The Avignonet-Lauragais solar park in the Midi-Pyrenees region of France was officially commissioned by Boralex with town and company officials on hand to celebrate. The 4.5MW solar park is the first solar farm that Boralex has completed and sits beside a 12.5MW wind farm making the Avignonet-Lauragais site one of the first mixed renewable energy spots in France.
Spanish regulators have suspended subsidies for 360 solar plants after they failed to prove their eligibility for the feed-in tariff. The sanctioning brings the number of projects punished by the regulators to 1,919 and concludes the investigation into fraudulent subsidy claims within the country’s solar industry.
Serbia will soon become the latest member of Europe’s burgeoning PV industry after state utility EPS began construction of the country’s first solar power plant. The 5MW system, located in the western Zlatibor region, is the first of 50 renewable ventures planned by EPS as it attempts to revamp the Balkan country’s energy network.
SolarWorld advised that with the sale of its shares in the South Korea joint venture module plant, the company would be focusing on expanding and improving its module production sites in Germany and the US. Financial details regarding the sale of its shares were not released, but the company advised that its Saxony, California and Oregon production facilities are undergoing expansion in order to meet growing demands. Combined, the three plants are expected to have a total production capacity of more than 1GW by the end of the year.
Leading French renewable energy producer Fonroche Energie has secured a €52-million credit line with a banking syndicate led by Credit Agricole. This finance will help Fonroche to increase its green portfolio, an expansion plan highlighted by the construction of 20MW of solar greenhouses in France.
Deutsche Bank’s 7.56MW solar park in the southeast Italian commune of Torre Santa Susanna has been officially opened. Torre Santa Susanna is one of the largest tracking solar systems in Europe and is powered by 32,202 Sanyo’s HIT solar modules fitted on Ideematec safetrack technology.
German laser system supplier 4JET has won the Deutscher Gründerpreis Award 2011. The award, sponsored by Porsche, German magazine Stern, ZDF Television and the Sparkasse Banking Group, was presented to 4JET for not just its exceptional financial growth over the past 12 months but also for creating a business model that promises further growth in the years ahead.
Suntech Power’s Just-Roof building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) solution has been approved by French certification body CEIAB (Comité d'Evaluation de l'Intégration au Bâti). CEIAB is France’s official evaluation committee for all BIPV products, and its endorsement sees Just Roof gain eligibility for the country’s highest available feed-in-tariff.
Payom Solar has formed a new subsidiary in Turbigo, Milan to help manage the company’s rapidly-expanding Italian client base. The subsidiary, which has been named Solar Energy Italia SAS, has already secured its first major order – a 4MW roof system for a Danish investment group valued at €13 million.
M+W Group has established a new subsidiary in Dresden: M+W Integrated Solutions, which will cater to the high-tech service business in Europe. The new subsidiary will support its customers with services such as plant reconstruction and extension, installation, commissioning and service for high-tech equipment and certification and acceptance testing.
