As energy prices continue to climb and solar rebates continue to attract a steady stream of customers, Antaris Solar has hired Robert McNamara as its new general manager for the United States in order to manage the regions increasing customer base. McNamara brings solar sales and management experience to his new role, coming from Solar Wholesale Products, which he led as president.
ESA Renewables is taking solar guarantees one step further with the launch of their Solar Power Production Guarantee program, which promises specific monthly energy production for solar energy systems under an ESA O&M agreement. If the system fails to meet ESA’s annual guaranteed power production levels, the company will compensate the solar project’s owners for the difference between guaranteed and actual energy generated.
According to a report by Arabian Business, the Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) will issue the initial bids for the first 10MW of a US$3.3 billion solar park this September. The 1,000MW solar park has a target date for completion in 2030.
Taiwan-based PV wafer and cell producers are already seeing the benefits from the US anti-dumping duty case, for which the US Department of Commerce has yet to make its final determination on possible countervailing import duties against Chinese PV module producers. According to Jefferies investment bank, sales at Taiwanese solar cell producers have rebounded 29% since the beginning of the year, after sales plummeted as overcapacity and subsequent weak demand resulted in many posting their lowest sales for more than two years.
Nautilus Solar Energy commenced the construction of a new 1.9MW, roof-mounted PV project located on Antonio Avenue in Chino, California. The project is scheduled to begin commercial operation in May 2012 and the power generated will be sold to Southern California Edison under a 20-year purchase agreement.
Q-Cells’ EPC capabilities will be called upon for the construction of four new PV power plants totalling 2.4MW in the central Greek region of Thessaly. Of the four plants, two will be roof-mounted on industrial building rooftops in the towns of Larisa (530kWp) and Farsala (830kWp), while the remaining two ground-mounted projects will each be 500kW will both be situated on an open-field site near the town of Larisa.
PV system and module supplier Mage Solar has revealed that its Powertec Plus module range was certified against potential-induced degradation (PID) by Underwriters Laboratories (UL) at the end of 2011. This test, which vouches for the modules’ insensitivity to power losses due to high voltages, temperatures and humidity, was carried out at UL’s Neu-Isenburg facility at the end of the year.
French solar panel manufacturer Senersun has signed a deal with the French project developer AEG Aquitaine to furnish residential homes in the South West of France with 1MW of PV modules. Altogether, Senersun will supply more than 5,400 of its crystalline solar panels for the residential applications, which will be installed on rooftops.
SCHOTT Solar is the latest company to receive TÜV Rheinland’s IEC standard 61701 certificate to pass the salt spray corrosion test. The modules are sprayed with salt water for two hours at a time, then attacked by a 5% sodium chloride solution and finally stored at 40°C and 93% humidity for 20 hours.
Leading PV module tracking systems supplier DEGERenergie has come to the conclusion that CPV-based technologies, dependent on tracking the sun for correct yields, will remain an unprofitable business for the foreseeable future and as a result has discontinued the sale of its tracking products for the technology.
