OPEL Solar International was designated the exclusive worldwide supplier of solar trackers for Grape Solar. This marks OPEL’s first exclusive supply agreement with a PV panel manufacturer and supplier. Leon Pierhal, OPEL Solar’s CEO, indicated, "Grape has an impressive product line of high efficiency PV panels from both China and US manufacturing locations, with plans for additional expansion to Ontario, Canada. We expect that Grape's close alliances with leading solar integrators and engineering firms will greatly enhance OPEL's sales channels and, that Grape Solar will become a key supplier of PV panels to OPEL's tracker customers."
Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, is spearheading the Open Solar Outdoors Test Field (OSOTF), a study that aims to investigate how diverse weather conditions effect a solar panels performance. eIQ Energy has signed on to help OSOTF by contributing its vBoost DC-to-DC converter modules on a solar array. The project is being conducted at a grid-connected solar panel testing facility that constantly measures the energy output of 95 different types of solar panels while relating their performance to meteorological data.
GT Solar International has received orders for its DSS multicrystalline growth furnaces totaling US$84.3 million. Orders were place by both existing and new customers including Nantong Zongyi New Material and Inner Mongolia Zhong Huan Solar Material. The orders will be included in GT’s backlog for the quarter, which ends on July 2.
Canadian Solar has signed a sales agreement that will see the company supply 81MW of solar modules to Saferay, Berlin-based developer, owner and operator of large-scale PV power plants, at a fixed price for projects based in Germany. With delivery of the modules already underway, the entire 81MW is expected to be delivered to Saferay before the end of the third quarter 2011. The cost of the transaction was not revealed.
GT Solar has improved productivity on its latest-generation multicrystalline ingot growth system. The process on the DSS650, which produces ingots >625kg, has been enhanced by 44% over the earlier generation DSS450 tool, as a result of reduced cycle time, while maintaining high crystal quality and mass ingot yield, according to the company.
The board of Satcon Technology has named Aaron Gomolak to be its executive VP, CFO, and treasurer, replacing replacing Donald Peck. Gomolak joined the PV inverter and power conversion company in May 2008, most recently serving as the senior VP of global operations.
Wattner has acquired a 9.2MW solar system, which will be constructed across five of Germany-based Opel’s rooftops. Wattner secured EWT SolServ for the construction and installation of the project, which will use nearly 40,000 solar modules and 500 inverters. The energy produced from the project will be fed directly into Opel’s corporate grid.
eIQ Energy’s has agreed to supply its Parallel Solar technology for a new 1.2MW solar installation at Granite Construction’s aggregate and hot mix facility in Coalinga, California. Building work on the project began earlier this month and grid connection is expected to be achieved later on this summer.
Constellation Energy will build, own and maintain a 5.38MW rooftop solar installation at Toys R Us’s distribution centre in Flanders, New Jersey. The system, said to be the largest of its kind in the US, will be connected to the grid this summer and all the electricity generated will be purchased by the toy store under a 20-year power purchase agreement.
Innotech Solar has signed a US$8.18 million (NOK 45 million) deal to provide 4.3MWp of its PV modules and engineering services to an undisclosed Spanish customer. The PV modules will be part of a roof mounted solar project near Grenada, Spain and use over 20,000 of Innotech’s PV modules. Delivery is scheduled to begin this month and conclude in September. The Spanish PV plant has an estimated 6GWh of electricity output per year.
