Often billed as ‘quasi-mono’ ingot casting, whereby the lower-cost multicrystalline ingot process provides higher-quality, mono-like characteristics without the associated higher production costs would seem to be getting closer to commercial acceptance. GT Advanced Technologies (GTAT) has announced that it expects to begin taking orders for its new DSS-based ‘MonoCast’ systems in October this year, with initial lead times for commercial deliveries of three months.
SolarEdge Technologies and Italian distributor Tecno Spot have announced a partnership that will see SolarEdge’s solar power harvesting solutions offered and delivered throughout Italy. Under the signed deal SolarEdge’s module-integrated power optimizers, solar invertors and monitoring tool will be distributed by Tecno Spot with the deal aiming to allow installers and system owners a better solar system design and ultimately a faster return on investment.
Stuart Stott will be bringing his experience developing large-scale power projects and his ability to create industry partnerships to his new role as Spire’s VP of solar systems; a role which will see him manage the expanding solar systems unit for the company. Stott comes to Spire from Public Service Enterprise Group where he served as the global and renewable category manager.
PV systems integrator, Phoenix Solar is using First Solar’s CdTe thin film modules on a 1.7MW project in Italy for an independent power producer, while a 1MW plant near Rome will use CIGS thin film modules from MiaSolé. The project is for an unidentified Italian investor, according to Phoenix Solar.
In 2010, pvXchange traded nearly 185MW of solar modules and 85MW of inverters working with over 300 suppliers and 2,500 active buyers for the European market. The company is now looking to make headway in the North American market with the opening of its new US headquarters in San Francisco, which is supplemented with pvXchange’s presence in New Jersey and Ontario, Canada as well.
SolOptics, a division of Genie Lens Technologies, revealed a significant milestone in the performance testing of its Fusion PV enhancement technology. Testing conducted at the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has concluded that the Fusion technology increased the overall energy production of the PV modules tested by up to 4%, with performance enhancements for all irradiance ranges.
As Governor Osuna of Baja California toured CPV company Arima Operations in Taipei, Arima and Baja Sun Energy advised of their plan to form Mexico’s first integrated solar business. The new company will build a CPV solar system manufacturing plant and use the panels manufactured by the plant to install a utility-sized solar generation facility at the Silicon Border CleanTECH Park in Mexicali, Mexico.
Yingli Solar, the American subsidiary of China-based Yingli Green Energy, will sponsor free solar modules for fifty low-income families on the United States west coast, in collaboration with non-profit solar installer GRID Alternatives.
DEGERenergie has won a contract to supply two new solar parks in Italy with its DEGERtrakers 6000NT. Installation of the two systems, located in the province of Enna in Sicily and with a combined capacity of 2MW, is already underway and when completed they will be equipped with 7.35 kWp modules and a total of 270 trackers. Etna Energia is managing the new systems.
Constellation Energy has initiated its solar panel leasing program for residential customers in Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Customers in Maryland will have the solar offer conducted through Constellation’s subsidiary, BGE Home.
