MidAmerican and First Solar have announced the beginning of major construction work on the site of the 550MW Topaz Solar Farm in San Luis Obispo County, California. Both companies congregated about the construction schedule as well as environmental issues and future plans to involve communities and private landowners in the project.
K Road Power has bought the 25MW McHenry solar project in California from SunPower, it has been announced. The project has been designed and is currently being constructed by SunPower in Modesto, California, and it is expected to commence commercial production in September 2012. Modesto Irrigation District (MID) will buy the generated energy under a 25-year PPA.
ESA Renewables, US project developer, has been contracted by Jamaica-based Caribbean Energies Group (CEG) to construct a 24MW PV plant in Jamaica. ESA is responsible for the design and the maintenance of the plant as well as the legal permits and other requirements.
REC has announced that it will supply 20MW PV modules for installations across Bulgaria. The company signed a number of agreements to supply its modules to PV plants.
Navigant’s Solar Services Program advised that its Photovoltaic Manufacturer Shipments, Capacity & Competitive Analysis 2011/2012 is now available. The report gives an analysis of PV industry shipments, capacity and average prices and revenues as well as a five-year forecast of technology shipments.
Registered professional engineer Doug Mutcher has joined Westwood Professional Services’ national solar energy group as an electrical engineering manager. Mutcher holds almost 20 years of experience in electrical engineering field work for the industrial, commercial, transportation, educational, corporate, medical, retail, manufacturing and process industries.
Declining prices whether on the spot market or long-term supply agreements are making business conditions very tough for polysilicon producers, regardless of their market size or purity of the material they produce. According to the latest financial results of Dow Corning, its JV subsidiary, Hemlock Semiconductor expects overcapacity in the sector to continue throughout 2012.
US President Barack Obama has said that the US plans to strengthen its cooperation on energy issues with Japan. Obama made the comments at the White House earlier this week after talks with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda.
Conergy has announced that it will install PV projects totalling more than 4MW at a number of schools in Hawaii. All projects are expected to be completed by 2014.
The Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, has announced it will omit net-metering purchase prices from the new feed-in tariffs due to be implemented in July. Instead, the government has decided that in order to avoid confusion, current rates will be extended for three months until June and kept separate from the feed-in tariff.
