The fallout from the Fukushima nuclear disaster looks set to continue after an official from China’s National Development and Reform Commission revealed the government was planning to cut its 2020 target for nuclear power capacity.
Ferro has opened a new photovoltaic research and development laboratory in Taipei, Taiwan. The Ferro Taiwan Technology Center, situated within the Neihu Technology Park, will help Ferro provide technical support for its Taiwanese customers and also to improve cell performance and lower manufacturing costs.
3M and tenKsolar have started a partnership for the improvement of tenKsolar’s RAIS Wave commercial solar array. The RAIS Wave system now features 3M’s Cool Mirror Film 330 reflective material, which the companies state, allows for the system to produce up to 60% more annual energy per square foot of a rooftop installation. 3M recently commissioned a grid-tied 4.5kW RAIS Wave solar array from tenKsolar for installation at 3M’s Cottage Grove facility.
New Energy Technologies has entered a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) with the U. S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) for the advancement of New Energy’s SolarWindow technology.
TechPrecision, a manufacturer of metal components and systems for the renewable energy industry, has received new orders totalling US$2 million for its wafer production equipment. The equipment, manufactured by TechPrecision’s U.S. and Chinese subsidiaries, Ranor and Wuxi Critical Mechanical Components, is expected to be shipped before the end of Q3.
Envision Solar will be collaborating with Reno Contracting on the development of several Envision Solar Tree solar parking arrays using Envision’s CleanCharge and EnvisionTrak technology. The solar-power charging stations for electric cars will be built across various locations in the southwest U.S. The first project is scheduled to commence during 2011’s second quarter followed by a multi-location construction at corporate and commercial properties through 2011 and beyond.
Odersun and Lithodecor have come together for the production of solar façades in the form of an Airtec PV system. Odersun will supply its CIS solar modules for Lithodecor’s Airtec system making Airtec façades available with photovoltaic solutions. This new façade will join Lithodecor’s existing glass and natural stone veneer solutions. Further, since Odersun produces system-compatible and project-specific solar modules for BIPV projects, Lithodecor anticipates being able to offer both standard system sizes as well as individual made-to-order solutions.
The Association of European Distributed Energy Resources Laboratories (DERlab) has admitted four new members to its organization in the form of the VTT Technical Research Center of Finland, the Interdisciplinary Center for Reliability, Security and Trust at the University of Luxembourg, K.U. Leuven for the new knowledge institute Energy Ville and Sandia National Laboratories from the U.S.
First Solar and juwi solar have become the latest names in the solar industry to enter into the world of sports sponsorship after they signed a joint contract with an amateur U.S. road cycling team.
Leading Chinese polysilicon manufacturer Daqo New Energy has started work on phase two of its new facility in Shihezi, Xinjiang. Manufacturing will begin in the second half of 2012, with an initial capacity of 3,000 metric tonnes.
