Saint-Gobain disclosed its plans to acquire the Solar Gard Specialty Films unit from Bekaert, which will be housed under Saint-Gobain’s Performance Plastics division. The agreement, which did not expose the price of the purchase, includes production facilities in San Diego, California, Zulte, Belgium and Suzhou, China, as well as operations under development in China and all global sales and service centers.
Under Upsolar’s new acceptance into the PowerWrap Systems Performance Guarantee Program from PowerGuard Specialty Insurance Services, developers using Upsolar modules will be able to benefit from discounted rates on PowerWrap’s insurance policy guarantee for the output of the entire solar project system.
Enel Green Power commissioned three new solar power plants in Italy, the largest of which is the 9MW Adrano plant in the Catania, Sicily province. The project sits on the same site that the company installed the first concentrated solar power plant in 1981. Installation was additionally completed on a 4.8MW plant in San Gillio and a 500kW plant in Sesto Campano. Together the three plants hold an installed capacity of 14.3MW and will generate 21,000,000kWh of electricity per year.
Steve Iyer will be joining the executive team of 8minutenergy Renewables as its new vice president of development. With 23 years of experience in developing large-scale power generation projects throughout North America, Europe and Asia, Iyer will focus on end-to-end project development for originated projects. Additionally, he will oversee that 8minutenergy’s developed projects undergo a seamless transition to the company’s partners. Iyer will also be tasked to assist with sourcing from Asia and risk identification and management.
The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is putting out a call to all energy developers and financiers to submit their input on renewable financing terms, which will help the NREL in its effort to collect and share quantitative data in order to evaluate obstacles in the development of renewable energy projects.
IHS iSuppli Photovoltaic Service has released a new report projecting California to remain the top solar market in the US through 2015. Currently the state has the potential to add 7.5GW of installed PV power between 2010 and 2015 with installed PV capacity projected to reach 967MW in 2011 alone. IHS foresees California generating nearly 1.2GW of solar power in2012, which would be more than the PV capacity of the next six-highest states combined.
Three years after solar mounting manufacturer Quick Mount PV moved into its present Concord, California facility, the company revealed plans to move all company operations into a larger, 133,000 square foot home base in Walnut Creek, California. The relocation will take place during the middle of the first quarter in 2012, which, the company states, will allow it to meet the ever-increasing demands for its products.
The recently completed 10MW utility-scale solar project in Larissa, Greece, which is being hailed as the largest solar plant in the country, is sporting Yingli Green Energy Holding PV modules. The project was developed by Selected Energy, a subsidiary of Selected Textiles, and constructed by Biosar Energy. Financing for the 10MW project was provided on a long-term, non-recourse basis from the project finance team at Piraeus Bank.
Moser Baer Solar (MBSL) revealed that it has doubled its mechanical warranty for its MBVP Max Series, Model CAAP BB and higher, PV modules to 10 years. The modules will continue to carry a 25-year performance warranty on top of the 10-year mechanical warranty.
Somerset Tire Service’s (STS) Bridgewater, New Jersey distribution center is donning a new 1MW solar installation with 5,488, 185W PV modules by Mitsubishi Electric and installation completed by Advanced Solar Products (ASP). The rooftop solar system is anticipated to produce 1,197MWh of electricity per year.
