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.
Solar Nation has installed and commissioned a 876kW solar power system on the rooftop of Sunham Home Fashions distribution center in New Providence, New Jersey. The 130,000 square foot system , which was designed, engineered and installed by Solar Nation, utilizes 3,575 SolarWorld 245W solar panels, two SMA American inverters and a Draker Laboratories web-based monitoring system.
Pictometry Online is extending its 3-D like, high resolution aerial images to solar contractors, which the company states will allow for a better and more accurate calculation of solar exposure, panel placement, sizing, roof pitch and square footage for a solar installation on either a residential or commercial building.
Tucson Electric Power has chosen SunPower's rooftop solar technology to equip its new Bright Roofs programme. The T5 Roof Tile will power systems, totalling 11MW, which are being installed on leased school and public-building rooftop space in Tucson over the next three years.
Solar experts and university researchers will gather together in Abu Dhabi from March 27-28 to attend the city’s first forum on photovoltaics. The event, which will be presented by Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) and the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, will explore the route for development of cost-effective systems capable of achieving 25% energy conversion from solar resources in Abu Dhabi by the year 2020.
Following its 2010 acquisition of Singapore-based Novomatrix, Solutia’s performance films unit will be expanding its manufacturing capacity with the purchase of selected assets of Taiwan-based conductive film manufacturer Aimcore Technology. The US$7 million deal will allow Solutia to increase its manufacturing capacity in Asia while also multiplying its Flexvue film component production. The escalation in Solutia’s production capacity is anticipated to be on-line during the second half of 2011.
Abound Solar is making its entrance into the Indian market under a long-term sales agreement with Solarsis. The companies aim to promote Abound’s thin-film modules to project developers in the country’s burgeoning solar market. Additionally, Solarsis will create a test facility catering to the enhancement of balance of system (BoS) designs that center on Abound Solar’s thin-film modules. The collaboration's first project will be a 1MW ground-mount solar array in Ananthapur, Andhra Pradesh, India. Specifics about the financial terms of the agreement or the amount and timing of module shipments were not revealed.
In 2008, Hawaiian Electric sent out renewable energy project proposal requests for Oahu, Hawaii under the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) competitive bidding framework. As a result of that request, SunPower and Hawaiian Electric have agreed to a 20-year PPA with energy being produced from a 5MW solar farm at Kalaeloa in West Oahu. SunPower will design, build and operate the plant using its solar panels and SunPower Tracker system.
Siemens Industry has debuted a new program that allows customers to take advantage of solar power benefits without making a large initial capital investment. The Solar Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) platform from Siemens building technologies division presents all different customers the chance to take part in the PPA, but is especially aimed to entice the public sector who is unable to take advantage of solar federal tax incentives.
Water is not a surface that immediately springs to mind when contemplating where to install a solar array, however, this may not be the case for much longer thanks to Sunengy’s ground-breaking Liquid Solar Array (LSA) technology. Sunengy hopes to build a pilot LSA plant in India before the end of the year and has enlisted the help of India’s largest integrated private power utility, Tata Power, to help realise this goal.
