S.A.G. Solarstrom has concluded the long-term financing of its 13.6MWp project located in Stribro, Czech Republic, with the Bayern LB and the LBBW via the project company Solar Stribro. The company will pay the loan on June 30 in the amount of €30.4 million. The sales negotiations for the project, with a total investment volume of over €60 million, are also nearing completion.
With a current capacity of only 20MW, CIS (copper indium selenide) thin-film manufacturer Avancis has broken ground on a new 100MW plant in Torgau, Germany. The company will ramp the facility in the first quarter of 2012, using its third-generation cell process technology, which achieved 15.1% efficiency (30 x 30 cm², fully encapsulated CIS solar module) in January. The company announced plans in early June.
Siliken Renewable Energy and Pacific Blue Energy have come together to bid a local utility for the development of a 15MW solar farm on 154.3 acres near Flagstaff, Arizona. The site, known as the Sunshine Solar Farm, is located in Coconino County and has the capacity to support 20MW of solar electricity generation from fixed tilt or single axis tracking systems.
The $32,600,000 sales contract signed by Universal Solar Technology and CEZ Group will see the delivery of 20MW of monocrystalline solar modules to CEZ by the end of this year. CEZ is one of the largest electricity producers in the Czech Republic.
Working together, Dainippon Screen Manufacturing and Gifu University have produced a new technology that analyzes the characteristics of amorphous silicon films for thin-film silicon solar cell panels. The result from the research of the new technology is being used in spectroscopic ellipsometric film thickness measurement systems by Screen. Product creation is expected to be completed by this fall.
French retailer, Casino Group has again selected SunPower to supply modules for rooftop and parking area at its retail properties in France. The two companies had previously collaborated in 2009, which amounted to 15MW of installs. In total 18 properties will have been fitted with modules. However, Casino Group has 11,000 stores in 9 countries of which 9,031 are located in France.
Construction was said to have commenced on three solar photovoltaic projects totalling 36MW in Ontario, by EDF Energies Nouvelles. Two projects (12MW each) are to use Suntech c-Si modules while a third PV power plant will use CdTe thin film modules from First Solar. All three plants are expected to be grid connected by the end of the year. White Construction Canada is the general contractor for EDF EN Canada, a subsidiary of EDF Energies Nouvelles.
Bloo Solar’s Solar Brush wafer development production has begun and with the hopes to bring the commercial modules to market in 2012, the company has chosen CVD Equipment Corp. to develop and manufacture the equipment for the solar module.
Lagofrio Energy Solutions (LES), a wholly-owned subsidiary of TinSol Energy (TSEL) South Africa, has placed a US$210 million contract with Fidelis Energy to Supply 93MW of PV modules for several solar parks across Africa. Fidelis will begin shipments during the first quarter of 2011 as its module plant in China is expected to come on-stream during the fourth quarter of 2010.
Five-years after starting production of its copper-indium-sulfide (CIS) thin-film solar modules, Berlin-based Sulfurcell plans to set-up a North American network of system integrators and installers. As with the perceived consumer concerns for more aesthetic looking PV modules, Sulfurcell believes its ‘black-tile aesthetics’ will prove popular in that market. Sulfurcell will be offering framed, frameless, and roof-integrated modules.
