A trio of companies is attempting to reduce the waste caused by wafer-sawing processes by growing crystalline silicon on relatively cheap foil. NREL has teamed up with DOE's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and c-Si thin-film technology company Ampulse with the aim of lowering the cost of solar panels.
New Jersey-based Petra Solar has opened its doors to the procurement arm of the US federal government with the signing of a Schedule 70 contract with the General Services Administration (GSA). This action will allow US military customers to purchase Petra Solar’s products and services, building on the company’s existing presence in the military sector.
juwi has issued a press release to celebrate its success of 2011 and to increase public participation to make the transfer to renewables from fossil fuels more manageable. Thanks to this, the German company has been able to expand its management structure in a financially difficult climate.
Tioga Energy advised that it had completed the installation of a 249kW solar system at BJ Wholesale Club’s Deer park, New York location. This is the first of two projects Tioga is developing through an incentive from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). Combined, the two projects will provide 850kW of renewable energy.
The 290MW Agua Caliente solar project in Arizona, being built by First Solar, will be utilizing over 400 SMA Sunny Central 720CP inverters. SMA American advised that its technology had been chosen for the plant, which is expected to reach operation in 2014. The company notes that its Sunny Central CP inverters were designed for use in large, open-field PV plants and are able to withstand ambient temperatures up to 50?C.
Monocrystalline and polycrystalline silicon solar modules manufacturer, Phono Solar, has passed TÜV Rheinland’s ammonia corrosion test. The IEC 62716 standard certification proves the modules’ quality and reliability on land near livestock.
Concentrating solar power companies, Abengoa, BrightSource Energy, and Torresol Energy announced the formation of the Concentrating Solar Power Alliance (CSPA). Market research group SBI Energy predicts a rise in the CSP market for 2012 and with the PV industry in such turmoil, there is a hole just waiting to be filled.
Having claimed over 55MW of its GIGS thin film product offerings have been installed to data, MiaSolé has secured further funding to the tune of US$55 million from investors to support a focus on what it described as ‘commercial performance.’
Premier Power Renewable Energy advised that construction on its 16.2MWp Zdravetz utility-scale solar plant in Bulgaria has begun with completion expected during Q2 2012. The company originally entered into an agreement, along with its JV with Plaan Czech, in September 2011 to build the solar plants in Bulgaria. The project is being installed on land that was once a coal mine and will receive around US$0.30 for every kWh generated over the next 20 years from the energy administration.
Dr. Jan Withag, chairman of Solar Millennium’s management board, announced his resignation from all his offices taking effect on March 8. His announcement comes a week after insolvency proceedings for Solar Millennium AG commenced, overseen by the local Court of Fürth.
