Trina Solar squeezed a little more module shipments out of the factory gate in 2010 than previously guided. Shipments were approximately 351MW for the fourth quarter of 2010, compared to previous guidance of approximately 300MW, resulting in total 2010 module shipments reaching approximately 1.06GW in 2010.
Last year saw the gases division of The Linde Group capitalise on the solar industry’s growth by securing supply contracts with over 25 new and pre-existing customers in the thin-film and crystalline silicon manufacturing sectors.
Knouse Foods has prides itself on striving to produce quality foods while maintaining an environmentally conscious manufacturing facility. Recently at its Peach Glen, Pennsylvania manufacturing facility Knouse Foods activated a 19-acre project that uses over 14,000 solar panels. The project is owned and operated by the company and is anticipated to supplant more than four million kilowatt hours of purchases electricity yearly.
Baraclit, an Italian prefabricated roofing developer for industrial and commercial industries, is sporting a new 2.5MW solar installation at its SolarLAB2 open-air solar laboratory in Bibbiena, Italy. Canadian Solar and Energy Resources partnered for the project, which aims to be a laboratory used to study the incorporation of photovoltaic technology on prefabricated roofing.
Vertically-integrated Chinese manufacturer JinkoSolar has signed a contract to supply 35MW of its modules to Payom Solar in 2011. The modules are to be used on a range of Payom’s roof-top and ground-mounted projects across the U.S.
Manz Automation will break ground later this week on a new production, technology, and training facility in Suzhou, China. The factory will manufacture equipment for the photovoltaics, FPD, and PCB industries, with 50% devoted to solar tools, said company executives during a press conference held in conjunction with the SNEC trade show in Shanghai. The building will be finished by the end of this year, with production machinery installed early next year and the initial production ramp planned for February 2012.
Motech Industries is the latest company to become a member of PV Cycle, showing the company’s commitment to the environmental aspects of photovoltaic manufacturing by ensuring that its modules are properly recycled in Europe when they reach their “end-of-life.”
Australia’s Capital Territory (ACT) feed-in tariff has been expanded to include medium to large-scale solar projects in order to cater for larger commercial and industrial farms as well as community groups. According to the Australian Solar Energy Society, the gross feed-in tariff, which pays a premium for all solar energy generated, is now available for solar panel installations 30kW to 200kW.
Soltec Renewable Energies and Shikun & Binui Solaria are set to build a 6.7MW solar power plant in the disused copper mines of Timna Valley in southern Israel.
Parabel has been commissioned to develop one of Europe’s largest solar systems, the 41MW park in Brandenburg, Germany. The park, situated on the site of a former military training ground, is currently in the first planning and approval phase, with construction expected to take place between June and August; the final phase will increase output to 90MW.