Micromorph thin-film module manufacturer, Inventux Technologies has boosted the yield of its modules by reducing edge stripping, which is said to provide a larger effective surface area. Other improvements were achieved with the use of white coloured reflector film, leading to positive performance tolerances of -0/+5 watts. Inventux advertises its X-Series modules as achieving 10% conversion efficiencies.
A common criticism of installing PV systems, large and small in Greece has been the bureaucratic red tape that had cased many projects to be delayed by several years, limiting the appeal of the country’s FiT and resulting in a standstill for most projects. According to BSW-Solar and PV LEGAL, concerted efforts to unwind the red tape, have had some significant success recently.
The stalled Italian PV market had a noticeable effect on Yingli Green's figures for the first quarter. Module shipments decreased by a low teen percentage from Q4 2010 with revenue reported for Q1 2011 at US$527.3 million, compared to US$616.1 million in Q4 2010. Gross profit was US$144.1 million, representing a gross margin of 27.3% and an operating margin of 16.5%. However, Yingli expects shipments to increase by more than 30% in Q2 and reiterated previous guidance of module shipments of between 1.7 and 1.75GW in 2011.
Petra Solar is expanding past North America by bring its SunWave Solar Energy Solution to international markets including the Pacific Rim, Europe and Middle East. Its SunWave technology will feature a new Smart Energy Module (SEM), specifically designed for international consumers to convert photovoltaic DC electricity into 230V AC power. Petra Solar’s system has been certified to international grid standards holding, CE, IEC62109, G83, AS/NZS3100 and AS4777 safety and electrical compliance certifications.
Centrosolar and mounting solutions provider Zep Solar have signed a license agreement that will see Centrosolar manufacture Zep compatible module at its Wismar, Germany plant. The signed agreement also calls for the distribution of Zep products throughout Europe by Centrosolar. The companies note that they have mutually modified Zep’s standard frame profile specifically for Centrosolar so that it conforms to European roof application requirements.
The Prime Minister of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, Germany was on site with IBC Solar to celebrate the groundbreaking of the company’s new Sukow Solar Park. Set to be built across 76.6-acres of the former Sukow landfill, the 11MWp solar installation is expected to be completed in August and use 48,000 PV modules to generate 10,500,000kWh of solar electricity every year.
The cost competitive position of concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) technologies, especially since polysilicon prices have continued to fall from the heights of 2008, have constrained more widespread adoption. However, a new detailed report from GTM Research highlights a brighter future for the sector should CPV companies achieve their cost reduction roadmaps. In particular, the installed cost of CPV systems need to be reduced by more than 30% over the next four years for CPV installations to reach a healthy 1GW per annum rate by 2015.
Solarion hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for its CIGS thin-film solar cell and module factory in Saxon, Germany. The event was attended by company and state officials who noted that this is the company’s first production facility for mass manufacturing of its thin-film PV technology. The €40 million project will house a 129,167 square foot production facility on a 7.4-acre site at the Zwenkau-South industrial park, with a 20MW production volume at its inception in 2012.
San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) has signed two more 25-year power purchase agreements (PPA) with Soitec Solar Development, which, this time around, will total 125MW of solar energy produced in SDG&E’s service area. Just last month, the utility signed contracts with Soitec subsidiaries for three solar projects in the San Diego area that amounted to 30MW of solar PV energy. SDG&E stressed that the three previous contracts were separate contracts from those announced today.
The Qwest Field Event Center, home of the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks, is currently undergoing a “green transformation” with the installation of a rooftop solar PV system. Considered the largest rooftop solar array in Washington to date, the Qwest Field installation will have 3,750 CIGS solar panels manufactured by Solyndra producing over 830,000kWh of solar electricity per year and offset 21% of the Event Center’s annual utility costs.
