The Japanese Photovoltaic Energy Association (JPEA) announced figures for Q4 and fiscal 2011, finding that total quarterly shipments fell 23% to 554.2MW from Q3, while shipments of PV cells and modules increased by a small percentage point during Q4. Domestic and import sales of thin-film also took a hit, falling by 68% while import of PV materials for the period went up 3%. Monocrystalline products increased 16% while multicrystalline products dropped 13%.
The proposed 3MW, US$20 million Ponterril solar project has received its final approval from the zoning board of appeals. The project will be developed across 22 acres of what used to be the Pittsfield Family YMCA’s recreation camp overlooking Pontoosuc Lake. The Berkshire Eagle advised that electricity produced by the project would be sold and transported to Western Massachusetts Electric Company (WMECO) as part of the power gird on North Street. The report confirmed that project officials want to begin work on the project this year, but actual construction timelines will depend on WMECO since it needs to advise what it would cost CTC Electric to make upgrades to the WMECO system in order for it to accept electricity from the new solar project.
Solar Gard has finished its second Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), which examines the environmental impact of a product from production to disposal . The latest EPD covers 14 more solar control architectural window films, bringing the company’s total number of carbon negative window films to 46.
Earlier this month, Chinese vice premier Wang Qishan and state councillor Dai Bingguo met with US secretary of state Hillary Clinton and treasury secretary Timothy Geithner, in Beijing to discuss Sino-American strategic and economic relations. On May 17, the US Department of Commerce announced in a preliminary hearing that China had been exporting to the US at less than fair value.
German-based manufacturer of metallization pastes Heraeus is constructing a new manufacturing site in Taiwan, the company has announced. The production site is expected to commence operation in the last quarter of 2012 and is intended to meet the demand of the Taiwanese market with local production and technical services. Heraeus produces silver pastes for polycrystalline solar cells.
Satcon will supply 30MW of its Equinox Prism Platform to Western Wind and Lord Electric. The inverters will be installed at a solar power park in Puerto Rico, the company has announced.
Konarka Technologies and Dri-Design have announced the results of their collaboration to integrate Konarka's solar panels into Dri-Design's metal rainscreen panels. It is the first application of its kind and the panels are used for façade installations. The panels will be utilized for BIPV installations and offer architects a range of possibilities of integrations into materials like glass, steel, fabrics or plastic.
According to the Hellenic Transmission System Operator (HTSO), Greece has installed 535MW of PV capacity in March 2012. This is an increase of 53MW from the beginning of the year. The HTSO published these numbers in its monthly bulletin, mentioning a power output of 61.577 MWh per year in March.
Last week Cogentrix Energy officially began commercial operation of its 30MW Alamosa CPV project in Colorado. Today, Solectria advised that it had provided over 500 large CPV pedestals, smart inverters and dual axis trackers for the project, which has been dubbed the largest high CPV generating facility in the world.
Trina Solar will supply a 2.1MW off-grid system to Longyuan New Energy in Tibet, the company has announced. The companies have entered into a supply agreement for the system in the Nagu region of Tibet. After installing approximately 40 standalone systems throughout Tibet in 2002, this is the largest off-grid project for Trina in recent times.
