An end-of-year surge in the number of utility-scale PV installation in China and India will result in installed capacity for 2011 in the Asia-Pacific region reaching 4.8GW, according to the new Asia Pacific Major PV Markets Quarterly report from NPD Solarbuzz.
€100 million have been invested into Solar21, the Irish renewable energy fund, for PV solar farms across Europe, focussing on economies with the most attractive long-term guaranteed FiT rates.
Over the coming months the solar industry is set to experience its own version of natural selection, as surplus capacity and falling prices triggers a significant reduction of the number of companies in the marketplace, according to a new report from Bank Sarasin.
Hoku Materials has moved a step closer to completing its polysilicon production plant in Pocatello, Idaho by connecting it to Idaho Power's substation.
Activ Solar has completed Phase III of its Perovo Solar Power Station, adding a further 20MW to the system’s size. The total capacity of Perovo now stands at 60MW, and, with ramping up still ongoing, it looks set to be one of the largest PV projects in Europe.
The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory is home to a newly completed 32MW solar array in New York known as the Long Island Solar Farm (LISF). Representatives from Long Island Power Authority (LIPA), BP Solar International and Brookhaven National Lab were flanked by government and environmental leaders as they celebrated the official completion and commissioning of the system.
Just a handful of days after the US Department of Commerce and the International Trade Commission agreed to open an investigation into SolarWorld’s claims that China is dumping solar panels in the US far below US costs, the China Photovoltaic Industry Alliance (CPIA) is launching its own counteroffensive with the claim that the US is dumping polysilicon at below cost prices in China.
New entrant to the PV project business, 3U Holding said it will build its first PV power plant in Adelebsen, Lower Saxony. Unlike typical projects, 3U Holding will use acquired derelict industrial area of approximately 26 hectares with buildings that will house rooftop arrays of mainly Canadian Solar modules as well as a ground-mounted array as a second phase development. The Rooftop part of the project is expected to be completed before the end of 2011. The total investment is expected to be in the range of €25 million.
The weak demand that has blighted the solar industry for much of 2011 is likely continue into the new year, according to a new report on the US market from ClearSky Advisors. Despite a growth in installed capacity, overcapacity in the supply chain will continue to affect module prices, with ClearSky forecasting these to fall for at least the first half of 2012.
