UK-based Oxford Instruments Plasma Technology (OPIT) has promoted Dan Ayres to managing director, effective immediately. Last summer Ayres was appointed to the newly-created role of general manager having already worked at the company for over ten years. He has been based in operations, product management and project management.
KACO new energy and Neon Energy recently signed a framework agreement at the Ecotec trade fair in Athens, which will see KACO provide Neon Energy with 50MW of its inverters for solar projects in Greece. Neon Energy plans to develop 100kw, 200kW and 500kW systems in the country over the course of this year.
Suniva revealed that its ARTisun Select series of solar cells are averaging 19% efficiency in plant-wide production. The new cell efficiencies are available to cell customers and have been incorporated into the company’s Optimus modules. Suniva additionally noted that it has refined the aesthetic specifications for the cells, including a narrower color band, which is said to have created a more cosmetically uniform module.
Subsequent to the completion of the 10MW plant in Gujarat, Wararee has announced it has won an order to supply water pumps to the government of Rajasthan. Under the JNNSM & RKVY solar incentive policies, Waaree will provide 154 solar pumps.
Soventix Canada, formally Sovello Canada, announced at the Ontario Feed-In Tariff Forum 2012 that it has extended its material and workmanship warranty from five to ten years. The new warranty covers Soventix Canada's Sovello Project Pro Series and Consumer Pro Series solar modules, effective April 1, 2012.
The Arizona Public Service (APS) and the State Land Department (SLD) have announced a new partnership to deliver 35MW Foothills Solar Plant on 400 acres of Arizona State Trust Lands in Yuma County. This will be the first solar project to be developed on state-owned trust lands and outlines Arizona governor Janice Brewer’s plans to make Arizona a global force in the renewable energy sector.
Activ Solar has completed the EPC phase and begun commissioning of a 31.55MW solar PV plant in Mityaevo, Crimea, the autonomous republic of Ukraine. The ground-mounted plant has been equipped with over 134,000 polycrystalline solar modules and will be operated by Austria-based Activ Solar, which has to date installed over 215MW of solar PV projects in Crimea.
Former US president Bill Clinton is to be keynote speaker at Solar Power International this September in Orlando, Florida. The solar energy conference and exhibition is presented by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA).
Jürgen Becker, state secretary of the German Federal ministry of the environment, pointed out at the Helios Project conference in Athens, that there are several opportunities to accelerate the development of solar energy in order to create new jobs and economic growth in a time of crisis.
