Author: Francesco

The Canadians Are Coming

or rather, their energy could well be. A newly-published study commissioned by the Canadian Wind Energy Association found considerable potential for wind energy exports from the Maritime Provinces to the US north east. In this exclusive extract, PES reveals how the provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island could transport their surplus… Read more »

Planning an ecologically-sound future..

Wind power, one of the fastest-growing sources of energy around the world, is popular, not least because of its obvious abundance and because it provides many communities with a clean, local source of electricity, as opposed to imported fossil fuels. In the US – which recently passed Germany to become the country producing the most… Read more »

Department of Energy: a change..

The US Department of Energy has traditionally concentrated its efforts and support on the oil industry, but in recent months it has shifted its stance towards renewables, and specifically towards wind energy, investing massive amounts in research and development and manufacturing. PES looks at the motivation behind this change and examines what economic factors and… Read more »

Race is on to complete first US..

The battle lines are drawn for supremacy in the developing US offshore wind-generation business as various states vie to be the first to achieve that crucial milestone – going online. So what stage are we currently at in this all-important race? Jennifer Zajac of SNL Energy is your guide to the current movers and shakers… Read more »

Warning: BASE jumpers are coming..

In 1912 Frederick Law jumped from the Statue of Liberty in New York City and the modern-day sport of BASE-jumping was born. BASE, an acronym standing for the four categories of fixed objects from which one can jump: Building, Antenna, Span and Earth, has been gaining in popularity recently and it was only ever a… Read more »

CFIUS and foreign investment in the US..

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, known as CFIUS, was formed for the purpose of permitting the President to determine the effect on national security of a transaction that results in foreign control of a US business. Foreign investments in domestic wind energy generation projects may come under scrutiny, and parties to… Read more »

portfolios with potential

Jennifer Layke, Deputy Director, Climate and Energy Program, World Resources Institute, and Rick Bunch, Managing Director, The Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise at the University of Michigan, discuss a number of options for overcoming the real and perceived challenges to wind power purchasing. {pagebreak} Wind power is increasingly sought as an environmentally friendly part… Read more »

Windpower and the military: an

The US military is taking a lead in using economically-viable wind farms to generate low-cost energy for its installations around the US and abroad. While, at face value, this seems to be excellent news for the renewables industry, there is a potential major flaw in the plan, as PES discovers… It was recently reported that… Read more »

Shrinking America

PES looks at how seaways and rail networks are helping to speed up the continent’s bid for a more ecologically-sound future, based around wind farm technology. Picture the scene: you’re driving along a narrow road in small town America. It’s a like a scene from a Wim Wenders movie with maybe just a dash of… Read more »

Integration Of Renewable Energy What It

A new buzzword is striking fear and excitement in the hearts and minds of renewable energy developers and transmission providers: ‘integration.’ The term can get stakeholders from all sides of the energy industry shouting across the table. It is also a sign of how far the renewable energy industry has come in making resources such… Read more »

U International to Feature Leading Technologies at Solar Power International 2009

NORTH BILLERICA, Mass., September 30, 2009 – BTU International (Nasdaq: BTUI), a leading supplier of advanced thermal processing equipment for the alternative energy and electronics manufacturing markets, announces that it will highlight leading technologies in booth 189 at the upcoming Solar Power International 2009 expo, scheduled to take place October 27-29, 2009 in Anaheim, Calif…. Read more »

OPDE Group to build 17 solar facilities producing 75 MW of power in the region of Piedmont (Italy)

The new OPDE Group Centre will be located in Turin Italy · The Spanish solar photovoltaic multinational, The OPDE Group – comprising the companies OPDE, MECASOLAR, PROINSO and RIOS- will sign next Friday, October 8th, an agreement with the regional government of Piedmont (Italy) for: The construction of 17 solar facilities in the period 2009-2010;… Read more »

Sputnik commissions the first solar power plant with a new megawatt station

Biel , 23. September 2009. Today in Hemau, in the district of Regensburg, will see the commissioning of the first megawatt station built by Sputnik Engineering, a Swiss inverter manufacturer. The 632 photovoltaic (PV) plant was installed on open land by SolaStrom Systems GmbH, a system integrator based in Augsburg. At this site the usual… Read more »

Sway seeks concession for test turbine in Oygarden

SWAY AS has applied for a test concession from the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate for constructing a test turbine in Naturgassparken in Oygarden (West Coast of Norway). The construction of the prototype will be conditional on financial support from Enova. The wind turbine will have a capacity of 10 MW and a rotor… Read more »

Applied Materials Begins Shipments of World’s Largest, Fastest, Roll-to-Roll Vacuum Coating Systems

ALZENAU, Germany–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Applied Materials, Inc. today announced that it has begun shipping multiple Applied TopmetTM 4450 systems, the world’s largest and fastest, roll-to-roll thin film metal deposition machine, to a customer in Europe. {pagebreak} This latest model of Applied’s Topmet 4450 product line deposits ultra-thin aluminum films on 4.5m (15 feet) wide rolls of… Read more »

HyperSonic Ultrasonic Reciprocating System Provides a Proven Solution

HyperSonic Ultrasonic Reciprocating System Provides a Proven Solution for Scaling Up Solar Manufacturing Processes Sono-Tek Corporation – Milton, NY announces the immediate availability of its new HyperSonic ultrasonic reciprocating coating system designed for processes such as Phosphoric Doping, CIGS coatings, anti-reflection coatings and various nanosuspension coatings for thin film and silicon solar cell production. {pagebreak}… Read more »

Team of Fraunhofer ISE and BASF nominated for the German Future Prize (Deutscher Zukunftspreis) 2009

The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE and BASF were nominated for the German Future Prize for the joint development of Micronal® PCM, a microencapsulated latent heat storage material for construction materials. This prize is awarded every year by the President of the Federal Republic of Germany. {pagebreak} By awarding this prize for technology… Read more »

Europe-wide Standardised Outdoor Tests for PV Modules

The Fraunhofer IWES in Kassel, Germany and the association DERlab e.V. are presenting for the first time Europe-wide standardised outdoor tests for PV modules at the world’s largest solar energy conference EU PVSEC Kassel, 22nd September 2009. {pagebreak} Module manufacturers sell their products all over the world. And yet, since unified standards are lacking, a… Read more »

FIST SA publishes three new reports on the photovoltaic patents’ landscape

This three-part analysis – “Silicon cells”, “Thin film cells” and “Organic and hybrid cells” provides extensive information and rational analysis of the global photovoltaic cells patents’ landscape.  PARIS September 9, 2009 – “IP Overview Photovoltaic 2009” establishes a panorama of the worldwide patents claiming “silicon cells”, {pagebreak} “thin film cells” and “organic and hybrid cells”… Read more »

Avanti equipment in wind turbine towers in Uruguay

The Danish company Avanti Wind Systems has just supplied service lifts and ladder fall safety equipment for five new 2 MW wind turbine towers in Uruguay. The wind turbine park in Cerro de los Caracoles was financed by Spain and is operated by UTE, the Uruguayan state-owned electricity company. {pagebreak} The new turbine towers, which… Read more »

Samskip flats moving into new geographical areas

Samskip Multimodal Container Logistics can draw upon 30 years of experience operating flatrack equipment between the Benelux, Germany, the UK and Ireland. Now that experience is being made available to a wider network of customers. {pagebreak} Since the beginning of 2009 Samskip has expanded its flatrack services to cover new trade lanes to include Italy,… Read more »

Offgrid specialist Phaesun teaches solar companies in Uganda

Memmingen, 18 September 2009. Phaesun GmbH, a systems provider based in Memmingen , Germany , has taught technical and economical details of solar technology to 60 Ugandan participants for one week. Working along with Phaesun were four German partner companies, the German Solar Industry Association BSW-Solar and the GTZ. Representatives from 30 Ugandan solar companies,… Read more »

Gemini Energy Services Awarded $74,100 in Job Training Funds

Gemini Energy Services has been awarded $74,100 in job training funds from The California Labor and Workforce Development Agency’s Employment Training Panel’s Small Business Program. The funds will be used to train 19 of Gemini’s San Diego-based, all veteran team of technicians to provide operations and maintenance services to the Wind Industry, one of ETP’s… Read more »

Phoenix Solar AG expands and extends framework agreement with KG Allgemeine Leasing

• Minimum investment volume through 2012 now EUR 525 million • Continuation of the successful cooperation in the power plant construction business Sulzemoos 16 September 2009 / Phoenix Solar AG (ISIN DE000A0BVU93), a leading photovoltaic system integrator listed on the TecDAX, has for the second time extended the framework agreement, signed with KG Allgemeine Leasing GmbH & Co. (KGAL)… Read more »

Solarion powers Volkswagen E-Up! with solar energy

Solarion AG, based in Leipzig (Germany), is involved in the development of the electric automobile E-Up! which was presented as a world premiere by the CEO of Volkswagen AG Martin Winterkorn at the 63rd Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung (IAA), currently taking place in Frankfurt (Germany).  The roof of the concept car E-Up! with an area of about… Read more »

Fraunhofer ISE participates in "Online Master Photovoltaics"

PV Branch profits from new extra-occupational master’s program The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE plays a significant part in setting up and carrying out a new master degree course “Master Online Photovoltaics” at the University of Freiburg. The goal of this course program is the extra-occupational education and vocational training of specialists for… Read more »

PES New issue – PV comes of age

PES is proud to announce the publication of its latest issue, subtitled: PV comes of age – solar power and the push for mainstream acceptance. Has the PV industry finally come of age? Well, the statistics certainly look good, even if the economic downturn has – temporarily, perhaps – slightly dented the industry’s image as… Read more »

Eu Pvsec

Industry executives attending the 24th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference (EU PVSEC) in Hamburg will be able to pick up their latest copy of PES magazine at the show, where we are once again media partners. {pagebreak} This year, we’ll be meeting the demand of the record-breaking number of visitors with a massively-increased circulation, and… Read more »

GMR Solar Tropic is the worlds first Special Economic Zone dedicated to Solar Industry

Situated on the Chennai – Bangalore growth corridor, the 312 acre Zone would be an ecosystem for solar goods, providing world class infrastructure and utilities to house all activities across R&D, Manufacturing, Services and Trading. This is the first phase of the 3700 acre development of the multi-product GMR Krishnagiri SEZ. Located just off Bangalore,… Read more »

Challenges and solutions for recruitment and training ..

Despite the current economic gloom, the green energy sector is looking towards a future of exponential growth. But how can we capitalise on this, if we can’t attract the necessary workforce?Tens of thousands of new jobs are expected to be created across Europe by the expansion of wind farms alone.   {pagebreak}  Indeed, Lord Hunt,… Read more »

Innovative, powerful, different

Transiting the Northeast-Passage, applying a towing kite system, utilising the shark skin effect – three different topics, one common interface: Beluga Shipping GmbH, the project and heavy lift carrier known for great innovative spirit and the philosophy to go off the beaten tracks of commercial shipping.   {pagebreak} Three Beluga vessels are the first to… Read more »

Transport For Aulepa Wind Park A Case Study

Finnish heavy haulage and project forwarding company Silvasti Ltd. specialises in wind turbine projects in Finland, Sweden and the Baltic countries. The company provides total logistics solutions for the most challenging installations, and in 2008, received a major contract to deliver 13 x 3 MW wind turbines to Aulepa Wind Park, on the west coast… Read more »

Improve your bottom line with Mobil SHC 500 series

The global energy marketplace remains increasingly competitive and customers are striving hard to increase their productivity. Considering this pressure, they are continuing to seek out innovative means to reduce energy consumption as one method to remain competitive. {pagebreak} To satisfy this demand Mobil Industrial Lubricants is clearly identifying those lubricants of its portfolio that demonstrate… Read more »

Bolting failure-free technology on to the..

Intellifast GmbH is a leading name in the ultrasonic load measurement business, launching on to the market in 1997 with a focus on the world biggest bolt consumers – the car industry. Here, Managing Director Frank Scheuch talks to PES about the company, its expansion into the wind industry, and his vision for its future.Intellifast… Read more »

My vision

Matias Setälä, Director of Silvasti Logistics, talks to PES about his personal ambitions and puts forward his thoughts about a brighter renewables industry.How did you come to be involved in the renewables industry?Some years ago our company was asked to participate in a tender for wind turbine project transports – that was the first time… Read more »