IKEA recently brought its 22nd solar project online at its Tampa, Florida store. Developed, designed and installed by REC Solar, the 1,189kW system uses 4,956 PV panels and is built across 148,800 square feet of the store’s rooftop space. The companies expect for the array to produce around 1,792,300kWh of electricity per year.
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy Brey has come to blows with a group of 11 international infrastructure funds, including those managed by HSBC and Deutsche Bank. The prime minister has pledged to Parliament to tax utilities in an attempt to raise sorely needed cash from renewable energy to curb €25 billion of debt. The financial institutions are threatening cutting investment and taking legal action if reforms are tougher on renewables than traditional energy sources, throwing further companies into bankruptcy.
Heritage Global Partners and Schneider have entered a partnership for an asset auction, the companies have announced. The two companies have scheduled the auction for AE Polysilicon’s Pennsylvania manufacturing facility for Tuesday, July 31, 2010, beginning at 9am Eastern Time.
During Intersolar North America’s opening session in San Francisco this week, the US Department of Energy’s (DoE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) announced its membership of the newly-formed Global Alliance of Solar Energy Research Institutes.
Independent testing agency Société Générale de Surveillance (SGS) Institut Fresenius in Dresden, Germany, has reportedly confirmed that Q.Cells has broken the 300Wp barrier for 60-cell modules with a recorded performance of 301Wp. The module is based on the Q.Antum technology, which Q.Cells notes is under constant development.
Blaubeuren, Germany-based Centrotherm has filed for Chapter 11-type bankruptcy protection in Ulm’s district court to start insolvency proceedings. Centrotherm has a three-month window to restructure before creditors come knocking on its door. The company named insolvency lawyer Tobias Hoefer to the board in a bid to oversee the restructuring. Last month, Hans Autenrieth, member of the management board and co-CEO stepped down from his board position. Jan von Schuckmann replaced him and was appointed chief restructuring officer.
Valos Solar Ventures and Gehrlicher Solar have entered a joint-development agreement, the company has announced. Under the agreement, the companies are developing solar power sites for Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), Southern California Edison (SCE), San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E) and other municipal utilities for RFO, RAM and RFPs. Altogether, 235MW of projects are being developed with Gehrlicher offering EPC services for the large-scale PV plants.
Swedish retailer IKEA has connected the 21st solar system at its store in Woodbridge, Virginia, the company has announced. Gehrlicher Solar developed and installed the 504kW PV system, equipped with 2,100 PV panels, on 63,000ft² of IKEA’s rooftop. IKEA has 18 more systems to install at US stores to reach its goal of installing a total of 38MW of systems.
Research company Bloomberg New Energy Finance has published figures demonstrating China’s dominance in both solar and wind sectors, each securing hundreds of millions in dollars in financing. In the second quarter of 2012, China saw a surge in investment to US$18.3bn, up 92% from the previous quarter. The largest Chinese solar project financed was the Shanlu & Shengyu Bayannur Wuyuan PV plant, at US$316m.
Fiera Axium Infrastructure has purchased a Canadian portfolio of 47.1MW, the company has announced. The portfolio consists of four operational PV plants, developed by EDF EN Canada, located in Ontario. EDF En subsidiary enXco Service Canada will provide operation and maintenance of the projects after the acquisition. All four plants sell energy to the Ontario Power Authority under a 20-year PPA.
