A new initiative is being launched by micro-inverter pioneer, Enphase Energy to boost the use of its technology in commercial PV projects at SPI 2012. The new program includes cash rewards for installers undertaking commercial-scale PV projects.
China Technology Development Group Corporation (CTDC), a Hong Kong-based provider of solar energy products, has signed a number of cooperation framework agreements with several PV companies. The agreements relate to the development of 2.1GW worth of PV projects in the next three years.
Situated in California’s Mojave Desert, and located on 164 acres between Twentynine Palms and Joshua Tree, SolarWorld’s 25MW (DC) Desert Star Solar project is now under construction. The company’s EPC division, which owns the land and projects near Twentynine Palms, will oversee all phases of the project, including design, engineering, procurement, permitting and construction.
Senersun has struck a deal with Poland’s Solar-Bau, which will see the company supply 23MW of its PV modules to Solar-Bau. Solar-Bau, an EPC company, will now be Senersun’s official partner in Poland. Alexandre Minuzzo, CEO of Senersun, noted, “We are proud to welcome Solar-Bau to Senersun’s network of official partners. With their impressive portfolio of projects and a much promising pipeline, Solar-Bau is clearly a high-profile solar company in Poland. We trust that this agreement with them will create synergies between our two companies, which will benefit our end-users in the country.”
IBC Solar announced that it has added Sungrow Power Supply’s PV inverters to its porftfolio. IBC Solar expects for the collaboration to allow it to offer its domestic and international clients a wider product range of PV inverter products that better meet their needs.
Germany’s K2 Systems has launched its newest global arm; a US division known as Everest Solar Systems, which is based in Oceanside, California. K2 noted that its expansion stems from its confidence that the commercial and residential solar markets will grow and, therefore, require its racking technology.
Boosting its presence in the South Korean markets for RF generation and monitoring systems for the solar photovoltaic, semiconductor, flat panel display and AMOLED industry sectors, MKS Instruments has acquired Plasmart, Inc, based in Daejeon, South Korea, in a cash transaction that wasn’t disclosed.
Updated: Response to the European Commission’s anti-dumping investigation of solar modules and products imported into the EU from key Chinese producers was rapid and unanimous in condemnation of the action but also conciliatory in confirming their willingness to co-operate fully with the investigation.
After several years of rapid price declines for conventional crystalline silicon solar modules, CIGS (copper indium gallium selenium) thin-film technology hasn’t been immune from the ‘solar shakout,’ despite its inherent capabilities to provide high conversion efficiency and low-cost production. Solyndra, Odersun, Soltecture, Global Solar Energy, Solibro and MiaSolé are companies that pioneered CIGS adoption but have either failed or now seek new partners to continue operations.
Solon Energy announced that Anjan Turlapati, co-founder or Microsol, will be replacing Stefan Säuberlich as the company’s CEO. Säuberlich is said to be changing his focus to new tasks, but the company assured that he will remain on staff in a consultant position for the coming months.