IDC Energy Insights has launched three new global-research projects focused on quantifying and tracking the rapidly-growing Smart Meter, Photovoltaic Module, and Solar Inverter markets. To help man the new programmes, five analysts will be joining IDC's Worldwide Tracker team, which will be managed by Ryan Reith.
Australia's Minister for Climate Change, Greg Combet has revealed that the country's subsidies for households that install solar panels will end a year earlier than planned. The Solar Credits Scheme, originally implemented in 2008, which gives households up to five times more renewable energy credits for the electricity generated by their solar systems, will now end in mid-2014, with the credit 'multiplier' reduced every year until that date.
Richard Yumin Gu has resigned from his position as China Sunergy's vice president and general manager of sales and marketing. Yumin Gu is stepping down because of personal reasons and will leave his post with immediate effect.
Spain has made a decision to freeze the beginning of the country's €13.5 billion program to sell state-guaranteed power bonds until government debt-market volatility abates. Bank workers, who had begun calculating investor interest in the first tranche of bonds, will now have to wait until the yield stabilises on the country's debt.
Israel's National Infrastructures Minister Uzi Landau has signed the first power purchase agreement (PPA) for renewable energy in the country's history, with Ketura Sun, the joint venture between Arava Solar Power Company (APC) and Kibbutz Ketura, which is developing a 4.9MW plant in the southern Arava near Eilat. The agreement, which will stretch over 20 years, is said to be worth NIS 250 million.
SunPower sees substantial growth in store in fiscal year 2011, with annual revenues expected to range between $2.65 billion and $2.85 billion as well as PV cell production of 900-945MW at its three fabrication facilities. The company’s already issued its 2010 guidance, which forecasts revenues of $2.15 billion-$2.25 billion and cell production of 570-580MW. The company also said it has signed a deal to sell the Solare Roma PV power plant in Italy.
The Spanish government has now confirmed the country's reduced feed-in tariff rate, which will be paid to new solar-power projects. Ground-mounted plants' tariff will be cut by 45% while residential rooftop systems will be paid 5% less than before. All existing installations will receive the tariff quoted at the time of connection, for the full period of 25 years.
Greg Saunders is the newest executive to join Tioga Energy, being selected as the company’s new executive vice president and chief financial officer. Relying on his 25-year financial background with public and private companies, Saunders will manage the company’s financial development and impart strategic support as Tioga looks to expand its project portfolio.
Lux Research has released a new report, “Module Cost Structure Breakdown: Can Thin-Film Survive the Crystalline Silicon Onslaught?”, which compares multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si) with thin-film silicon (TF-Si), cadmium telluride (CdTe) and copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) on a US$/W basis in order to see which of the technologies will have a long-term cost advantage on the module level.
