First Solar’s AV Solar Ranch One project has come up against some last-minute concerns voiced by local residents, according to a report on Greentech Media. Plans to begin construction of the Antelope Valley, CA, solar plant in early July could be pushed back if townspeople of nearby Fairmont file an injunction to delay the effort.
QSolar revealed that its Spraytek 79 solar PV modules had been selected for use in Oregon’s Rendata project. The US$3.25 million order will see QSolar deliver 2.5MW of its PV modules to the project once it receives Underwriters Laboratories (UL) certification, which is expected to occur during 2011’s fourth quarter. Once UL certification has been achieved, the company plans to supply modules for two sample houses followed by volume deliveries, which are anticipated to begin in early 2012.
IKEA has connected the 573kW solar array at its West Sacramento store to the Californian electricity grid. The 65,000-square foot rooftop array was installed by Gloria Solar and it will generate nearly 800,000 kWh of electricity a year.
Deutsche Bank’s 7.56MW solar park in the southeast Italian commune of Torre Santa Susanna has been officially opened. Torre Santa Susanna is one of the largest tracking solar systems in Europe and is powered by 32,202 Sanyo’s HIT solar modules fitted on Ideematec safetrack technology.
The 6.7MW solar installation at the US General Services Administration (GSA) Denver Federal Center (DFC) is almost complete with all solar installations on the GSA DFC campus anticipated to be online by the end of the year. The latest solar installation has been combined with DFC’s 1.2MW solar park, which was installed in 2007. GSA secured added funding in 2009 to construct the 6.7MW solar installation that is currently being completed.
TecnoSun Solar Systems’ US Division, TecnoSun Solar USA, is settling into its new US headquarters at the University of Toledo’s Nietzsche Commercialization Complex in Ohio. The site will be the home base for the company’s marketing, sales, manufacturing, installation and servicing of its 1 and 2 axis solar tracking systems in North America.
Solar Frontier has won a contract with juwi solar to provide 3.8MW of its thin-film solar modules for a solar project in the northeast US. The solar installation is set to be completed by the end of the year and will be operated by a regulated northeast utility. Solar Frontier’s new Kunitomi plant in Miyazaki, Japan will manufacture the CIS modules for the solar project.
Suntech Power’s Just-Roof building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) solution has been approved by French certification body CEIAB (Comité d'Evaluation de l'Intégration au Bâti). CEIAB is France’s official evaluation committee for all BIPV products, and its endorsement sees Just Roof gain eligibility for the country’s highest available feed-in-tariff.
Payom Solar has formed a new subsidiary in Turbigo, Milan to help manage the company’s rapidly-expanding Italian client base. The subsidiary, which has been named Solar Energy Italia SAS, has already secured its first major order – a 4MW roof system for a Danish investment group valued at €13 million.
Pythagoras Solar has won the GE ecomagination Challenge for its Photovoltaic Glass Unit (PVGU) window technology. The company fended off competition from nearly 5,000 other entrants to win the award, which recognises the most promising innovations in the field of building-integrated energy technology.
