Last year, the Israeli Ministry of Interior approved a plan for an 8MW solar PV plant to be built adjacent to the Bedouin community of Tarabin in the Abu Basma region of the north west of the Negev Desert, which has finally been given the go ahead. This will be a joint project between the Tarabin tribe and Arava Power Company, costing approximately US$30 million. The plant will cover 15 hectares of privately owned agricultural land.
Spanish solar company ISOFOTON and Chinese oil company, China National Offshore Oil Corporations (CNOOC)'s subsidiary, TIANJIN LISHEN BATTERY JOINT-STOCK, have established a joint venture based in Tianjin, China. The new company, called ISOFOTON LISHEN New Energy, will develop PV projects totalling 150MW. CNOOC will invest up to US$300 million in the projects. For the CNOOC Group, partnering with ISOFOTON is an opportunity to have a strong European partner with experience in PV technology and extensive knowledge of international markets.
Fotones de Chile has revealed plans to establish a 180MW project - the country's largest to date - consisting of six 30MW PV power plants in the town of Maria Elena in the Tocopilla province of Antofagasta. Work is scheduled to begin later this year, pending all necessary permissions. The project is entitled Planta Fotovoltaica Encuentro Solar, and will involve the installation of close to 2.5 million PV modules.
SunPower, Joint Venture Silicon Valley and Wells Fargo have teamed-up to construct three solar parking canopy systems for Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), totalling 2.1MW. Using a Power Purchase Agreement to finance the systems, it is anticipated that VTA will save US$2.7 million in electricity costs over the next 20 years.
Suniva has announced its high-efficiency crystalline silicon solar cells have been installed at a 1MW, 4.5 acre, solar farm at Chattanooga Airport, Tennessee, US. Implemented by Inman Solar, this installation is the first phase of a 3MW project by Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport Authority (CMAA), designed to reduce pollution, waste and energy consumption. Since December, the solar farm has generated nearly 90,000kWh of electricity with no pollution.
Israel’s energy and water minister, Uzi Landau, has signed a further 19 licenses for 27MW of solar photovoltaic projects, bringing the total number of conditional solar licenses granted for the country’s electricity grid to 515.5MW.
Fluor Corporation announced it had been selected last year for its EPC services to contribute towards Arlington Valley Solar Energy II’s (AVSE II) 125MW solar facility in Maricopa County, Arizona. Fluor has also acquired a contract for ongoing operations and maintenance services. In 2002, Fluor designed and constructed the Arlington Valley Combined Cycle Facility nearby.
National Solar Power and Liberty County, Florida, have entered into a 100MW solar energy project agreement. The project, representing a US$350 million investment at full build out, is National Solar Power’s third in Florida with the others being in Gadsden and Hardee counties.
London-based private-equity group Amplio has commissioned 7MW of PV capacity in the Italian region of Lazio, just outside of Rome. The company secured €16m from an Italian bank for the project – details for which are yet to be disclosed.
The University of Cyprus campus has been host to a meeting of minds to discuss the feasibility of installing a 10MW PV plant on the grounds of the university. The university’s Rector Konstantinos Christofides initiated the move, which has led to the establishment of a special committee that will be assisted in its task by institutions including the Cyprus Electricity Authority and Cyprus Energy Regulatory Authority.
