Effective July 23, 2010, Akeena Solar will carry out its operations under the name Westinghouse Solar and change its ticker symbol to WEST. Additionally announced was the company’s second quarter revenue earnings for the period that ended on June 30, 2010. Total revenue for the quarter came in at US$9.9 million, the highest level of revenue in six quarters.
IMS Research has reported that from Q4'10, module shipments are due to take a downturn, declining by almost 10% quarter-on-quarter in Q1'11. This contradicts the shipment increases which have been apparent for six consecutive quarters since Q1'09.
Perhaps it should come as no surprise that struggling CIGS thin-film start-up, DayStar Technologies has said that a lease for premises it uses in Newark, California has been terminated. The company is now pursuing opportunities to manufacture CIGS modules offshore. It noted that since May 2010, raising funds to continue operations has proved difficult, and that it could, in the ‘very near term,’ file for bankruptcy.
SunPower and Solar Ventures have signed a contract to design and build three solar power plants in the Piedmont region of Italy, totalling 11.1MW over 30 hectares. Construction of the plants will begin in late July, with the aim of completing the project by the end of the year.
Solarbuzz's latest report, "United States PV Market 2010," reveals that the U.S. solar market grew 36% in 2009. These results rank the country's solar photovoltaic market third largest in the world, behind Germany and Italy.
This past May, Pacific Blue Energy announced its 20MW Sunshine Solar Farm with Siliken Renewable Energy on 154.3 acres in Flagstaff, Arizona. Following in its own footsteps, Pacific Blue is in the processing of completing is acquisition of 100 acres of land in Gila Bend, Arizona for the construction of a new 150MW solar farm. In addition, the company is negotiating another 707 acres that is adjacent to the 100 acre parcel. Currently the acquisition agreement is subject to closing conditions.
JinkoSolar and Enfinity Asia Pacific will be working under an agreement that sees JinkoSolar delivering 24MW of solar PV modules this year to Enfinity. Module shipments are already underway and will continue through the rest of this year.
In a significant change of direction, Applied Materials has revealed that it will stop selling its turnkey a-Si thin-film technology under the SunFab name to potential new customers, shifting emphasis away from thin-film altogether and focusing on crystalline silicon (c-Si) and LED manufacturing equipment and technology.
Since the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities approved a contract between Petra Solar and PSE&G last July for 40MW of power through Petra’s SunWave solar system, AT&T has announced that the solar units will be running on its wireless network. Petra’s utility grade SunWave UP series operates on streetlight and utility poles and connects to the grid’s secondary voltage lines on the pole for better power quality and grid management.
Borrego Solar Systems has received US$20 million in financing from the U.S. Bank and East West Bank for the realization of the company’s San Diego Community College District (SDCCD) solar project, which consists of a 2.8MW system in nine solar arrays over six locations at the SDCCD campuses. This is the first solar energy project to be financed under Borrego’s power purchase agreement.
