A US$50 million fund is up for grabs by the US Department of Energy to domestic PV manufacturers wanting to take solar technology from the lab to the fab to help restore the United States as being at the forefront of solar manufacturing. The funding program is the second solar Photovoltaic Manufacturing Initiative (PVMI) initiative, dubbed SUNPATH, which stands for Scaling Up Nascent PV At Home.
Independent power developer K Road Power Holdings and Barclays Natural Resource Investments have established a partnership aimed at the development, construction, and operations of K Road’s utility-scale solar power portfolio. The developer has 11 solar projects totaling nearly 2.3GW in various stages of development in the southwestern US.
LDK Solar has signed a contract to supply 58,803 modules for Advanced Solar Products’ new 14.1MW project in East Windsor, New Jersey. When completed, the system, which is located on the McGraw-Hill Companies’ campus, will be the largest privately-owned, net-metered PV project in the Western Hemisphere.
Somerset Tire Service’s (STS) Bridgewater, New Jersey distribution center is donning a new 1MW solar installation with 5,488, 185W PV modules by Mitsubishi Electric and installation completed by Advanced Solar Products (ASP). The rooftop solar system is anticipated to produce 1,197MWh of electricity per year.
US-based inverter manufacturer Solectria Renewables has delivered four 266kW SGI 266 smartgrid inverters to BlueChip Energy for what will be the largest PV rooftop installation in Florida. The inverters will power the first 1.5MW stage of the 10MW Rinehart Solar Farm project located in Lake Mary, Florida.
In January, SunRun published a report explaining how local governments inadvertently drive up the cost of installing solar projects on a home. Between local solar permitting and inspection processes, a home installation was costing, on average, an additional US$2,500. Six months after its initial report, SunRun has revealed a new study published by Aecom, which confirms how a simpler solar permitting process can potentially generate more than US$5 billion in new growth for the state of California.
Thermal processing equipment specialist Despatch Industries has been acquired by Illinois Tool Works for an undisclosed amount. ITW does not have any direct previous involvement in the PV industry. Despatch had posted record revenue in 2010 of US$200 million and is expected to produce revenue above US$200 million this year. ITW's revenues exceeded US$15 billion in 2010.
Capstone Infrastructure Corporation and SunPower have officially unveiled their new 20MW solar system in Amherstburg, Ontario. Although the system has been operational since June 30, it was only formally opened on Thursday when Capstone and SunPower employees and town politicians officially dedicated the 220-acre site.
A specialist in wind power systems, Vestas will be venturing into solar as the design for its new North American headquarters in Portland, Oregon revealed a 112kW rooftop PV system that will power 12% of the company’s new building. SolarWorld will provide panels for the Vestas’ headquarters, a historic building, which is expected to pursue LEED Platinum certification once various environmentally friendly features are completed.
