An existing customer based in Asia has placed a follow-on order worth CHF 70 million with Meyer Burger for wafer slicing equipment and wafer inspection tools. Delivery of the complete order is expected during 2011, according to the company.
Lincoln Renewable Energy (LRE) has finalized the sale and project finance deal with Macquarie Energy worth US$41 million. The agreement sees Macquarie Energy enter a long-term purchase agreement for power and renewable energy credits from LRE’s New Jersey-based 10MW Oak Solar PV project. LRE will remain the long-term owner of the facility, while Macquarie Energy provides construction finance and term debt for Oak Solar.
In a new report published by the SEMI PV Group, in collaboration with the SEMI China PV Advisory Committee and the China PV Industry Alliance (CPIA), a policy roadmap has been presented outlining how China can reach a global average PV electricity penetration level of 1.3% PV electricity by 2020. The report, entitled, “China’s Solar Future –A Recommended China PV Policy Roadmap 2.0”, uses the IEA Solar PV Roadmap as a benchmark for China, so that the country, which is well known as an export of PV goods, can better partake in using PV power as part of its energy consumption.
A new report from IMS Research highlights that for the first time, all of the top 10PV inverter suppliers were European based, which was due to PV installations more than doubling in 2010, with the biggest growth in key European markets such as Germany and Italy. However, the top five gainers in market share in 2010 came from a mix of geographical locations, headed by Power-One, Siemens, Advanced Energy, Sungrow and Danfoss. The global PV inverter market grew 140% in 2010, according to the market research firm.
Q-Cells is set to become the first German firm to enter into the Japanese solar residential sector and is establishing a sales network of selected local installers, Q-Cells Meister Club (QMC), to help smooth its market entry.
Italian agro-industrial group Cereals Docks has installed four solar rooftop arrays at two of its sites on the outskirts of Venice. The systems were installed by electrical engineers Elpo, which used over 15,000 polycrystalline modules and Sputnik Engineering’s SolarMax C central inverters to build the 3MW portfolio.
Under its new recognition by Japan’s Department of Energy and its Japanese Photovoltaic Expansion Center (J-PEC), Intertek’s CB reports on PV products distributed to the Japanese market will be eligible for consumer subsidies. The recognition allows for a more streamlined operation where a manufacturer that has their PV products tested and certified by Intertek will not need any supplementary certifications or approvals when entering the Japanese market.
Eric Daniels will be leading the Solar Energy North American division of Robert Bosch as the department’s first solar energy regional president. In his new role, Daniels will supervise the company’s solar business in North America while specifically focusing on business development opportunities. Daniels is a 14-year veteran of the solar industry who joins Bosch from BP Solar where he served as CTO for seven years.
Together with Annex Power, the Bangkok-based systems integrator, Conergy will build what will be its third solar power plant on Thai soil in the space of a year. The 12.4MW solar park in Nakhon Pathom province, which will cover an area of 268,500m2, follows on from the recently-completed 3MW Ayutthaya solar park, constructed for the investors Yanhee Solar and Ratchaburi Electricity, which have entered into a joint venture agreement to develop solar energy parks in Thailand.
Spire Corporation has started building work on a 2MW system for a school in southwest Massachusetts. The system is situated on eight acres of land at the Berkshire School in the town of Sheffield and will generate 2,300 MWh of electricity every year.
