In releasing full-year 2011 results, Showa Shell highlighted the successful roll-out of subsidiary, Solar Frontier’s CIS thin film modules in key markets such as Germany, US, Asia, Middle-East and Japan. The company noted a string of commercial and utility-scale project wins having started production at its 900MW plant in February, 2011. However, price decline of 40% were reported for the year with further price declines expected in 2012, due to oversupply, though current price declines were said to have slowed.
Dow Corning announced that it had contracted Bardawil Group to distribute its silicon-based solar solutions for the UAE, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Bardawil will market and support Dow Corning’s solar products while additionally representing the company at strategic conferences and exhibitions in the specified region.
Mercury Solar Systems has completed the installation of a 3.6MW solar system, with over 12,000 solar panels, in Manalapan, one of the largest ground-mounted, grid-interconnected solar systems in New Jersey.
Inline with previous guidance, PV equipment supplier, Amtech posted net revenue of US$24.7 million for its financial year first quarter, 2012, a decline of 59% compared to the previous quarter. The company reported minimal order cancellations but noted shipment push-outs as PV manufacturers tackle severe overcapacity. Revenue for FY2Q12 was guided down to be in the range of US$20 - US$22 million.
According to reports from Bloomberg, AES Gener, a division of AES Corp., is preparing to construct a US$572 million solar farm in northern Chile, which will help bring electricity to copper mines in the Atacama Desert. The company is pursuing a permit to build the farm in Chile’s Antogafasts region where, Bloomberg reports, BHP Billiton and state-owned Codelco, manage copper mines.
The US DOE has advised of a US$12 million investment in the SunShot Incubator program; funding which will go towards advancements in hardware, reduction of soft costs and the development of pilot manufacturing and production projects in the American solar energy and manufacturing industry. The Incubator program is best known as a launchpad for new start-ups and business units within existing companies to move solar technology development forward at a faster pace.
A US$646 million US DOE loan and loan guarantee for First Solar’s 230MW Antelope Valley Solar Ranch One (AVSR) PV power plant project in northern Los Angeles County, California has hit a snag over an outstanding construction permit issue. The timeframe for initial funding of the loan has been pushed back to February 24, 2012 but if the issue isn’t resolved by that date, First solar said it could have to acquire the project from customer, Exelon for approximately US$75 million.
PV LEGAL has conducted a two-and-a-half-year initiative investigating the extent of renewable energy up-take in Europe. The study found France, Greece, Germany, the Netherlands and Portugal have all been successful in encouraging access to renewable energy. However, Italy, Spain, Bulgaria and the UK are yet to make satisfactory progress.
An undisclosed Chinese investment company that is said to own a portfolio of PV power plants in Italy is planning to recoup the investment in a frame agreement signed with 3Power Energy Group.
MPrime, the distribution arm of Martifer Solar, has expanded its parent company’s business in Germany with the opening of new Munich offices. The company advised that working out of Germany will allow it to better serve the worldwide, and especially the German, PV sector.
