Síle Mc Mahon

Q-Cells’ EPC capabilities will be called upon for the construction of four new PV power plants totalling 2.4MW in the central Greek region of Thessaly. Of the four plants, two will be roof-mounted on industrial building rooftops in the towns of Larisa (530kWp) and Farsala (830kWp), while the remaining two ground-mounted projects will each be 500kW will both be situated on an open-field site near the town of Larisa.

PV system and module supplier Mage Solar has revealed that its Powertec Plus module range was certified against potential-induced degradation (PID) by Underwriters Laboratories (UL) at the end of 2011. This test, which vouches for the modules’ insensitivity to power losses due to high voltages, temperatures and humidity, was carried out at UL’s Neu-Isenburg facility at the end of the year.

A trio of companies is attempting to reduce the waste caused by wafer-sawing processes by growing crystalline silicon on relatively cheap foil. NREL has teamed up with DOE's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and c-Si thin-film technology company Ampulse with the aim of lowering the cost of solar panels.

New Jersey-based Petra Solar has opened its doors to the procurement arm of the US federal government with the signing of a Schedule 70 contract with the General Services Administration (GSA). This action will allow US military customers to purchase Petra Solar’s products and services, building on the company’s existing presence in the military sector.

Former CPV system manufacturer Energy Innovations will have its assets auctioned off by Heritage Global Partners as an Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors. The company was a Poway, California-based HCPV company until insolvency proceedings in the form of liquidation of assets were initiated by its creditors.

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has revealed that it has commissioned a total of 13MW of grid-connected solar power plants throughout India for the current financial year. All of the projects that make up this 13MW total have been commissioned on an EPC basis, and include a 3MW plant in Raichur, Karnataka; a 5MW plant in Rajasthan; two 2MW plants in Maharashtra and over 1MW in the Lakshadweep Islands.

Vancouver, Canada-based P2 Solar has revealed that it has signed a binding agreement for the construction and ownership of a 4.95MW solar farm in the Vratsa Province of north-west Bulgaria. The company has assigned a 20-year gross revenue of €31 million to the project with a net cash flow of €13.6 million.

Considering the country’s decision in 2011 to phase out nuclear power by 2022, Germany has made a smart decision to take definite steps towards incentivizing the uptake of renewable energy technologies from a fiscal point of view. The country recently reached the point where 20% of its electricity is generated from renewable sources, and in order to maintain this rise in uptake, the federal KfW bank group has increased its lending in the multimillion euro business loan sector.

Fotones de Chile has revealed plans to establish a 180MW project - the country's largest to date - consisting of six 30MW PV power plants in the town of Maria Elena in the Tocopilla province of Antofagasta. Work is scheduled to begin later this year, pending all necessary permissions. The project is entitled Planta Fotovoltaica Encuentro Solar, and will involve the installation of close to 2.5 million PV modules.

Istanbul-based energy company Merk Solar Enerji Çözümleri San. ve Tic. Ltd. ?ti. has teamed up with Gehrlicher Solar to establish a joint-venture company to expand the ground- and roof-mounted solar power plant market in Turkey and neighbouring countries. Both of the component companies will have an equal share in the new partnership.