In an attempt to consolidate its position as one of the world’s leading integrated solar companies, BP Solar has decided to enlist the help of a specialist partner to help manage some of its portfolio of off-grid projects. Control of French BP Solar’s off-grid operations has been handed over to Phaesun.
Having been on Supervisory Board of Q-Cells since 2002, Marcel Brenninkmeijer the Good Energies investment representative has resigned his position. He will now be engaged at the Good Energies Foundation in promoting global access to renewable energy sources in order to ease poverty. Brenninkmeijer founded Good Energies in 2001.
Canadian Solar has revealed that it was one of the principal module suppliers for SunEdison’s recently-completed 70MW plant in Rovigo, Italy. Rovigo will power 16,500 homes in northeast Italy and has been labelled by SunEdison as the largest single-operating PV solar power plant in Europe.
Building work on Boralex and Q-Cells’ 4.5MW solar park in southern France is set to commence after the firms finalised financing and planning for the €14.6-million venture.
Elkem Silicon Materials (polysilicon) and Elkem Solar (solar wafers) are part of a business divesture plan of Norwegian conglomerate Orkla to primarily state-owned Chinese chemical firm, China National Bluestar. The US$2 billion all-cash transaction also includes Elkem’s aluminium and carbon’s businesses. Completion of the deal is expected during the first half of 2011.
The Finnish cleantech company, Beneq, has newly received a combined €9 million investment from Finnish Industry Investment, Via Venture Partners and other private investors. Beneq is known as a supplier of production and research equipment for nano-scale thin-film coatings and developed the nAERO aerosol-assisted process. nAero is a deposition method that allows for production of low-haze and high-haze transparent conductive oxide (TCO) coatings for in-line and off-line coated products. The company is presently shifting from its piloting to industrial production phase.
IBC Solar has sold its 11.2MW facility in Manzano, Italy to Allianz Specialised Investments. With 47,000 polycrystalline and 3,600 thin-film hybrid modules, the Udine-based park is one of IBC’s largest developments and was connected to the grid on December 7, 2010.
Flexible silicon thin-film firm Xunlight has received IEC 61646 and 61730 certification, conducted by TÜV InterCert Group. The certification enables the U.S.-based manufacturer to market its products in Europe, competing against the likes of Uni-Solar products.
PV julist and juwi have finished work on a 7.4MW rooftop installation at Goodyear Dunlop’s logistics centre in Philippsburg, Germany. The system is the world’s third-largest roof array and has the capacity to generate 7.3 million kWh of electricity every year.
On Christmas Eve the Spanish Government made the controversial decision to again cut the financial support offered to solar power generators. The unstable budget situation in the country has forced the Government into a corner in which it will now make significant cutbacks to subsidies for PV plants installed on the Iberian Peninsular, with the additional reduction affecting existing as well as new installations over the next three years.
