Two years in the making, Arizona’s largest commercial-scale solar power project has been completed. Located in Pinal County, the 20MW project sits on 144 acres and began operation earlier this year. Iberdrola Renewables will own and operate the facility with Salt River Project (SRP) purchasing the entire output of the plant under a 25 year agreement.
The US International Trade Commission (ITC) has voted to begin an investigation on behalf of the US government on a claim filed by Westinghouse Solar that Zep Solar and Canadian Solar are importing solar products that infringe on Westinghouse’s patents. The company asserts that Zep Solar and Canadian Solar make and import certain products that infringe its US Patent Numbers 7,406,800 and 7,987,641.
Upon the reveal of its financial results for the third quarter 2011, Satcon Technology advised that while its US$45 million in revenue was in line with it previously announced guidance, its revenues quarter-over-quarter remained flat when compared to Q2 2011’s US$45.5 million. The company reported that gross margin for the quarter was 12%, up from 8% in Q2, with the incremental improvement attributed to Satcon’s cost reduction programs and the expansion of its 1.25MW Prism Platform solution.
China Sunergy (CSUN) revealed that, effective since September 15, Robert Rice was appointed as the company’s chief sales, marketing and strategy officer as well as its vice president. Rice manages corporate international expansion and sales and marketing functions for the company in order to expand CSUN’s global market presence. Rice will additionally spearhead the establishment of long-term industry partnerships and the recruitment of a global sales team.
As more companies step forward to voice opinions regarding the petition filed with the US government by SolarWorld, the Coalition for Affordable Solar Energy (CASE) found support from 25 organizations as it announced its official founding. Aimed as a response to the anti-trade action SolarWorld is petitioning, CASE argues that the progression of such a petition would inhibit the growth and sustainability of the US solar market.
The Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission (GERC) has proposed the new feed-in tariff (FiT) rates for PV projects commissioned from January 29, 2012 until March 31, 2015. These new rates range from INR10.27 (US$0.21) to INR13.14 per kWh (US$0.268) and are applicable for ground-mounted, rooftop and concentrating solar power (CSP) systems.
Moser Baer Clean Energy Limited (MBCEL) has commissioned a 23.8MW solar power plant in Lauta, Germany, said to be the company’s largest to date. Funded with approximately €50 million long-term debt financing from DKB bank in Germany – the same financier for the company’s Thuringen and Meissens projects, the farm uses c-Si technology, SMA central inverters and was built with Conecon as the construction partner.
Martifer Solar has signed a turnkey contract to install a 6.6MW PV system in Murcia, Spain. Under the terms of the agreement, Martifer will not only build the plant, but also supply all the equipment and carry out operation and maintenance.
First Solar has begun construction on what will be Australia’s first utility-scale PV project once it reaches completions, Located near Geraldton, the 10MW (AC) Greenough River Solar Farm will be built over a nine-month period, with local civil contractor WBHO Civil providing Phase 1 construction services. Civil work on the project began November 4, with on-site construction for structural supports and above ground electrical work following soon.
Nautilus Solar Energy advised that three of its rooftop PV systems in Ontario, totaling 1.25MW, had reached official commercial operation today. The projects are owned by Nautilus’ unit, Nautilus Solar Canada Limited Partnership and are supported by the Ontario Power Authority’s (OPA) FiT program, which will see OPA purchase the electricity produced by the systems for a fixed rate over a 20-year period.
