Sunny Day Energy and Silfab Ontario have entered into an agreement to supply approximately 5MWp of high efficiency domestic content modules. A number of rooftop projects in the Greater Toronto area will benefit from the modules which range in size between 200 and 500KWp each.
The U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has given an exclusive patent licence to equipment specialist, Natcore Technology to use its diffused emitter technology ‘Black Silicon’ with Natcore’s liquid phase deposition (LPD) technology. The black silicon process has been claimed by Natcore scientists and NREL researchers to reduce average reflectivity to less than 1.5%, compared to current advanced antireflective coatings that are said to reduce the average reflectivity to approximately 6%. The aim is to commercialize the technology in 2012.
China Sunergy’ s Quasar modules were granted safety and reliability certificates by TÜV Rheinland Group after conducting independent tests to prove that the PV modules are safe and will deliver the guaranteed rated power in different environmental conditions. China Sunergy noted that the TÜV Rheinland certificates for its Quasar modules are valid for five years through November 16, 2016 and that the certification will allow it to scale up sales of its Quasar modules across Europe.
Following the Canadian government’s announcement to reduce FiT prices for new projects, The Green Energy Act Alliance and Shine Ontario Association have joined forces by releasing the Ontario Feed-in Tariff 2011 Review: More Jobs, Affordable, Clean Energy, and a Brighter Future for Ontario report. The groups represent Canada’s leading environmental and energy groups, as well as the key players in Canada’s solar industry.
Financially challenged silicon metal supplier, Timminco has tapped Bank of America for the remaining US$2.9 million of a revolving credit facility, resulting in the company having to pursue alternative sources of financing. The Canada-based materials producer recently reported third quarter sales of US$28.6 million and a net loss of US$2.4 million.
Market research firm, IHS iSuppli has undertaken its first product teardown and analysis within the PV industry. An Aurora PVI-4.2-OUTD-S-US Inverter from Power-One was used in the teardown, which IHS iSuppli said provided a path-setting benchmark for cost reduction within a sector of the industry expected to undergo rapid price erosion, inline with other industry sectors such as polysilicon, wafers, cells and modules.
GreenVolts has re-emerged with seeming aplomb from the disaster of 2009 with its new CPV system that it has branded as the PV industry’s “first complete and fully integrated solar system”.
The North American Development Bank (NADBank) revealed that it is lending up to US$88.5 million to SunEdison for the development of a 20MW solar park in Picture Rocks, Arizona. This is the largest, and second, solar project financed by the NADBank. The solar park is expected to generate enough electricity for nearly 3,500 homes in the metropolitan area of Tucson.
Bloomberg is reporting that Suntech Power Holdings and Canadian Solar will be providing their solar panels to Tata Power for its US$68 million solar project. The 25MW plant in western Gujarat state will use crystalline silicon-based modules to power the solar array.
