Power Plants

Austria will install a record amount of solar PV capacity this year, according to the country’s PV trade group, Photovoltaic Austria.

To manage areas of high and low irradiance and prevent project clustering, China has introduced new tariffs based on geographical location.

Distressed capital management firms, Clearwater Capital Partners and Spinnaker Capital are working with Suntech Power Holdings to prepare a major restructuring plan for the ailing PV module manufacturing, including downsizing through asset sales and a recapitalisation that could mean majority share takeover by unidentified investors.

Leading machine vision systems specialist, ISRA Vision has hinted at further PV equipment acquisitions and a whiff of recovery in equipment enquiries within the PV sector in reporting third quarter financial year results.

Laos-based Sunlabob Renewable Energy has been awarded a contract to provide training to PV engineers in the Pacific island state of Kiribati.

Japan’s Ministry of Economics, Trade and Industry (METI), has requested an increase in the nation’s clean energy budget of 62%, partly to help relieve bottlenecks of solar power projects.

Running at near full-capacity for the first time since 2010, JA Solar’s quarterly revenue for six consecutive quarters has basically flatlined.

Materials IP developer Applied Nanotech has signed an R&D agreement with Sichuan Yinhe Chemical Co (YHCC) and thin silicon manufacturer Solexel.

Bloomberg New Energy Finance has issued forecasts for the amounts of distributed PV and utility PV to be installed in China between this year and 2030.

The US Department of Defense (DoD) has awarded US$7 billion of contracts to 22 companies for the right to develop and sell solar energy to the US Army.