image and specialty has led Manz Automation AG to drop its ‘middle name’ to become simply Manz AG. The company’s focus has been across a wider range of products and services than automation alone for most of its near 25-year operation period, and this name change aims to reflect that. Manz is now a supplier of integrated production systems and processing equipment for the PV industry.
Solar Media, the leading technical publisher for the PV industry and Solarzoom, the number one procurement and pricing portal for the PV industry, have entered a new phase in their partnership. Together they will re-launch the two-year-old Photovoltaics International Lite China quarterly magazine.
Construction on the world’s largest solar thermal power plant was officially begun at a groundbreaking ceremony held on Friday June 17th. Attending the ceremony for the Blythe solar power plant facility was US Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, California’s Governor Jerry Brown and Joseph DeConinck, Blythe’s mayor, as well as representatives of the Solar Trust of America and Solar Millennium.
Siemens has acquired a minority stake in US company Semprius for an undisclosed sum. The purchase of the approximately 16% share will see Siemens assist Semprius’s HCPV technology development and provide Siemens with an insight into a new CO2-free power generation technology that is nearing market maturity.
Magnolia Solar has been the recipient of a six-month research award from NASA for development of technologies aimed at increasing the power output of advanced photovoltaic systems for use in NASA’s space missions. The Phase I Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) award amounts to US$100,000, and will see Magnolia focus on increasing the current and voltage output of single-junction III-V cells.
Trina Solar has, via its German subsidiary, completed a sales agreement with German engineering, procurement and construction company Mohring Energie that will see Trina deliver 130MW of PV modules in the second and third quarter of 2011. The modules, which will be sold at pre-agreed US$ prices, will be installed in several projects, one of which is said to be one of Europe's largest PV power plant installations in 2011. Shipments of the modules have already commenced; the value of the deal was not disclosed.
Roth & Rau’s management and supervisory boards have published a statement that publicises the company’s agreement with the proposed €22.00 per Roth & Rau share. This approval, required in order for the takeover by Meyer Burger to go ahead, signifies the support on the part of Roth & Rau’s management and supervisory boards of the takeover and their recommendation for other shareholders to accept the offer also.
Canadian Solar has signed a sales agreement that will see the company supply 81MW of solar modules to Saferay, Berlin-based developer, owner and operator of large-scale PV power plants, at a fixed price for projects based in Germany. With delivery of the modules already underway, the entire 81MW is expected to be delivered to Saferay before the end of the third quarter 2011. The cost of the transaction was not revealed.
