Greek solar installation company K&M Energy has placed two orders for 108 tracking systems from DEGERenergie for installation in five new solar parks in the south and west of Greece. In the past few weeks, K&M placed two orders with the company – 18 trackers in the initial order, and 90 additional trackers a few weeks later. The 18 5000NT DEGERtrakers have already been delivered, with the 90 recently ordered 5000NT and 7000NT models due for delivery in the near future.
SCI Engineered Materials has received a $1 million order for thin-film photovoltaic products from an unspecified customer. The physical vapor deposition-related materials are expected to be manufactured and shipped during the second half of 2009, the company said.
TÜV Rheinland has opened a state-of-the-art test center for solar photovoltaic modules in Cologne, Germany. The company has invested around €4 million in the new 1800m2 building as well as a suite of technical equipment for checking the safety, quality, and energy efficiency of PV panels and solar collectors.
Taiwan based AU Optronics Corp is to make an initial US$125 million investment in Japanese polysilicon producer, M.Setek with the aim of gradually becoming the majority shareholder in the company as it makes a move to strengthen its position in the renewable energies market.
According to news reports from China and reported by JLM Pacific, a consortium that includes Best Solar, Enfinity NV and China Guangdong Nuclear (CGN) Energy Development Company, has won a contract to build a 10MW PV power plant in Dunhuang, Gansu province, China. The reports claim that the winning price bid was RMB 1.09/kWh.
Norwegian renewables company Statkraft has announced that it is on the way to completing its 3.3MW solar power plant later this year. The solar farm is located in Latina, about an hour south of Rome, and will consist of 15,700 solar panels installed in an area of approximately 96,000 square metres. Total investment in the project is said to be approximately €13 million.
LDK Solar Co., Ltd. has passed a milestone in its ingot production with the successful output of a multicrystalline ingot weighing 660kg. The largest ingot produced to date by the company, the block’s weight is an increase of 46.7% on the standard ingot weight of 450kg. The company’s maximum furnace capacity is 800kg.
One of the most ambitious solarpower projects in the U.S. received the regulatory greenlight Thursday from the California Public Utilities Commission. The commission voted unanimously to approve Southern California Edison’s plan to install scores of 1-2MW photovoltaic grid-connected systems on the rooftops of commercial buildings throughout the utility’s Southern California service area. Under the terms of the approved measure, SCE will own, install, operate, and maintain 250MW of PV panels in the next five years and will solicit bids from independent suppliers to deploy another 250MW. Together, the added solar capacity will provide enough electricity to meet the needs of up to 320,000 Southern California households.
Solar Power Inc. has signed an exclusive deal to sell its crystalline-silicon solar PV modules to Australian solar developer, Beyond Building Systems. The two-year supply agreement, which calls for a minimum purchase of 5.7 MW of modules, provides BBS with exclusive access to SPI's 170-220-W panels for use throughout Australia, according to SPI.
