FM Approvals and TÜV Rheinland have come together to form new approval standards for flexible and rigid PV modules. The FM Approval Standard 4476, Approval Standard for Flexible Photovoltaic Modules, and Approval Standard 4478, Approval Standard for Rigid Photovoltaic Modules, are in the final review stages and set to be released by the end of this year. The new standards were conceived to better allow PV module manufacturers obtain FM Approval for products used as part of an FM Approved roofing assembly.
Due to a partnership with Enfinity and rail operator Infrabel, a two mile stretch of the high-speed rail tunnel on the E19 Highway in Belgium will have a rooftop solar power installation. The project will produce energy for the trains and stations on the rail line that serves both conventional and high-speed trains between Amsterdam and Paris via Brussels. The US$20.1 million project will generate 3.3MWh of electricity per year.
Construction has now begun on the Grimmen PV park, to be installed by IBC Solar on a 19-hectare clay pit in the Nordvorpommern district of Germany. The opening ceremony marking the beginning of work was attended by Federal Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel.
SunEdison has signed agreements with Huntington Beach for the installation of over 2MW of solar capacity at three Huntington Beach city properties. Work will begin on the three systems, which will be situated on carport canopies at the Huntington Beach Civic Center, Central Library and City Yard, in 2011. Once completed, the systems are expected to produce more than 63 million kWh of solar energy over 20 years.
The Silver State North Solar Project, the first large-scale solar energy project on U.S. public lands in Nevada, has received Department of the Interior (DOI) approval from Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar. Joining the project is Ecology and Environment (E & E), which prepared the environmental impact statement (EIS) for the 50MW (AC), 60MW (DC) facility, set for construction in the Ivanpah Valley, just south of Las Vegas.
Due to a partnership with Enfinity and rail operator Infrabel, a two mile stretch of the high-speed rail tunnel on the E19 Highway in Belgium will have a rooftop solar power installation. The project will produce energy for the trains and stations on the rail line that serves both conventional and high-speed trains between Amsterdam and Paris via Brussels. The US$20.1 million project will generate 3.3MWh of electricity per year.
Although the official ceremony to celebrate the installation of the 1.1MW solar energy system installed by Perpetual Energy Systems at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) won’t take place until the end of October, both organizations are celebrating not only the systems completion, but Caltech’s solar milestone. With this installation, Caltech has reached its goal to install 1.3MW of solar power by 2010 and will benefit from 1,646,668kWh of renewable energy in one year from the new system alone.
As Vern Heinrichs (pictured), the current CEO, retires from his executive position he’s held since 2009, Arise Technologies’ board has chosen his successor in Daniel Shea. The management change is effective as of October 21, with Heinrichs agreeing to be a consultant for the company for three months. In addition, as Heinrichs is also stepping down from his position as director, Shea is to be nominated as his replacement.
The first wave of solar park announcements in the UK is in full swing. Many planned projects are designed to take advantage of the highest irradiance levels in the country, which are found in Cornwall. However, one of the pioneering sites, which is backed by a core team of experienced PV project developers and Q-Cells cofounder and former CEO Anton Milner, is planning a 5MW crystalline-based plant in Bourn, Cambridge.
Although the official ceremony to celebrate the installation of the 1.1MW solar energy system installed by Perpetual Energy Systems at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) won’t take place until the end of October, both organizations are celebrating not only the systems completion, but Caltech’s solar milestone. With this installation, Caltech has reached its goal to install 1.3MW of solar power by 2010 and will benefit from 1,646,668kWh of renewable energy in one year from the new system alone.
