Although cuts in feed-in tariffs in major European markets have cast a cloud over PV installations this year, market research firm IMS Research expects key emerging markets to support growth of the industry in 2012. According to IMS, global installations will reach between 27.8GW and 32.6GW in 2012, compared to its latest figures for 2011 when installations were said to have reached 26.9GW.
Four conservation groups – Defenders of Wildlife, The Sierra Club, Audubon California and the Natural Resources Defence Council – have announced their support for large-scale solar power projects Mt. Signal, Calexico I and Calexico II. The projects, being developed by 8minute energy, satisfy the needs of the conservation groups to deliver clean energy from well-located sites, create union jobs and to consider local wildlife concerns.
Silverado Power and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) has announced that it has signed power purchase agreements (PPAs) with Western Antelope Dry Ranch and Victor Mesa Linda, two Californian Silverado Power subsidiaries. The two projects will supply a total of 15MW, enough electricity to power an estimated 3,225 homes.
Around 150 industry experts gathered at the Third PV Power Plants Conference in Vienna to discuss the issue of advances in solar module technology as preventing large-scale savings for the European market, at the Third PV Power Plants Conference in Vienna. The conference, which took place March 28 - 30, was attended by executives from many of Europe’s top solar farm projects, many of whom lamented the lack of standardization in Europe. The issue was raised on day one of the event by Projektierers Belectric CEO Bernhard Beck.
Pvillion’s newly constructed electric car charging station, located in Pflugersville, Texas, uses a solar sail with PV laminates provided by United Solar. The charging station's solar sail generates 1600W of energy.
Eyelit has completed tallying its financial results for Q4 and the full year 2011. The company did not release specific numbers, but advised that it had completed a record high in Q4 revenue with new customer sales doubling in 2011, over numbers in 2010. Eyelit noted that 50% of its new customers are large multinational corporations with revenues topping US$1 billion.
Exosun advised that it had completed construction of its 3.8MW Porette de Nérone power plant, which has now entered the commissioning phase and is expected to produce its first kWh in May. The plant is outfitted with Exotrack HZ solar trackers and is expected, upon grid connection, to generate nearly 6,235MWh of electricity per year.
Solar Millennium’s week has started with a low as the company revealed that its US subsidiaries and investment filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Furthermore, the company’s former CEO, Utz Claassen, is suing the company, and certain of its subsidiaries, for US$265 million, claiming harm by defamatory statements to the public and press after he retired in March 2010.
Phoenix Solar advised that it had recently amended its restructuring plan, including its business development plan for the next few years, due to cuts in FiTs for solar power in several of its key markets. Due to the changes, the financial negotiations have been put on hold and the moratorium that was agreed to with the syndicate banks and other bilateral lenders and guarantors, including trade credit insurers, was extended at the end of last month to allow financing negotiations to continue.
Solar Frontier supplied approximately 29,400 CIS thin-film modules to a 3.8MW Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) installation in Burlington County, New Jersey. Mill Creek Solar Farm is part of PSE&G’s Solar 4 All scheme, aimed at adding 80MW solar electric generation capacity to the company’s capabilities by the end of 2012. Mill Creek Solar Farm was designed, developed and built by juwi solar.
