As part of its utility-scale project pipeline in Imperial Valley, California, 8minutenergy Renewables has signed a 25-year contract to sell 200MW (AC) from the planned Mount Signal Solar project to San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E). The Mount Signal Solar project is expected to begin supply to SDG&E in mid-2013 and has an 18-month construction time, employing 450 direct jobs and more than 500 indirect jobs in Imperial County. The contract is pending approval from the California Public Utilities Commission.
The US Department of Energy’s (DoE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has appointed Ken Powers as its new deputy laboratory director and chief operating officer, effective March 5.
GCL-Poly Energy Holdings and Bank of America Merrill Lynch have closed the initial transaction to fund 15 solar power systems that will be developed by GCL-Poly’s US subsidiary, GCL Solar Energy. The 15 solar sites will total 5MW of solar energy and serve the Palmdale School District in southern California.
The CPV solar cell business segment of Emcore accounted for US$19.1 million or 51% of the company's total revenue in its FY2012 first quarter, representing a decline of US$2 million from the prior quarter. However, Emcore reported a CPV cell order backlog of approximately US$51.7 million, an increase from US$43.5 million in the prior quarter. The order increase was due to the first order from its China-based JV CPV module operations, Suncore, which is starting assembly operations to meet a US$100 million project contract in the country.
Borrego Solar has again secured funding for US$47 million from US Bank and East West Bank for solar energy projects in California, US. The fund will be used to build 6MW of installations for three school districts and two plants in Massachusetts – the largest of which is expected to be 4.7MW. The company said these projects are expected to create 400 local jobs and generate enough electricity to power nearly 2,000 homes.
Organic PV thin films may hold a significant promise of low cost electricity generation but longevity has been a key weakness of the technology. However, Konarka Technologies has become the first OPV manufacturer to become certified in compliance with IEC 61646, an accelerated lifetime testing protocol by TÜV Rheinland.
Mercury Solar Systems has completed the installation of a 3.6MW solar system, with over 12,000 solar panels, in Manalapan, one of the largest ground-mounted, grid-interconnected solar systems in New Jersey.
Inline with previous guidance, PV equipment supplier, Amtech posted net revenue of US$24.7 million for its financial year first quarter, 2012, a decline of 59% compared to the previous quarter. The company reported minimal order cancellations but noted shipment push-outs as PV manufacturers tackle severe overcapacity. Revenue for FY2Q12 was guided down to be in the range of US$20 - US$22 million.
According to reports from Bloomberg, AES Gener, a division of AES Corp., is preparing to construct a US$572 million solar farm in northern Chile, which will help bring electricity to copper mines in the Atacama Desert. The company is pursuing a permit to build the farm in Chile’s Antogafasts region where, Bloomberg reports, BHP Billiton and state-owned Codelco, manage copper mines.
The US DOE has advised of a US$12 million investment in the SunShot Incubator program; funding which will go towards advancements in hardware, reduction of soft costs and the development of pilot manufacturing and production projects in the American solar energy and manufacturing industry. The Incubator program is best known as a launchpad for new start-ups and business units within existing companies to move solar technology development forward at a faster pace.
