According to Solarbuzz’s “Polysilicon and Wafer Supply Chain Quarterly Report,” polysilicon prices are expected to fall 48% while wafer prices drop 56% year-over-year in 2012; results which have so far led to only 12 Chinese PV polysilicon manufactures still producing, and of those, more than half running at reduced utilization rates.
Pike Research recently released its “Community and Residential Energy Storage” report, which forecast the CRES market growing from US$19.2 million in 2012 to US$872 million in 2022 with a total worldwide capacity of 780MW. The 10-year increase is set to be driven by the expansion of distributed solar PV capacity, the adoption of plug-in EVs and the spread of dynamic pricing programs.
Following yesterday’s report that US-based Konarka Technologies is undergoing liquidation proceedings pursuant to Chapter 7 of the US Bankruptcy Code, it has now been announced that the thin-film company’s subsidiary in Germany has also filed for bankruptcy. Attorney Alexander Kubusch of national German insolvency administration firm CURATOR AG has been appointed as the preliminary insolvency administrator.
Inverter supplier Santerno has been awarded a supply contract worth 155MW for its skid inverter stations to be installed in an Imperial Valley, California solar plant. The company is yet to disclose further details on the project.
Japan has published its latest strategic energy plan, originally formulated in 2003 and reviewed every three years by conference bodies as well as various opinion polls. The latest revision includes a road map of energy-based economic growth and reformation of the energy infrastructure. The strategy is to ensure growth and encourage multi-faceted international trade by taking into account the social cost and price differences between nuclear, thermal and renewable energy generation.
MEMC Electronic Materials advised that during Q2 2012, it had completed sales contracts for four solar projects in Europe totalling 98MW. The company completed solar projects worth 60MW in Bulgaria and 38MW in Italy.
Ontario’s Thunder Bay Airport Solar Park has been chosen as a finalist in Intersolar North America’s 2012 Solar Project Award competition. The project, owned and developed by SkyPower and EPC-contracted to Canadian Solar was hand-selected by an expert panel as one of entries under the “Solar Projects North America” category.
During next week’s Intersolar North America, July 10-12 in San Francisco, Rehm Thermal Systems will have its latest vacuum soldering technology on hand, including its VS 160S vacuum soldering system.
The Bulgarian government has announced a 50% cut to solar feed-in tariffs, having only approved a new FiT in April. Effective July 1, chair of the State Commission for Energy and Water Regulation (DKEVR), Angel Semerdzhiev, told Parliament on Friday that the renewable energy surcharge was solely responsible for an increase in electricity rates.
Trina Solar has launched its training academy in the UK, the company has announced. The academy’s target group are installers and distributers that work with Trina products and the aim is to help them with marketing and sales as well as product training and information. The company has scheduled online seminars beginning July 6, 2012, for example for theTrinamount or Trinasmart systems, as well as workshops. The academy is linked to Trina’s Partner Plus program, though non-partners can participate as well.
