An 18-acre solar garden has been dedicated adjacent to Mars Chocolate's North America headquarters in Hackettstown, NJ. The 2.15MW (DC) power plant--which is comprised of more than 28,000 ground-mounted First Solar thin-film PV modules--is said to be the largest solar energy facility installed in New Jersey by a food manufacturing plant and the first project completed by Public Service Enterprise Group's PSEG Solar Source subsidiary.
Dow Corning has started construction of a high-purity monosilane gas manufacturing plant in Thomas Township, MI. The factory, located adjacent to Hemlock Semiconductor's polysilicon production facility, is expected to be completed in 2011.
One of Trina Solar's key photovoltaic module glass suppliers, Beijing Hua Mei Dazheng Technology, has signed an investment agreement to site a production facility in the Changzhou Trina Photovoltaic Industrial Park. The deal was signed with the Changzhou National High Tech District to build a glass factory adjacent to Trina Solar's manufacturing campus.
SolarWorld will begin construction soon on a new building adjacent to its Hillsboro, OR, production plant. The 210,000 sq. ft. facility, scheduled for completion in November, will house a combination of logistics and manufacturing activities. The company said that the new structure will allow it to realign production operations to make more efficient space of the main building's full capacity.
Pacific Gas & Electric is looking for suppliers to bid on a 2-MW pilot photovoltaic power plant--the first step in part of its five-year plan to develop 500 MW of solar in its Northern California coverage area. The utility says it wants to use the pilot project, which will be completed by the end of 2009, to help develop its processes for building and operating PV facilities while it seeks regulatory approval for the full proposal with the California Public Utilities Commission.
The most challenging economic conditions in recent memory have taken their toll on a leading semiconductor/solar trade association--the Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International. SEMI North America President Jonathan Davis told PV Tech/Fabtech in an exclusive interview earlier this week that because of what he called a "fairly severe decline in revenues," the organization has taken a "number of cost reduction measures, including layoffs."
The North Face, a supplier of outdoor apparel, equipment and footwear, announced its completion of a 1MW solar electricity system at its West Coast distribution center in Visalia, California. The new system will power between 25 and 30 percent of the facility’s energy needs. It was designed, engineered and installed by Suntech Energy Solutions, while financed, owned and operated by Recurrent Energy. 100 percent of the electricity will be sold to The North Face under a power purchase agreement from Recurrent Energy.
Sempra Generation has selected First Solar to provide a 10MW turnkey thin-film PV energy plant near Boulder City, Nevada. The project started in July and is expected to be completed by the end of 2008. The modules to be used at this ground-mount project will come from First Solar’s manufacturing facility in Perrysburg, Ohio, the company said.
Spire Corporation has said that it has won a competitive bid to supply turnkey equipment for a combined solar module and solar cell facility from Jiangxi Gemei Sci-Tech LTD, based in Jiangxi, a southern province in China. The contract includes a 25MW multi-crystalline solar cell factory and an adjacent 25MW module facility.
