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.
PVJapan 2011 has been rescheduled from its original July dates to December 5-7. Event sponsors SEMI and the Japanese Photovoltaic Energy Association decided to postpone the show because of the ongoing recovery efforts in the wake of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami and at the request of Japanese government agencies to help conserve energy resources during the summer months.
Construction at the FVE Kresandra and FVE Power Plant 1 in Mokra Luka, Slovakia has begun according to Efektim. Development for the two power plants, which have a power output of 984.96kW and 974.70kW, respectively, began earlier this month and is expected to reach completion this June.
Chevron Mining, a sister company to Chevron Technology Venture and a subsidiary of Chevron, has completed a 1MWconcentrated photovoltaic solar plant (CPV) near its molybdenum mine in Questa, New Mexico. The Questa solar project is spread over 20 acres and utilizes 173 solar trackers and Soitec’s CPV system to generate solar electricity. The energy produced at the site will be sold under a PPA to the Kit Carson Electric Cooperative.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) revealed plans to offer up to US$150 million in credit guarantees to local and foreign commercial banks to encourage the development of solar power as a renewable energy in India. The credit will cover 50% of the payment default risk on bank loans made to solar project developers with an aim to secure long-term funding for solar energy development in the country.
