With highs of 23ºC and cloudless skies on May 26, Germany produced 22GW of electricity, meeting nearly 50% of the country’s midday electricity needs. The Renewable Energy Industry (IWR) estimated this equaled the amount of power generated by 20 nuclear power plants.
Swiss silicon thin-film firm, Pramac has been forced to file for insolvency after shareholders rejected management proposals over restructuring the company after posting losses (net) of over €94 million in 2011. The diversified firm had been a customer of Oerlikon Solar since 2008. Pramac had a 30MW end-to-end turnkey line using Oerlikon’s ‘Micromorph' technology.
Global Solar Energy has announced the installation of three building-integrated PV projects across Italy. The company collaborated with Mapei Alubel and B.A. Energy to construct the rooftop projects using thin-film modules.
A new 44MWp module assembly plant in the De Vernejoul industrial park in Porcelette, Eastern France will assemble SunPower’s Maxeon solar cells into modules to meet demand in France, Italy, Germany and Belgium. Total and SunPower said that its 3,300-square-metre plant is equipped to produce approximately 150,000 high efficiency (20% conversion efficiency) modules per year. This is the first such plant SunPower will operate in Europe, having the majority of its production in the Asia-Pacific region.
Conergy has announced the construction of a 10.5MW solar power plant – the largest of its kind in the Saarland region. To be built near the French border, the historic Linslerhof estate is owned by the von Boch investor family celebrated for its environmentally-friendly way of life. The recent drastic cuts to the feed-in tariff will require the project to be completed by the end of June. Conergy will act as main contractor and will be responsible for the installation of the park as well as the supply of Conergy components.
centrotherm photovoltaics advsied that it had begun industrial-scale production of its high-efficiency centaurus solar cell for customers in China and Europe. Over 50MW of the centaurus technoloy are in ramp-up mass production with the company noting that it has received interest from various of its existing customers.
Having formed a joint venture firm in March, PV CIStems, Solar Frontier and BELECTRIC have connected what they claim to be the world’s largest CIS thin-film solar power plant in Bochow, Brandenburg, Germany. The project’s investor is CommerzReal and the financing is provided by HypoVereinsbank (HBV) /UniCredit.
First generation PV thin-film adopters are falling like flies as Berlin-based Inventux files for bankruptcy. Inventux was a customer of Oerlikon Solar and an early adopter of its micromorph silicon turnkey technology. A temporary insolvency administrator has been appointed by the local court in Berlin-Charlottenburg, which is understood to be looking for new investors and secure some of the 200 jobs at risk at the company.
A report published by Reuters has advised that the Constitutional Court has endorsed a Czech tax on solar power producers as part of the government’s push to cut budget deficits and subdue the solar boom in the country. The ruling means that solar plants which came online in 2009 and 2010 are affected.
Following his defeat to be premier of North Rhine-Westphalia on Sunday by the Social Democrats (SPD), Norbert Roettgen, once seen as a potential successor to Chancellor Angela Merkel, was fired by Merkel today from his position as her environment minister. Reuters reported that Merkel has nominated Peter Altmaier, parliamentary whip for her conservative party, to replace Roettgen.
