Microsol International, a UAE based module manufacturer has agreed to acquire the majority of operations of insolvent Solon that could secure most of the 471 jobs at the firm. Insolvency administrator, Ruediger Wienberg announced the deal on the March 1, as insolvency proceedings started. Solon had filed for insolvency in the German courts on December 13, 2011. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed or whether Microsol would be responsible for Solon’s debts or whether the acquisition was primarily asset-based.
DEGERenergie has hired several new key personnel to its international offices in order to better serve, and build better relationships, with its customers. Customers in Germany and other European countries will now be serviced by Hendrik Walter and Steffen Bahlinger.
Payom Solar advised that as of February 10, it had completed its energy bond issuing a volume of €27,548,000 in subscription. Finished ahead of schedule, the bond has a €1,000 denomination and holds a five-year maturity with an interest rate of 7.5%, due April 8. The company notes that the original subscription period was scheduled to March 20, but after talk about the future of FiTs, coupled with other developments in the solar market, no further subscriptions had been received.
Solar Fields, the owner of CdTe thin-film module manufacturer Calyxo, will continue to financially support the company through 2012 thanks to Calyxo's new aperture area efficiencies of 13.4%, as confirmed by SGS Germany. The latest improved module performance is said to be the cornerstone of its next-generation module series and potentially improves their market competitiveness in the future.
As expected by solar industry observers and trade groups, Germany’s cabinet of Chancellor, Angela Merkel has approved plans proposed by Economy Minister Philipp Roesler and Environment Minister Norbert Roettgen to drastically curtail the feed-in tariff in an attempt to limit future PV installations, after a record 7.5GW was installed in 2011.
The Plastics Electronics Conference, co-located with SEMICON Europa since 2010, has been acquired by trade group, SEMI. The conference the committee has organized includes industry and academic leaders in the field of organic and inorganic large area electronics (OLAE will serve as a plastic electronics special interest group, guiding SEMI activities and services worldwide). SEMI said the conference and exhibition format would be extended to other regions in the future.
Martifer Solar announced the completion of its 2.07MW ground-mounted Les Mées, solar plant. The PV installation was built across 4 hectares with Martifer Solar overseeing the EPC and supplying all PV equipment. The company will also be providing the operation and maintenance of the plant, which is to be operated by Leonidas Associates IV.
Following a disappointing financial performance in 2011, COLEXON Energy to streamline its business continues. The company has sold two further solar project companies in southern Germany and Italy.
Solar PV capacity in the Ukraine is set to double in 2012, as a result of generous renewable incentives. Europe’s second-largest country currently hosts Europe’s biggest photovoltaic plant, a 100MW behemoth installed by Activ Solar GmbH last year, and is set to benefit from continued investment due to the scaling back of feed-in tariff schemes across Europe.
SPI Solar, US-based EPC services provider, has announced its third Greek venture, having acquired the necessary paperwork. Working alongside local partners SDL Solar and Global Energy Services, the installation is expected to be a 1MW fixed-ground-mount solar facility, located in Rhodope Prefecture, north-eastern Greece. The electricity will be purchased by Greek Public Power Corporation through a 20-year PPA.
