As Governor Osuna of Baja California toured CPV company Arima Operations in Taipei, Arima and Baja Sun Energy advised of their plan to form Mexico’s first integrated solar business. The new company will build a CPV solar system manufacturing plant and use the panels manufactured by the plant to install a utility-sized solar generation facility at the Silicon Border CleanTECH Park in Mexicali, Mexico.
SpectraWatt willo auction off its 140,000 square-foot crystalline silicon cell manufacturing and research facility in Hudson Valley at the end of the month. In August the cell manufacturer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and the bulk and piecemeal auction, to be carried out by Heritage Global Partners, Counsel RB Capital and Silicon Valley Disposition, marks the first stage of financial restructuring.
Yingli Solar, the American subsidiary of China-based Yingli Green Energy, will sponsor free solar modules for fifty low-income families on the United States west coast, in collaboration with non-profit solar installer GRID Alternatives.
Constellation Energy has initiated its solar panel leasing program for residential customers in Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Customers in Maryland will have the solar offer conducted through Constellation’s subsidiary, BGE Home.
Less than a week after shutting down manufacturing operations, Solyndra followed through on its announced intention to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The beleaguered CIGS thin-film PV firm said it hopes to reorganize and find a buyer and would like to avoid liquidating its assets.
MEMC Electronic Materials and its solar subsidiary, SunEdison, revealed that they had completed the acquisition of Fotowatio Renewable Ventures, Inc. (FRV US), the US subsidiary of Fotowatio Renewable Ventures. MEMC paid a the disclosed consideration of US$112 million plus repayment of nearly US$19 million in intercompany loans and capital contributions. An additional consideration of up to US$103.6 million may be paid if FRV US reaches specified performance targets.
Clean Power Finance (CPF) is in the midst of what is shaping up to be quite a promising month. The company recently closed a US$25 million investment led by new investor Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB), received a US$3 million US Department of Energy (DOE) SunShot award and appointed three new board members and a new CEO.
Calisolar is making its move to become high-volume low-cost silicon solar wafer producer with plans to build a 16,000MT silicon production facility in Lowndes County, Mississippi at an estimated cost of US$600 million. A pioneer of enhanced UMG-based wafers, Calisolar is bring silicon material production in-house to significantly lower costs and have greater control over material quality. When fully operational, the plant is said to employ 951 full-time workers.
The US Export-Import Bank will provide First Solar with $455.7 million of loan guarantees to construct a pair of solar PV power projects in Ontario, Canada. The bank will guarantee a $236.7 million loan for a 50MW plant to be built near Amherstburg, Belmont, and Walpole townships, and another $219 million loan for a 40MW farm slated for construction in St. Clair. The debt will be repaid over 18 years.
GE Capital Real Estate and SunEdison flipped the switch on the first two of fifteen solar rooftop systems, which fall under the Ontario FiT program. The solar projects are part of GE Capital Real Estate’s environmental sustainability initiative with SunEdison agreeing to build and operate all fifteen of the PV systems.
