The recent announcement by the US Department of Energy (DOE) to invest US$457 million in solar technology development under the moniker of the SunShot Advanced PV Manufacturing Partnerships Program has given the industry a welcome boost. With the recent payout to the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE), news has emerged that Veeco has partnered with the CNSE for technology development and reduction of costs associated with CIGS technologies.
The irony of this won’t go unnoticed. The natural disaster and its repercussions leading to the re-examination of what was largely accepted as a ‘clean’ renewable energy are hitting the headlines.
Expanding Greece’s PV project portfolio, plans have been announced for the construction of 12.5MW of projects in Greece. Solaria will supply the modules for the various projects, the amount of which has not been specified, while Greek installer company Positive Energy will look after all procurement, engineering and maintenance of the plants.
Spanish installer Grupo OPDE has signed a cooperative agreement with ArcelorMittal Construcción España, the Spanish branch of the multinational iron and steel company, which will see the companies collaborate on the development of the PV rooftop installation market. Targeting industrial buildings and car parks, the companies will incorporate ArcelorMittal’s solutions for rooftop installations in industrial buildings, canopies and fixed structures.
Auctioneer and appraisal company CIACPCC has publicized the upcoming one-day equipment auction for the assets and equipment contained within Sixtron’s Dorval (Montreal), Quebec facility in Canada. Running in conjunction with Asset Reliance International and Upstream Value Group, the webcast equipment auction will feature more than US$1.5 million worth of original equipment for solar manufacturers.
Hybrid TFPV cell manufacturer XsunX has entered into an agreement with Taiwanese company Telecomps Technology Corp., Ltd. (Telecomps) that will see the latter provide OEM module assembly services for XsunX’s CIGSolar technology. Telecomps will work with the thin-film manufacturer to develop back-end CIGSolar solar module assembly capabilities, which is likely to aid XsunX in its Chinese marketing efforts.
Hailed as a decisive move in terms of the company’s plans for the region, Phoenix Solar has formed its North American executive leadership team, working from its headquarters at the Bishop Ranch office park in San Ramon, California. Stepping into the role of president and CEO is Paul J. Caudill, who brings over 30 years’ power generation and industry experience to the company.
The Silver State North Solar Project, the first large-scale solar energy project on U.S. public lands in Nevada, has received Department of the Interior (DOI) approval from Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar. Joining the project is Ecology and Environment (E & E), which prepared the environmental impact statement (EIS) for the 50MW (AC), 60MW (DC) facility, set for construction in the Ivanpah Valley, just south of Las Vegas.
The UK's Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, announced the coalition government's Comprehensive Spending review, revealing that there will be no immediate cuts to the country's solar feed-in tariff, according to PV-Tech's UK sister site, Solar Power Portal.
Taking on the task of spreading the word of the UK’s potential in the solar market, Solar Power UK organised the hugely successful conference on October 18-19. The conference, the theme of which was “Enabling the UK Solar Market for 2011,” drew over 450 delegates from all facets of the solar PV industry, including installers, suppliers, manufacturers, investment companies, and members of the media.
