A group of experts from the private and public wind, solar, and power sectors recently completed and published, with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, "The Western Wind and Solar Integration Study." The report looks at benefits and challenges that come when incorporating wind and solar energy capacity into the grid to produce 35% of its electricity needs by 2017. The study is a starting point for utilities in the Western region to plan the proper increase in renewable energy production when incorporating wind and solar energy plants onto the grid.
With the significant cuts in Germany’s solar feed-in tariffs due July 1, the focus of attention has shifted toward understanding and forecasting what happens next. German trade associations and respected executives and institutions have all warned about the negative impact these changes will have on the German solar industry, but there is little overall consensus in the industry as to what the real impacts will be. However, in a new bottom-up analysis, market research firm iSuppli, believes it has a firm grasp on what will happen next--and it’s certainly a bittersweet pill to swallow.
Through its subsidiary, Changzhou Trina Solar Energy, Trina Solar has announced that it has entered into a strategic partnership with TUV Rheinland Group, Underwriter’s Laboratories, and China General Certification Centre. The new agreement is a move for the company to introduce its newest certified product lines to its customers in the quickest manner possible.
Applied Materials reported much improved overall financial results for its second quarter ended May 2, but a weak showing by the company’s energy and environmental solutions group detracted from an otherwise solid performance. Led by strong silicon systems and display group revenues, the company reported overall net sales of $2.3 billion and net income of $264 million, with new orders of $1.26 billion—all well above the previous quarter’s numbers. Despite record new bookings for crystalline-silicon PV equipment, the company's EES group took heavy losses, and the company will finalize plans for restructuring of its SunFab thin-film PV unit next month.
Citing customer funding problems and a general hesitation in the market to invest in a-Si thin-film technology, turnkey specialist Oerlikon Solar reported that it did not receive any large orders during the first quarter of 2010. Sales declines 24% to CHF39 million compared to the same period a year ago when sales reached CHF51 million. Orders received in the first quarter were only CHF8 million, down 27% from the same period in 2009. The division posted an EBIT loss of CHF24 million, down from a CHF32 million loss a year ago.
With a $4.4 million project funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, it’s no wonder that Yosemite National Park is looking forward to installing a large-scale solar panel project at its El Portal site. Installation begins this June on the project, which will have a 539kW PV generation system and on completion be the largest grid-connected PV system in the National Park System.
Many c-Si solar cell manufacturers are developing various selective emitter processes that place emitters underneath the front contacts of cells to boost conversion efficiencies. However, Manz Automation may be taking a lead in announcing that its laser-based production technology has been selected by Yingli Green, Bosch, and Conergy. The company said that its ‘OneStep’ selective emitter technology will be implemented at pilot production lines over the coming months with the aim of production verification as soon as possible. Various studies have indicated that the process technology could provide a 0.5% increase in cell conversion efficiencies.
Akeena Solar has entered into an agreement to manufacture, distribute, market, and install its solar panels under the Westinghouse name. The company claims that the contract was formed in order to combine a "trusted brand name with the reliability, performance and safety that buyers want."
ProLogis’ renewable energy group has opened what it calls the first dedicated comparative test site for solar modules operated by a real estate development company. The 11KW (DC) rooftop system, located in Denver, CO, includes 99 photovoltaic panels from eight different manufacturers and features a range of thin-film and crystalline-silicon module types.
Yingli Green Energy has signed a sales contract with Maetel, a unit of infrastructure company ACS Group. Under the terms of the deal, the Chinese solar manufacturer will supply 33MW of its Yingli Solar crystalline-silicon PV modules to the Spanish engineering, procurement, and construction firm, with deliveries starting in October and continuing through the end of April 2011. The panels will be deployed at what will be the largest solar power system in France.
