Western Wind Energy has signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) for a 30MW project. The company also agreed a 40-year land lease with the Puerto Rico Land Authority for a 401-acre plot in the municipality of Yabucoa.
Further expanding its presence in the solar PV industry, SiC Processing has successfully closed several contract negotiations. Boosted by the recent SNEC PV Power Expo 2011, which was held in Shanghai, the company has signed off on three separate deals.
RF Micro Devices (RFMD) has engineered a dual-junction PV cell that combines gallium arsenide (GaAs) and indium gallium phosphide (InGaP) PV junctions with its customary six-inch semiconductor equipment. RFMD looks to this new development as a way to progress towards triple-junction structures and reach their definitive goal of creating a commercially feasible and high volume-capable compound semiconductor-based process for high-performance PV cells.
Enphase Energy’s two new European offices, located in France and Italy, have been established in order for the company to better accommodate growing demands of its microinverter system. Both France and Italy have been cited as areas with a burgeoning solar market that stand on the brink of better implementing microinverter technology.
As expected, the Italian cabinet signed off on a solar policy without a 8GW annual cap, but did institute a 1MW cap on farmland projects. Under the new policy, projects are required to be connected to the grid before May 31 to benefit from the current feed-in tarrifs. Any new FiT decision for projects beyond May would likely be made by April 30, according to published reports.
Luxembourg’s CNPV Solar Power has signed a long-term module supply contract with project developer Sun'R SAS. The deal will see CNPV cater for the module requirements of Sun'R’s projects over the next three years, starting with a 14MWp shipment in 2011.
Spanish installer Grupo OPDE has signed a cooperative agreement with ArcelorMittal Construcción España, the Spanish branch of the multinational iron and steel company, which will see the companies collaborate on the development of the PV rooftop installation market. Targeting industrial buildings and car parks, the companies will incorporate ArcelorMittal’s solutions for rooftop installations in industrial buildings, canopies and fixed structures.
Global Solar Energy, a manufacturer of high-efficiency copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) solar material and an emerging leader in building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), has announced Dr. Urs Schoop as the company’s new chief technology officer (CTO). As CTO, Dr. Schoop will leverage his extensive expertise in the research and development of CIGS solar cell production.
PVT Solar has officially changed its name to EchoFirst. EchoFirst, who created Echo, a new solar energy system that delivers twice the energy of a basic solar electric PV system sates the name change more accurately reflects the company's core business: the design, manufacture, marketing, distribution and deployment of its patented Echo solar system.
Thomas Koerner has joined Astronergy (Chint Solar) as general manager North America. Koerner will be responsible for all related business activities including sales and market strategy, and will support the company in worldwide product strategy and marketing.
