Having dominated the headlines in the Top 10 PV-Tech news stories of 2009, First Solar remains a highly popular read. However, after sifting through Google Analytics to compile this year’s Top 10 most-read news stories, it appears only two of these are related to First Solar. Two different market research companies' reports also proved popular, as did most news pieces on feed-in tariffs.
CSIRO and Dyesol have completed the first stage of their joint project developing higher performance dyes for dye solar cells (DSC). The first six months of the programme has seen Dyesol build a research-scale assembly and testing facility at CSIRO’s Newcastle-based centre, in south-east Australia.
In a blow to homegrown U.S. solar manufacturing, Intel spinoff SpectraWatt will be laying off most of its workforce and possibly closing down operations, according to published reports. The crystalline-silicon PV cell manufacturer will let more than 100 employees go starting in March of next year and may shutter its less-than-year-old factory located in IBM’s Hudson Research Park in Hopewell Junction, NY.
Renewable energy project developer Sustainable Energy Capital Partners (SECP) has formed a joint venture partnership with Korean independent power producer Posco Power to develop and build a 300MW photovoltaic power plant in Boulder City, Nevada. Global engineering/construction/management services firm Parsons has also signed on to the project.
Etrion has completed its 1MW Ruffano solar park in Puglia, Italy. The solar park will generate over 1.7 million kilowatt hours and is assisted by Italy’s 2010 feed-in-tariff of €.346 per kWh and a market price of around €0.08 per kWh.
Starting January 1, 2011, Advanced Energy Industries will have two new business units: Thin Films and Renewables. The Thin Film division will be led by Yuval Wasserman who will also act as president and COO for the business unit. The Thin Film business division will be headquartered in Fort Collins, Colorado and will house the company’s power conversion and thermal instrumentation products for capital equipment markets such as the semiconductor, solar panel and flat panel display industries.
Changzhou Trina Solar Energy has signed a contract with CECEP Solar Sheyang Power Company to supply PV modules for a 20MW project in China. The ground-mounted development in Sheyang will be one of the largest projects in China when it is completed at the end of December, 2010.
ContourGlobal and Guascor Solar have signed a contract to develop 30MW of PV projects in Italy. The first of these projects, a 6MW plant in Sabaudia, is already operational, with a building work on a second 8.5MW development in Sicily scheduled to start in early 2011. The plants will be built by Guascor and owned and operated by ContourGlobal.
In June 2010, Statkraft decided that it would begin to solely focus its business on hydropower, wind power, gas power and district heating and in keeping with its decision, it has sold its Casale solar park to two Italian investors: Eurowood and Blue Stream Resources. All shares of the 3.3MWp solar park, which was owned by Statkraft’s RA1 company, have been signed and closed and are now equally owned between the two Italian companies.
