REC Systems and ABB have closed financing and begun construction of a 24.2MW solar power plant in Lazio, Italy. Authorisation for the 95-hectare project was granted in March 2010 and, when completed, the system’s 100,000 REC modules will generate around 37 million kWh of electricity a year.
Solar power is coming back to Adrano, home of the one of the first CSP systems. Enel Green Power is starting construction on a new 9MW photovoltaic power plant on the Sicilian site where the historic Eurelios CSP array once operated.
9REN has obtained a new order from Helios to develop, build, and manage a 1MW PV power plant of 1MW in Buseto Palizzolo in the Italian province of Trapani.The location of the new project is close to a 1.9MW system previously contracted with Helios and already under construction.
Scheuten Solar has signed 10MW of new contracts for its turnkey projects in Belgium. The contracts relate to mostly large-scale PV systems on industrial rooftops and include the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) along with operation and maintenance on the systems.
Siemens Energy and Suntech Power Holdings have entered into a framework agreement wherein Suntech will provide solar PV modules for various European solar installations. Siemens notes that over the past seven months, the company has received orders for PV plants that have a combined capacity of over 80MW in six countries.
Green Earth Energy and Technology has signed a contract with Ascent Solar to distribute its CIGS thin-film modules in Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Germany.
Solar Integrated Technologies and ContourGlobal have finished work on all four of the thin-film PV projects they agreed to build for Coca-Cola Hellenic (CCH). The 905kWP Marcianise, 1249kWp Nogara, 622kWp Oricola and 472 kWp Monticchio plants will generate around 3,330MWh of electricity per annum.
Federal Environment Minister Norbert Röttgen and the German Solar Industry Association have agreed to bring forward the reductions of financial support for solar power in order to facilitate the further expansion of photovoltaics in Germany. The government revealed late last week that, together with the industry, it was set to bring in a reduction of up to 12%, which would be pulled forward six months to July 1st this year.
Martifer Solar has entered into a binding agreement with Sunflower for the engineering, procurement, construction, operation and maintenance for 13MW of PV plants throughout the Piedmont regions of Italy. Martifer and Sunflower have previously worked together on two recently completed 2.1MW PV plants in the Province of Alessandria.
Centrosolar Group is to issue a five-year bearer bond in Austria and Germany with a value of up to €50 million. The corporate bond will accrue interest at 7% per annum, and the securities prospectus required for the bond is expected to be approved by the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BAFin) on January 20, 2011.