Canadian Solar has established a new reseller program for its products in the EMEA region. The Authorized Reseller Program will allow companies registered with Canadian Solar to offer the company’s solar product range in the region, and will also enable them to avail of further features such as technical product training and professional sales and marketing support.
Areva Solar will be developing what is being called the largest CSP plant in Asia to date with the construction of a 250MW concentrating solar power project for Reliance Power in Rajasthan. The project is part of the country’s program to increase clean energy production by 20,000MW of solar power by 2022.
RWE is supposedly looking to invest in solar power plants, citing solar module prices as one of its key determining factors. According to Bloomberg, up until now Germany’s second-biggest utility, which owns a stake in Spain’s Andasol 3 solar thermal power plant, has distanced itself from investing in PV generation because of what it considered too high of a cost for the technology. However, now that prices for solar modules are considerably lower than in the past, the utility is taking a second look.
The Hindu Business Line has reported that power equipment manufacturer Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL) has made almost a US$4 million (Rs 20 crore) investment into the expansion of its PV module manufacturing division, escalating its line from a 8MW capacity to a 26MW capacity. The increase is expected to be completed by September.
Isofoton advised that it has signed a joint development agreement with Korea’s Posco Plant Engineering for the international development of solar projects. The EPC company and solar module company noted that the projects will mainly be focused in the US, a locale in which Isofoton plans to install a 100MW solar plant later this year. Isofoton acknowledged that this partnership was a way to help broaden its international presence.
Six Wal-Mart stores in Colorado are sporting new solar installations thanks in part to SolarCity. The company installed 2MWon three stores in Westminster and 1MW at stores in Lakewood, Highlands Ranch and Lafayette. The projects all contribute to Colorado’s goal to generate 30% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020.
PV inverter manufacturer, Satcon Technology has said that new orders have increased 130% in the first quarter of 2012 compared to previous quarter, reaching a bookings value of approximately US$45 million. The company said the quarter had been the most successful bookings period in four quarters, with a book-to-bill ratio of 1.9:1.
Nextronex has been selected by the American Municipal Power (AMP) to supply a 4.2MW solar plant in Napoleon, Ohio with its 1,000V DC converters. The project is expected to be completed in July 2012.
Flexibility in PV manufacturers' purchasing strategies, especially in the case of in-house sourcing of polysilicon and wafers, can have a significant impact on manufacturing costs, according IMS Research, which was recently acquired by IHS. The latest twist in purchasing tactics by manufacturers is driven by aggressive price declines in 2011 that are expected to continue in 2012.
Zentric has announced that it is planning to acquire Innovative Solar I and Innovative Solar II. Both companies are developers and owners of two separate PV plants to be constructed in Leicester, North Carolina with each of the plants having an estimated value of US$4 million.
