IKEA teams up with REC Solar again to construct a now operational, 128,000ft2 PV array, consisting of a 1,026kW system and built with 4,186 panels. IKEA West Chester’s program will produce approximately 1,334,300kWh of clean electricity annually, the equivalent of reducing 1,014 tons of CO2, eliminating the emissions of 180 cars or powering 115 homes yearly.
EnterSolar has finished a 228kW solar PV system for Ontel Productions New Jersey headquarters. The rooftop system was officially placed into service in December 2011 and takes advantage of several renewable energy incentives, including the Section 48 Investment Tax Credit, the PSE&G Solar Loan Program and the Bonus Depreciation benefits for solar projects.
Deutsche Bank’s 50-floor, 745-foot-tall skyscraper at 60 Wall Street, Manhattan, New York now features a 122.4kW solar system. Though claimed to be tallest PV system installed in the world to date, several installations in the Alps from the last few years lay a similar claim, including ‘Mountain Crystal,’ designed and built by the Swiss Federal Technical University in Zurich (ETH), which is located 2,883m above sea level.
REC Solar and KIUC recently held a kick-off meeting with Homestead Community Development Corporation (HCDC) in order to initiate the next steps of the 12MW solar project the companies will be installing on Hawaiian Homelands in Anahola on the northeast side of Kauai. REC Solar won the contract for the project in December, marking it as the second utility-scale project the company has developed for KIUC.
US crystalline silicon solar cells and modules, Suniva, has announced that Sunetric has been named as Hawaii’s first elite dealer of the Optimus line of Suniva’s solar modules.
Zep Solar advised that three of its latest PV continuing education courses had been approved and registered by the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners’ (NABCEP), giving NABCEP certified PV installers the option to receive continuing education units for training on Zep’s mounting and grounding products. The approved Zep curriculum includes a two-hour “Zep System: Design and Installation” course and a four-hour intermediate and six-hour advanced course options.
San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) has filed with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) for approval of a proposal offering its customers solar purchasing options. The proposal complements rooftop solar and includes two different pilot programs. Customers can opt buy some or all of their energy from solar projects located in SDG&E's service territory or negotiate directly with a local solar provider, even if they do not own a home, cannot afford a solar investment, or do not have the ability to put photovoltaic panels on their roof.
MEMC has been forced to lower fourth quarter revenue guidance, just over a month after revisions were made as the company announced a major restructuring effort due to lower than expected PV project interconnections carried out by project developer subsidiary, SunEdison. MEMC revised revenue to be in the range of US$698 million to US$733 million, compared to December, 2011 guidance of between US$789 million to US$861 million.
Dow Solar is taking its Powerhouse Solar Shingles to the US, as it has announced that it has named three authorized sellers of its BIPV roofing solution in Colorado. Academy Roofing, B&M Roofing and D&D Roofing will be supplying the solar technology to the homeowners of Colorado, while Dow Solar has plans to roll out the product across the country.
Announced in conjunction with the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi, cadmium-telluride (CdTe) thin film leader, First Solar has achieved a new total area efficiency record for its standard-sized modules of 14.4%. NREL was said to have confirmed the record, which was previously held by First Solar at 13.4%. Actual volume production of modules with efficiencies between 14.5-15%, are expected in 2015. First Solar reached volume production of modules with an efficiency of 11.7% in 2011.
