SolFocus and Samaras Group have agreed to expand the terms of their agreement to use solar concentrator photovoltaic technology in Greece, increasing the capacity of the commercial deployments from the original goal of 1.6 MWp to 10 MWp. System installations are scheduled to begin this summer, with the first delivery of power expected in the fall. SolFocus also plays a key role in a proposed project that could lead to the largest utility-scale CPV installation yet.
Mexican President Felipe Calderón was among government and company officials on hand Feb. 5 to inaugurate Kyocera Solar's second PV module manufacturing plant in Tijuana, Mexico. The two-story production facility, which connects to the pre-existing Kyocera panel fab, will have a maximum annual output of 750,000 crystalline-silicon modules, equivalent to a nameplate capacity of 150 MW.
The Austin (TX) City Council approved a 30-MW solar power plant Thursday, choosing Gemini Solar Development Co. to build the site for Austin Energy, the area's municipal electric utility. The plant will be constructed on 300 acres of city-owned land located approximately 25 miles east of town.
Veeco Instruments and Daiyang Metal Co. have entered into a strategic partnership in which the equipment supplier will provide the Korean steel company with CIGS thin-film solar PV manufacturing tools. Daiyang has placed an initial multimillion dollar purchase order with Veeco for its complement of FastFlex web coating systems to outfit a flexible CIGS cell production line in Yesan, Korea.
As much as 57% of the power lost because of temporary or partial shading of solar PV panels can be recouped with the use of a new optimization technology, according to test results released by National Semiconductor.
Dow Corning majority-owned subsidary Hemlock Semiconductor will not be affected by the parent company's plans to cut 800 jobs, or 8% of its 10,000-strong worldwide workforce. The company offered no further details on the specific regional impacts of the layoffs, other than to say that reductions will occur at all of Dow Corning's global sites.
Air Products has begun supplying bulk and specialty gases to Taiwan-based Green Energy Technology's new thin-film solar photovoltaic production facility. The deal calls for the long-term supply of nitrogen and silane as well as the accompanying gas delivery equipment and piping.
A survey commissioned by National Semiconductor reveals that most solar PV systems installers believe there's no such thing as an acceptable amount of shade on residential and commercial rooftop installations. In addition to the 54% of respondents sharing the no-shade stance, 41% of installers encounter shade when selling or installing a system; of those, 87% "frequently" or "always" design around shade; and another 28% "frequently" or "always" tell the owner that solar cannot be installed.
Evergreen Solar said that the first phase of construction of a landmark solar PV installation using the company's StringRibbon panels is nearing completion on the roof of a tunnel of Germany's A3 highway. The 2.8-MW system, incorporating more than 16,000 solar modules, will be one of the country's largest and the first to be located on a public highway.
A new study on the installed costs of solar photovoltaic power systems in the U.S. shows that the average cost of these systems declined significantly from 1998 to 2007, but remained relatively flat during the last two years of this period. Researchers say that the overall decline in the installed cost of solar PV systems is mostly the result of decreases in nonmodule costs, such as the cost of labor, marketing, overhead, inverters, and the balance of systems. The results suggest that state and local PV deployment programs—which likely have a greater impact on nonmodule costs than on module prices—have been somewhat successful in spurring cost reductions, according to the authors
