SolarWorld Americas introduced a new no-money-down financing option for the company’s authorized installers and customers. Options include allowing residential customers to lease sunkits solar systems or defer payment until state and federal incentives come to fruition. Commercial customer and non-profit organizations will be able to select different lease opportunities or a power purchase agreement.
Taking a step forward for the advancement of solar energy in the residential sector is United Solar who has agreed to partner with NJR Home Services (NJRHS) and nationally launch Uni-Solar’s PowerShingle and CertainTeed’s EnerGen, which uses Uni-Solar modules. The pilot program in New Jersey will produce a solar product that is fully integrated and blends into the existing asphalt shingle patterns on the home, which is set to provide a more aesthetically pleasing design for homeowner’s.
In the recently published eighth ‘Annual Photovoltaics Status Report’ the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) has reported a ‘massive’ increase in photovoltaics production capacity is underway and that worldwide production capacity for solar cells would exceed 38GW by the end of 2010. The report also notes that production volumes in 2008 increased by 80% as compared to 2007, reaching 7.3GW of potential output with China, Taiwan and Europe all adding significant capacity.
SunEdison and office products company Staples have continued on their solar collaborations with the completion of 1.5MW solar power installation at the Staples distribution centre in Hagerstown, Maryland. This brings the solar power installed by the two companies in Maryland to over 2.5MW, having earlier this year completed a 1.01MW installation at the Staples fulfillment center in Hanover.
Advanced processing technology for c-Si solar cell production were put at the forefront of Roth & Rau's reported record new orders worth €347 million since the beginning of the year. The company noted that its next-generation ‘SiNA’ antireflective coating systems were a key part of its success, having so far this year sold the equivalent capacity of 1.85GWp, while the company has also received letters of intent for further SiNA systems with a total capacity of 1.45GWp. These systems are due for delivery in the second quarter of 2011.
A Chinese firm has placed an approximately €5 million purchase order with PVA TePla Danmark for float zone-based crystal-growing systems needed for high-purity, monocrystalline silicon rods, used in both the solar and semiconductor industries.
In what would be one of the largest orders for amorphous-silicon thin-film PV modules to date, Anwell Technologies' subsidiary Henan Sungen Solar Fab has received a deposit from an unnamed leading solar panel distributor/developer for a minimum of 180MW of the company's modules to be delivered over the next three years. The deal would result in more than $300 million in projected revenue on completion of the contract, according to Anwell. The first shipment is scheduled for delivery in October.
John E. Bryson, Edison International’s former chairman, president and CEO, will be BrightSource Energy’s new chairman of the board of director’s. Bryon holds over 25 years of industry experience in energy generation, transmission, distribution, infrastructure investment and management of energy assets. BrightSource’s founder, Arnold Goldman, who was the previous chair, will continue with the company as chairman emeritus.
BlueChip Energy revealed that installation and trial runs have been completed for its first production line of PV solar modules, allowing the company to expand its annual module production capacity to 75MW for 2011. The panels will be manufactured under the ASP brand, which already has designated 20MW of production to orders received for delivery at the beginning of next year.
Centrosolar connected its newest solar system installation in Turkey to the grid. Alleged to be the largest thin-film solar power system to date in Istanbul, Turkey, the installation sits on the roof of confection manufacturer, Perfetti Van Melle. The total energy output at peak is 31kW with 38MWh of electricity production expected per year.
