Reinhard Bütikofer, the Deputy Floor Leader of the Greens in the European Parliament, was on hand at the opening event of Centrosolar Sonnenstromfabrik’s new production line start-up. The company has now increased its production capacity to 155MWp from its previous 110MWp and will produce an additional 1,000 solar modules per day. The new line also has the potential to build 72-cell high performance modules that will create an output of more than 300W.
India has dveloped The National Solar Mission (NSM) to help increase the country’s solar market development through the use of encouraging policy frameworks that promote solar power throughout the country. With a 20GW target of installed solar power by 2022, the NSM is scheduled to be executed in three phases over a 13-year period with three five-year plans.
Suntech has supplied 240 solar panels for a 48kW rooftop installation on the Town Hall in Sydney, Australia. The installation marks the first use of Suntech's Pluto technology in the country.
Emerson Network Power has announced the availability of its new eBook, "What Smart Grid Means to You." The eBook is designed to help those on the front lines of the Smart Grid transition, addressing challenges and opportunities for CIOs and IT departments, consulting and specifying engineers, facility managers, telecom providers, and solar power system integrators.
Good news for the c-Si solar cell producers and module manufacturers is that overcapacity in polysilicon production should continue as major producers continue with capacity expansion plans and new entrants, especially in China, ramp initial plants. According to a new report from Bernreuter Research, entitled ‘The Who’s Who of Solar Silicon Production,’ despite strong solar module demand, pressure on the silicon prices rising will likely be limited this year. Bernreuter Research estimates that global polysilicon production will reach 250,000MT in 2012, with approximately 80,000MT produced in China alone, making up about one-third of global production. Johannes Bernreuter, founder of the research firm, told PV-Tech that polysilicon supply/demand dynamics this year would translate into spot pricing in the range of US$45 to US$50/kg.
Solar modules incorporating Suniva's high-efficiency monocrystalline-silicon photovoltaic cells have been installed and commissioned on the rooftop of the Thyagaraj Stadium in New Delhi, India. The 1MW system, said to be the largest rooftop PV power plant in the country, was implemented by Reliance Industries (RIL) Solar Group, which also supplied the PV modules. The new "model green" stadium will be one of the primary venues of the upcoming Commonwealth Games.
Grape Solar and Patriot Solar Group say they have partnered to provide complete, cost-effective equipment solutions to the U.S. and Canadian solar markets. As a result of the partnership, the two companies will also enter the Latin American solar market.
Having already successfully developed solar parks in Italy and plans within other European countries, Silfab is expanding into the U.S. market by forming a joint venture with REgeneration Finance LLC., a solar project developer with offices in Harrison, NY and San Francisco, California, via Silfab’s U.S. subsidiary. Silfab will invest an unspecified amount into a REgeneration affiliate to support finance requirements for commercial and utility-scale solar projects. The joint venture will ultimately own these projects, according to Silfab.
Uni Land has signed an agreement with EOS Energia for the construction of 10MW photovoltaic systems on greenhouses in Italy. EOS Energia will manage the design, procurement and construction of the greenhouses and will ensure that each plant is connected by the end of 2010.
O'Neal, the Greenville-based integrated design and construction firm, has formed a strategic partnership with Scheuten Solar USA. The two companies plan to offer turnkey PV solar systems for industrial, commercial, institutional, and utility-scale solar projects.
